Minutes of Meeting held in St. Chad’s Church Room on Thursday 30th. March 2017.

Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).

Councillors T. Beastall, R. Lovell, D. Sargeant, C. Taylor & S. R. Weston.

District Councillor N. Hawkins.

One Member of the Public.

In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.

79/16. Apologies for Absence.

No apologies for absence were received.

80/16. Declarations of Interest.

There were no declarations of interest at this point.

81/16. Chairman’s Address.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked Councillor Taylor for attending the Staffs. Moorlands Parish Assembly with him.

82/16. Public Comments.

The member of the public gave the history of a piece of land which he owned in Sutherland Road and asked for the Parish Council’s views on whether it would support an application for housing on the land. He was informed that the Parish Council was not the planning authority and was only asked for comments on receipt of an actual application. He was advised to consult with Staffs. Moorlands District Council Planning Dept.

District Councillor Hawkins gave an update on the number of houses, 320 per year until 2031, which the Moorlands Council were proposing would be needed under the Local Plan. She also gave various dates for the discussions on the Plan,14th.June 2017 for the Council’s Assembly, with 29th. June to 10th. August 2017 for public consultations.

83/16. Minutes of Last Meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 2nd. February 2017 had been circulated. It was agreed that they be signed as a true and correct record.

84/16. Matters Arising.

A reply had been received from Staffs. Moorlands District Council regarding a replacement litter bin to be sited on the canal bridge in Sutherland Road. It stated that a replacement bin could be provided should the Parish Council agree to pay an annual charge of £205 – 00 per year for a once weekly empty.

It was agreed to contact the Canal & River Trust to see if it would be prepared to replace the original bin on the towpath.

The Clerk reported that he had removed the remaining bars in the windows of the side elevations of the bus shelter on Leek Road, opposite the old New Inn. Thanks were expressed to him.

The partly completed extension at a property in Denford Road in a Conservation area was again discussed. It was agreed to request a site visit by Staffs. Moorlands District Council. District Councillor Hawkins offered to request this officially.

A request had been made to Staffs. County Council asking if the double yellow lines on the East side of the entrance to Sutherland Road could be extended to match the opposite side. A reply stated that the site had been inspected and it had found that the lines in question were 0.2metres short of the original instructions when the lines were installed. This matter would be rectified in due course but there were no reasons found to extend the lines further.

A quotation of £33 – 00 per barrel had been received from Proctor’s Nursery. It was agreed to replace the worst four of the plant tub barrels this year with the remaining four replaced next year. A list of the worst would be tabulated. It was also agreed that all the tubs be re-planted this year as usual.

A further complaint had been received about the erosion of the entrance to the private Wood Road by storm water from Sutherland Road. It was agreed to contact County Councillor Heath to request some form of barrier to prevent the water ingress.

It was reported that:

the letter approving the tree screen planting at Ladderedge had been sent and acknowledged.

the various matters for the County Council had been attended to.

85/16. Correspondence.

Information received under this item:

request for information on internet access in the parish.

Staffs. County Council’s Community Paths Initiative – Bids for 2017/2018.

invitation to join the Community Council of Staffs – no action.

notice of Healthwatch Advisory Public Board Meeting – Wednesday 12th April 2017 at Red Street, Newcastle.

Clerks & Councils Direct – March 17 issue.

86/16. Planning Matters.

The following plan was discussed and it was agreed to forward no objections, subject to normal planning guidelines, to:-

SMD/2017/0101 Certificate of Lawfulness for Existing Use as a C3 Dwelling House at John Miles Cottage, Bank End Farm, Leek Old Road, Longsdon.

With regard to SMD/2017/0126 Outline Planning Application for the Erection of a Single Dwelling on land adjacent to High View, Sutherland Road, Longsdon it was agreed, by a majority decision, to OBJECT to the proposal on the following grounds:

The site is situated within the Green Belt.

The site is not part of an infill area.

87/16. Finance Matters.

The Precept Requirement Request for 2017 / 2018 had been forwarded to Staffs. Moorlands District Council and acknowledged.

The payment of the Staffs. County Council’s quarterly invoice had been received.

The Pensions Regulator had acknowledged the Council’s Declaration of Compliance.

Details of the Annual Audit had been received from the external auditor.

88/16. Orders for Payment.

It was unanimously agreed that the following items be paid:-

89/16. Public Comment.

There was no business under this item.

90/16. Any Other Business.

A report was given that work appeared to have started on the old New Inn site.

It was also reported that St. Chad’s Church Vicarage was up for sale but this would not affect the Church Room.

91/16. Date of Next Meeting.

The next meeting of the Council will be held at 7 - 30p.m. on Wednesday 3rd. May 2017 at St. Chad’s Church Room, Leek Road, Longsdon.