Minutes of a meeting held on Monday, 19th July 2010, at the Village Hall.
Notice Date : 2nd August 2010
CORNHILL PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of a meeting held on Monday, 19th July 2010,
at the Village Hall.
Present: Cllrs: David Buckle (Chairman), Mike Smith (Deputy Chairman),
Marie Gillespie, Alison Malcolm, Margaret Mole, Lynda Boland,
County Cllr. Dougie Watkin, Peter Rutherford (North Area Development
Manager).
1) There were no apologies for absence.
2) County Councillor’s Report:
Cllr. Watkin reported that there was a deal of anxiety amongst the staff at County Hall due to the £40 million savings having to be made over the next three years. The review of senior management was intended to save £3 million.
The setting of the budget was still a problem; the rates could not be increased next year, and it would have to be seen whether services would be affected.
Referring to work required in Cornhill, Cllr. Watkin said that the road adjacent to the Collingwood Arms would not be resurfaced this year. The C20 road from Cornhill to East Learmouth had been resurfaced, but it was pointed out that the potholes had not been filled in spite of their having been marked with yellow paint. Cllr. Watkin said he would follow this up with Highways Dept.
The proposed filter lane outside Tweed Meadows had not been laid out although this was a condition of the planning consent. One of the residents had requested that this be brought up at a parish council meeting, and the clerk was therefore asked to enquire about it to the Chief Executive at County Hall.
It was reported that one of the Cornhill road signs on the A697 at the southern end of the village had been demolished, and the clerk would take this up with Highways Dept.
The Chairman thanked Cllr. Watkin for the matters attended to.
3) Guest Speaker, Peter Rutherford, North Area Development Manager:
The Chairman welcomed Peter Rutherford to the meeting and invited him to talk about planning and development issues.
Mr. Rutherford explained that he and his team had a huge area to cover stretching from the Scottish border to Newcastle with diverse communities and landscape, and that he split his working days between Berwick and Alnwick.
He stated that the concept of the Local Development Framework was the shaping of towns and the countryside. The Planning Committee was a body of lay people who made decisions on behalf of the community; firstly, Planning Preparation – shaping communities, social and economic, and secondly, Control – management. They were looking at sustainable development promoting better quality of life in both the larger towns and the smaller ones, and also the rural areas such as Cornhill. Mr. Rutherford stressed that the County Council needed to do a lot of work with parish councils who could be given a check list when working through planning applications.
The Chairman said that Cornhill Parish Council always responded to applications with one voice, and he stated that parish councils should be involved when applications were first made. Currently, they only become involved once the developers have been given the green light to go ahead with their applications. As an example, the Chairman referred to the developer’s application for 22 houses at Tweed Meadows, which the Parish Council had subsequently had reduced to 13. This was a compromise on the PC’s preferred number of six. The approved application for 42 houses on the Rickerby site had been passed against the wishes of the PC, and plans tend to change without recourse to the PC. Mr. Rutherford said that the County Council tries to encourage developers to liaise with parish councils, but the previous Government had tried to make decisions quickly so that new houses could be built without delay. This allowed changes to be made without reference to the communities. There was no guidance on how consultations are made, and it was acknowledged that there needed to be more information coming back from parish councils about decisions being made. Mr. Rutherford said there were reports on County Council websites on how consultations have taken place.
Cllr. Boland, a resident of Tweed Meadows, asked why the access road had not yet been adopted. Mr. Rutherford thought this may be due to the fact that not all the houses were occupied.
The Chairman said that the planning website was difficult to use. This, said Mr. Rutherford was probably due to the current complex system being used, and it was hoped that a single system will be operating in six months or so.
The Chairman thanked Mr. Rutherford for his information, and when significant changes were made to the planning policies, he would be invited back to explain these.
3) The minutes of the meeting held on 17th May 2010 were agreed and signed.
4) Matters arising from the minutes:
• Rural transport – a new bus route (905) to be run on Wednesdays only between Coldstream and Cornhill, calling at Wark and Carham, was to be introduced on a six-month trial from 1st September. The service had to be booked through the Scottish Borders Council on tel. no. 01835 825123. The flat fare was £2.00, but concessions would apply.
• Footpaths – a further walk was undertaken in June to check that the problems raised on the footpath between Cornhill and Donaldson’s Lodge had been rectified. It appeared that the only remaining problem was that a headland beside an oilseed rape field had not been cut, but as this was not one of the self-guided walks, it was felt that it was not a priority. The paths listed on the Walks leaflets had not yet been cut, and it was agreed that the Chairman and clerk should meet the grass cutter and discuss with him whether he was able to find the time to do these.
• Glendale Gateway Trust questionnaire – the GGT had reported that there was not sufficient unity of services to justify any joint management.
• Vacancy on Parish Council – since there had been no interest in this, it was agreed to leave this until the November meeting.
• Captain Collingwood portrait – according to the Manager of the Collingwood Arms Hotel, this appeared to have been lost.
• Play Area inspections – a training session had taken place in Wooler, but this at the present time was not relevant to Cornhill. The contract between NCC and Cornhill Parish Council had not yet been signed due to lack of information as to cost, etc. The clerk was pursuing this, but with no result so far.
• Glass recycling containers – two further containers had been provided outside the Village Shop.
• Litter bins – a new bin had been provided beside the new bus shelter, making a total of six in the village.
• Pedestrian refuge – no progress on this as yet.
• Filter lane – discussed in Item 2.
• Grit bin in St. Helen’s Gardens – this had not yet been replaced. It appeared that it had been broken by a refuse lorry because it had been placed too near to the edge of the road. The clerk was asked to write and suggest the new one should be placed on the green.
• Road resurfacing on C20 – discussed in Item 2.
5) Financial Report:
The clerk distributed copies of the current financial position showing a bank balance of £1857.78, which included £90.30 remaining from the Internet Café grant. Imminent payments included £372.70 for the insurance premium and £57.50 for the audit fee, plus ongoing monthly payments of £28.78 for the BT internet line rental. When the grant money was exhausted it was hoped to fund the Internet Café expenses with donations received for the use of the computers and the Walks leaflets.
Thanks were recorded to Robert Turnbull for carrying out the internal audit for the year ended 31st March 2010. The Annual Return had subsequently been sent to the external auditors for their review.
6) Planning:
The plans for an extension to the Old School House had been approved, as had outline planning permission for a new dwelling adjacent to The Elms, Berwick Road.
7) Report on Glendale Community Forum meeting held on 15th July:
Cllr. Buckle reported that it was felt there was a need for a vice-chairman to take meetings when the chairman was unable to attend. There had been one nomination – John Davidson – and he was duly elected.
The production of a Community Action Plan to be funded by a number of agencies including NCC was discussed further following the workshops held on 10th May. There was a shortfall in affordable and social housing, and the Forum was seeking funding support from NCC, NNPA and Berwick Borough Housing and other agencies to try to improve the situation. Demographics, business and the economy were also discussed, and the importance of the transport infrastructure and electronic communications to businesses.
The possible impact on the retail shops in the High Street following the planning application for a proposed supermarket on the derelict site in South Road, Wooler, was also discussed. At an earlier public meeting, the majority of residents were against the development, but the Parish Council had voted 10-1 in favour. The surrounding parishes had been consulted and were generally in favour. The application had subsequently been revised and the size of the development reduced by 25%.
8) Any other business:
• Glendale Trails Project – this referred to a series of proposed bicycle rides starting in Wooler. The newly-formed Wooler Cycle Hub was holding its inaugural Glendale Heritage Ride on Saturday, 24th July, stopping at key heritage sites, and the Etal Fete Fund Ride was to take place on Sunday, 1st August, from Wooler to Etal.
Following the success of the four Cornhill Walks, it is intended that circular cycle rides from Cornhill should be mapped out and the routes printed out. There was difficulty in finding a keen cyclist who had the time to do this, and it was agreed that a request be made on the Cornhill website.
• Northumberland Charter for Local Councils – parish councils had been invited to take part in a review of the Charter, and the accompanying questionnaire had been completed on behalf of Cornhill by the Chairman.
• Phone box – there had been a complaint that the Cornhill phone box was in need of painting, and the clerk would convey this to British Telecom.
9) Date of next meeting – Monday, 20th September 2010, at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.
Signed……………………….
Date…………………………
Notice of a meeting to be held on Monday, 19th July 2010, at the Village Hall at 7.30pm.
Notice Date : 14th July 2010
CORNHILL PARISH COUNCIL
Notice of a meeting to be held on Monday, 19th July 2010,
at the Village Hall at 7.30pm.
Agenda
1) Apologies for absence
2) Guest Speaker: Peter Rutherford to speak on Planning Issues
3) Minutes of the meeting held on 17th May 2010 to be agreed and signed
4) Matters arising from the minutes:
Rural transport
Footpaths
Glendale Gateway Trust questionnaire
Vacancy on Parish Council
Captain Collingwood Portrait
Play Area inspections
Glass recycling containers
Litter bins
Pedestrian refuge
Filter lane
Grit bin in St. Helen’s Gardens
Road resurfacing on C20
5) Financial Report
6) Planning – Approval of plans for Old School House
Approval of outline planning permission at The Elms, Berwick Road
7) Report on Glendale Community Forum meeting – 15th July
8) Any other business
9) Date of next meeting: Monday, 20th September 2010
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Members of the public are invited to attend and to speak at the invitation of the Chairman
Minutes of the Annual General Parish Meeting held on Monday, 17th May 2010, in the Village Hall.
Notice Date : 26th May 2010
CORNHILL PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Annual General Parish Meeting
held on Monday, 17th May 2010, in the Village Hall.
Present: Cllrs. David Buckle (Chair), Mike Smith (Deputy Chair), Marie Gillespie,
Alison Malcolm, Lynda Boland, County Cllr. Dougie Watkin, Angela Hallam-Baker (Clerk).
1) Apologies for absence were received from Margaret Mole.
7) County Councillor’s Report for the year to 31st March 2010:
(Since Cllr. Watkin had to go on to another meeting, this item was brought forward)
• NCC Senior Management - there had been a total review of the senior management at County Hall, and the second rung of top officers had been taken out allowing £1.5 million of savings. The officer situation was not working as it should be. All top positions had been filled except for one.
• Potholes - due to one of the worst winters, the road surfaces had suffered badly and £1 million had been allotted for the repair of potholes.
• Grass cutting - Dougie had organized a special grass cut down to the bridge, but normally it will be cut once a month just to the 30 mile limit.
• Street lights - the street lights mentioned at the last meeting were now working.
• St. Helen’s Gardens - the deep recess at the point of access from the A698 into St. Helen’s Gardens had been filled and taken back to the setts.
• Re-surfacing on the Coldstream road had been done, but levelling of the concrete gutter tops was required, as was work to remove the holes outside the Collingwood Arms.
• The hard-standing at Donaldson’s Lodge bus stop is not yet finished, but is in hand.
• Cornhill School Inspection – this was expected in the near future.
Cllr. Watkin left the meeting at this point.
2) Chairman’s opening remarks and report on the past year:
The Chairman reported that during the year the PC had invited three speakers to meetings.
These were PC Paul Temple from Northumbria Police regarding Neighbourhood Watch;
Gary McBride regarding bus routes, particularly Route 67; and Tony Wood, the parish representative from the NSP.
The Website Working Group had agreed to find another host in place of Fantasy Prints, and this was transferred to one of the Cornhill resident’s companies which has offered to review the website. It is important that as many items as possible are added to keep it up to date, and residents are asked to send these to Angela.
The Internet Café at the Village Shop was launched on 23rd April. This was installed with a grant by Awards for All, the internet access to the public being free of charge, but a donation box was to be made available to help with the costs. The computers were now being used regularly, particularly by guests of the Collingwood Arms.
Other items mentioned by the Chairman were that the Mobile Library is back in service, and a decision was taken not to purchase the little-used telephone kiosk at Donaldson’s Lodge from BT.
On the 1st April, 2010, certain services had been transferred from NCC to the parish councils. Play Areas and public seats were two of these which applied to Cornhill, but it had been decided that for the first year, the management of the play area should be left with the County Council. This had required the precept to be increased by £1,200 in order to pay NCC to continue to manage the play area. £600 would be for weekly inspections, and the remainder would be held in the PC bank account for maintenance and repairs. The second round of transferred services would be come into force on 1st April 2011, and this was expected to include the management of the closed churchyard.
Ann Wood and Keith Bailey had resigned as Parish Councillors during the year, and Lynda Boland had been appointed. The remaining vacancy had not yet been filled.
The publication of the leaflets describing the four walks from Cornhill had been a great success and more than 120 copies of each walk had been issued. These were available from the Village Shop, and donations for these of around £65 had been received during the first year.
Problems with some of the paths were checked by the Rights of Way officer from NCC, and he was due to return and review the improvements.
3) The minutes of the Annual General Parish Meeting held on 18th May 2009 were agreed and signed, and there were no matters arising.
4) Presentation of unaudited accounts for the year to 31st March 2010:
The clerk distributed copies of the Income & Expenditure Account, and went through the figures. This included the £1,650.00 Awards for All grant for the Internet Café equipment, of which there remained £210.42. The closing balance at the year end stood at £641.05. The accounts would be subjected to an internal audit, then made available for inspection by parishioners, after which the accounts would be sent away for the external audit before being re-presented to the Parish Council.
5) Election of Officers for the year to 31st March 2011:
It was unanimously agreed that the current officers be re-elected to serve for the current year: David Buckle as Chair, was proposed by Marie Gillespie and seconded by Alison Malcolm, and Mike Smith as Deputy Chair, proposed by David Buckle and seconded by Marie Gillespie.
6) Programme of meetings for the year:
It was agreed that the PC meetings should continue to be held on the third Monday of alternate months:- 19th July, 20th September, 15th November, 2010, and 17th January,
21st March, and 16th May 2011.
7) There being no further business, the meeting was closed.
Signed…………………………..
Date ………………………........
Minutes of a meeting held on Monday, 17th May 2010, at the Village Hall.
Notice Date : 26th May 2010
CORNHILL PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of a meeting held on Monday, 17th May 2010,
at the Village Hall.
Present: Cllrs. David Buckle (Chair), Mike Smith (Deputy Chair), Marie Gillespie,
Alison Malcolm, Lynda Boland, Angela Hallam-Baker (Clerk).
1) Apologies for absence were received from Cllr. Margaret Mole.
2) The minutes of the meeting held on 15th March 2010 were agreed and signed.
3) Matters arising from the minutes:
• Rural transport – nothing more had been received from Gary McBride regarding possible new routes, but it was suggested that the parish would need to be asked what was required, and that this could possibly be done door to door. It was pointed out that if the proposed new superstore were to be built in Wooler, this may make a difference to the number of people wishing to travel there. The application for the store had not yet been submitted for planning approval, and it was decided to wait and see if this is agreed.
• The new Glen Valley Tours timetable dated 18th April contained details of the Wednesdays and Saturdays bus service between Kelso and Newcastle calling at Cornhill. It was noted that the English concessionary bus passes were valid as long as the bus was boarded on the English side of the border to the destination in Scotland and return journey, but it appeared that if there was a change of buses in Scotland, the fare would have to be paid when boarding the subsequent bus.
• Footpaths – Phil Bradley was due to visit Cornhill again shortly to check that the problems on some of the paths had been rectified.
• Replacement noticeboard – this was now in place, and the Chair would write to Dennis Pereira to thank him for making this, generously donating it to the parish, and scrapping the old one. An acknowledgement to Dennis would also be sent and put on the website and in the Newsletter. The glass front was lockable, but it was thought this should not be necessary. Marie agreed to hold the keys in the meantime.
• Glendale Gateway Trust questionnaire – this had been circulated to the Glendale parishes to determine whether economies of scale could be implemented in managing parish council services. Five of the parishes had responded so far, and the GGT would report back directly to the parishes.
• Street lamps – it was noted that these had been mended.
• Vacancy on the Parish Council – this was still outstanding in spite of the statutory notices having been displayed in Cornhill and Donaldson’s Lodge, and posted on the website.
• Captain Collingwood portrait – the PC had been advised that this would be replaced either inside the Collingwood Arms or back where it came from over the front door. The clerk agreed to mention this to the Manager.
• Play Area inspections – it was noted that these should be made weekly, and the clerk would follow this up with NCC. It appeared that other villages had not had theirs inspected for several months.
4) Financial Report:
The clerk circulated a note of the current financial situation which showed that the precept had been increased by £1,200 to £2,700 to cover management of the Play Area. The first half of the precept - £1,350 – had been credited to the account, showing a current balance of £1,915.08.
A request for renewal of the NALC annual subscription amounting to £65.05 had been received. In view of the fact that this organization did not appear to be acting in the best interests of parish councils, it was unanimously agreed that the subscription should not be renewed.
5) Internet Café Launch:
This had already been discussed at the AGPM prior to this meeting.
6) Transfer of Play Area from NCC to Parish Council:
A letter together with a plan of the Cornhill Play Area had been received from NCC with a request that the illustrated boundaries should be acknowledged as correct. These were verified, and it was agreed that the PC should accept the transfer of this land.
It was noted that this had been built over an inspection pit used by the former railway, and was therefore not suitable for building.
7) Planning:
Full Planning Application No. 10/B/0119 to demolish existing buildings to the rear of the Old School House and replace with two storey extension to accommodate living room and bedroom with shower room. These plans had been circulated to the PC and it was noted that there were no objections.
8) Report from Glendale Community Forum meeting held on 29th April:
It was reported that Jane Pannell had been re-elected Chair unopposed.
The meeting discussed the Glendale Opportunities event which was subsequently held on 10th May with a view to developing a Community Action Plan. It was proposed that workshops would be held looking at four areas of importance: Business and the Economy, Housing, Communications & Transport, and Demographic Change, and short, medium and long term actions proposed for the CAP. If this is approved by the Community Forum, it will go out to all the parishes and then to public consultation.
9) Report from Glendale Group of Parish Councils meeting held on 13th May 2010:
Items discussed at the meeting included:
• Training available for inspection of play areas.
• Five completed GGT questionnaires had been received and were currently being evaluated by the Trust.
• The NCC’s idea to move Wooler Library into the Cheviot Centre, and the retention of the Tourist Information Centre. Also some front of house services being made available at the Cheviot Centre. Details need to be discussed, and application made for funding
• Prescriptions to be made accessible for snowbound people by doubling up the number of medications issued at one time. A member of Primary Care was to be invited to talk to Kirknewton PC in the autumn, and they will report back.
• NCC being consulted about public transport.
• Adopted phone boxes – Branxton to use theirs for the display of leaflets, flyers, book and magazine exchange, and possibly a wi-fi facility.
10) County Councillor’s Report – Cllr. Watkin gave his report at the AGPM held prior to this meeting.
11) Any other business:
• A request was made that the glass recycling containers near to the Village Shop should be emptied more frequently. They were being used by the Hotel as well as the local residents.
• A request was also made for a litter bin on the opposite side of the road from the Village Shop, and one near to the roundabout. These were required particularly at bus stops.
• The proposed pedestrian refuge opposite to the phone box was still on the list of work to be done by Highways. There had been no objections to its being placed at this point.
• Filter lane at Tweed Meadows – there was as yet no money from the developers to provide this, but the turning was not affecting the, as yet, small number of residents.
• A request was made for a new grit bin in St. Helen’s Gardens, the old one having been damaged beyond repair.
• Advance notification had been received of surface dressing along the length of the C20 road from Cornhill to East Learmouth at some time between late May and early August. It was agreed that a notice should be put on the noticeboards and website, and in the Newsletter.
12) Date of next meeting: Monday, 19th July 2010, 7.30pm in the Village Hall.
This concluded the business of the meeting which was closed at 9.45pm.
Signed…………………………
Date……………………………
Agendas for Cornhill Annual Parish Meeting and May Parish Council Meeting.
Notice Date : 14th May 2010
CORNHILL PARISH COUNCIL
Notice of a meeting to be held on Monday, 17th May 2010,
at the Village Hall, following the Annual General Parish Meeting
Agenda
1) Apologies for absence
2) Minutes of the meeting held on 15th March 2010 to be agreed and signed
3) Matters arising from the minutes:
Rural transport
Footpaths
Replacement noticeboard donated by Denis Pereira
Glendale Gateway Trust questionnaire Street lamps
Vacancy on Parish Council
4) Financial Report
5) Internet Café Launch
6) Transfer of Play Area from NCC to Parish Council
7) Planning – 2 storey extension to Old School House
8) Report from Glendale Community Forum meeting on 29th April 2010
9) Report from Glendale Group of Parish Councils meeting on 13th May 2010
10) County Councillor’s Report
11) Any other business
12) Date of next meeting: Monday, 19th July 2010
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Members of the public are invited to attend and to speak at the invitation of the Chairman
