Coxhoe Parish Council

Meeting     Monthly Date           Tuesday 13th January 2009 Time         6.45pm Venue        Coxhoe Village Hall

       

Delivering Quality Services to

Coxhoe & Quarrington Hill

 

 

Minutes of the proceedings of the monthly council meeting held at 6.45pm in Coxhoe Village Hall, Tuesday 13^th January 2009.

 

Present: -      Chairman Cllr. P. Dodsworth, and

Cllrs: - K. Pounder, G. Shotton, C. Thirlaway, J. Taylor, S. Dunn, R. Mayo & T. Rowe.

 

Clerk  Mrs. M. Robinson

 

09.1        Apologies: Cllrs:- B. Hepplewhite, C. Wigham, D. Smith (Also Co. Cllr. D. Morgan. City & Co. Cllr. M. Plews).

 

09.2        Members Declaration of Interests – There were no declarations of interest.

 

09.3        Questions from the Public –

09.3.1   Mr. Jones expressed his concerns over Quarrington Hill Cemetery regarding safety, finances, ongoing and future maintenance, seeking closure of the cemetery, upgrading and repairing memorials and his letter to the Diocese was read to Council.  The Chairman explained that it is the responsibility of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and that assurances had been given by the PCC that all health and safety checks had been made by the diocese and work undertaken as required. A copy of both the council’s letter and the response had been sent to Mr Jones previously.  Mr Jones left to pursue the matter with the PCC / Diocese.

 

09.4        Police Report – written report received.  Members welcomed the increased police presence, especially on Friday evenings and the stopping of motorists from acting against traffic orders in the vicinity of the school.

 

09.5        Minutes of the meeting held 9^th December 2008 – were approved as a true record and duly signed.

 

09.6        Matters of information - updated information circulated.

09.6.1   Hanging Baskets - licence to be applied for towards the end of February.  Clerk to clarify licence conditions. Cllr Thirlaway agreed to survey Coxhoe & Cllr. Pounder Quarrington Hill for lamp post numbers & other positions.

Resolved

a.     Clerk to apply for licenses for both community’s hanging baskets.

b.     To establish a working party to look at ‘improving the street scene’, including street furniture and how businesses can contribute to the village atmosphere reporting back to the April meeting.

09.6.2   Asset Transfer - requests to continue to be actioned through City of Durham and Durham County Councils.

09.6.3   Coxhoe Allotments – land value agreed to be that of the rent due annually.  Tested materials do not have asbestos present.  Cllr Thirlaway agreed to develop the risk assessment criteria, monitoring forms and do an annual inspection with Alan McKeen (secretary of the association) by the June meeting.

 

09.7        Correspondence

Durham County Council (DCC) correspondence -

09.7.1   School Admissions Consultation – previous response to remain unchanged.

09.7.2   Licensing & Hackney Carriage Licence DCC consultation document – received.

09.7.3   DCC Cabinet – Dog Control Order – process to look at a ‘Fouling of Land by Dogs Order – received.

Durham City Council correspondence

09.7.4   Planning comments – acknowledgement received.

County Durham Association Local Councils correspondence

09.7.5   Standards Board Bulletin – received and circulated.

09.7.6   Draft Charter for Towns & Parish Councils – Resolved to support the work undertaken by the association.

Other correspondence

09.7.7   Durham Badger Group – requesting use of notice board to display local information – Resolved to agree to the request.

09.7.8   Various emails re grit box filling – authority advised of problem areas.  Boxes provided by County Councillors aren’t filled by DCC / highways and need to be serviced by parish councils, or through other arrangements locally.  Local bins to be noted and refill procedure identified.

09.7.9   Zurich – Policy inclusions and updates notified at no extra cost.  Application forms for other aspects received.  Resolved to ascertain cost for these.

09.7.10                       Public request for information on the role of the monitoring officer.  Resolved clerk to respond accordingly.

 

09.8        Reports

09.8.1   Coxhoe Community Partnership – project update received. 

a.     Notice board and finger pointing signage prices received by the partnership which is currently looking for best prices.

b.     St Mary’s Churchyard Heritage Project – Lighting – Coxhoe Parish Council previously agreed to assist with 3 lamps on brackets to the side and rear of the church.

Resolved to ask Co Cllr. Dennis Morgan to liaise with DCC to progress these.

c.      The Avenue – Query regarding a tree planting project – G Wingrove advises large amount of services / utility apparatus present and a need for tree pits to prevent footpath damage.

d.      Support for Community Development Officers expressed to the Leader DCC.

09.8.2   Quarrington Hill Village Partnership – no report.

09.8.3   Coxhoe Allotment Association

a.      Asbestos tests show that there are no materials containing asbestos present on the land.

b.      Access to allotments currently being investigated to confirm the right to pass over the land.

 

09.9        Quarrington Hill Allotments – Members considered if an allotment association, similar to the Coxhoe Allotment Association, should be established in Quarrington Hill.

Resolved to await the outcome of the transfer of land request with City of Durham Council.

 

09.10  Coxhoe Village Hall Room Rates – Notice of termination not within terms of the lease and suggested rates beyond council’s budget. 

Resolved to meet with representatives of the village hall committee to discuss.

 

09. 11 Council Meeting Day and starting time – Investigations into facilities available for council to use for meetings and office space identified Lansdowne House as a possible facility.

Resolved

a.     That Lansdowne House be further investigated with a view to establishing an office with public access to the council together with council meetings in the building.

b.     That, to work with other community users of the facility, council meetings be held on the second Wednesday of each month (if transferred to Lansdowne House) by May 2009.

 

09.12    Communicating with Residents - Development of a council newsletter for both communities, a residents’ email group to share information, developing the web site and improving how the council communicates with the electorate discussed.

Resolved to establish a working party to look at all the issues and invite representatives from each of the Village Partnerships, Crowtrees Heritage Group and other community groups to share ideas.

 

09.13    Finance – Budget Update –

09.13.1                       URRI invoice not received for works in Coxhoe – Resolved to pursue an invoice for payment before the end of the financial year.

09.13.2                       Seat replacement programme – Resolved that this should be included in the remit for the working party established in 09.6.1.b above to improve the street scene.

09.13.3                       Speed Visors – Information received on the cost of installing the power posts for the visors; £1,620.34 per site at Quarrington Hill (x2) and £666.72 for the Coxhoe site, totalling £3,907.40.  Resolved to order the installation of power posts and to include ‘SLOW DOWN’ in the signage.

09.13.4                       Four Bridge Fencing Order – Cost to undertake work in the region of £100.  Resolved to undertake the re-direction of the fencing.

09.13.5                       HMRC PAYE contributions due 19^th January.  Resolved to pay the due amount.

 

09.14    Planning Applications: - Resolved to respond as follows:-

09.14.1                       Variation of planning conditions for Cornforth East Quarry – Ref DCC CMA/7/67.  Resolved – no objections to the proposals.

09.14.2                       Mining Memorial – ref 4/08/010-92/FPA/HJ – Members of the applicant – Coxhoe Banner Group attended the meeting and described the project/application to council. Members asked the Banner Group to consider a different site in the same area in view of current work on the village Master Plan.

Resolved

a.     To welcome the spirit of the project celebrating mining and the memorial; but suggest that the position might not be the best when considered against the Master Plan for the village, currently being undertaken by the City of Durham on behalf of Coxhoe Village Partnership.  Recent survey results indicate that the GP services would be better in a different location and there is a desire not cause limitations on how the green spaces could be used before the Master Plan fully developed and accepted.

b.     To state that it might be more visually acceptable on the corner of Petterson Dale and that the memorial needs to be considered as an asset to the Master Plan, not result in limiting how the rest of the green areas are developed.  To ask if the proposed position, next to traffic calming measures, may be a distraction to motorists

c.      To ask that the position of mains services in the vicinity of Petterson Dale can be re-visited to see what can be achieved in that area.

d.     To request a site meeting with D. Marrs and representatives from Council, the Partnership and planners to address concerns and suggestions.

 

09.15    Accounts for Payment

Meeting closed at 21.30hrs