Page 409
Minutes 100
Minutes of the Meeting of Annual Meeting of Hanwell Parish Council
held on Wednesday14th May 2014 at 7.00 pm
Present:
Councillors: John Spratt (Chairman), Charles Nixon-Eckersall
Arnold Bailey, John Hart
Jayne Gordon, Clerk (minutes)
Apologies:
Gordon Polson, Giles Dessain
Declarations of interest: None
493
Election of Chair
Cllr Nixon-Eckersall proposed that Cllr Spratt be re-elected as Chairman of
Hanwell Parish Council. This was seconded by Cllr Bailey and unanimously
agreed.
494
Review of Insurance Policy
The current insurance policy is with AON UK Limited. It is due for renewal
on 1st June 2014. The premium for next year’s insurance is quoted at £654.76
by AON. As a result of discussions at the PC meeting in March, the clerk has
also received a quotation from Came & Company which is for £370.78. After
discussions it was agreed that the clerk should contact AON Limited to see if
they would be able to match the lower quotation from Came & Company.
Action: Clerk
It was suggested that perhaps NALC should be contacted to see if it was
possible to ascertain just how established and reputable a firm Came &
Company is.
Action: Clerk
495
Review of Risk Assessment Document
The risk assessment processes were reviewed and discussed. It was agreed
that the procedures in place were satisfactory and that this document should
therefore remain unchanged.
… Continued
Page 410
496
Appointment of Internal Auditor
It was agreed that Giles Dessain be asked to continue to act as Internal
Auditor for the Parish Council.
497
Appointment of External Auditor
It was agreed that the Parish Council would continue to use BDO as its
External Auditor.
There being no other business, the Annual Meeting of Hanwell Parish Council
was concluded at 7.25 pm
… Continued
Page 411
Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting of Hanwell Parish Council
held on Wednesday14th May 2014 at 7.30 pm
Present:
Councillors: John Spratt (Chairman), Charles Nixon-Eckersall
Arnold Bailey, John Hart, Gordon Polson
Jayne Gordon, Clerk (minutes)
Cllr Douglas Webb (Cherwell District Council)
Apologies:
Giles Dessain
Declarations of interest: Cllr Nixon-Eckersall declared an interest in planning
application number 14/00381/F
498
Minutes of last Parish Council Meeting
The minutes of the meetings held on 6th March 2014 were taken as read and
signed as being a true and accurate record.
499
Matters Arising
a.
Update on Cherwell Community Grant
Cllr Polson reported that the Village Hall Committee was still waiting for
a quotation from the plumber regarding the refurbishment of the ladies
toilets in the village hall.
b.
Park Close Allotments
During a discussion with a resident of Park Close who was enquiring
about renting an allotment, the clerk was told that 2 of the allotments in
Park Close are not being tended to . The clerk followed this up with John
Jemmett, allotment representative, to find out if there was a problem with
these allotments. John confirmed that the end 2 allotments had not been
touched so far this year and as a consequence were overrun with weeds.
There is currently a waiting list for allotments (7 people). The allotment
tenants in question are John Blake and Abigail Ashby-Burns. It is known
that John Blake has been very unwell and, after discussion, it was agreed
that the clerk should write to both tenants to find out if they wish to
continue their tenancy as the PC has a waiting list of people eager to take
on an allotment.
Action: Clerk
… Continued
Page 412
c.
Mollington Turbine
The clerk reported that the application for the wind turbine in Mollington
has been refused by CDC. The reasons for the refusal are stated below by
Mollington PC.
‘CDC Planning Committee agreed that the application for the erection
of a 77 metre high turbine should be refused not just on heritage
grounds and the impact it would have on Farnborough Hall Grade 1
listed parkland but also on landscape as well as aviation and equine
safety.
No doubt the applicant will go to appeal, however we feel this puts us
in a strong position to defend the decision.’
d.
500
Village Spring Clean
The Village Spring Clean went very well, with a good turnout from the
village. As a result of the clean up, Mr Pond (villager) has offered to
repaint the gates at the top end of the village if the PC will provide the
necessary paint. It was agreed that this should be done and that the clerk
should buy 1 x 2.5 litre can of white gloss paint on behalf of the PC.
Action: Clerk
It was also agreed that Cliff Aitken should be approached to see if he
would be willing to paint the gates at the bottom end of the village, as he
mentioned at the Spring Clean that he might be able to do this.
Action: Clerk
Chairman’s Report 2013-2014
As there were no villagers present at the meeting, it was agreed that the
Chairman’s Report for the year should be circulated to the members and copied to
Doug Webb.
Action: Clerk
In addition, a copy is attached to these minutes.
501
Annual Accounts Period 1st April 2013 to 31st March 2014
The annual accounts were prepared by the clerk and have been internally audited
by Giles Dessain.
Cllr Spratt presented the annual audit papers and calculations for consideration
by the council. In summary, the precept was increased from £5,000 to £6,000
for the year to set right the small shortfall in revenue. Both income and
expenditure were down on last year due to there being no street party during
the year. In addition, the Clerk’s salary was increased during the year. The
Parish Council remains on course and in good shape financially.
… Continued
Page 413
Section 1 of the accounts was therefore approved by the Parish Council and
signed by the Chairman and the Clerk.
Items 1-9 under Section 2 Annual Governance Statement of the Annual Return
were considered by the Council and confirmed as being adhered to. It was
therefore proposed that this section be approved and this was agreed
unanimously. Section 2 of the accounts was then signed by the Chairman and
the Clerk.
502
Proposed Housing Figures for Cherwell District
An email has been received from CPRE drawing the PC’s attention to the
recent Oxfordshire Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA). CPRE is
asking parish councils to object to the housing numbers on the basis that they
are unsound and unrealistic.
Cllr Webb summarised the current situation. At the moment, houses are not
being built in Cherwell District. CDC has tried it oppose Oxfordshire County
Council about the number of houses that the district is being told to build,
however it is very difficult to do this and some of the appeal hearings have
been very intimidating. Unfortunately it appears that North Oxfordshire has
become somewhat of a 'dumping ground' for Oxfordshire in terms of places to
build houses.
Gallaghers have dropped their appeal to build a substantial number of houses
at Saltway. Building at Saltway would have taken the pressure off the sites to
the north of Banbury.
When the Draft Local Plan was put out to consultation last year, and the
subsequent planning applications were put in for the 5 sites to the north of
Banbury, Hanwell Parish Council, with the support of Alan Jones, put forward
some very strong arguments against the proposed sites and planning
applications. These were disregarded by CDC, to the extent that the council
did not even wait until the plan was finalised to approve the planning
applications.
Cllr Webb stressed the importance of responding to such matters as it is vital
that there is a record of what the parish councils, representing local people,
want and do not want. Cllr Webb also pointed out that, once the developers
put in detailed plans for the 5 sites, that is the time for the parishes to argue
specifics, for instance to insists that the developers specify boundaries to the
sites and leave enough of a ‘green gap’ – which will reduce the size of the
building plot. The developers have got what they wanted and this will be the
time for the village to get back something for Hanwell.
… Continued
Page 414
Cllr Webb informed the PC that should CDC not start to build houses, then
they will be forced upon them – which is why the Local Plan had to be drawn
up.
The planning application for a photovoltaic park on 2 sites just outside of
Hanwell was discussed. In recent months a similar project has been
undertaken on the Stratford Road outside of Wroxton. Cllr Webb told
members that this turned out to be bigger than was thought it would be and
had involved digging up land all the way back into Wroxton. It was agreed
that the application at the edge of Hanwell covered a large area and, if built,
would be very degrading to the rural environment and to the landscape. If
such parks need to be built they should be put into brownfield sites or on to
buildings. Unfortunately at the moment the government is pushing green
energy and providing grants to encourage schemes to be built. However it has
been reported recently in the national press that a recent study has found that
enough planning applications have been granted to meet Britain's 2020 green
targets.
Cllr Webb informed the PC that the application for the extension to the
Persimmon Site, for the land between Hanwell Fields and the proposed new
development (Amber Developments application) is now under consideration
by CDC and that now is the time to register a view on this if not already done.
In conclusion, there were a number of issues that the PC needed to write to
CDC about, these being:
1.
2.
3.
Proposed housing figures for Cherwell District
The planning application for a photovoltaic Park
The extension to the Persimmon Site planning application
It was agreed that Cllr Bailey would write a letter to CDC regarding the
proposed housing figures; Cllr Nixon-Eckersall would respond to the
application for the photovoltaic park and Cllr Spratt would write to CDC
regarding the proposed extension to the Persimmon Site. All letters would be
circulated to the members for consideration before sending.
Action: Cllrs Bailey, Nixon-Eckersall, Spratt / Clerk
It was also agreed that the clerk would copy both Shotteswell and Mollington
parish councils on the response to the application for the photovoltaic park and
Cllr Webb on all 3 letters.
Action: Clerk
Cllr Spratt thanked Cllr Webb for attending the meeting and for his input.
… Continued
Page 415
503
a.
Planning Applications:
14/00082/TCA
Mr Alan Jones
3 Sackville Court, Hanwell
T1 x Prunus Amanogawa – Fell
T2 x Prunus Serrulata – Fell
T3 x Cotoneaster Cornubia – Remove
large branch overhanging lawn and
crown thin removing crossing branches
to improve shape
14/00120/TCA
Ms Marion Unsworth
Araminta, Main Street, Hanwell
T1 – Alder – Fell to ground level
14/00381/F
Mr D Crabtree
School View, Church Lane, Hanwell
Proposed two storey extension, front
elevation alterations. Convert
outbuilding to home office. Carport to
rear of property.
14/00028/SO
K S SPV43 Limited
Screening opinion – Photovoltaic Park
Parcel of land West of M40 and North of
OS Parcel 001
And, land West of Banbury Crematorium
and South of Main Street Hanwell
b.
CDC Planning Approval:
14/00082/TCA
Mr Alan Jones
3 Sackville Court, Hanwell
T1 x Prunus Amanogawa – Fell
T2 x Prunus Serrulata – Fell
T3 x Cotoneaster Cornubia – Remove
large branch overhanging lawn and
crown thin removing crossing branches
to improve shape
… Continued
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504
A.O.B.
a.
Cheques issued 5th March - 4th April
2014
10
05/03/14 Hanwell Village Hall
Payment of Community Grant for refurb of VH toilets
350.00
11
05/03/14 St Peter's Church
Payment of Community Grant for new turning circle posts at St P's Church
250.00
12
17/03/14 Jayne Gordon
2 black and 1 colour ink cartridges - Amazon
42.40
Re mower fuel from Tesco (2 receipts)
30.00
Cheques issued 5th March - 8th May
2014
13
22/04/14 Giles Dessain
36.70
b.
Post Received
Distributed as received.
There being no other business, the meeting closed at 8.45 pm.
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, 2nd July 2014
at 7.30 pm in Hanwell Village Hall
… Continued
Hanwell Parish Council
Chairman’s Report
May 2014
Audit Results for Annual Return for year ended 31st March 2013
The external audit of the Annual Return for Hanwell Parish Council was completed by
BDP. There were no issues arising from the audit.
2014-2015 Budget and Precept
Budget
The budget for 2014-2015 was agreed at £6,500.
Precept
As the Parish Council has almost a year’s funds in reserve, it was agreed that the
precept for this year would remain at £6,000.
Bank Account
The new bank account with NatWest Bank has finally been opened and is now up and
running smoothly. The old accounts with Barclays Bank have been closed and the funds
transferred to the NatWest account.
Mowing
Last year the Parish Council changed the way in which the mowing of public areas in
the village was carried out. Instead of relying on volunteers to do the work, the
Parish Council sub-contracted the mowing out to Will Wright who did the cutting
using the village equipment. After a slow start to the mowing, this system worked
well and it was therefore agreed that this system should be continued. To this end,
Will Wright was asked to provide a quotation for this mowing season. In addition,
Howard Edge from Hanwell was also asked to provide a quotation as he had
expressed an interest in the contract. As Will’s quotation was slightly lower than
Howard’s (by £200); the contract for the year was awarded to Will.
Oxfordshire County Council Home to School Transport Policy Consultation
Towards the end of 2013, Oxfordshire County Council undertook a consultation with
members of the public on plans to change the way that it provides free bus transport
to schools; the result of which would be that many children would find that they did
not qualify for a free bus to their catchment school. This would potentially affect
families in Hanwell as the current bus service to the two catchment schools – Hornton
Primary and The Warriner – would no longer be free of charge.
Whilst the consultation generally received a lot of publicity locally, no one in the
village made any representation to the parish council about it as a result of which the
parish council was not in a position to make any detailed comments other than express
concern over:
… Continued
(a)
(b)
The transition period if the proposals went ahead.
Whether children from Hanwell would have a right to attend their nearest
school to qualify for free transport – these schools being Hanwell Fields
Primary and North Oxfordshire Academy.
On 11th February Oxfordshire County Council voted in favour of revising their school
transport policy. This means that from September 2015, students will receive free
transport to their nearest school only.
Cherwell Boundary Review
CDC are proposing to alter the parish boundaries of Hanwell Village and Drayton Village
in order to exclude the proposed new housing which will be included in Banbury Town
instead.
Registry of Local Heritage Assets
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires local authorities to recognise
buildings and other structures that are deemed to be of local historic or social importance.
These were formerly known as ‘Locally Listed’ and will now be referred to as Local
Heritage Assets. These assets come in many forms, including walls, buildings, statues,
monuments and formal gardens. To ensure that these assets are recognised and protected,
CDC has drafted a policy and evaluation system.
The Parish Council welcomed this initiative from the district council as it is
important for the village to have it’s assets listed and protected. The Parish Council
appointed a sub-committee to carry out the inspection and recording of all
village assets.
Oxfordshire County Council Community Grants
There was a £10,000 fund available for community grants, to be used to help fund a
capital scheme in the village which would be of benefit to the village community.
The Parish Council applied for a grant to be used towards:
1. Refurbishment of the village hall toilets
2. Replacement of the wooden posts at the turning circle of St Peter’s Church
A sum of £600 was awarded to the village for these projects.
Parish Councillor Vacancy
In May 2013 Bob Dainty resigned from the parish council having served more than 10
years as a parish councillor. The Parish Council thanks Bob for all his hard work and
input into the parish council and the village.
Currently there is not sufficient work to warrant replacing Cllr Dainty and so for the time
being the position has not been filled.
… Continued
Cherwell Draft Local Plan and Planning Applications to the North of Banbury
Over the year, Alan Jones and Hanwell Parish Council pursued every avenue possible
with regard to the proposed sites in the Local Plan and the subsequent planning
applications that were submitted. Finally, following a letter being sent to the Leader of
Cherwell District Council, Councillor Barry Wood, it was agreed between the Parish
Council, Alan Jones and Cllr Reynolds that nothing more could be done with any hope of
success.
The Parish Council’s next action on this matter would therefore need to revolve around
the conditions of the more detailed planning permission.
The planning applications that have now been approved are:
13/1789/OUT
Persimmon Homes Limited
Land off Warwick Road, North of Hanwell Fields, Banbury, Oxfordshire
Outline application for up to 350 dwellings, together with new vehicular access from
Warwick Road and associated open space.
13/00158/OUT
Pandora Ltd
Land adjoining Foxhill and West of Southam Road, Banbury
Outline – Development of up to 370 residential (Use Class 3/extra care housing),
Class A uses, Class D1 use with associated access, landscaping/open space, parking
and related works.
Cherwell District Council has still to advise its decision on the following planning
application:
14/00066/OUT
Amber Developments
Land North of Hanwell Fields, Warwick Road
Ouline – Planning Application for up to 160 dwellings together with associated
infrastructure and open space with all matters reserved except access
The Parish Council was advised by Cllr Reynolds that the Miller Homes application for
the Drayton site had been turned down – the reason being that it was not in the Local Plan.
.
Play Area and Playing Field
The annual inspection of both the village Play Area and the Playing Field by RoSPA
concluded that no work needed to be undertaken.
Park Close Allotments
All rents are paid up for the current year. There is a still short waiting list for an allotment.
… Continued