ST GEORGES & PRIORSLEE PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES
of
The Meeting held on
Wednesday 15h July 2009 at
St George's & Priorslee Parish Centre
Present: Councillor R E Williams (Chairman), Councillors Dr S Ali, E Dabbs,
J Minor, R Overton, J Rawson and T Richards
In attendance: Mr M Barker, Head of Planning, Transport and the Environment and Kate
Stevens Area Planning Officer (Borough of Telford and Wrekin Council) and four members
of the public
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Public Question Time
It was agreed that Public Question time would be extended to encompass the presentation by
Michael Barker and Kate Stevens, so allowing the public to raise issues of concern.
(a) Church Street: the problems of lorries using Church Street was raised which causes
problems removing wing mirrors from cars. It was reported that CSO’s are rarely seen in
the area.
(b) The problem of dog owners allowing their dogs to foul on pavements was raised. The
public were advised that in order to effect a prosecution, the offence has to be witnessed
and the witnesses must be prepared to testify in court. The members of the public agreed
that they would not be prepared to go to court.
(c) Mr Barker was asked to respond to the question “what is the current policy for Highways
and Education in relation to parking outside schools?” Mr Barker responded that the
policy is for trying to reduce the number of people using their cars to take children to
school. He pointed out that the installation of yellow lines would also impact on
residents’ parking. Mr Barker asked if there is a current “walking bus” system in
operation and it was confirmed that St George’s C of E School does not operate such a
system.
Mr Barker promised to take the public questions back to the Borough and seek further
information.
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Guest Speakers Mr Michael Barker Head of Planning, Transport and the Environment
and Kate Stevens Area Planning Officer.
Mr Barker stated his intention to work with Parish Councils in partnerships through the
Charter. He stated that on occasions, Telford and Wrekin Council don’t or won’t comply with
every wish but stressed that they do listen to comments.
Regarding re-generation, Mr Barker stated that St George’s was not originally listed as a
District Centre but that does not mean that the Borough does not think it is not an important
area. He stated that Councillor E Carter will look at including St Georges in the next round of
re-generation projects. Finance and resources are limited for new projects but he stressed that
St George’s time will come and the public and Parish Council must keep pressing for action.
Mr Barker gave details of several current re-generation projects which are being completed ,
including the Town Centre and the Snedshill former Brickworks site.
Discussion took place regarding the availability of Section 106 funding from recent
developments in the area and Mr Barker confirmed that if Section 106 money is not utilized,
then it has to be returned to the Developers.
The proposed Liberty Mercian Development at the former Snedshill Brickworks site was
discussed, mentioning the suggestion for the additional formation of a joint use community
centre for the use of St Georges, Ketley Bank and Oakengates. Mr Barker stressed that the
Borough of Telford and Wrekin are making sure that sites are being developed for the correct
use.
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-2He confirmed that they are only dealing with the Planning consent for the site and stressed
that they must ensure the right decision is made.
The subject of the lack of car parking facilities in St Georges was debated at length. The fact
that there is no car park any longer in St George’s was raised, along with the particular
problems relating to Church Street where it was reported that frequently, car owners park their
cars there all day, getting lifts to work and collecting their cars in the evenings. The houses in
Church Street are terraced, frequently with no rear parking facility. It was stressed that the
shops are suffering from the lack of parking for shoppers.
Mr Barker stated that the Borough of Telford and Wrekin own virtually no land in St Georges
with the additional problem that money is tight at present. Mr Barker said that he would like
to look carefully at traffic management and look at the long term to see what solutions could
be found. He suggested that a site visit of the problem area would be beneficial in
understanding all the problems that had been raised.
Mr Barker said that all the current re-generation projects are established and funding has been
allocated by Council decision.
Mr Barker was asked to seek confirmation of how the pledged £100,000 plus for Education in
the area had been spent and this he promised to do.
The Chairman thanked Mr Barker and Miss Stevens for giving their time to attend the
meeting.
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Apologies
Apologies for absence were received from :
Councillor I Fletcher – Holiday
Councillor Mrs V Fletcher - Holiday
Councillor S Overton - Holiday
Councillor Mrs M Warner – Holiday
45/10
Police Report
No Police report was available.
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Declarations of Interest
No declarations of interest were declared at this time.
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Minutes
Resolved: that the Minutes of the meeting held on 17 th June 2009, having been
previously circulated, were taken as read and signed by the Chairman as a true record.
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Planning
(a) Planning Applications
i.
App No
W2009/0541
Site
47 Collett Way, Priorslee
Proposed Dev.
Crown thinning of 1 oak tree by 25%
Recommendation
Recommend approval
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Councillor S Ali declared a prejudicial interest in the next item and left the room during
discussion.
App No
W2009/0528
Site
Priorslee Primary School, Priorslee Avenue
Proposed Dev.
Erection of a single storey extension and canopy to existing
School building
Recommendation
Recommend approval
Councillor S Ali returned to the meeting.
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iv
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AppNo
2009/0503
Site
1 Oval Close, St Georges
Proposed Dev.
Erection of a conservatory to side (Retrospective)
Recommendation
Recommend approval
App No
W2009/0493
Site
3 Wicket Close, St Georges
Proposed Dev.
Erection of first floor rear extension and increase in length to
ground floor extension, both previously approved extensions.
Recommendation
Recommend refusal on the grounds of overdevelopment of the site
Accounts
Resolved: that the following accounts be approved for payment:
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Name
Particulars
Amount
Mrs K I James
Inland Revene
Mrs K I James
Vision ICT
Mrs K I James
Mrs P Ryder
Zurich
NALC
Mankei Tsoi
BT
Salary (July)
1166.01
NI & Income Tax
417.02
Petty Cash Balance (as ledger)
141.90
Hosting, Support & Street Lighting Form256.45
Broadband (July)
17.00
Wages (July)
223.88
Insurance underpayment on policy
27.06
Replacement cheque Quality Status
230.00
CCTV Electricity contribution (D Chui) 50.00
Parish Centre telephones
162.34
Cheque
10227
10228
10229
10230
10231
10232
10233
10234
10235
10236
Grants
Resolved: that the following grants be paid according the following legislation:
Amount
Cheque No
St Georges WI
Section 137
£300
10237
Girl Guiding Young Leaders
Section 137
£500
10238
St Georges Guides
Section 137
£500
10239
Oakengates Rangers Football
Sect. 19 Misc. Provisions £200
10240
T & W Active Involvement Play Sect. 19 Misc. Provisions £200
10241
St Georges C of E Primary Sch
Section 137
£500
10242
Snedshill & Dis. Over 60’s
Section 137
£200
10243
Castle Lodge
Section 137
£500
10244
Redhill After School Club
Sect. 19 Misc. Provisions £200
10245
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Quality Council Re-accreditation
The Clerk reported that the Council had been successful in it’s application for Quality Status
re-accreditation.
Resolved: that a vote of thanks be given to the Clerk for all her hard work in producing
the necessary work.
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Telford and Wrekin Access Forum
Resolved: that Councillor Williams name be submitted as a nomination to the Telford
and Wrekin Access Forum.
53/10
Walker Street Broken Fence
A report was received regarding the broken fence in Walker Crescent which was erected by
the Parish Council.
Resolved: that Nobridge Nurseries be requested to install replacement panels where
necessary to repair the Walker Crescent fence.
54/10
Gower Street Former Youth Facility
A motion had been submitted asking the Council to consider a proposal that the Parish
Council request the Borough of Telford and Wrekin Council to look into the possibility of a
partnership arrangement to bring the former Gower Street Youth Centre back into community
use with the Parish Council taking over responsibility for the building.
The motion was debated and discussed at length and it was
Resolved: that the Clerk writes to the Borough of Telford and Wrekin asking them to
advise what the financial impact would be on the Parish Council to bring the former
Gower Street Youth Facility building back into a fit state for community use.
55/10
Motion For Local Authorities
The following motion had been submitted for discussion:
“This Council deplores the way in which the current administration of Telford & Wrekin
Council has abandoned the established protocol for selection of deputy mayor and mayor at
the 2009 AGM. The protocol was introduced by a previous administration to ensure fairness
to all and has benefitted councillors from all parties by allowing them to play a full part in
civic life. It has now been contravened for political expediency, and to the detriment of the
pre-designated candidate, thus causing great offence to the ethnic minority communities of the
Borough. This Council agrees to boycott all civic functions involving the current deputy
mayor with immediate effect until this matter has been satisfactorily resolved.”
The above motion was discussed at length and it was
Resolved: that the Clerk writes to the Borough of Telford and Wrekin Council and
states that the Parish Council expresses its concern at the reported facts relating to the
manner in which the current administration of Telford and Wrekin has abandoned the
established custom and practice for selection of the Deputy Mayor and Mayor at the
2009 AGM. This custom and practice was introduced by a previous administration to
ensure fairness to all and has benefitted councillors from all parties by allowing them to
play a full part in civic life. If this fact is correct, it is deplored by this Parish Council.
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Clerk’s Annual Conference 2009
Details of the Annual Clerk’s Conference at Staverton were received.
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Resolved: that the Clerk attends the SLCC Annual Conference at Staverton from
Thursday 22nd October to Sunday 25th October 2009 at a cost of £415 plus VAT plus
travel.
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Correspondence
The following correspondence was received and the contents noted:
(a) Clerk’s & Councils Direct
(b) Telford and Wrekin Local Development Framework – Surface Water Drainage.
A consultation draft comments required by 27 th July 2009.
(c) A thank you card from Councillor E Dabbs thanking the council for their support and
kind wishes.
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Delegated Powers
Resolved: that Delegated Powers be given to the Chairman and Clerk for all Council
matters including Planning matters until the September 2009 meeting.
Chairman..........................................................................
Date................................... ......................