Stow Youth Centre, Fosseway, Stow-on-the-Wold,
Gloucestershire GL54 1DW
Caroline Doran - Town Clerk and RFO info@stowonthewold-tc.gov.uk t. 01451 832 585
Minutes
Present
Council Meeting held on Thursday 13 November at 7:15pm
Cllr. Simon Clarke (SC) Richard Payne & colleague- - Police
Cllr. Mike Curtis
Cllr. Ben Eddolls
(MC)
(BE)
County Cllr Nigel Moor
District Cllr. Merryl Phillips
Cllr. Sue Green
Cllr. Mike Moseley
(SG)
(MM)
Cllr, Colin Smalley (CS)
Cllr. Chris Turner
Cllr. Alun White
(CT)
(AW) Chair
Rebecca Scutt – Stow School
Ben Evans – Glos. Mentoring & Support CiC
Jenny Turner (Stow Times)
Press – Cotswold Journal
13 members of the public
Apologies were received and accepted from Cllr. Robin Jones& Cllr. Roger George
Code of Conduct and Declarations of Interest
Members were reminded of their duty to declare if they had an interest in any item on the agenda.
CT proposed that item 7 on the agenda was adjourned to the next planning committee meeting. This was not seconded. (see item 14.50)
Formal Announcements from the Chair
There is a casual vacancy on the council. Nominations for co-option must be received by
5.00 p.m. on Friday 28 November 2014 with a supporting statement on no more than one side of A4 detailing why you would be interested in becoming a Town Councillor.
Expressions of interest should be submitted to the Town Clerk
Public Participation The public were invited to speak.
Minutes of Last Meeting
The minutes of the Council Meeting held on 9 th October 2014 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
Proposed – SG Seconded - BE 5 in favour 1 abstention
14.45
Reports
Report from Police Richard Payne a) Crime report: There were 6 recorded offences during October (7 in the same period last year): 1 x burglary, 1 x shop lifting, 3 x criminal, 1 x public order offence
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b) Covert speed checks have taken place between 4 – 4:30pm on the Oddington Road.
39/152 cars were speeding with the top speeds recorded at 50,49 & 49 mph. c) The Gypsy Gathering went well with low numbers attending. The strategy of a direct mobile phone number to the police was successful.
The police were informed that Oxfordshire are considering changing the HGV routes to bypass Burford and Chipping Norton.
Report from Stow School Rebecca Scutt a) The PTFA have organised a Pumpkin Party and for Children in Need a Pyjama day and film evening. b) The Christmas Fair will take place on 28 th November 6-8pm. All welcome, donations for prizes welcome too. c) Over 100 Samaritans Christmas boxes have been collected. d) The children took part in the Remembrance Parade and D. Arthurs has been talking to the children about the war. e) The Neighbourhood Plan team are going to meet with the School Council. f) The school is collecting coupons from Stork & Flora margarine tubs to exchange for computer tablets.
Report from District Councillors Merryl Phillips a) CDC will consider the 3 applications for a new doctor’s surgery at the same time. Stow ward councillors will not be able to vote. As part of the site visits the planning committee will assess the highway situation.
MP was told that some phasing patterns of the traffic lights on the Fosse led to queues on Oddington Road.
The 5 year housing supply strategy will be discussed at the meeting next week.
Report from County Councillor Nigel Moor a) NM attended the Bovis appeal and has informed MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown of the lack of evidence produced by CDC and the failure of the barrister to cross examine the developer. GC-B has written to the planning minister asking for extra protection from
AONB’s. b) Local Transport Plan review: The seminars in Stow and Moreton were well attended.
Shire Hall are being made aware of the issues facing the north Cotswolds and the historic lack of funding for the area needs to be addressed.
NM was reminded that it would be helpful to have the copy of the consultation documents in Moreton Area Office.
Ben Watts (GCC) was thanked for holding a very constructive workshop. c) £5m has been spent on highway maintenance in the Cotswolds this year. Work should take place on Stow hill next spring. d) Stow square improvements. A firm resolution from STC is needed to authorise GCC to embark on design work prior to consultation. e) Monarchs Way Footpath. NM & MC have met. This could be a community scheme for next year. J.Morris on behalf of the Brethren offered help/labour. f) Active Together. Stow Rugby Club have been granted just under £5k for new floodlights. g) Network Rail. There is no investment proposed for this area. A business case is needed.
A consultation document is available until the 9 th January at www.networkrail.co.uk/news/2014/oct/Public-consultation-opens-for-Western-routerailway/?cd=1
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h) Glos Fire & Rescue are undertaking a review of the service to make sure the right resources are available to protect Gloucestershire’s communities There is an online survey to be completed by 27 th Jan. www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/irmp
Report form Stow Youth Club – Ben Evans a) The youth club is open on evening a week and caters for 10 – 15 children. b) A bid has been made to Awards for All to support disabled children. c) The AGM will be held on 26 November at 5pm in the Youth Centre. The future of the youth centre building will be discussed. One of the options to be considered is to sell the existing building and build a sports facility with wider community use on King Georges
Playing Field. This would position the youth club closer to the majority of children and give safe access to green open space.
It was suggested that another option that could be considered is a crossing across the Fosse.
If the building was sold the money raised would stay in Stow.
Report from the Clerk a) CDC will allow free parking in Stow on Saturday 6 th December b) The Christmas lights in the square will be turned on at 5:30pm on the 3 rd December.
Children from Stow Primary School will be there to sing carols around the tree. c) Meeting between the town/parish councils and district council to take place Mon. 1st
Dec. 6.45 – 8.30pm Moreton Area Office. AW,CT & SG to attend. d) Transport Review workshop with representatives from neighbouring parishes took place on Tues 11 November. e) Standing Orders. Were revised in 2012 but not adopted. It is proposed to present an updated version at the next meeting. f) Tourist Information Centre: Alternative accommodation for the TIC is required from
Christmas. Discussions are continuing with the Library Service and the Trustees and also with a couple of shops.
Report from Burial Board (CS)
Resolution: To increase the burial fees by 10% increase in the burial fees to then be frozen for 3 years.
Proposed CS, Seconded MC All in favour
Permission has been granted to demolish the shed in the churchyard.
Report from Neighbourhood Plan Committee a) The School Council are to be consulted. b) Diane Cresswell attended a course on planning which reinforced the importance of the
Neighbourhood Plan on future planning decisions. c) More help/opinions are welcome. The next meeting is on Monday 17 th Nov. at 7pm, in the Youth Centre
Report from Parks & Square Committee
There has been no meeting of the Parks Committee since the last Full Council Meeting.
Next Parks Meeting on 18 th November at 7pm
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a) Christmas in the Square – we are having trouble sourcing a tree at a reasonable price but we are hopeful to have one ready for the Christmas Tree Festival on 3 rd December.
The lights are also being problematic but again we are hoping to have them ready for the event. b) QE2 Field – the Working Party has done a great job in cutting back the North side boundary. More work is needed to complete the job. However, good news in that
Abottswood has agreed to replace the fence along the boundary. It is important that we clear the bottom and top area in order to ensure that the whole boundary is re-fenced.
A suggestion has been made that we employ some labour to help with this task. c) Monarch’s Way – the project to reinstate the path along the West side on the Fosse Way from the Brethren’s Meeting Place to the junction part way down the hill, has been taken a step forward. I met with Nigel Moor and Bob Skillern on Monday 10 th November to discuss the project. Bob had already drawn up a rough plan. In principle the project is workable but he does need to draw up a more detailed plan. The cost of the project would be between £20k and £25K. After discussions it was suggested that for the project to move forward it would have to be on a 50/50 basis. This would mean the
County Council putting £12.5k in and the rest being found from our budget. However,
Nigel offered £2.5k and the Brethren has offered help. We need to meet with them and discuss the project. d) Tree Survey – this is now under way and as soon as we have a report it will be shared with the council. e) Cricket Club – I will meet with K&D in Bourton to discuss the draft lease this week. Bill
Cheston wants permission to build a small shed onto the pavilion in order to house the rollers and cutter. I can see no objection but I will put this to the council this week. f) King George’s Field – the project for a skate park and new youth club building on the field is progressing. At this stage it is about gaining permissions and investigating possibilities.
Report from Planning Committee
District Council Decisions:
Application: 14/03549/FUL 29 The Park, GL54 1DX
Decision: Application Permit
Proposal: Proposed plant room and store (part retention)
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Application: 14/03556/FUL 2 Beech Croft, Oddington Road, GL54 1AL
Decision: Application Permit
Proposal: Proposed timber garage and store (part retention)
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Application: 14/03120/FUL & 14/03121/LBC Old Stocks Hotel, The Square,
Decision: Application Permit
Proposal: Proposed replacement of existing lean-to with enclosed conservatory. Change of use of part of building from A1 to A3 (tea/coffee shop),
Comments Submitted to CDC :
14/04002/FUL Belle Vue, Maugersbury Road
Conservatory
Comments submitted: The Town Council would prefer timber window frames in prominent locations of the ANOB
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14/02189/FUL Land Parcel South Of Meadow View, Stow Road,
Four residential plots for residential travellers at caravan site
Comments submitted: The Town Council has noticed that there have been amendments to this application and would like to reiterate its original objection.
New Applications:
14/04201/FUL & 14/04202/LBC
Location: The Unicorn, Sheep Street, GL54 1HQ
Proposal: Ground floor alterations to bar area of Hotel to include removal of internal columns; alterations to toilets; amendments to kitchen and reduction in floor level to the dining room
Resolved : Not to object to the proposals. All in favour.
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14/03235/FUL – new details
Location: The Green, Talbot Square, GL54 1DP,
Proposal: Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of replacement dwelling, garage, creation of new access and associated works.
Resolved : To object to the application on the grounds of poor design - not meeting the Design Guide standards. All in favour.
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14/04511/FUL Location: Land To The Rear Of Honeysuckle Cottage, Kings Arms Lane, GL54 1AF,
Proposal: Replacement of 3 garages with new double garage with storage.
Resolved . To accept the application with reservations about a) the use of wooden boarding and b) the possible loss of parking if the houses went into separate ownership. All in favour.
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Report from Traffic and Parking Committee a) Stow now has a traffic officer. b) Kit Ayers (KA) was thanked for his work analysing traffic flow around Stow.
Report from Staffing Committee
The staff had had their appraisals and targets have been agreed.
Councillors Visits a) Silver Group – There hasn’t been a meeting. The next meeting will be in January. b) AW attended the Remembrance Sunday and Remembrance Day ceremonies.
These were well attended by the community. c) KA, SC, CT, AW, Jenni Turner and Andrew Eastabrook attended the Bovis appeal and agree with NM that CDC capitulated and did not brief their barrister.
Report from Finance Committee (SG)
CT declared an interest. a) Budget 2015/16 to allow enough time to prepare the final budget and presented it to
December Council meeting for approval committee chairs are asked to present their budgets for next year to SG before Fri 21 st . b) A revised draft version of the Financial Regulations and will be presented to the next
Council meeting, for approval at the January meeting and implementation in April. c) It is hoped to present a Grant Allocation Policy to December Council.
14.46 October accounts
Resolution: The mileage payment to Kit Ayers was approved.
Accounts for October were approved.
Proposed SG, Seconded AW 5 in favour
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14.46 Spending requests
Resolution: To approve the following spending requests
SG,seconded AW All in favour
Value
Parks & Square
Flail cut (x 2) grass along Well Lane & Oddington
Road (D Hunt quote 23/9/14)
Resolved: For the clerk to purchase a green dog bin (approx. £200 plus VAT)
Additional costs: Soft ground anchor, £88.88 +
VAT. Labour £25
£300 + VAT
£88.88 + VAT overspend
£25 labour
Inc. in budget
Yes
Yes
Minute /
Authority
PS
23/10/14
Item 14.13
C 11/9/14 item 14.28
Burial Board a) Tree works / Removing bark chippings & reseed
Resolution: To approve the following costs
Proposed MC, Seconded SG, All in favour
Value
£1000 Yes
Parks & Square
Christmas tree
Cherry Picker.
Light Strings - 3 year lease
Repair of Christmas stars
Approx.£700
Approx £650+VAT.
Approx. £1750 pa + VAT
Approx £500
Inc. in budget
Minute
/Authority
PS 23/10/14
Item 14.13
C 11/9/14 item
14.28
14.47 VIC Payment
Resolution: Payment of a monthly stage payment for October of £833.33 to the VIC was approved
Proposed SG. Seconded CS 5 in favour
14.48 Adverse Weather
Resolution: A contingency sum of £4,000 for the hire of snow ploughs / salt spreading etc. was approved.
Proposed SG, Seconded BE 5 in favour
14.49 Highway Improvements to the Square (CT)
Members were in agreement that the decision to spend £12,000 should only take place following full consultation with the town. Clerk to sign GCC agreement form to enable design work to proceed.
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Resolution: To approve in principle £12,000 for the improvements to the square, subject to further approval by full council of the final plans, and following full public consultation.
Proposed CT, seconded AW, all in favour.
14.50 Location of the new Doctors' Surgery (AW)
An email from NHS England regarding funding for a surgery on the Gypsy Field site, but not for any other site, was circulated. It was noted that the STC planning committee had already decided and given approval for a surgery on 3 different sites, irrespective of funding considerations.
It was suggested that a public meeting should be held to gauge opinion in the town on the three proposed sites. It was agreed that STC should be totally impartial. A tear out survey published in Stow Times was agreed to be the best way initially to elicit responses from the whole community. The results are to be incorporated into the Neighbourhood Plan.
14.51 The Stocks (SC)
Conclusions of consultant’s report and emails from English Heritage, SPAB and Stow &
District Civic Society had been circulated. The decision to restore the stocks was taken over six months ago and some members thought it best to review the decision that had been taken before proceeding further. It was noted that the Stocks date from the Late 19 th C and are therefore not very old.
It was agreed by all to discuss the matter in more depth at the next Parks committee meeting (Tues. 18 th Nov.)
14.52 Closure of theYouth Hostel
In response to the YHA's intention to close the Stow Youth Hostel members suggested that
STC should publicise the planned closure. Clerk to draft a press release.
AOB
A copy of the Last Will and Testement of Jannette Martin was passed to the clerk.
Correspondence and minutes – Were made available for inspection.
The public meeting closed at 9.20pm
Date of next Council meeting: Thursday 11 th December at 7.15pm
Signed ……………………………………
Date ……………………………………… Councillor Alun White
Chairman of the Council
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