Meeting of the Parish Council,

Wednesday 7 September 2022 at

7.30pm, Reed Village Hall

Minutes

Download printable version (opens as PDF document) Minutes of the meeting held on 7 th September 2022 at 7.30pm held at Reed Village Hall. Present Cllrs: K Langley (Chair), C d’Ayala (Vice Chair), and B Blower. In attendance the Clerk Catharine Toms, County Cllr. F Hill and Dist. Cllrs. G Morris and A Hunter. This meeting would be recorded for the purpose of the minutes. 1.9.22 Attendance. As listed above. 2.9.22 To receive apologies for absence. Cllr. E Kilby (on holiday) and Cllr. N Payne (away). Apologies accepted. 3.9.22 To receive Members Declarations of Interest and to note dispensation granted. Cllr. d’Ayala (item 14.9.22). Cllr. Kilby, for the remainder of his period of office, dispensation granted allowing him full participation at meetings in issues arising concerning The Cabinet public house including, but not limited to, planning matters. 4.9.22 To approve the Minutes of the Meetings of the Parish Council held on 6 th July 2022 and to authorise the Chairman to sign them as a true record. It was proposed, seconded and all voted in favour to approve. Resolved. Approved minutes to be posted on the website. Action: Clerk/Webmaster Standing Orders were suspended. 5.9.22 To invite Members of the Public to address the meeting. A parishioner brought to the attention of the Parish Council the dangerous state of the footpath that ran behind properties in Willow Close with natural debris causing obstruction for walkers wishing to use the path. It was proposed, seconded and agreed that the Parish Council would write to those residents to remind them to keep the path clear. Action: KL/Clerk The Chair agreed to suspend Standing Orders again at items on the agenda, should members of the public wish to make comment. Standing Orders were resumed. 6.9.22 To receive Chairman’s Report. (See Appendix A). In addition, thanks were given to Mr Hayden for his recent work renovating and painting the Parish Council noticeboard outside the Village Hall. Standing Orders were suspended. 7.9.22 To receive report from District Councillor – Cllr. Morris reported that finalisation of the North Herts Council (NHC) Local Plan was still ongoing. The publishing of the Inspector’s edited report was still awaited. It was thought that final adoption of the Local Plan may not take place until Spring 2023. He had received complaints about inconsiderate parking (noise and obstruction) of a tractor on the track leading up to the Kilns development. Having spoken to the farmer, Cllr. Morris had established that this was their private land and that it was only likely to be there for another two weeks, although it could be a seasonal occurrence. 8.9.22 To receive report from County Councillor – Cllr. Hill reported that the relocation of the Speed Indicator (SID) should be happening soon. Resurfacing work – Crow Lane to be programmed. Driftway resurfacing had now taken place after some delay. The Parish Council mentioned that a storm drain between Driftway and the High Street had been covered over in the process. Cllr. Hill would report this. The ongoing problem regarding Reed footpath 020 and usage by cyclists would be dealt with shortly, Herts County Council (HCC) was currently dealing with a backlog of issues to do with Rights of Way. The grass cutting around the Green should have been done but it hadn’t taken place. It was on the list to be cut, as it was not an area allocated for wilding, so would be done next time. HCC were in the process of developing strategies to help people with the impending Cost of Living Crisis this coming winter. Providing warm venues ‘My Place’ was part of the plan. More information on this, plus other assistance available and who to contact, would be forthcoming. Cllrs. Morris and Hill were thanked for their reports. Standing Orders were resumed. 9.9.22 To consider and make comment on planning application: Full Planning Permission : Erection of three 2- bed, three 3-bed, and one 4-bed dwellings and associated parking and formation of vehicular access onto the highway. Nicholls Yard, Crow Lane, Reed, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 8BJ. Case Ref No: 22/02225/FP After lengthy discussion it was proposed, seconded and agreed to submit an objection to NHC based on the fact that the site was not an allocated site in the Emerging Local Plan or in the Existing Local Plan. Due to the lack of a 5- year land supply across the District, this was a hostile and opportunistic planning application which would lead to disproportionate, excessive and unsustainable development in Reed and with no provision for affordable housing. It was also agreed to request Cllr. Morris to call the application in to be determined by the NHC Planning Control Committee. Letter of objection to be produced and details of this to be shared with Parishioners to enable people to make their own judgement and submit comments to NHC ahead of the deadline of 16 th Sept. Action: KL/Clerk Official request to be made to Cllr. Morris to ‘call in’ the application. Action: KL 10.9.22 To review action points from the meeting on 7 th July 2022 – reviewed. Action Points from this meeting (see Appendix B). 11.9.22 To receive report from the Clerk on current financial position – A list of monies received and payments to be authorised had been previously circulated to all Cllrs. Accounts showed a bank balance of £20,350.70 of which, £10,133.35 was Push Energy Community Contribution (ring-fenced for special projects), £2,867.49 was Bonfire Night reserves, £690.75 was P3 grant balance, S106 Sustainable Transport Reserve was £651.87, leaving general reserves at £6,007.24. Income received since the last meeting: £302.75 from Barkway Parish Council as 50% contribution towards the Jubilee Beacon expenses, £18.07 and £10.00 transferred by E Kilby relating to sale of Jubilee village photos. 12.9.22 To agree accounts for payment. Payments to be authorised at the meeting were Clerk’s salary and PAYE. £67.50 re-imbursement to E Kilby for printing of the playpark survey. Payment made since the last meeting - £174.18 re-imbursement to E Kilby for cost of printing the Annual Report for 2021/22. Proposed, seconded and approved by all. Resolved. 13.9.22 Wisbridge Reservoir Project – to receive update – The outcome of a planning application for a smaller reservoir was awaited. 14.9.22 Save The Cabinet Action Group (SCAG) to receive update – (Also see Chair’s report – Appendix A). SCAG was now contemplating submitting another complaint to the Chief Executive Officer at NHC regarding the way in which the Planning Department was handling matters regarding The Cabinet and to the fact that the current imprisonment of the owner was having no effect on how the Planning Authority were proposing to continue dealing with these matters of non-compliance. SCAG was also considering taking the matter up with an ombudsman and had been advised that they had a very good case for complaint. 15.9.22 Highways Matters – to receive update – The Clerk advised the Council that there was a HCC Highways Liaison Meeting being held on Weds 14 th Sept at 7pm via Zoom. 16.9.22 To receive update on project to preserve ponds and agree any action required – Cllr. Blower reported that she had recent contact with a member of Country Management Services (CMS), they had been visiting Reed and took the opportunity to take a quick look at the ponds. The ponds were considered to be in reasonably good condition but it was felt that putting a coir barrier at the back of Pitty’s pond would help retain water and therefore reduce the area of the pond itself. It was understood from CMS that HCC now had an increased sustainability budget and that it might be possible to apply for some grant money to help with preservation of the ponds. CMS would investigate this and advise. It was queried if Pitty’s Pond was owned by HCC Highways – Cllr. Hill would establish, via a Land Registry check, if the pond was under HCC ownership. Evidence had been established by an Ecologist that some Mare’s tail vegetation around Pitty’s Pond had been recently sprayed with a herbicide. This could have a damaging effect on both the vegetation and wildlife present in the pond. Spraying chemicals in a public area was now regulated and needed a special licence. A letter had been sent out to all neighbouring properties of both ponds to ask if anyone had any issues regarding care of the ponds and to make it clear why the Parish Council was seeking to preserve the ponds and to advise people that the work fitted in with HCC Sustainability Strategy to “Improve wildlife in our land and water by 20% by 2050”. 17.9.22 To receive bi-monthly Parish Council play area inspection report and agree any action required – Cllr. Langley had conducted a recent inspection, there were no issues to report and the resulting document had been circulated. It was noted that the usual NHC Annual Play Inspection was due to be conducted in November. 18.9.22 To receive update from the Play Area Working Party and agree any action required – A survey had been distributed and responses were awaited. Consideration might need to be given to visiting residents to collect responses if uptake was slow. There was also an option to complete the survey online. 19.9.22 To receive update on request submitted for installation of a kissing gate on Reed 020 – (see item 8.9.22) 20.9.22 To receive update on arrangements for Bonfire Night 5 th Nov 2022 – It was reported that the event was going ahead and would be run by a team of volunteers from the village. More marshals would be on hand to control parking this year. 21.9.22 To receive update and agree any action on Push Energy Fund Project - Community Noticeboard – Consideration was now being given to using an existing noticeboard and if necessary to upgrade it to make sure that it was of external quality. 22.9.22 To receive matters for report or referral to next agenda. (Information only) Ponds protection project, Play equipment project and grant funding, Community noticeboard / Push Energy fund expenditure, Highways verges, consider the installation of an additional dog bin, NHC Local Plan. 23.9.22 To note correspondence received. (Information only) – Notification of a Planning Advisory Service training session on the Planning System aimed at Parish Councils. Monday 26 th Sept at 6pm. Attendance either in person or via Zoom. 24.9.22 To agree date of next meetings. 2nd November 2022. Agreed. There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.50pm. CHAIR’S REPORT September 2022 1. Contact With Planning Dept. Re. The Cabinet: Following the July Parish Council meeting I wrote to Simon Ellis, Head of Planning and Conservation. This was to request a meeting with him so that councillors could be briefed on the Departments’s process for dealing with The Cabinet now that the owner is absent serving a prison sentence. A reply to the request was received from Chris Braybrooke whose brief is enforcement. His reply was, in summary, as follows:that the owner’s incarceration does not affect anything, including decisions about enforcement; that the Planning Department will not communicate details with the Parish Council or anyone else that might affect possible legal proceedings; that the request to meet is declined because there is nothing to communicate. No response was offered to concerns about progress (or lack of it) on listed building issues, outstanding since 2016. 2. Reed Councillors had an informal meeting together preparatory to this September PC meeting. Matters talked over were: arrangements for the November Firework celebration; the playground and the forthcoming survey of user’s and villager’s views on the development of the play area; a decision to ask for a meeting with appropriate planning officers on planning issues generally. The purpose of the purpose of the requested meeting (in Reed or In Letchworth) was to seek guidance (such as was shared by officials in the past) on how Reed councillors might most effectively represent the community in relation to planning matters going forward. 3. I have been obliged this August to remove Reed’s defibrillator from the telephone box because of a safety recall from the manufacturer. A date for its collection and temporary replacement was booked for 22nd August. The courier failed to collect it. The manufacturer has been chased up several times for another collection date. No response received. Warning notices have been posted and the removal of the AED has been notified on community WhatsApp and Facebook pages. The Ambulance Service has also been notified that the Reed device is temporarily out of service. 4. I was contacted by Mrs Duke of Wisbridge Farm on Sunday 21st August. She wanted to give the Parish Council a courtesy prior notice of a pending planning application being submitted on behalf of Duke Partners for 7 new houses on a site next to Nicholls Yard. This information was duly passed to other councillors. The application was published by the Planning Dept. two days later, Case Ref No: 22/02225/FP and is included on the agenda for this meeting. That completes the Chair’s report for the period since the July meeting of the Parish Council. ..