Minutes of an Extraordinary Meeting held on Tuesday 7^th December 2010 at 8.00 pm

Present: Mr J Dickens (Chairman), Mr S Norman, Mrs L Shaw, Mrs C Lightfoot (clerk)

1. Apologies received from Mr M Brown, Mr D Mason and Dr R. Lott

2. Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any personal interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting (please refer to the notes at the end of agenda). Reminder to Members of the requirement to complete and return the Register of Members’ Interests and the Gifts/Hospitality Register. There were no declarations of interest.

3. Planning Application

(i) UPT/21353 – proposed development of a single dwelling on the land to the rear (east) of 3 Fieldside, and widened access to the site to serve both properties.

Applicant: Mr K O’Donoghue.

The plans having been circulated to members prior to the meeting were discussed. The Parish Council unanimously agreed to object to this application which sets a precedent not beneficial to the character of the village and is detrimental to surrounding properties. There is an issue of loss of light, overshadowing and loss of privacy of neighbouring properties. The Parish Council has concerns regarding the over dominance of the property on the plot, traffic generation, car parking provision and noise disturbance.

The clerk to respond to the Vale accordingly. Clerk

(ii) Permission for the continuation of the use of two storey office building without complying with condition 2 of planning permission UPT/3451/12-CM to allow extending the time period to 31 December 2012 at Prospect Farm, Chilton.

The Council had no comment on this application.

The meeting closed at 8.45 p.m.

Clare Lightfoot (Clerk)

7^th December 2010

UPTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of meeting of Upton Parish Council held in the Village Hall

on Tuesday 16^th November 2010 at 8.00 pm

Present: Mr M Brown (Chairman), Dr R Lott, Mr S Norman, Mrs L Shaw, Mrs C Lightfoot (clerk),

PCSOs Baker and Deane

1. Apologies – Mr J Dickens and Mr D Mason

2. Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any personal interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting. Any Member arriving after the start of the meeting is asked to declare personal interests as necessary as soon as practicable after their arrival even if the item in question has been considered. None recorded.

3. Minutes of meeting of Upton Parish Council held on 22^nd September and Extraordinary Parish Council meetings held on 16^th October and 1^st November 2010 having been previously circulated were agreed to be a true record and signed by the Chairman.

4. Matters Arising:

(i) The clerk reported that the John Deere tractor mower is now RTA compliant

5. PCSO’s Report

PCSO Deane reported that poachers had recently been arrested in the Village Hall car park. “Operation Migrate”, targeting illegal hare coursing, is about to commence.

6. County Councillor’s Report

In his absence, Mr Lilley has agreed to email his report to be forwarded to councillors in due course. Clerk

7. District Councillor’s Report – no report received

8. Villagers’ Forum – in the absence of villagers there was no discussion.

9. Village Hall:

i) Update on land regularisation.

Mr Brown said that Mr Barrett, the acting solicitor, has recommended that the land comprising the footprint of the hall and the patio be sold to UVHAT for £1. A plan of the land involved has been drawn up by Mr Potter and passed to Mr Barrett to progress the matter.

10. Planning – nothing to report

11. Status reports from Councillors on areas of responsibility

i) Roads and Footpaths:

It was noted that the village footpaths had been well maintained by our volunteer work force.

Mr Norman had raised an invoice for £450 for the clerk to send to OCC. A complaint had been received about the slippery footbridge on the path at the rear of the George & Dragon. As this is a health and safety issue Mr Norman will ask OCC to deal with the problem. There are some fallen trees along Common Way, it was agreed that this needs to be dealt with before next summer either by volunteers in agreement with the landowner or by OCC. SN

Coffin Way: as the fields on both sides of Coffin Way have been planted it was agreed that Mr Norman, Dr Lott and a representative of Blewbury Parish Council hold a site meeting with the land owner in February 2011 with a view to the path being levelled such that the PC would be able to keep the path mown. SN,RL

ii) Amenities including Recreation Ground

Scottish & Southern Electricity – high voltage cable

Mr Brown and Mr Dickens had met with a representative of the SSE who wished to discuss re-routing a high voltage cable through the recreation ground. The cable is currently running within the boundary of Mousehouse. A channel would need to be dug in the recreation ground around the perimeter of Mousehouse and Lonicera and out to the road alongside the cherry trees. SSE will produce a schedule of work to be agreed by the Parish Council. Mr Brown reported that he had asked SSE to hand dig the required trench alongside the cherry trees to prevent damage to them.

iii) Young Parishioners including Play Area

Progress on Playground – A note had been circulated by Mr Mason detailing actions taken towards playground improvements. A committee has been formed, a questionnaire has been delivered to each house; grants are being sought. Mr Brown congratulated Mr Mason on the progress so far. As suggested in Mr Mason’s email, Mr Brown asked members to give consideration to the location of any new playground equipment such that it can be fully discussed at the next meeting. Comments have been made that during the winter the existing play area is dark, damp and slippery. Mr Brown suggested that removal of the overgrown shrubs and trees in that area would alleviate this problem. ALL

Dirt jumps – Dr Lott said that he will be contacting Cyclox to see if they can help with plans for sculpting jumps. If plans are available these will be brought before the PC. The young people have raised £100 towards the cost of doing the work, one of the parents is willing to undertake the work which will necessitate using a mini digger. It was agreed that this work will best be done in the spring after the ground has dried off. RL

iv) Communications

Formalisation of communication routes:

With external agencies: Mrs Shaw said that she felt that the recent teething trouble with the new waste collection scheme could have been more professionally dealt with as 3 councillors had taken it upon themselves to contact the District Council although one was acting as a resident not as a councillor. Mr Brown said that the councillor who takes the lead on each topic should be the one to follow up issues. In the past he has dealt with all waste problems from the village including litter collecting, fly tipping and previous missed collections and as a result immediately dealt with the problem this time. It was agreed that at the next allocation of duties in May, dealing with waste problems would be an area to be allocated.

Within the Parish Council on Planning Matters: It was agreed that the most important task that the Parish Council performs relates to planning. Since planning applications have to be discussed within 21 days of their receipt an extraordinary PC meeting is usually convened at fairly short notice and concern was expressed that it is often the case that not all councillors are available to be present and that this put additional pressure on those that do attend. After discussion it was agreed that every effort must be made to ensure:

As many councillors as possible attend planning meetings.

The lead member for Planning investigates local issues and reports on them at the start of the meeting.

That all members attending the meeting ensure they are familiar with the details of the applications prior to the meeting. (All the details are on the District Council web)

Where meetings have to be arranged at fairly short notice the clerk contacts neighbouring property owners to make them aware of details of the meeting.

To the residents on Planning Matters (ie website and Upton News). Mrs Shaw asked that a full statement of the Parish Council’s response to the District Council be published in the Upton News. Mr Brown said that due to the usual pressure on space in Upton News it would not be possible to print the full reply but every word is published on the village web and on the District Council web for those who may be interested. It was agreed in future to publish in the Upton News just the title of the box that the P.C. has to tick when it returns its responses and reference to further details being on the village web site.

v) Volunteer Group

Dr Lott said that the major outstanding task is Post Office Lane. Tidying Common Lane, with the landowner’s permission, might be a task for Spring 2011.

vi) N.A.G. – no report

vii) UKAEA Local Liaison Committee:

Mr Brown had attended a recent meeting that was primarily concerned with reorganisation of responsibility for the de-commissioning work, there was little of interest to Upton. He will circulate the minutes of the meeting when they become available: MB

ix) Parish Transport Representative:

The Local Transport Plan 3 2011- 2030 Consultation document is now on the County Council website.

12. Finance

i) Review of half yearly accounts. The half yearly accounts were reviewed, it was noted that we are close to budget with no matters of concern.

ii) Payments since last meeting:

Clerk’s Salary: £321 + DVLA registration of mower £55.00 & number plate £20

M Brown, expenses: fuel for mower £40; replacement parts for goal posts £42.19

Request for donation for Village Tea party – say £40. It was agreed to support this.

The above payments were agreed.

iii) Receipts since last meeting:

Vale of White Horse, 2^nd half year precept – £3625

Prize from ORCCs 90^th birthday draw – £100

Bank interest September 23p, October 40p

VAT Repayment – September – £697.82

The receipts were noted.

13. Correspondence recently received:

• Mobile shop visiting village hall car park commencing Tuesday 23 November
• SLCC Berkshire Branch October newsletter
• CPRE Campaign briefings: September & October
• High Speed Internet
• Rural Intelligence Foundation – raising the profile of key rural issues
• Town & Parish Council newsletter

All the above correspondence is in circulation.

There being no other business the meeting closed at 10.10 p.m.

14. Date of next meeting: The next meeting is to be held on Tuesday 18^th January 2011

Clare Lightfoot, Clerk

Tel: 01235 850486

18^th November 2010

UPTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of Extraordinary Meeting held on Monday 1^st November 2010 at 8.00 pm

Present: Mr J Dickens (Chairman), Mr M Brown, Dr R Lott, Mr S Norman, Mrs L Shaw,

Mrs C Lightfoot (Clerk)

6 parishioners

1. Apologies received from Mr D Mason

2. Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any personal interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting (please refer to the notes at the end of agenda). Reminder to Members of the requirement to complete and return the Register of Members’ Interests and the Gifts/Hospitality Register. The following declarations of interest were made: Mr M Brown item 3(i) and Dr R Lott item 3(ii). Mr Brown and Dr Lott took no part in the discussions relating to these respective items.

3. Planning Application

(i) UPT/9435/3 – Erection of a detached 3 bedroom chalet dwelling and single garage at land adjacent to Jasmine, Chilton Road. Applicant Mr A Hetherington.

The Chairman suspended the meeting to enable comments to be made from the floor. The meeting then resumed, with Mr Brown taking no part in this agenda item. The Parish Council, having examined the plans concluded that the Parish Council did not object, however the following observations are to be made to the Vale’s Planning Officers: the proposed building appears to be disproportionately large for the size of the plot, there is a potential loss of privacy to the neighbouring property, Ridgewood Grange. The Parish Council suggests that the outlook from patio be of a different orientation and that landscaping be incorporated in the design to assist with the privacy issue.

The Clerk to advise the Vale accordingly.

Dr Lott then left the meeting.

(ii) UPT/21068/2 – double storey extension with offset to side. Single storey rear aspect and to side comprising of garage. Porch to front. Applicant Dr R. Lott.

Two iterations of the above plans have been previously approved by the Parish Council. Members noted two minor changes/improvements in the current plans, ie the roof height of the proposed extension has been raised to align with the existing property, the width of the garage is increased, with the kitchen internal walls remaining as is at present.

The Parish Council had no objections.

The clerk to advise the Vale accordingly.

The Chairman declared the meeting closed at 8.45 p.m.

Clare Lightfoot (Clerk)

6^th November 2010

UPTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of Extraordinary Meeting held in the Village Hall on Saturday 16^th October 2010

Present: Mr J Dickens (Chairman), Dr R Lott, Mrs L Shaw, Mrs C Lightfoot (Clerk)

1. Apologies received from Mr M Brown, Mr D Mason & Mr S Norman

2. Declaration of Interest

Members are asked to declare any personal interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting (please refer to the notes at the end of agenda). Reminder to Members of the requirement to complete and return the Register of Members’ Interests and the Gifts/Hospitality Register. None recorded

3. Planning Application

(i) UPT/368/3-X – proposed erection of two dwellings in the garden of Kameki, Chilton Road, Upton with proposed new access. Applicant Mr M Brown.

The plans were examined and discussed. In conclusion it was agreed that the

the Parish Council did not object to this application, however in our response to the Vale we request the following issues be taken into account:

Given the proposal for two 4 bedroom properties at the rear of Kameki,

concern was raised about:

The increased amount of vehicles onto the already busy Chilton Road which is a through route for traffic to Harwell Campus and the A34. The proposed new access is in close proximity to the junction of Chilton Road and the A417 which the Parish Council cited as “a hazardous junction”. (Planning Application UPT/7108/2 refers.)

One property on the plot would be preferable and would be more in keeping with the rural setting as befitting of the village and the proximity of the site to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The planning permission sought is only outline and the Parish Council was concerned that the proposed two dwellings could be altered significantly prior to final construction, potentially having a greater impact on the area and the issues raised above.

The Clerk to respond to the Vale accordingly. Clerk

The meeting closed at 10.55 a.m.

Clare Lightfoot (Clerk)

27^th October 2010

Minutes of Upton Parish Council Meeting in the Village Hall on Wednesday 22^nd September 2010 at 8.00 pm

Attendees: Mr M Brown (Chairman), Dr R Lott, Mr D Mason, Mr S Norman, Mrs L Shaw,

Mrs C Lightfoot (clerk), PCSO D Clements (part time), Mr R Farrell (part time) and Mr S Lilley (part time)

1. Apologies received from Mr J Dickens

2. Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any personal interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting. Any Member arriving after the start of the meeting is asked to declare personal interests as necessary as soon as practicable after their arrival even if the item in question has been considered. None recorded.

3. Minutes of meeting of Upton Parish Council held on 28^th July 2010 and Extraordinary Parish Council meeting held on 8^th September 2010 having been previously circulated were agreed to be a true record and signed by the Chairman.

4. Matters Arising;

(i) Recreation Ground Gates: Mr Brown has spoken to Mr Churchman regarding the ongoing opening and closing of the recreation ground gates. It has been agreed that Mr Churchman will continue as he has done in the past, ie during term time he will open the gates early morning, closing them after the children’s bus returns from school.

(ii) John Deere Registration: the clerk is obtaining a certificate of newness for the John Deere mower in order to get the machine registered with DVLA. (Clerk’s note: certificate of newness was received on 25^th September. Now awaiting registration document from DVLA.)

5. PCSO’s Report. PCSO Clements reported that the summer had passed by with a reduction in anti-social behaviour. Hare Coursing operations are starting. She confirmed that the routine police surgeries held in the village will continue.

6. County Councillor’s Report

Mr Lilley reported that the County Council is scrutinizing budgets as top priority. He reminded the meeting of the Big Debate Roadshows which are in progress to enable parishioners to have their say regarding cuts to the County Council’s budgets. He promised to keep a watching brief and will report back on anything pertinent to local parishes.

Potholes: should there be a prolonged period between reporting potholes to Highways and action being taken he will pursue this on our behalf. He said that holes likely to cause serious vehicular damage are given priority.

Local Transport Plan No 3 has been published on 20^th September in which no serious modifications have been made for this area. He said that monies coming from the Great Western Park Development will be ring-fenced for road improvements local to the development including the Harwell relief road.

7. District Councillor’s Report

Mr Farrell said that the Coalition Government is consulting on a scheme of awarding “new homes incentives” to Councils, there is broad agreement in Oxfordshire on the initial proposals. He reported that the Vale and SODC are objecting to the proposed closure of Didcot Magistrates’ Court. He noted that the Standards Board is to be abolished and in future the responsibility of dealing with councillors who break the rules will be a criminal matter dealt with by the courts, this is likely to be more cost effective. Proposals recently released will give the Local Ombudsman more teeth.

8. Villagers’ Forum – none

9. Planning: nothing to report since the extraordinary planning meeting held on 8^th September.

10. Status reports from Councillors on areas of responsibility

i) Roads and Footpaths:

Mr Norman reported that he and Mr Shayler (Blewbury PC rep) had met with Mr Mark Sumner (OCC footpaths officer) and walked the length of Coffin Way, looking particularly at the area over the stream. Mr Sumner suggested some levelling and bringing in of aggregate. However since Mr Sumner did not regard the footpath as a safety hazard it would be regarded as low priority. It would appear that there is a gap between our expectations and what OCC can afford. We await the outcome of Mr Sumner’s discussion with the farmer.

As an alternative consideration was given to a good D-I-Y job of flattening the area to enable the ride on mower to be run down the path.

It was noted that the gate at the back of the George & Dragon remains locked.

ii) Amenities including Recreation Ground:

Dr Lott informed the meeting that youths were actively raising funds to get a digger to sculpt the cycle humps. He said that the area was being kept tidier.

It was agreed that the issue of bin emptying needs to be resolved before a decision is made on getting an additional bin by the humps. MB

iii) Young Parishioners including Play Area:
Dr Lott said that the George & Dragon propose to run a weekly meat draw with the proceeds going to a good cause. It was felt that improving the play area might be such a cause. The PC felt this to be a generous offer. Mr Mason will draft a covering note, to be checked by Mr Simpson (internal auditor) to be passed to the pub.

Mr Mason has now got a group together to look at the possibility of obtaining grants and to undertake local fund raising for a major improvement programme for the Play Area.

Dr Lott thought that there might be an option of sharing the Uptonogood proceeds with the Play Area Fund in 2011.

iv) Communications:

Mr Brown said that it had been policy not to run adverts in Upton News in the past. After discussion it was agreed to continue along these lines although parishioners private adverts are acceptable. Mr Brown reminded councillors that all emails generated on behalf of the council should be copied to the Clerk or himself to be stored on disc.

v) Volunteer Group:

Dr Lott reported that the Volunteer Group had recently undertaken the major task of laying the matting to extend the car park. This had taken a great deal of effort but had achieved an excellent result. Post Office lane is an area needing attention in due course.

vi) N.A.G.: – nothing to report

vii) UKAEA Local Liaison Committee:

Mr Brown stated that we were not presently represented on this forum, he is still awaiting the file from Mrs Seelig. In the absence of the information he will make contact with UKAEA directly.

viii) Parish Transport Rep: – nothing to report.

ix) UVHAT:

Mrs Shaw reported on the meeting of UVHAT held on 13^TH September. She said that the chief item of business concerned the new Village Hall Trust Deed which was presented by Mr. Simpson in draft. This document will be sent to the Charity Commissioners for their comment. She also mentioned the regularization of land on which the hall stands. Arrangements are being made for the footprint of the hall, plus one meter around the building, plus the patio to be transferred to UVHAT. In exchange the land currently owned by UVHAT will be transferred to the Parish Council. Mr. Brown has been asked by UVHAT to draw up a plan of the area in order that this can be taken forward.

11. Finance

i) Payments since last meeting:

Clerk’s Salary: £321 + expenses £7.39

M Brown, expenses: fuel for grass cutting – £40 + Boddingtons Ltd (pins for car park matting) £158.63

The above expenses were noted.

ii) Receipts since last meeting:

Proceeds of Barn Dance (Mr & Mrs S Powell) – £1343.10

Bank interest July 38p, August 35p

VAT Repayment – July £7.94, August £19.41

These receipts were noted.

12. Correspondence recently received

• Parish News from the Rural Service
• The Playing Field
• OALC Members Update – August
• PCT Health News – July 2010
• No Need to Nuclear, campaign letter
• Didcot Community Forum notification of meeting 27^th September 2010
• Notification of Oxfordshire’s Community Climate Conference – 13^th November
• Thank you from the Chairman of the Vale following her visit to the fete.

The above correspondence is in circulation either in hard copy or by email.

13. Date of next meeting: The next meeting is to be held on Tuesday 16^th November 2010.

Clare Lightfoot, Clerk

Tel: 01235 850486

24^th September 2010

UPTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of an Extraordinary Meeting of Upton Parish Council on Wednesday 8^th September 2010 at 8.00 pm

Attendees: Mr J Dickens (Chairman), Mr M Brown, Dr R Lott, Mr D Mason, Mr S Norman, Mrs L Shaw. Mrs C Lightfoot (Clerk)

1. Apologies – none

2. Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any personal interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting (please refer to the notes at the end of agenda). Reminder to Members of the requirement to complete and return the Register of Members’ Interests and the Gifts/Hospitality Register. None Recorded.

3. Planning Application

(i) UPT/20551/1 – proposed change of use from agricultural land to the creation of wild life area, orchard, play area and vegetable garden. Land at rear of Scotland’s Ash. Applicant Mr P. Mansbridge. After examination of plans the Parish Council agreed that there were no objections. However the clerk was asked to record the following note in her response to the Planning Department “the Parish Council expressed an element of concern about further development on this site in the future.” Clerk

(ii) UPT/21243 – proposed front, side and rear extensions. Thistledome, Stream Road. Applicant Mrs J Hammond. The plans were examined and no objections raised. Clerk to advise Planning Department accordingly. Clerk

4. Future Meeting Dates

It was agreed to hold future Parish Council meetings on the 3^rd Tuesday each month from November through to May 2011.

Clare Lightfoot (Clerk)

10^th September 2010