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THE PARISH COUNCIL OF ST MARGARETS-AT-CLIFFE

Minutes of the Monthly meeting of the above Parish Council held on Monday 9^th November 2009 in St Margarets Hall, Reach Road at 7.00 p.m.

Present: B Paul, D Hart, J Harris, J Rayner, A Fielding, S Liggins and G Rapley. Apologies for absence received from D Hart. Apologies received from Cllrs S Ford and T Purchase.

1. Confirmation of Minutes of Parish Council Meeting held 12^th October 2009. Cllr Rayner pointed out it was the toilets in the village car park, rather than The Bay which had been closed early – duly amended. The minutes, having been circulated to all members, were confirmed as a correct record and signed as such by the Chairman.
2. Declarations of Interest – None declared on agenda items.
3. Community Warden/PC Advised that the “Home Improvement” scheme is due to be expanded to include persons under 60 with disabilities. PC Karen Robson provided details of crime figures – overall up on this time last year from 12 to 14. Several crimes seen within the last two weeks, including break-ins/thefts from garages, theft and damage to vehicles.
4. Clerk’s Report Oatmor Harris started work on tennis court today – Clerk to approach Club for contribution. Quotes received for gate from W Purdy at £220 – IT WAS RESOLVED to accept this price and Clerk to arrange with contractors. Tree work completed in Kingsdown Road – invoice under Finance. No response from Mike West yet re approach to planners for Bowls Club. Re litter/dog bins from DDC – prices quoted at £185 for litter bin and £125 for dog bin – IT WAS RESOLVED to request 2 x dog bins for each entrance of the King George Field and a litter bin to be sited alongside the layby in the High Street. Spoke to Ian Miller re footpath alongside Bay Hill – PROW responsibility and have advised them accordingly. Ian Miller liaising with David Hall re Burial Ground – have yet to set date – machine for shrub/tree removal would cost £40 per hour, with work estimated at 2-3 hours. IT WAS RESOLVED to agree to this cost. Adjacent field is owned by Mr Ledger who has agreed to allow access for machine. WCCP – invoiced £133 re strimmer/cutter training – cheque received made out to Clerk – returned for replacement cheque. SITA bin for Ian Miller – Cllr Hart dealing re price of bin/bags. Mr Miller to place spring more bulbs at Westcliffe junction, outside village hall junction and near bus stop at Nelson Park. Ian Miller – re sign at Alexander Field – in hand. Clerk had ordered Christmas tree – this to be delivered 9^th or 10^th December, with recycling of trees to take place by Mr Miller after the Christmas break.		Clerk to deal Clerk to deal Clerk to monitor Clerk to deal Clerk to liaise with Mr Miller Clerk to await receipt Cllr Hart to take forward Clerk to liaise Clerk to advise Cloughs re tree and place in mag
- 2 - 5. Planning The following decisions from previous meeting were duly ratified:- DOV/09/00907 Erection of a single storey rear extension and installation of railings (existing porch to be demolished) – Hogs Bush, Kingsdown Road. No comment DOV/09/00923 Erection of a garage (existing extension and garage to be demolished) – Moorings, 18 Salisbury Road. No comment The following decisions were made on the planning applications considered:- DOV/09/00905 Erection of a two storey side extension – Fleet House, Fleet Road No comment DOV/09/00946 Erection of a single storey side and first floor extension to existing garage – Crossways, Droveway Gardens No comment DOV/09/00949 Fell one Sycamore tree and works to one Lime tree and three Sycamore trees – Village Hall, Reach Road No objections/defer to Anne Russell DOV/09/00968 Erection of a two storey side extension and first floor extension (existing first floor to be demolished) – Lomea, 100 The Droveway No comment The Clerk was delegated to deal with the following applications:- DOV/09/00677 Erection of two detached dwellings and creation of vehicular access (existing dwelling to be demolished) – Franconia, The Droveway No comment (6 Councillors in agreement/Cllr Hart objected) DOV/09/01000 Raise crown and shape one beech tree – Seaways, Bay Hill No objections/defer to Anne Russell
6. Finance and Accounts - IT WAS RESOLVED to increase Clerk’s salary by 2.5%, backdated to 1^st April 2009. - It was agreed to order one A1 sized noticeboard for Nelson Park area at approx £700 to include posts. Clerk asked to check re any discounts for multiple orders in order to provide a further board in The Bay area.		Clerk to deal
- 3 - The following cheques were passed for payment (Cllrs Hart/Fielding): Eden Park (STMS) Ltd – Football Club S137 Grant Wickstead Leisure Ltd – swing spare parts Jane Cook – October 09 Salary Jane Cook – expenses H M Revenue & Customs – Clerk PAYE/NIC + Council NIC Mr D E Hart – expenses re South Foreland Valley W Purdy – tree works English Landscapes Maintenance Ltd – grasscutting Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal Mr I Miller – Oct 09 Labour/expenses + Registrar fee Veolia Water Southeast Ltd – water rates R Dunkley – Ian Miller garage account St Margarets at District Gardeners Assoc – spring bulbs Receipts: Credit Interest – Instant Gold A/c £1.59 VAT Refund £2,223.60 Rural Payments Agency Grant re SFV £1,126.20	£192.05 £27.03 £643.36 £7.20 £85.31 £16.43 £340.00 £241.12 £25.00 £1,088.50 £232.08 £31.51 £40.00 £2,969.59
7. Correspondence Cascade (Mr C Begeman) re Sea Street planning proposal, requesting a meeting with Councillors. Clerk advised she had responded to a telephone call stating it was unlikely Council would welcome such a meeting. DDC Chief Executive – re DDC’s Financial Plans – previously emailed to Councillors. The Bay Trust – confirmatory letter re lease of Glebe Field by Parish Council. Kent Highway Services – acknowledgement re double yellow lining request for Bay Hill. Kent Highway Services – acknowledgement re Flashing Speed Limit sign request. Kent Police Authority – re Policing Kent 2010/13 Survey. BTCV – Kent Heritage Trees Project – Clerk to refer to Mr Colin Sumner to ask whether he would be prepared to take this on. KALC – Notice of AGM/voting papers for 14^th November 2009. Emails: Paul Francis re Fireside Cottage. Tony Falluto, St Margarets Football Club – Councillors asked to provide details of car registration numbers of cars parking alongside pavilion when seen. Stephen Oliver re Parsonage Road – Clerk had responded. Mr A Burford, Manager, Holiday Park – Clerk and Chair to arrange meeting. Mr C Sumner re village footpaths.		Clerk to speak to Mr Sumner Clerk to liaise with Mr Burford
- 4 - Mr D Collings – response re state of Knotts Lane. Clerk asked to refer to Kent Highways re definition of road before taking situation any further. DDC Private Sector Housing – re Empty Properties in Dover District – Councillors advised of web address for responses to proposed strategy. KCC Transport Integration – advice that Subsidised Local Bus Services (including No 15 St Margarets to Deal) are due for re-tender this month – further advice awaited. Minutes of DDC Standards Board meeting 30 July 2009. Parish News Issue No 343 – handed to Councillors. Advice re Chairmanship Training Day at Lenham on 13^th January 2010 – Cllr Paul to attend. DDC, Roger Walton re public conveniences in Reach Road car park. DDC is asking Parish Council for full costs at £8,428 to keep these toilets open. Clerk asked to place information in Parish magazine, also to seek information from DDC as regards usage. Clerk to write to local organisations also seeking views. Suggestion made of public meeting to discuss issue.		Clerk to deal Clerk to hold Clerk to respond and prepare cheque for £70.50 Clerk to deal
8. Reports from Councillors/Advisers South Foreland Valley – Cllr Hart reported that two successful scrub clearance days had taken place. He requested that he be allowed to purchase a mechanical sawblade at approx £900 from the grant monies from the Rural Payments Agency – IT WAS RESOLVED that this expenditure be allowed. He was liaising with Natural England re the treatment of trees once cut down. Also advised that in future it is considered that two episodes of mowing would be required to keep the scrub down. Football Club – Cllrs Fielding and Harris confirmed they had a meeting arranged this week with members of the Football Club to iron out various issues – idea of Mr Miller undertaking white-lining of pitch to be discussed (Mr Miller’s cost in this respect likely to be around £750 over the year). Youth facilities – Cllr Liggins had arranged a meeting together with Community Warden Guillou-King – around 7 parents and their children had attended. The Glebe Field has been offered by the Bay Trust on a six month renewable lease basis. Attendees had asked if information could be sent to all children in the school to gauge their wishes. As an initial step Clerk to arrange meeting with County and District Councillors, to include a representative from Planning. Community Warden will be at meeting together with PC Karen Robson and representative from CSU. Library – Cllr Liggins reported that book borrowing had remained steady. With budget cuts likely by KCC in the next financial year, a further meeting to be arranged once information known. County Cllr Steve Manion reported on slow progress re a new hospital for Dover. Work being undertaken with regard to vulnerable children – this area is doing quite well in relation to national figures re childhood obesity.		Clerk to liaise with Cllr Hart re sawblade Cllrs Hart and Fielding to take forward Clerk to deal
- 5 - District Cllr Ian Ward reiterated cuts to be made in DDC budget next year. Cllr Liggins asked what, if anything, was being done by the Planning Enforcement/Investigation team concerning the problems alleged at Bay Hill House. Cllr Ward cited a problem with evidence, but confirmed that investigations are still going on. Cllr Harris had attended the most recent meeting of the KALC Dover Area Committee – will advise on issue of broadband coverage when notes received. Cllr Fielding confirmed that an update on the Energy Group will be provided at next meeting.		Cllr Fielding to deal
9. Village Maintenance and Matters affecting the Parish Playing Field Inspection undertaken by Cllr Liggins – all reported looking well, although a lot of litter/debris observed at Alexander Field – this will be taken up by Cllrs Fielding and Harris at meeting with Football Club. Cllr Liggins had met with Smye-Rumsby on site re the CCTV system – as at this week the system is working well with very clear pictures. Cllr Rapley advised she is to attend a meeting at DDC this week with Mandy Pile re the Waste Group. Cllr Fielding noted that the foliage at the back of Reach Road Pond is encroaching into residents gardens and needs cutting back. Cllr Purchase had previously advised that work is to be undertaken on the Pond – Clerk to check with her.		Clerk to check with Cllr Purchase

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 10 p.m.

Confirmed: Chairman 14^th December 2009

Correspondence received prior to meeting

14^th December 2009

• Kent Downs AONB Unit – email re village sign.
• Kent Wildlife Trust – re Local Wildlife Site.
• Ian Ward-Dutton, Chair of Governors, St Margarets CP School re status of Droveway Gardens.
• Annaliese Mortlock, Kent Highway Services, re Knotts Lane.
• Lord Lieutenant of Kent – invitation to Civic Service at All Saints Church, Maidstone – 22 April 2010.
• Email – Mr Maurice Doyle re “Five Acre Field”.
• Christine Waterman, DDC re 100^th anniversary of cross Channel flight by C G Rolls.
• Rural Payments Agency re Rural Land Register Mapping Update.
• Paul Francis, DDC Planning - copy letter sent to Mr J Stone.2
• Kent Fire & Rescue Service – Risk Management Plan 2010/13.
• Mr M Shepherd re public conveniences, Reach Road Car Park.
• DDC Democratic Services re changes to Housing and Council Tax Pension Credit.