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HALSTEAD TOWN COUNCIL |
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DRAFT MINUTES OF FULL COUNCIL MEETING HALSTEAD, Essex. CO9 1ET
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Membership:
| Councillor D Hume | Chairman |
Present |
| Councillor Mrs J A Pell | Vice Chairman | Present |
| Councillor Mrs J Allen Councillor Mrs H W Catley |
Apologies Present |
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| Councillor Mrs S A Diver | Apologies | |
| Councillor M J Fincken | Present | |
| Councillor Mrs L J Hilton | Present | |
| Councillor S Kirby | Present | |
| Councillor Mrs K A Little | Present | |
| Councillor A Munday | Apologies | |
| Councillor K Paisley | Present | |
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Also in attendance: Mr R Richmond – Public
Mr P Hook – Public
PCSO B Edwards – Police
Mr M C Murkin – Town Clerk
Mrs J Smith – Minute Clerk
143. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies received from Cllr Mrs J Allen, Cllr Mrs S Diver and Cllr A Munday
144. DECLARATION OF INTERESTS
Cllr Mrs J Pell declared Pecuniary Interest in planning item no. 13/00047/FUL as husband rents two garages on this site.
Cllr Mrs J Pell declared Non-Pecuniary Interest in planning item no.13/00007/FUL as Trustee of Halstead Day Centre which is adjacent property
Cllr Mrs J Pell declared no interest in planning item no. 12/01684/PLD but will leave the meeting for personal reasons.
Cllr Mrs H Catley declared Non-Pecuniary Interest in planning item no. 13/00005/FUL as applicant is known to her
Cllr S Kirby declared Non-Pecuniary Interest in all planning items as he is a member of the Braintree District Council Planning Committee
Cllr S Kirby declared Other Pecuniary Interest in Agenda Item No. 10 – Parking as he is a retailer in Halstead
Cllr K Paisley declared Non-Pecuniary Interest in planning item no. 12/01465/FUL & 12/01466/CON as owns an adjacent building to the site.
145. PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
Mr R Richmond spoke about Agenda item no. 16 – Exclusion of Public and Press and asked why this item is routinely included as it then appears that the Council is trying to be secretive. Mr Richmond feels that it should not appear unless there are confidential matters to discuss.
Chairman responded by saying that the item is included at his request and in order to clarify the situation, making it clear that there are no issues. Cllr Fincken said he believes that a similar item is standard with Braintree Council and other Parish Councils but Mr Richmond refuted this and said that Braintree Council operates under a different statute.
Chairman said that further enquiries would be made on this matter.
146. PRESENTATIONS
- a) Police PCSO B. Edwards gave some details about crime statistics in the months of December and January and said that in all crime is at a low level in Halstead. He said that Operation Alaska took place before Christmas to deter burglary and had been successful with apprehension of one serial offender. PCSO Edwards urged all to be observant, to encourage others to be vigilant and to dial 999 if they see anything of concern.
Cllr Mrs K Little asked if there were any Police Dogs in Halstead and was told that dogs were available for duty but were not stationed in the Town.
Cllr Mrs L Hilton asked about an incident that took place outside The Factory Shop within the past few weeks; PCSO Edwards said he could not speak specifically about this incident but acknowledged that it was an incident of Grievous Bodily Harm and the area was cordoned off due to blood contamination.
There were no further questions, and PCSO Edwards left the meeting..
147. MINUTES. To approve the minutes of the Council meeting held on 6th December 2012.
Minutes were unanimously approved
148. PLANNING APPLICATIONS.
Cllr S Kirby left the meeting
Chairman stated Cllr A Munday, Chairman of the Planning Committee and Cllr Mrs S Diver, Vice Chairman of the Planning Committee were both absent, and that this part of the meeting would be led by himself and the Town Clerk.
12/01465/FUL & 12/01466/CON Land Rear of Natwest, High Street, Halstead, Essex – Creation of car park and reconstruction of a wall.
Members noted that the applicant is Tesco Stores, and were mindful that the application for a retail outlet on Land East of High Street had been recently refused by Braintree District Council Planning Committee. Members noted objection from Essex County Highways to this application for a car park to the rear of Nat West Bank as, they say, the application does not include sufficient information to properly determine the highway impact of the proposed development. There was also an objection from Essex County Council Historic Environment Officer as there is possible evidence of post-medieval remains in this area and asks for an archeological survey to be taken before any building takes place. It was noted that some trees would need to be felled if this application was granted.
Members supported the objections of ECC Highways and ECC Historic Environment Officer and would oppose this application as the previous applications were opposed by this Town Council. Members would like clarification on how this application is dependent upon any pending appeal against ruling on the previous application. Members would like it made known to Braintree District Council that they had been unable to view application no. 12/ 01466/CON on BDC website.
Cllr Mrs J Pell left the meeting
12/01684/PLD – Wade International Ltd., Third Avenue, Bluebridge Industrial Estate, Halstead, Essex, CO9 2SX. Application for a Lawful Development Certificate for a proposed Development – Installation of solar panels to the existing roof.
Members raised no objections
13/0047/FUL – Greenfields Community Housing, Garage Site, Ronald Road, Halstead, Essex – Demolition of existing garages and erection of four affordable homes.
Members raised no objections
Cllr Mrs J Pell returned to the meeting
13/00007/FUL – 24 to 34 Bridge Street, Halstead, CO9 1HT – Conversion of first floor offices to create 8no. 1 bed flats and new roof terrace and allocated spaces for residential and retail parking. New cycle store and bin store.
Members noted that a similar application had been made on a previous occasion and had been refused by BDC Planning Committee. This is an amended application with revised parking plans.
Members raised no objections
13/00005/FUL – 3 Oxford Road, Halstead, CO9 1AZ – Demolition of existing detached garage and erection of new side extension to provide integral garage and additional bedroom.
Members raised no objections
13/00004/FUL – Land Stanstead Road, Halstead, Essex – Erection of 9 no. 2 bed two and a half storey houses with integral garages and parking thereto.
Members noted that this is a revised application and that ECC Highways have objected to this application but would re-consider if parking issues are addressed.
Members objected to this application but would re-consider if parking issues are addressed.
13/00049/PDEM – Land at East Mill, Halstead, Essex – Application for prior notification for proposed demolition of garages.
Members made no comments
12/01437/FUL – The Red Lion, 5 New Street,Halstead, Essex, COL9 1DH – Change of use of existing property into 2 no. 2 bed semi detached houses together with demotion of toilet block and external changes.
Members made no objections to this application provided that parking issues raised by ECC Highways are addressed.
Cllr S Kirby returned to the meeting
149. PLANNING – Further discussion following the footnote after Item 142 on the minutes of 6th December 2012.
Members are concerned that Planning Consultations need to be made more accessible and it was felt that the new design of web site is not easy to navigate.
Chairman said he would speak informally to Braintree District Council Planning Department.
150. MAYOR’S APPOINTMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS.
Chairman asked that the report be noted, and went on to comment on the good work by staff during the recent period of bad weather. He said that Office Staff had acted as a portal for information and had liaised with various agencies to get necessary work done. He said that Jason Bedlow and Tim Bickmore had worked hard to ensure that the salt supplied by Essex County Council was used to the benefit of residents, and noted the dedication of Tim Bickmore who started work early in the morning to make sure that paths in St. Andrew’s Churchyard were cleared. Chairman also noted the help given by Gavin Rush, BDC employee, in salting pavements, etc.
Cllr Mrs J Pell noted that the cake she was due to deliver to Halstead Hospital on Christmas Day was in fact delivered on 24th December as the Hospital was closed for visitors to prevent infection spread. She had been assured that the cake would be given to patients on Christmas Day.
The report was noted.
151. FINANCE –
a) Financial Monitoring – Cllr Mrs J Pell said it was pleasing to note that in two instances income target had been exceeded.
Report was noted.
b) Monthly Performance. Town Clerk explained the graph appended to the report. Cllr Mrs H Catley noted that bookings at Queen’s Hall had increased, and noted that two Church services were held in the Hall each Sunday.
Report was noted
152. LIST OF PAYMENTS TO BE APPROVED
Payments were unanimously approved.
153. BUDGET AND PRECEPT FOR 2013/14
Chairman noted that there had been two Budget Seminars with input from all Councillors and excellent discussions had taken place. A draft budget was in place.
Mr Richmond Left the meeting
Councillors discussed the proposal to have reduced parking charges, or no parking charges, after 3p.m. each weekday and Saturday.
Cllr Mrs J Pell made the point that parking could not all be free as the Town Council have to pay charges for parking areas. She felt that a 10p. charge after 3p.m. would allow the situation to be monitored to see if this had indeed brought visitors to the Town. The cost of changing parking machines to allow this reduced charge was quoted at £808.50 plus VAT. It was felt that there should be monitoring by way of issued ticket, and that there should still be Excess Charge Tickets issued for non-display of ticket. It was unanimously agreed that there should be a six month trial of free parking after 3p.m., starting in April 2013 and that this trial is monitored by the Car Parks Task & Finish Group.
Cllr M Fincken suggested the slogan – ‘Free after 3’ to be used in publicity
It was proposed by Cllr S Kirby that the Precept for 2013/14 be set at £136292.00 and motion was seconded by Cllr Mrs K Little. Proposal was unanimously agreed.
154. COMMUNITY HALL
Town Clerk reported that the contamination survey was now almost complete and laboratory reports are awaited.
With regard to land transfer the Donor’s solicitors and Agent have been contacted and it has been established that the Donor does have permission to donate the land. The position regarding the Donor’s tax issues have also been clarified. Title deeds of the site have been seen by Council’s retained solicitors and deeds of Butler Road and Rosemary Lane Car Parks have now been delivered to solicitors. Transfer should be straightforward when the Trust has been established. There is a portion of land that belongs to Essex County Council on the perimeter of the area – it used to be railway land – and it was decided that ECC be contacted to ask if this land could be donated to Halstead Town Council. With regard to the Trust, Solicitor has advised that ‘the donor originally contacted Councillor Jacqueline Pell with the proposal to gift this land to a charitable company/trust for the building of the community centre. Should Councillor Pell wish to establish the charitable company and work with a group of other trustees in bringing the community centre to fruition, I suggest that she takes the role as the founding trustee/chair person.
The local paper or other community groups may be interested in telling the story of the proposed charitable company and any PR that they may be able to provide would assist in the recruitment of trustees. It may also be necessary to approach people directly but this should be done by or on behalf of Councillor Pell.’
Councillor Group Leaders had recently met and agreed this principle. It was agreed that the Trust must be transparent, as must the dealings of Halstead Town Council with the Trust. It was agreed that there must be communication between groups, and public must be kept informed. It was agreed that Cllr Pell should approach people rather than ask for volunteers.
Cllr Malcolm Fincken proposed that Cllr Mrs J Pell establish a charitable trust and work with a group of other trustees, whom she will invite to take part, for the building of a Community Centre. Motion seconded by Cllr S Kirby.
Proposal was unanimously agreed.
Report was noted
155. YOUTH
Councillor Mrs L Hilton reported that the Youth Council had met recently at the Resource Centre and that Mr Taylor, Teacher at Ramsey College, who had now been appointed by the College as Community Liaison Officer was keen to promote good relations between various Youth Groups and other groups. It was reported that Cllr Joe Pike has some cash for Youth Projects, and a possible trip to ‘Go Bananas’ has been discussed. A day of Team Building for 50 persons has also been suggested.
It was reported that Mr Taylor is exploring the possibility of a Tour de Halstead event to coincide with the Halstead Marathon. This will be a fund raising family event.
Cllr Hilton asked if the unused portion of allocated budget for 2012/13 would be carried forward to next year, and was told that it will not – the allocated budget for 2013/14 is £750.00.
Cllr Hilton reported that the Youth Council would meet at the Resource Centre in future.
Cllr Mrs J Pell suggested that the Youth Council should publicise its presence and Cllr Fincken suggested that delgates be invited to attend the Town Council Meeting – an Agenda item concerning Youth could be placed early in the Agenda to encourage them to attend. Cllr Mrs Hilton said that the next Youth Council meeting will be on 28th February, all welcome to attend. Chairman said that he would attend a Youth Council meeting on an informal basis.
The Community Bus trial was discussed – there have been no bookings so far and the first planned visit to Freeport had been cancelled. The second will take place on 19th February, leaving Butler Road Car Park at 5.15p.m; this coincides with half-term week so may be more interesting. Cllr Mrs Pell commended staff in Town Council Office for their work in managing this trial.
Cllr M Fincken asked about the Kidscape venture in Trinity Street, but was told that these premises are now closed.
Report was noted.
156. HALSTEAD AND ESSEX MARATHON
It is proposed that Town Council will provide portable toilets for the event, 20no. at cost of £440.00 plus VAT. It was agreed that this will be excellent Town Council sponsorship for this prestigious Halstead event.
157. ACTION FOR MARKET TOWNS
Workshop to take place at Queen’s Hall on 14th February; Town Council has offered the venue free of charge. It was noted that this will bring people into the Town. Refreshments at the event will be provided by Braintree District Council from the ‘Mary Portas’ budget. Mayor David Hume has been asked to open the event. It was noted that no local traders are attending the workshop. It was hoped that they will be kept informed.
It was said that the first AGM of the Town Team will take place on 25th February and all are invited to attend.
Chairman commended the hard work by Cllr Fincken and Cllr Mrs L Hilton to bring this Town Team into being.
158. BRAINTREE DISTRICT COUNCIL – BOUNDARY REVIEW
Cllr M Fincken advised the meeting that Braintree District Council are undertaking a review of electoral representation in the district and are considering reductions in Ward size. No decisions have yet been made, but each group is making a submission with a deadline of 1st February. This could herald possible changes and reductions to ward representation for Halstead and it was suggested that Halstead Town Council should monitor the situation and contribute to consultation.
It was requested that the matter be put on Town Council Agenda March/May for discussion.
Report was noted
Mr Hook left the meeting
159. Exclusion of Public and Press
To give consideration to adopting the following resolution:- “That pursuant to the provisions of section 1 (2) – of the Admission to Meetings Act 1960, in view of the next item to be conducted, the press and public to be excluded from the meeting.”
There were no matters to discuss.
Chairman closed the meeting at 8.40p.m.