MINUTES OF CLAVERING PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
HELD IN THE VILLAGE HALL ON MONDAY 2 JULY 2007
(Key to votes: P: Proposed S: Seconded F: For the proposal A: Against Ab: Abstained D.Int: Declared an interest).

1 PRESENT: The Chairman, Edward Oliver, Vice Chairman Richard Carter, Nigel Cook, Brian Barrow, Mike Patmore, Edgar Abrahams, Philip Smith, Ron Couchman and Jon Cooke, together with 5 members of the public. Apologies received from Rebecca Stanford and Des Abrahams.

2 DECLARATION OF INTERESTS:
Edgar Abrahams: Prejudicial interest in Item 8 (P3 Scheme) as receiving funds. Clavering Village Hall & Jubilee Field Committees as Chairman.
Edward Oliver: Prejudicial interest in Item 6, UTT 2117 (Wingham Appeal) as an adjoining owner.
Brian Barrow and Nigel Cook: Personal interest in Item 10, Village Information Board as members of the Clavering Castle Group.
Richard Carter: Prejudicial interest in Item 6, UTT 1040, as a close associate of one of the applicants
.
CODE OF CONDUCT Edward Oliver updated the Council on three matters which had been reported to the Standards Board. One report had been dismissed; a second one was ongoing. The third matter, where five people had reported a councillor for an alleged breach of the Code of Conduct, was being investigated by the Standards Board.

3 MINUTES: The Minutes of the meeting of 4 June 2007 were approved and signed.

4 MATTERS ARISING:
1 Enforcements:
a. Caravans opposite Curles: Awaiting Appeal decision.
b. Barn and lake at Starlings Gn.: UDC deciding if it complies with agricultural or hobby farming.
c. Structure/items at Starlings Gn: UDC progressing.
d. Parking land at The Druce: being monitored further by Enforcement Officers.
e. Sign at Jojacks Farm: UDC progressing as sales materials and goods appeared to be imported.
f. TPO Tree in Sidestream Woodland: Awaiting confirmation from Tree Officers that the ground had been reinstated.
g. UTT 1708/05, The Wheelhouse; being monitored by Planning Dept.
h Ron Couchman queried the system for reporting possible planning breaches and asked that the Parish Council
check all future breaches in Clavering before they are reported to the Planning Dept. This was not agreed.

2 Highways & Byways:
a. Speed Limits : VMS unit not working properly.
b. Byway 50: Temporary closure expired. Byway 63, Parsonage Farm; being investigated for resurfacing.
c. Coley Lane rubbish - Richard Carter and Philip Smith offered to remove this, including household rubbish which had been dumped in the gateway to the gravel pit.
d. Roadworks lists: The list of roadworks sent in by parishioners to be passed to Highways.
e. Verges extra cut: Proposals for verges which would benefit from an extra early cut in 2008 to be submitted.

3 Other items:
a. Village Hall: Following further complaints from the public about noise, and that matters would be worse when the heating was on in the winter, the Chairman proposed that an alternative venue be investigated and this was agreed; Nigel Cook to provide details of venues and costs.
b. Village Seats: To be inspected regarding repairs required.
c. Bulbs on land adj Cricketers – The land still needs clearing.
d. Conservation Area Review: This had been accepted in full by the Planning DC Committee, including the additions and deletions, and Hill Green had now been made a new Conservation Area in its own right.
e Druce Footbridge: Requests from parishioners that the height be increased to avoid potential flooding problems;. agreed to write to Environment Agency and ask them to inspect .
f Dog bins: Mike Patmore and Edgar Abrahams reported increasing problems on Stortford Road, and the question
of providing red dog poo bins at £100 each was again raised.

5 FINANCE:
The Chairman reported that there were no budget figures again this month. The audit period had expired and the Notices had been removed from the Board.

Invoices: It was agreed to pay the following:
Harts & Post Office Stationery and stamps via Clerk           96.24     Vat 6.43       000874

Received:
UDC For Newsletter flyer costs                                           30.00    No vat -
Horticultural Society For Newsletter flyer costs                     5.00    No vat -
Easement Payment Final 2 stage payments                     5600.00    No vat -

Cheque No 000865: Returned by the Land Registry as no inspection had been required, and had been cancelled.

6 PLANNING:
UTT 2019 Affordable Housing: No further news.
FP 22 & 26: Thurrocks Farm: Footpath Diversion applications. No progress.
UTT 0364 Channer, The Maples, Stickling Green. Replacement garage; Refused.
UTT 0827 Holder, 8 Pelham Rd. Change of use at Britannia Works from retail to office. No objections.
UTT 0696 Lines, Rustling End,Arkesden Rd. First floor conservatory: Refused.
UTT 1045 Moore, Copt Hall, Hill Green. Front Door, Windows, internal alternations. No objections.
UTT 0750 Hoy, The Cottage Stickling Green. Rebuilding works. No objections.
UTT 1040 Noble & Tee: Clavering Hall barns. Change of use to 4 dwellings. Agreed to object as outside the planning envelope. (Richard Carter left the meeting).
 

APPEALS:
UTT 1481 BF Contracts, 8 houses in Barlee Close: Awaiting result.
UTT 1564 Loveridge, The Patch. House to replace caravan. Awaiting result.
UTT 1111 BF Contracts, 8 houses in Barlee Close: A second Appeal for the second scheme of terraced houses along the road frontage of Barlee Close had been lodged.
NEW APPEAL: Site adj. Allington House, Arkesden Rd. Under Outline Planning Permission. (Edward Oliver left the meeting). The Vice Chairman took the chair and it was confirmed that the original objections stood.

TPO UTT 0637 Joseph, Brook Cottage, Middle St. Reduce 1 Horse Chestnut by 30%. No objections.

7 P3 Scheme & Footpaths: The exact amounts for the 2006 cutting invoices had not been confirmed and this was
deferred to the next meeting.(Edgar Abrahams left the meeting). It was reported that Elmstreet Lane and Simons Wood
paths needed work.

8 LAND REGISTRATION:
Track from Chipperfield House to Hyaway: Awaiting processing by Mr Davey.
Bridges registration: The Open Spaces book was returned by Simon Cooke.
Starlings Green: Richard Carter had inspected a reported encroachment but advised this would be impossible to prove now. It was agreed to take dated photographs of a new gate put in by Mr Davis, showing that there was no access across the green to the road there.
Roast Green: Now registered to the Parish Council (excluding a section registered to Seven Willows). Also Bridleway 39 and the land adjacent to it, from Roast Green to Sheepcote Green, was now registered to the Council’s ownership.

9 ACCESSES & GREENS:
a. The Cricketers – It was proposed to go into Committee as this concerned the private finances of the owner (P: EO,
S:RWC, F:All).
b. Easements - Proposed to go into committee as one Easement concerned the private finances of the owner (P:EO
S: RWC, F:All)
c. Earth on the Bridges: The grading had been inspected again and considered not yet acceptable. Two councillors had met the adjacent owner and explained what was required.
d. Chapel parking: CVH Committee had confirmed that their Licence with Ms Moyer had been reviewed and now allowed all parents to park in their car park.
e. SHOVELLERS, STICKLING GREEN: Bristows who had processed the Deed in question had passed the matter to Simon Cooke as he had set this up; he had written with background details to the Council, but no offer to cover the Council’s costs should this be necessary. As the Land Registry deadline was imminent, the Chairman had advised the Clerk to let matter proceed and the Deed be registered at the Land Registry as it stood. It was decided to take dated photographs of the current status of the access ways and the green.
f The Views, Hill Green: The owners had written confirming that work was starting and agreeing the conditions again for reinstatement and repairs.

10 CORRESPONDENCE:
All correspondence was available in the file and the list had been circulated to all councillors.
Village Information Board: The Castle Group had proposed to fund and put up an Information Board on Blacksmiths Corner, to be paid from their own funds (in addition to the one paid for by the Heritage Grant on the Castle Site). The Council welcomed this unanimously, and agreed to check with Highways that there were no objections to it being sited there. (Nigel Cook and Brian Barrow left the meeting).
Butts Green: A parishioner reported traffic obstruction from overhanging hedges and trees; Richard Carter to inspect; and Edgar Abrahams offered to look and see if he would carry out the trimming.
Aircraft noise: A Skeins Way resident asked for support in objecting to further expansion at Stansted.
Langley Parish Council – reporting robberies by ‘fish salesman’ – agreed to put in the Newsletter.
General letters and brochures – see monthly list.

11 ALLOTMENTS: Awaiting confirmation that Thames Water had reinstated the damage to the roadway.
Lower Access: Cars were using Mayfield’s entrance to get to the allotments when adjacent residents had blocked the access way with their cars. Agreed to put an item in the Newsletter asking for this to stop; Mike Patmore to check the locking post to ensure this is in place.

12 VILLAGE ORGANISATIONS:
Jubilee Field: The Vice Chairman read out the response from the Charity Commissioners, which confirmed that the Parish Council holds the Jubilee Field as Custodian Trustee on behalf of the inhabitants of the village, and also holds the Trust documents and Title Deeds. The Charity Commissioners also confirmed that the Parish Council has no powers other than holding the land, and that the Trustees and Officers of the Jubilee Field have wide powers to undertake any actions they wish, including replacing the Parish Council as Custodian Trustees.

13 STORAGE OF COUNCIL DEEDS: The clerk suggested asking Harts Printing Dept. to copy a small number of the less important Deeds to see how this worked, and the Chairman proposed that this be done. (P:EO, S:RWC, F:All). This would be at their normal printing rate, and the larger maps and sheets would be stuck together.

14 STANDING ORDERS All councillors were given a copy of the new Model Standing Orders to check through and
suggest amendments for the next meeting. The Chairman and Vice Chairman to draw up proposals also.

15 RISK ASSESSMENT It was agreed to write to the Village Hall Committee and the Jubilee Field Committee informing them that the Parish Council had deleted both organisations from its Risk Assessment schedule and that it was expected that they covered these matters under their own management systems. It was agreed to add the Parish Paths Scheme (P3) for contractors own insurance arrangements as a new item.

14 ANY OTHER BUSINESS
a. The system for writing letters was queried by a member of the public.
b. It was reported that grass vegetation was growing in the river bed, and might add to potential flooding problems.