Russell Hay

In advance of formal meeting minutes, these are some brief informal notes taken during the meeting;

At the start of the meeting, Council received a presentation from two members of the Cotswold Canals Connected partnership on the Missing Mile planning application. This application will cover the length of the Stroudwater Navigation, between the A38 roundabout, eastwards to the M5 then onwards to Pike Lock at Eastington. The works proposed will include digging the channel, building a lock adjacent to the A38 roundabout, with a “parking marina” for narrowboats and a car park and perhaps a café alongside the A419 just off the roundabout. The M5 canal crossing will use the same underpass as the River Frome, but at a lower level, with another lock to be built in that area, then onwards across towards Eastington via Westfield Bridge. Also included for our Parish are further planning applications to replace Stonepitts Bridge and Whitminster Bridge with Bascule-type bridges, similar to Lodgemoor Lane Bridge in Stroud, and to replace Walk Bridge on Whitminster Lane with a “hump-back” bridge, to allow boats to travel underneath. When Walk Bridge is replaced, although pedestrian and bicycle access will be maintained over the canal, vehicular access will be closed, meaning that the road to Frampton, Saul and other areas in that direction will be closed for what could be about 16 weeks. It is proposed that areas of wetlands and support to wildlife, flora and fauna will be created on the line of the canal, with the majority of the canal banks and edges being “soft”, i.e., not piled with wooden or steel piles, but grown with rushes, and bushes and the like. Council will endeavour to keep everyone informed of the application’s progress in the coming weeks.

Council received a visit from PCSO Mike Trebble, who gave some statistics on crime in the village. They showed that reported crime in Whitminster remains low, and that this area is still a safe place to live, although it does mean that everyone needs to remain vigilant to keep it that way.

Support was given to the revised Listed Building Application for Parklands Farmhouse, and the clerk will be writing again to Planning Enforcement at Stroud District Council with reference to apparent breaches of Planning Consent within the parish

A report on the meeting with the Area Highways Manager (AHM) on perceived Highways issues on School Lane showed that statistics of recorded Road Traffic Collisions, injury or otherwise, with speed surveys results and any others would have to meet the necessary Highways criteria to enable further action to be considered. Previous speed surveys carried out on School Lane have shown that the average percentile speed on School Lane is within acceptable limits. The AHM advised that it is possible the County Council could adopt a blanket 20mph limit on urban roads, such as School Lane, next year, and suggested that a wait and see position be adopted until more information is known. Other items included the condition of the surface of Hyde Lane, with repairs needed in several places, the pavement northwards from the Crossroads, and the broken drain cover on Packthorne corner. The AHM said he would keep these issues in mind for further budget requests. (NB, Council supported a request previously from an organisation in the County for the proposed 20mph limit)

A meeting with a possible Skate Ramp builder is likely to be arranged shortly, to further discuss positioning and costs. A request for financial help from the Village Hall and Playing Field Management Committee, to remove and pollard some of the diseased and dying trees on the playing field was approved, so that all users of this Community Asset are kept safe.

These are only summary notes of the meeting, full minutes will be available when they are approved at the next meeting.

In advance of formal meeting minutes, these are some brief informal notes taken during the meeting;

Matters Arising

First reminder – that Remembrance Sunday is on the 14th and there will be a ceremony at 11am held at the War Memorial, and then wine, tea or coffee at the Village Hall afterwards.

The village defibrillators have now been registered with “The Circuit” – national defibrillator network for the ambulance service – thanks to Councillor Younger.

Community Safety

Little Holbury & Kidnams Walk play areas corrective work – no progress, Persimmons has not carried out anything yet.

Two trees in the Playing Field have been identified as possibly being affected by Ash Dieback and a local tree surgeon will be inspecting them on 4/11 to determine whether they need to be removed. There’s consideration of possible replacements with two oak tree saplings.

Planning

Newland Homes has queried why we objected to their proposed developments at Upton’s Gardens. We reviewed the previous correspondence and confirmed that this was primarily rejected because the proposed development is outside the existing development boundary – The new local plan has not yet been adopted. Further points were that Newland Homes has proposed 11 houses rather than the 10 that are in the proposed Local Plan, and we also had outstanding queries regarding the boundary treatment of the wooded area towards the Playing Field.

Pegasus leaflet to the village for up to 45 homes west of Schoolfield Close. We agreed that at this stage the Parish Council would object on the basis of only 30 houses being proposed in the local plan (not 45). Furthermore, this is premature because the existing local plan does not cover this site and so is outside the existing development boundary and would not come within the development boundary until the local plan is adopted.

The Stroud District local plan is now submitted to the Planning Inspectorate and should be a decision on acceptance will appear by the end of the year.

Enforcement.

Nothing has come back from enforcement, either relating to unpermitted development in the village, or noise complaints. This will be followed up by the Parish Clerk.

Footpaths/Highways

The PROW at Whitminster Court and poor state of the Lagger were discussed. The PROW officer will follow-up on Whitminster Court, and the Lagger needs to be repaired. However, the tree which has broken the surface would need to be removed first, otherwise it will just happen again. The PROW officer will check with Councillor Davis for funding for repairing the footpath in this area.

It was highlighted that there is a bush growing out the footpath from Kidnams’s Walk to the field behind Paynes Meadow. This will be raised to highways for removal.

The plastic fencing stacked at Hyde Lane junction with School Lane has been left by Wales & West and should be gone in the next few days. This was apparently just a convenient area for them to store it. They’re not due to carry out any work in the village.

Mud on Hyde Lane was reported to the County Council. A road sweeper has been down the road to clean it, and the responsible party  informed to take precautions so that this didn’t reoccur. However, it’s been reported that this has reoccurred and the County Council will be contacted to clean the road again.

It was noted that an old pear tree at Vaisey Field appears to have developed a large hole at the base. This will be reported to the District Council as is a hazard to local pedestrians.

District Council Highways department will meet with the Parish Council next week for a discussion on potential safety improvements near the school which may be joint funded by the Parish Council and District Council.

Skate Ramp

The builders references and warranty for the skate ramp are still being chased and funding from urbaser Community Fund is not yet confirmed. Once this is confirmed we will approach the Public Works loans board .

Other points

Councillor Paynter has finished replacing the plexiglass in the bus shelter. This is was installed on 3 November and is a significant improvement on what was there previously.

The Parish Council should actively canvas for proposals for improvements or small projects in the Village these can be maintained on a list and reviewed when funding is available.

Correspondence was received from David Hennesey, and the Parish Clerk agreed to respond to the points raised and share the requested information.

Next Meeting

Additional agenda items should be the proposed budget for the Parish Council, and discuss the precept and also discuss what should happen within the village for Queen’s Jubilee celebrations.

 

Notes from the July Whitminster Parish Council meeting.

There was a full complement of Councillors in attendance, and the Clerk, with two Members of the Public present at the start.
A representative of Newlands Homes gave Councillors a brief presentation of how a potential application for land they have an interest in, off and between Upton’s Gardens and the village playing field. Although currently outside of the Village Development Boundary, it has been included in the Stroud District Council Draft Local Plan for development. Newlands Homes plans would include 9 market value and 2 affordable homes, one of which would be a bungalow. Works to the wooded area next to the playing field would make it more user friendly, and consultation with the village school was advised to take place to achieve this. Further consultations should take place before a planning application is submitted.

It was noted under Community Safety that Katie Markwick has moved on from her position as Neighbourhood Warden for our area, she has been replaced by Simon Jarvis, simon.jarvis@stroud.gov.uk He hopes to introduce himself to Council as and when duties allow.

On Planning, Council resolved to support the application to renovate Packthorne Farmhouse, but felt that more information was needed for the proposal to place automatic gates at the road entrance in Whitminster Lane to the driveway to the farmhouse. This entrance is also the start of a bridleway which leads on to Moreton Valence, and Councillors felt that this could be obstructed and prevent its use by walkers and horse riders alike, if automated access were to be installed at that point, without information of gaining access being supplied.

It was also noted that the plot of land included in the SDC Draft Local Plan, between the playing field and the track leading to the Stroudwater Canal, had had its number allocation increased from 30 to 40 dwellings. Council resolved to make an objection to this, as it had originally been allocated 30 dwellings, in line with Council’s objective.
On Highways, notification had been received that Yakub Mulla has replaced Harriet Osborn as Area Highways Manager, and Council will be asking for a meeting with Yakub in the near future to bring his attention to several issues that it feels need examining in the village. Cllr Paynter gave an update on his meeting with the Public Rights Of Way Officer from Gloucestershire Highways.

In discussion on replacing the Skateboard Ramp, and to help gain consent for a Public Works Loans Board loan, it has to be demonstrated that Parish-wide consultation has taken place. It was resolved that a flyer would be produced, and hand delivered to all houses in the parish to get reaction from residents. Council hopes to make its decision on this at the August meeting.

These notes are just a summary of the July meeting; full minutes of that meeting will be published after approval next month.

Notice of Election for the Gloucestershire County Council seats, Parish Council seats, Police and Crime Commissioner seat and Neighbourhood Planning Referendums. 

 

https://www.stroud.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/elections/local-government-county-and-police-and-crime-commissioner-elections-thursday-6-may-2021

 

District Councillors are due for re-election. Please see the attachment for more details. The attached notice is also displayed on Whitminster village noticeboards.

Notice Of Election District Council

The Whitminster Parish Council is due for re-election. If you wish to be a Parish Councillor, then please review the attached guidance from Stroud District Council.

Whitminster_election

MARCH MEETING NOTES

The March meeting of the Parish Council took place remotely over Zoom on 3rd March. All Parish Councillors participated, including Cllr Sarah Younger who had been recently co-opted to fill a vacancy outstanding from May last year. One member of the public joined for part of the meeting to discuss a planning related issue concerning the change of use of some of the designated open space with the Parklands Farm development to private garden land. As always, whether on-line or in person, in the village hall, there is always an opportunity for public questions or comments to be raised at the start of the meeting but there were no other issues discussed.

As the meeting progressed there were no declarations of interest and only limited matters relating to Police & Community Safety issues, this being perhaps a positive benefit of the ongoing lockdown. However, there has recently been evidence of substance abuse within the dugouts at the playing field and Cllr Jones explained that it is for this reason they had been boarded over. The Police and Neighbourhood Warden have been asked if they can be observant in case this activity should relocate within the village and parents are asked to be alert.

Under planning matters, there were no applications to consider but a decision was noted in that the District Council had granted a Certificate of Lawfulness relating to a proposed single storey kitchen extension to the rear of 23 Paynes Meadow. Obviously, the major planning issues facing the village at present are the pending application for 100 new dwellings in the field adjacent to Schoolfield Close and the proposed 2,500 or more new houses and additional developments on land East of the A38 and both North and South of Grove Lane. It is not too late for anyone with views on these proposals to put them forward to the Planning Department at the District Council.

During the lockdowns the value of accessible local footpaths for daily exercise has been more important than ever. Cllr Paynter has been monitoring the various local routes and keeping a record of actions needed to address obstructions and other problems. With restrictions easing and business at the County Council looking to return to normal, he will follow up the issues concerning the Parish with the relevant Public Rights of Way Officer. On Highway matters, Council is looking to arrange a discussion at a forthcoming Parish Council meeting with the Area Highways Supervisor to further consider what traffic calming measures may be appropriate for School Lane in the vicinity of the School. Council is also in touch with the County Council on issues concerning overgrown hedges and would urge all residents to consider if their hedges, trees or other foliage might be impinging on a footpath, roadway or other public space and take action before the nesting season arrives.

Council was pleased to have received a grant payment of £5,000 from the Urbaser Community Fund following the completion of the installation of the outdoor gym equipment at the playing field. Together with grant aid from the County Council, secured by District & County Councillor Stephen Davies and a generous contribution from the Whitminster Village Hall & Playing Field Management Committee, this means that the equipment has been paid for entirely by grant support. Unfortunately, the equipment remains out of use for now in accordance with lockdown rules but given the excellent progress of the vaccine rollout it is hoped that this may change shortly. Council’s next project is the skate ramp and consideration continues as to what could be provided in the current location that will not restrict the site for the rebuilding of the proposed new Playing Field Pavilion. Additional funding is also needed and any ideas or offers of support to help with raising funds would be much appreciated.

As Spring approaches thoughts turn to the local elections scheduled to take place in May. These have been postponed from 2020 and will include an election to form a new Parish Council if the number of nominations exceeds the available number of seats, being 7. Anyone interested in standing is encouraged to make contact with an existing Councillor to discuss what might be involved and to come along to the next meeting (in person or virtually depending on how it is convened) to get an idea of a typical meeting. Details of the nomination procedure will soon appear on the Parish notice boards once nominations are open.

The next meeting of the Parish Council will take place on Wednesday 7th April at 7:30pm and the agenda along with additional information will be circulated in due course.

In order to vote in the upcoming Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire, County, District and Parish Council elections taking place on May 6^th 2021 you must be registered on the Electoral Roll.

Planning is already underway and we would like to reassure you that our highest priority is the safety of our staff and our electorate. We will be adhering to Government Guidelines, so your Polling Station may look a bit different, please help us to help you keep safe by following the guidelines.

To register to vote, please go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. You will need your date of birth and national insurance number and registering only takes a few minutes.

If you are not able to cast your ballot at a polling station or would prefer not to vote in person you can apply for an “Absent Vote”.

Stroud District Council Elections web page has all the information you need:

https://www.stroud.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/elections/how-do-i-vote

From here you can find out all about how to vote including:

Check if you are registered by using a quick link.

Register to vote deadline – Midnight, Monday 19 April 2021

Voting by Post –request or download an application form

Postal vote deadline – 5pm, Tuesday 20 April 2021

We must receive your application by post or email by 5pm on Tuesday 20 April to ensure you are able to vote by post. To vote by post, you must complete an application form which can be found below.
 Voting by Proxy – request or download an application form

Proxy vote deadline – 5pm, Tuesday 27 April 2021

We must receive your application by post or email by 5pm on Tuesday 27 April to ensure you are able to vote by proxy. To vote by proxy you must complete an application form which can be found below.

There was no Whitminster Parish Council (WPC) meeting in April, for obvious reasons; however, Councillors are keeping in touch with each other, and the Clerk, by email and telephone. Parish Council business will still be carried on with as is necessary, with a video/virtual meeting set up for May 4th. Please watch for notices on the website and the village notice boards.

As we know, all elections for District Council and Parish Council have been postponed until May of next year, with all Members staying in Office until then. The next Term of Office will only last for 3 years, instead of the usual four..There is a vacancy for a Parish Councillor on Whitminster Parish Council, Cllr Nick Peters having tendered his retirement from the Council. Information coming from Government sources suggests that any elections to fill such casual vacancies will be held over until next May. Confirmation of this, or otherwise, will be published as soon as it becomes available.

News from Ebley Mill says that the District Council will do it’s utmost to keep waste and recycling collections operating as normal, through this emergency situation. However, in order to do this, some other operations have had to be suspended, including some street cleaning and grass cutting on District Council administered land. Crews that would normally be out and about with grass mowers have been diverted to the waste collection service, to make up shortages caused by either illness or self-isolation.

WPC is extremely grateful for the response to the appeal to set up a volunteer group to help housebound residents during the current pandemic. Special thanks go to Cllrs Paynter and Hay for organising delivery of leaflets around the village, and setting up the communications needed to take the volunteer group forward. Our group is registered on the County Council/Stroud District Council emergency hub, which can be accessed via www.stroud.gov.uk The group must also take full credit for organising and delivery of the Easter chocolate goodies around the village. It was very difficult to make the decision as to who received them, and apologies go to anyone inadvertently missed out. Sincere thanks also to the shop in Gloucester Quays that donated the chocolates. Feedback received from those receiving them has made enjoyable reading.

The defibrillator located on the end wall of the pavilion on the playing field is available for access via the pedestrian gate at the start of the driveway to the playing field. Following Government instructions, the children’s play area and the playing field have had to be closed until restrictions are lifted, to try to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. [UPDATE: the playing equipment remains out of bounds, the playing fields are re-opened]

More Parish Council notes will follow in due course. Any PC meetings held will be advertised as soon as they become necessary.