Minutes of Meeting of the Parish Council: Wednesday 21st August 2024,
7pm - Bellingham Town Hall

Councillors Present: Cllr Wilkinson, Cllr Knudsen, Cllr Armstrong, Cllr Moore,

In attendance: Clerk, one member of the public. 

Part A - Public Participation

1. Cllr Knudsen has been in touch with Joe Morris MP addressing the suggestion raised in July’s meeting. Items mentioned include schools and planning. 
2. Tim Fish has been in touch with the parishioner and work has been done on the Riverside path, a great improvement has been seen so far, work is ongoing. The fence railing needs to be made safe. CW to remind Mr Fish. 
3. The parishioner has visited Esh on the Mart site. They reported that they had not heard from Karbon re the road closure. It was noted that the bridge over the railway was built circa 1850 and the construction of the base is uncertain.
4. The footpath to Redesmouth Road has benefitted from a new slurry scree surface. 
5. Residents have been using an unofficial path from Fairshaw Crescent to Reenes Way for over 30 years. This route is advantageous as it vastly cuts down the distance from one end of the village to the other and allows pedestrians to avoid the narrow road bridge which lacks a dedicated path. Is it possible this can be adopted as a proper footpath? There is a time limit so this may need actioned soon. CW to investigate. 

Part B - Parish Council Meeting 

1. Apologies for Absence - Cllr Tilley, Cllr Richards, Cllr Irving, Cllr Kirkbride, Cllr Turner,
2. County Councillor Report - Apologies received from C.Cllr Riddle who sent word that the council yard will very soon open as a car park, this measure is being supported using temporary planning permission.
3. Declarations of Interest - no changes
4. Minutes of July meeting - agreed as correct with no changes.

5. Matters Arising from the Minutes
   5.1. Rospa safety inspections of the 2 play areas were discussed, no high risk issues have arisen. CW to summarise the list of possible actions for approval. Cllr Moore to review full reports. Reports from Exaim Maintenance also discussed, Cllr Moore to follow up.
   5.2.  Large no fishing signs have been acquired from the Environment Agency. They may be difficult to mount, several cllrs to investigate. Alternatively CW can organise A4 signs instead.
   5.3. An update from Karbon about the Mart site and associated road closure states that plans are currently on hold while the onsite drainage is installed and tested. The road closure cannot be decided until Autumn at the earliest.
   5.4. Complaints submitted about the pathway maintenance around Karbon properties and Reenes Way have had a response. Karbon have asked their landscape contractor, Practical Landscapes, to keep an eye on the site. Ownership issues are complex in that area but they are hoping to prevent further issues. 
6. Planning Application
   6.1 Notices received -none
   6.2 Decisions from NCC - none
   6.3 Street naming consultation: suggestions for the street names of the Mart Site development (Mart Field Place, Sidings Close and Railway Gardens) have been sent for local objection or opinion. It was agreed to put this information out to the public via Facebook. CW to action
7.   Finance
   7.1 Income, expenditure, bank balances:
   
   Income:
   Interest - £11.28, £6.94
   Allotment 5a - £12.50
   Toilet Honest Box - £29
   Cemetery Plot Reservation - £160
   Cemetery Plot Reservation - £160
   Dickinsons: Headstone inscription- £25

Invoices paid:
Anglian water - £4, £17

Invoices to be paid:
C Holbrow Exiam (Village Maintenance) - £312.30
Chris Mowatt (Landscaping) - £968
C Woodcock (Clerk Wages) - £205.95
Natalie Green - £199.33
Brierley Maintenance (Street Cleaning - 45hrs) - £720
Redwood Forestry - £3360
Rospa (playground inspection) - £216
Tools for street cleaning cart (misc invoices) - £73
Printer Ink - £37.78 |
Bellingham Country Store - £125.53

Bank Accounts as of 14/08/24
Treasurers Account - £24,861.01
Cemeteries Account - £7,028.38
Reserve Account - £11,414.37

8.   Correspondence
   1. The clerk has been invited to hear more about creative therapies beng explored at the doctors surgery.
   8.2. Bus Infrastructure funding is available to improve safety and accessibility of bus stops. It was felt the parish lacks the space to expand any current stops.
   8.3 There is a consultation from NCC in relation to their ten year plans for footpaths - the Rights of Way Improvement Plan. Councillors are in favour of widening the network including paths in the parish and thereby supporting local business and tourism. They would want to see that local routes were fully supported in terms of parking and accessibility.
   8.4 Cllrs are invited to the NCC Town and Parish Council Meeting on Thursday 3rd of Oct from 5pm.
   8.5. A complaint has been received about weed spraying in the village as plants tended by a resident have been damaged and there is concern the chemical may have gone onto food crops. It is unclear who performed this spraying, as it was not organised by BPC.
9. RAMP / Borderlands update - no update received 
10. Reports
    1. Allotment update - there are now no vacancies and no waiting list. All holders, except those who have paid this summer, are to be reminded that Rent is due in October. CW to action.
    10.2. It was discussed whether ad hoc weed spraying (above what was organised in the ongoing landscape tender) be performed by the PC in problem areas as required. Cllr Moore has the required equipment and licence. Environmental concerns were discussed and it was agreed to proceed delicately.
    10.3. A complaint about the overgrown nature of the Riverside Path heading South was reported mid month to Tim Fish. Thanks are due to Chris Mowatt for voluntarily strimming areas of the flood bank which are outside of his remit.
    10.4. The overgrown paths by the Shieling which were causing concern as they were slippery when wet have now been sprayed by Karbon.
11. Any Urgent Business -
    1. Cllr Moore received a complaint about fly tipping at Fairstead, the location has been passed to the street cleaner for removal of the items.
    11.2. Cllr Knudsen provided an update on ongoing complaints a) If the shop planned for the art site was refused as the appearance was not in keeping with the area, this implies the whole development is not in keeping and could be reconsidered. b) Before the Mart Site development was planned the Bellingham Housing survey was shared among developers. The survey identified a small need for affordable independent homes. It was also shown that local people wanted homes to be able to purchase. Confusion has arisen over the classification of the site as C2, a residential care site, a classification which suggests the homes are not for families. This appears to have made the site exempt from some Section 106 payments towards local education. Evidence suggests that the site was intended to be a majority affordable housing scheme but this intention was not made public.
    11.3. Parishioners have raised concerns about the increasing installation of Air Source Heaters. CW has enquired with the planning department of NCC to clarify any constraints about their positioning. A response is awaited. 
12. Restricted Business - none
13. Agreement of date of next meeting - Wednesday September 18th  - 7pm

Meeting closed 9.11