Parish Council Meeting 7th September 2000

The meeting was opened at 7:30pm by Clr. Cox; there were apologies received from Clr. Hirst and DDDC Clr. Mrs. Crowther, the previous minutes were accepted, with one matter arising, this being a suggestion by Clr Finney that payments noted in the minutes include mention of what they were for, as well as who they were paid to.

On Backdale Quarry, there was no update from SLEG, and no formal planning application had yet been received from Glebe Mines. Some councillors had viewed the current work by The Beeches and felt the restoration was “a mess”. Bricks and other builder’s waste was being left on the surface. It was reported that the Environment Agency had investigated the site and could find no evidence of illegal tipping. However the PC felt that the site wasn’t being monitored adequately, and the restoration work was unacceptable. It was also reported that Yorkshire Aggregates are removing stone from the site, which is actually against the terms of the current extraction permits. It was believed that the PDNPA were aware of this, but seemed to be doing nothing about it.

The Council felt they were ‘in the dark’ about happenings on the Edge. It was suggested that the PDNPA be asked to attend a Council meeting and answer questions but eventually it was resolved that the Environmental Agency would probably be more knowledgeable and so they would be asked to attend.

Some Councillors felt that the hiatus between the announcement of Glebe’s intention to seek planning permission and the actual plans being approved was being exploited to remove stone without permission and with no controls. Again there were allegations of illegal tipping taking place in the small hours, but in the absence of any proof, nothing could be done.

Two planning applications for Ash House have been received, detailing the removal of the wooden garage and the addition of a new garage and an extension to the house. The extension would approximately double the size of the existing building. However, the Council felt that the resulting property would be of an odd shape and out of character with the area. The extension would almost be in the form of another building, joined to the present by a ‘link’ building. The Council felt that the property should be extended in sympathy with other buildings, and integrated into the current building rather than standing alone. Concern was also expressed that the application did not appear to follow the PPPB’s guidelines regarding car parking, and so vehicles would be parked on the road rather than on the property, exacerbating an existing problem. The Council resolved to pass their concerns onto the PPPB. There were no objections to a proposed ‘granny flat’ at The Grange. Approvals for 2, The Meadows and the School were noted.

Finance: Ł1000 in the current account, Ł7273.80 in the deposit account, but several sizeable payments were approved. Part of the payment for the Feemouth Yard resurfacing is to be held back pending the contractor’s attention to a possible problem. The kissing gates and lych gates will be fixed shortly.

On behalf of the Village Hall, Clr. Askew reported that the Fell Race had been a success, with 144 runners. The Art Exhibition had raised about Ł3000, of which Ł1000 had been donated to the Under 5s group, Ł500 to the School, Ł200 to Under The Edge and Ł200 to the Chapel. The Parish Council congratulated the Village Hall Committee.

Serious concern was once again expressed about the repair work to the Playground Equipment, and it was decided that the issue must be resolved at the next meeting. Related to this, the ‘No dogs’ signs have still not been provided by the District Council (whose responsibility it is) and it was resolved that rather than wait any longer, the Parish Council would pay for them. It was noted that dogs and their fouling the recreation ground are increasing problems. The District Council had new powers in this area, and was supposed to be designating all the centre of the village a ‘no fouling’ zone, with new signs and bylaws etc. However it seems that the District Council has insufficient funds to do this as yet. Clr. Mrs. Crowther was to be asked to clarify this issue, but if necessary the PC would pay for signs for the recreation ground (due to the increased health hazards with it being a popular play area) and so quotes for the signs would be obtained. Related to this, it was also suggested that the footpaths across the ground be formally diverted to the edges, and this may be considered in the future.

Approve accounts for 1999-2000: After Clr. Mrs. Gregory had queried some issues, the accounts were approved by the Council, but some matters can not be completely resolved until the full accounts are returned to the Clerk.

Clr. Bowering has prepared a plan of the work required on the allotment land and adjoining field, and put the work out to tender. So far, one contractor has responded.

Under maintenance, the main issue discussed was the unauthorised gate onto the recreation ground. A response to the Council’s last letter about the gate had been received. This was far from conciliatory, so the PC reaffirmed their commitment to the long-standing ‘no private gates’ rule, and resolved to pursue the issue. The matter will now be referred to the Council’s solicitors. The Council felt that it was in the interests of the community as whole to make sure the recreation ground was a safe area for children to play, and was preserved as a playing field, not a thoroughfare.

The Council’s proposal to move the recycling bins from the White Lion car park to the old sewage works has been approved by the DDDC, but the PPPB (who own the sewage works) are against it and as they are the land owners, their decision seems the final one.

Correspondence: The Derbyshire Association of Local Councils has sent several weighty volumes detailing Codes of Conduct and Ethics for councillors. A letter has been received from DCC regarding the colure of Buxton Police Control room – it seems that despite many objections, this will go ahead. The Rural Transport Partnership has sent some posters advertising their services. One will be put on the notice board in front of the school.

A communication from the Electoral Commission has advised that despite many protests from many areas, the ward reorganisation will go ahead as originally planned, and Longstone will now be associated with Litton and ‘all points North’ rather than Ashford and Bakewell.

Following the PC’s letter to Col. Slack regarding the War Memorial, a “disappointing” response has been received. The Council has previously explained to Col. Slack that they have taken expert advice on the Memorial, and the recommendation is not to attempt cleaning it. The weathering provides a form of protection, and once removed the stone will erode away more rapidly than before. However Col. Slack seems to feel that the Council’s refusal to attempt to clean the monument implies a disrespect to those the monument honours, an implication the Council collectively found rather upsetting, as the reality is the exact opposite. Last year the Council restored the chains, and had put aside some funds for restoring the monument itself. However, following the mason’s recommendations, the restoration plan was dropped.

A copy of the Derbyshire Local Transport Plan has been received. Therein one item of local interest is that the DCC will be supporting Railtrack’s plans to reopen the Matlock-Peak Dale railway, and is willing to contribute funds (rumoured to be in the order of Ł10 million) to achieve this. Aside from the plan, the Council also heard that PDNPA and English Heritage have also indicated support for the reopening. Again the reopening issue polarised the Council and produced a ‘lively debate’.

The next meeting is on 18th October, at 7:30 in the Village Hall.