Parish Council Meeting 21st February, 2001

The meeting was opened at 7:30 by Cllr. Hirst, with more than the usual number of parishioners present. Apologies were received from Cllr. Cox, the previous minutes accepted, with one matter arising: DDDC Cllr. Mrs. Crowther reported that following concerns raised at the last meeting regarding the state of footpaths on Longstone Edge, the PDNPA Footpath Officer had inspected them and found that footpaths and bridleways in the Black Harry and Longstone Edge area were indeed in an unacceptable state, being damaged and covered in deep mud. He had written to the contractors working on the Edge and asked them to clean up and repair the affected paths.

There was no update on Backdale Quarry. Some considerable time was then spent discussing the Glebe Mines planning application. Cllr. Finney spoke passionately about his concerns for future generations of villagers; he was very worried about the effects of using large quantities of tailings (in slurry form) as back-fill in several respects. One worry was that the area is riddled with old, unmapped workings - would these weaken the base rock and allow fractures or slippage to occur? The Council’s independent report indicated that there had been slippage around some of the old workings in the past. Would the old workings provide routes for the slurry to escape the back-filled workings? What was in the slurry - had its composition ever been accurately determined? What effects would the tailings blowing onto pasture as dust have on livestock? As one who regularly saw the areas currently being worked, he saw the actual day-to-day effects of the work on the environment, something occasional visitors the area perhaps missed.

It was reported that following the use of tailings to back-fill in the existing workings, the water in Coombs Dale had changed from being clear to being brown. What had caused this and what was the colouration? Was it harmful? It was further reported that this symptom had been ‘cured’ by some judicious blasting, but this raised further questions: why was that done, what was actually done and what was the actual effect? Rather than ‘cure’ anything, had this merely moved the problem elsewhere?

Cllr. Finney told the council of an event many years ago, when a flood of mud ran down Moor Road from workings. The mess had been cleaned up, but it had blocked drains and it cost the Council money to unblock them. Would this sort of thing happen again?

Several councillors expressed concern about the amount of limestone to be removed. The application was being made on the basis of mineral extraction rights, but it seemed that limestone would be the major product of the operation. It was noted that the application document was rather vague about the amount of stone to be removed. It seemed as though the mineral extraction was a secondary consideration and only being used as a means to extract limestone.

Cllr. Finney asked the Council to remember that they should be acting solely for the benefit of the villagers, not any third parties.

In summary, the Council’s main concerns were: the composition of and environmental damage caused by the tailings, the restoration of the site afterwards, the extra traffic generated and the possibility of fly tipping.

Overall, the feeling seemed to be that whilst no one actually wanted the workings to go ahead, it looked as though nothing the PC could do would stop them, and at least it would ensure that all future workings were much more strictly controlled than in the past and that the area would be restored afterwards. No resolution was made, but it was noted that the PPPB had requested an environmental impact report and the Parish Council would request a copy for consideration before making any decision. It was believed that the earliest the matter would be considered by the PPPB was April. The Council felt that nothing would be gained by having a public meeting on the matter, as no matter what the public meeting decided, nothing could be done to prevent the application succeeding.

Other planning applications were then considered. An application to enable vehicular access to an allotment and paddock on Station Road was hotly debated, eventually going to a vote, which gave approval by the Chair’s casting vote. A revision to the (already approved) Ash House plans was submitted which added a garage at the side of the property. The Council felt that this was far too big in proportion the actual house and was too close the adjacent property, and this could make an already somewhat gloomy area even darker. An extension to Stable House, Main Street, was approved. Alterations to Shackerly House were approved.

Planning approvals for The Vicarage and Ashville were noted.

Several minor payments were approved and the current balances noted as Ł1000 in the current account, Ł416 in the deposit account.

A further letter had been received from the Environmental Health Officer about the pollution in the stream through the old sewage works. The EHO felt that although tests could be conducted for bacteria in the water, this would not really prove anything, as it was impossible to differentiate between pollution from sewage and run-off from fields. In view of the restricted access to the area and the difficulty in locating the source, the EHO felt that nothing else could be done. The Council felt that this wasn’t really a satisfactory answer. The subject had only been raised in the first place because of the plans to turn the area into a nature trail, so claiming that the area was inaccessible, whilst being correct at the moment, wouldn’t hold true if the plans went ahead. The Council felt that if the plans did go ahead, the problem would have to be properly resolved and could not be left as it is at present. Two suggestions were made, one to culvert the stream, which was discounted for now on the grounds of cost, and the more practical idea of dropping dye into drains to try to find out if any ran into the stream. It was resolved to write back to the EHO and press for further action.

Four quotes had finally been obtained for the work on the allotment land, ranging from Ł7625 to Ł4950. A request for grant aid will now be submitted.

A grant of Ł500 was offered to the village playgroup during the next financial year. However a representative of the group said they would prefer a smaller, but regular contribution as this enabled them to budget better. The chair suggested that the playgroup write to the Council with their proposal, and it would be discussed again.

Maintenance: The Bell’s Stile area had been cleaned up. Cllr. Mrs. Gregory felt that the footpath by the side of Harrow House would need further attention this year, particularly since there were rumours that the larger track on the other side of Harrow House was going to be closed off. Cllr. Askew suggested that the drainage around the children’s play area on the recreation ground should be improved, as it was prone to flooding in wet weather.

The second hot topic of the evening was the unauthorised gate onto the recreation ground. The Council had received a letter from their solicitors that summarised the current position and gave three possible courses of action open to the Council. It was felt that the matter had gone on long enough and a decision on the matter should be taken. The Council was aware of the possible costs in following the litigation path, and did not want to do this unless there was no other option open to it. The content of the letter published in Under The Edge was noted, and that there was one significant difference between the current situation and that described in the letter: the recreation ground was not common land, but belonged to the Parish Council. Thus the Council felt fully justified in pursuing any policy it felt in the best interests of the village as a whole, was not prepared to allow the matter to continue as it was, and so was left with only one reasonable option open to it. The Council unanimously resolved to erect a fence along the length of the boundary from the bungalows to the barn.

The renewal of the grass cutting contracts was discussed. Three quotes had been submitted, one for the recreation ground only, one for the churchyard and greens only and one for everything. All the costs were comparable, so it was resolved to stay with the current contractors.

Much correspondence had been received, including notification of the Peak Park’s 50th Anniversary Celebrations at Longshaw, an invitation to a briefing from the CPRE on the Quiet Lane Initiative, and a request for comments on proposals for the DCC to have a mayor. On this, the Council resolved to write back and oppose the idea, on grounds of value for money. Through the DALC, Cllr. Hirst has received an invitation to a Buckingham House garden party; he was urged by other councillors to attend, providing the Council would incur no costs! The next Northern Area Forum meeting will be in the Church Hall at Eyam on 21st March, chaired by Cllr. Mrs. Crowther. The Millennium Tree Scheme has written to the Council asking for the names of any parishioners born during 2000 or reaching the age of 100 during the year. Please contact Paul Dalton if you are aware of anyone meeting the criteria.

The next meeting will be on 21st March, at 7:30, in the Village Hall.