Parish Council Meeting 21st March, 2001

The meeting was opened by Cllr. Hirst, apologies were received from Cllr. Gregory and DDDC Cllr. Mrs. Crowther, the previous minutes were accepted, with one matter arising: the minutes recorded that the planning application for a garage at Ash House had been approved by the Council when in fact it had not. The minutes were corrected.

There was no update on Backdale Quarry. It was reported that the Glebe Mines application had been considered by the PPPB earlier in the week. DDDC had objected to the application on several grounds including: whether there was a ‘national need’ for fluorspar and even if there was, should quarrying be allowed in a national park; financial guarantees to cover the reinstatement of the quarried area should be obtained; the restoration should be approved by English Heritage and local flora and fauna specialists; the tailings should be independently analysed for content and structure; an independent geological survey should verify that extraction of the mineral did require the extraction of limestone and that the quantity of stone extracted was the minimum consistent with safe operation; the Environment Agency should review and approve matters of drainage and pollution. The Parish Council had previously sent a letter to the PPPB detailing their concerns over the application, and all these concerns were covered by the DDDC objections. No decision on the application had yet been made by the PPPB.

There were no planning applications and approvals were noted for The Stable House and the old builder’s shed opposite Casey’s shop.

Several minor payments were approved and the current balances noted as Ł1000 in the current account, Ł1910.93 in the deposit account.

No reply had yet been received from the Environmental Health Officer about the pollution in the stream through the old sewage works.

The request for grant aid of the landscaping of the field next to the allotments had been submitted but the grant scheme is currently being reorganised to a different agency and so unfortunately no grants will be available until May.

There had been five applicants for the Parish Clerk post, one of who dropped out prior to the interviews. After interviewing the remaining four, the Council had offered the post to Mrs. Stokes of Great Longstone. The present Clerk offered to provide cover if Mrs. Stokes was ill or otherwise unavailable.

Maintenance: the present Foot and Mouth precautions were exacerbating a perennial problem around the village – there has been a noticeable an increase in the amount of dog excrement on the pavements, even in the signed ‘no fouling’ areas. Cllr. Casey suggested that the Council provide free ‘clean up bags’ and this suggestion was approved. The bags will be available from the shops. A further suggestion was to obtain some special bins for depositing the used bags in. This was also felt to be a beneficial proposal and six bins will be requested from DDDC to trial out the idea. Also under this topic, it was noted that the small slide on the play area needed some minor renovation and that the bark under the climbing frame will need replacing this year. Both these jobs will be carried out this year.

A further letter concerning the unauthorised gate onto the recreation ground had been received. This requested a response to an earlier letter, but this had already been sent. The letter expressed astonishment that the PC could consider erecting a fence to prevent access and claimed that there was much support in the village for changing the long-standing policy of ‘no gates’ to allow access to all. The Council discussed the issue again, but felt there was nothing more to be added to what had already been said and decided. Quotes will be obtained for various types of fencing.

Correspondence: A letter from Darley Dale Town Council proposed the creation of a South Peaks Councils Association. The PC felt this was an superfluous organisation as there were already ‘area’ associations etc. The Council declined to participate. A consultation paper ‘Code Of Conduct For [Council] Members’ had been received. This is a comprehensive document that is expected to become law later this year, applying to council members the same sort of strictures MPs have to follow.

The next meeting is Wednesday April 18^th at 7:30pm in the Village Hall. All are welcome to attend.

Finally, in an addendum to the PC meeting, PC Potter raised a couple of matters: there has been a spate of shed break-ins in the area and shed owners are advised to check and improve the security of their garden sheds. A leaflet has been produced, with advice and guidance, and is available in the local shops. It may have been distributed house-to-house by the time you read this. Secondly a message to ‘beware of bogus fish sellers’! Apparently there have been some occurrences of mobile fish sellers tricking their way into houses and ‘casing the joint’ for later burglaries. Obviously this warning applies to salesmen never seen in the area before and not to the regular mobile fish sellers who have been doing their rounds for years.