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Great Longstone Parish Council - Annual ParishMeeting 2002The Great Longstone Annual Parish Meeting took place on 15th May. The meeting was straightforward, with no issues raised or discussed apart from Cllr. Finney proposing a vote of thanks to Cllr. Hirst upon his resignation after many years service as Chairman or Vice-Chairman. The Chairman’s report follows. Chairman’s ReportThere were ten meetings and one extraordinary meeting of the council during the past year, with 19 planning applications being considered, of which two were refused. The Peak District National Park Authority passed all the applications. Longstone Edge This planning application has now been resolved and work is proceeding with little impact to the village. West Green This project is taking longer than expected, as grants have been difficult to obtain, partly because we had no independent funding of our own. We now have this and it now looks as if work will finally proceed this year. Glebe Mines have agreed to supply approximately 75 tons of limestone for new walling. Sarah Stokes has had a lot of paperwork to sort out with many trips to the Peak District National Park Authority, and we are grateful for her efforts. In spite of all this the PDNPA have now informed us that we need planning permission. Village of the Year We were runners up last year and received a cheque for £50. Under The Edge This continues to be a great contribution to the village by communicating articles of interest and forthcoming events. Thank you to all those involved. The Willows The Peak District National Park are developing this site and opening it to the public. They had called it ‘Longstone Woods’, but nobody knew where it was, so the Parish Council asked them to re-name it `The Willows’. This has now been done. However, the Parish Council is concerned about access and parking, as it is a busy road and there is no footpath after Mires Lane. This is being looked into. Village Green etc, Mike Watson continues to do an excellent job keeping the village in good order, and we thank him once again for his efforts. I would ask anyone who sees any litter to please pick it up and take it home or put it in a bin. The majority of dog owners are being responsible and clearing up after their pets and using the bins provided. The dog signs on the recreation area have caused some comment (indeed the first ones were removed within six hours of being put up), as there are two public footpaths involved. Additional signs will be added asking for dogs to be confined to the footpaths. Kissing Gates The impact of the Parish Council’s unanimous decision to replace them with wooden gates, to allow access for pushchairs and wheelchairs and to avoid school children queuing onto the road when they went to church once a month, was quite amazing. The Peak District National Park’s Shaun Prendergast (Chief Warden) came up trumps and has restored the existing church end gate, whilst allowing for a wider opening when necessary. What a first class job it is too. The other gate will also be reconditioned and replaced when time permits. Village Hall This continues to be an asset to the village and my thanks go to the Village Hall Management Committee for all the work they do. Police matters We welcome Kevin Lowe as our Beat Manager (see Peak District Magazine), he has been holding meetings once a month in the village hall but has had nobody to see him, apart from one or two friendly calls welcoming him to the area. General Comments Councillors now have to sign up to an Ethical Framework and Code of Conduct and also declare any financial interests. This has caused a lot of upset nationally and in some cases councils have resigned on mass. If this happens and nobody else stands for election, then the Council is taken over by Derbyshire Dales District Council. I am sorry Sarah is not staying on as Parish Clerk as she has done an excellent job over the past year. But the workload is rather more than she had been led to believe. This is my last report as Chairman as I am standing down after 22 years. I feel I haven’t done a good enough job this last year, memory and concentration are not what they were. It has been a privilege to sit here all this time, longer than anyone else I think, and on the whole I have enjoyed it. I would like to thank the Councillors for their support all this time. We haven’t always agreed, but any disagreements haven’t been carried outside the meeting and for this I am grateful. Mike Hirst Hassop Parish Meeting AGM 2002This year's AGM. of Hassop Parish Meeting was held on Monday, 13th May in the comfortable surroundings of Hassop Hall. The meeting was brought to order promptly by Chairman George D.C. Shaw at 8pm, who welcomed everyone and introduced our guest speaker, PC Kevin Lowe. PC Lowe is our Beat Manager, whose beat covers the area from Tideswell to Beeley and whose responsibility it is to look after that area, building up links with the community and confidence through regular visits to local schools, parish councils and through the local press. PC Lowe had been invited to talk about his role and the advantages of setting up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme. After a most interesting and informative talk, he then answered questions, mainly about security, and offered to come again with a colleague to give a more detailed talk about crime prevention. A date was duly set. At 8:50pm, the AGM proper began. Eleven households were represented and DDDC Councillor Christine Crowther also attended. Apologies were received from one person. The Minutes of last year's AGM (held on 2nd April 2001) were read out and accepted. There were no matters arising. In his report, the Chairman made the following points: Due to the foot and mouth crisis last year, there had been no village activities; The Peak National Park had granted permission for the revised mining plans on Longstone Edge to proceed from September; Ill feeling had been generated among parish councils by an imposed Code of Conduct. These don't apply to parish meetings, but we were asked to declare any personal interests if sitting on committees, etc. An application had been made to the PDNPA for funding for a seat in the village. The ensuing offer was so ludicrously high that it had been turned down; Public Liability insurance has been taken out. The Clerk Reported on 1. Correspondence: the Countryside Commission had responded to our comments about the new Right to Roam Act by saying that, if appropriate, maps would be altered accordingly; various publications had been received and were passed around for those who were interested. 2. Planning Applications: one was altered, one rejected, one approved and two were awaiting a decision. Comment was made on the installation of parking meters at Hassop Station - which didn't need planning permission. More cars are parking along the road, on the verges and in the pub car park in Hassop, adding to the already worrying traffic situation in the village. In his report, the Treasurer told of this year's precept and that the 3-yearly audit is to be abolished in favour of an annual but less vigorous audit. There is a healthy balance in the bank and the Treasurer said he would pursue the matter of interest. All Officers were re-elected unanimously. Mrs. Judy Dilks gave her update on the activities of the Social Committee. The Committee has met several times to organise our Golden Jubilee event and several members from Rowland have attended as this is to be a joint celebration. The activities will include tea, games, gifts, prizes, music and dancing, a beacon and fireworks. All coming should have paid their dues to Nick Smith by 24th. May. It is hoped to hold other events this year, a picnic, bike ride, walk and a coffee morning for Matthew Turner who is raising money for his trip to the World Scout Jamboree in Thailand over Christmas and the New Year. Any other Business. 1. Notices on Hassop triangle and roundabout look unsightly. 2. Cllr. Christine Crowther advised of two meetings, one in Youlgreave and one in Bakewell, that will be of interest to the Chairman and/or Clerk. 3. More discussion on the parking meters at Hassop Station and the adverse effects on the traffic situation in the village. 4. Speeding traffic and the ensuing problems with cows crossing the road four times a day for milking. The meeting closed at 10:05pm. Elain Turner |