Matters arising:

Cllr Turton confirmed that she had provided the contact telephone number for complaints about aircraft noise to the resident who had attended the meeting.

Old Hill – proposed barrier: Cllr Thorn said he had been asked if the barrier could be installed above the turn off to Barley Farm. The Clerk confirmed that a site meeting is to be arranged with the NSC officer dealing with the matter, to determine the best location.

7. a. Police Report

It was agreed to take this item next. Copies of a statistical report had been circulated at the beginning of the meeting, and PCSO Jordan explained details of the incidents. It was noted that a new Neighbourhood Watch group is being set up in The Glebe, Wrington. PCSO Jordan said that she would attend events during Wrington Youth Week commencing on 10th August. The Chairwoman thanked Ms Jordan for her report and she then left the meeting.

6. Correspondence

a. The Clerk read out an email received from Mr Vince Russett, County Archaeologist at NSC, regarding the Wrington ‘Rocque’ maps, which are kept at Bristol Record Office. They are in need of restoration, and Mr Russett has obtained a quote for about £900 to carry out the work. He is involved with several local archaeology groups and hopes to raise funds through working with these groups. Cllr Thorn said he thought that local resident Joyce Smith would have information about these maps. It was agreed that the Clerk would respond to Mr Russett to express interest, and also contact Mrs Smith for more details.

7. Reports

b. Clerk’s Report, Financial Report and accounts for the month of June: these had been circulated previously.

Street lighting: the Clerk provided details of a quote received from SEC Ltd to replace two street lights which were beyond repair – one in South Meadows and one in Orchard Close. The total cost would be £2,110.96 ex VAT. It was agreed that these should be replaced. A quote for a survey of all street lights to determine their condition had also been requested. The cost for this would be £6.50 per unit or £936.00 ex VAT for all the lights. As it was felt that the concrete columns are the ones most likely to deteriorate, it was agreed that a survey of these should be carried out.

The following payments were approved:

Playground Management Ltd (play area inspection) £212.75
Scott Arrowsmith – village orderly – May/June £192.00
Ken Richardson (internal audit fee) £213.75
Connaught Environmental (dog bins – April) £63.25
DG Maintenance (play area repairs and maintenance) £405.00
Memorial Hall Committee (part of annual grant) £3,000.00
Clerk’s expenses: postage £5.39, travel £91.57 £96.96
EDF Ltd – electricity for street lighting 1st quarter (correct account awaited) approx £1184.30
HMRC 1st quarter payment – to be calculated
Clerk’s salary July – to be calculated

c. District Councillor’s report

Cllr Yamanaka had circulated a report previously and this was received. It was noted that the South Area Committee had now approved the planning application for affordable housing in Rickyard Road. Cllr Yamanaka also stated that a new head teacher for Wrington Primary School had been appointed to take up post in January 2010.

d. North East Ward report

Cllr Turton reported that she had met with Mr M Littleton of BIA, local resident Ms Angela Atkins and Mr David Neale to discuss the potential for a pavement along part of Downside Road on the south side. Cllr Turton said she felt this would be preferable to traffic calming measures. Cllr Yamanaka said that when this issue was discussed previously it had failed because NSC did not want the existing hedge to be removed; however she felt it would be worth trying again, especially as part of the hedge had already been taken out to provide a waiting area for school buses. It was agreed that Cllr Turton would have the support of the Parish Council in approaching the landowner concerned, and that the Clerk would write to David Neale to confirm the Parish Council’s interest.

Cllr Turton reported that she had been approached by residents in Combe Dale about the possibility of siting a noticeboard in the area. It was agreed that this could be provided, if Cllr Turton could identify a suitable site.

8. Wrington Drainage Study

The Clerk read out an email from John Inman, who suggested that regular meetings should be set up to discuss a programme of maintenance work designed to prevent flooding incidents. It was agreed that it would be appropriate for the Environment working group to be involved in this, and the Clerk was asked to obtain some dates from Mr Inman.

9. Wrington Surgery

It was noted that Councillors had been approached by many residents who were very concerned about plans to combine Wrington and Churchill surgeries onto one site at Pudding Pie Lane in Langford. There was a lengthy discussion as to the approach which should be taken by the Parish Council. Cllr Thorn read out a short paper which he had produced, focussing on the transport problems and how these might be addressed. Several councillors were concerned about the principle of the proposed relocation, and the fact that this would lead to many more patients having to travel by car than is currently the case.

It was agreed to write a letter to the practice expressing these concerns. Cllr Thorn agreed to draft a letter which would be circulated to members for comments.

10. Church Walk Play Area - lease

The Clerk explained that she had recently obtained a copy of the lease from the Diocese of Bath & Wells as there seemed to be nothing on file. The lease is for twenty years, and expires in August 2011. It was agreed that the Clerk should write to the Diocese to request advice on renewing the lease.

11. Old Hill Bridleway

This had been dealt with earlier in the agenda.

12. Wrington Primary School – new pedestrian rear access

The Clerk stated that she had received notification from NSC that the work to create a new pedestrian access at the rear entrance to the school would take place during the summer holidays. A plan of the works had been provided, and this was in line with previous information. It is also understood that the zig-zag lines in School Road are to be repainted, and some members suggested that these should be re-located on the opposite side of the road.

13. Sustainable Communities Act 2007

Cllr Irving proposed endorsing the suggestion by Congresbury Parish Council concerning the importance of community transport. Cllr Yamanaka also suggested a scheme for reduced bus fares for teenagers, and the importance of maintaining village services, such as school, post office, bus, etc. This was agreed.

14. Temporary Closure of Blackmoor

The Clerk reported that the closure of the access road to Langford during the school holidays had made it necessary to re-route the 121 bus, which would not be able to drive into Broad Street due to the difficulty of turning round. She had therefore met with representatives of NSC and First Bus, and temporary bus stops were to be located alongside Amors shop and at the lower end of School Road for the duration of the closure.

15. Parish Plan

The Chairwoman said she was still trying to determine a date for completion. Cllr Thorn said he would provide the two additional photographs which are required. It was agreed that the Parish Council should take responsibility for putting in hand the printing work within two weeks, to relieve Cllr Bigg of the additional burden of completing the project.

16. Shared Space

The Chairwoman reported that approximately one hundred people had attended the meeting the previous evening, when Mr Ben Hamilton-Baillie had made a presentation. This had been followed by questions and comments, which had provided some interesting points. A straw poll had also been held, which resulted in 44 votes against proceeding with the feasibility study, and 38 in favour. There had also been a number of written comments. Cllr Thorn said that he had put pictures of the meeting onto the village website and had also invited comments from residents via email. It was agreed to include a proposal on the agenda for the next Parish Council meeting, when a vote would be taken.

17. BIA Expansion

The Chairwoman read out a letter from the Chairman of Barrow Gurney Parish Council which included a number of objections to the proposed expansion of BIA, and proposals for a by-pass of Barrow Gurney. The support of Wrington Parish Council was sought for this proposal. Cllr Turton said that Downside Road residents were particularly concerned about the location of the multi-storey car park and the fuel store on the north side of the airport, which would be near their homes. Further discussion of the subject will take place at the next Planning Committee meeting on 28th July.

There being no other business the meeting was declared closed at 10.10 pm.