MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF SPIXWORTH PARISH COUNCIL HELD AT
7.30pm on TUESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2007 at SPIXWORTH VILLAGE HALL

PRESENT
COUNCILLORS:
Mr Fitt (Council Chairman)
Mr Ward (Vice-Chairman)
Mr Barrell
Ms Cullum
Mrs Holdroyd
Mr Manning
Mr Mills
Mr Potter
Mr Sadler
Mr Thompson
Mr Watson
District Councillor C. Thompson (also Parish Councillor)
District Councillor Kular
CLERK: Mrs R. Rose
PC 1120 Lambert
One member of the public

MR FITT took the chair and welcomed everyone to the meeting. .

A note of the items raised in the Public Speaking session is attached to the signed copy of these minutes.

1. APOLOGIES were accepted from Mrs Doy and County Councillor Williams.

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Councillor Sadler: as Chair of Broadland Standards Committee and a member Broadland Community Partnership (public bodies); a member of the Executive Committee of NCAPTC; Vice-Chairman of the Norwich Airport Joint Consultative Committee; a personal interest in any matter relating to the Code of Conduct or the bodies stated.
Councillor Potter: a personal interest in Item 10 as an employee of the Social Club and a member of a user group of the Village Hall.
Councillor Thompson: a personal interest in item 5.2 as a relative of the Managing Director of Norfolk Accident Rescue Service.

3. THE MINUTES of the previous meeting held on 6 November 2007, which had been circulated, were agreed, and signed by the Chairman as a true record. Councillor Barrell wished it to be recorded in Item 8.2 of those minutes that he would support a traffic calming measure but not a further speed hump.

4. MATTERS ARISING

4.1 Quaker Lane Fly-tipping
The Clerk reported that Broadland District Councillor cleaned Quaker Lane on a fortnightly basis due to the frequent incidences of fly-tipping in the locality. There was discussion on whether the rubbish dumped could be tracked back to the perpetrators. PC Lambert responded that he regularly patrolled the Lane and had prosecuted fly-tippers in the past using evidence from the dumped rubbish.

4.2 Child Protection Policy
A draft had been circulated and was discussed. Amendments were suggested and legal points would be ascertained before the draft was presented again at the next meeting.
The Clerk recorded her thanks to Councillor Cullum for her assistance in the preparation of the Policy.

With the meeting's agreement, the Chairman brought forward item 11 on the agenda. Now that officers were again attending meetings, Police Matters would be regularly placed earlier in the agenda.

11. POLICE MATTERS

11.1 Crime Statistics
The figures for November had been received and circulated; 39 calls had been taken by the Control Room from/regarding the parish, and 4 crimes had been logged.

11.2 Liaison with Safer Neighbourhood Team
PC Lambert reported that he was encouraged by the statistics, which were very low compared to other fringe parishes.
He reported that two speed guns were now available at Sprowston Police Station, which could used by trained Police personnel in relevant areas of the village. He would continue to monitor cases of fly-tipping in Quaker Lane and would try to track the perpetrators.
He had spent time with the children of the village, travelling on the High School bus with them.
Councillor Sadler remarked that he had received several comments from parishioners about how good it was to see a patrolling policeman in the village, and that they found him a reassuring presence.
There was discussion on possible drug-dealing in a specific area of the village; PC Lambert asked for any relevant information, such as a car registration number, make or colour.
There was further discussion on the recent fatal accident on Church Lane (dealt with more fully under Highways).

PC Lambert was thanked for his attendance and report, and he left the meeting. The member of the public also left the meeting.

5. FINANCE

5.1 Balances were noted.
Cheques and Payments detailed on the attached schedule and totalling £7,830.37 were authorised for payment.

5.2 Applications for Financial Assistance
5.2.1 Norfolk Accident Rescue Service
A donation of £100 was AGREED.

5.2.2 Broadland Responder Scheme
The Council had made an initial donation of £500 in December 2006 and had agreed to consider a regular donation. The Clerk was asked to request an update on the scheme and clarification of how money was allocated before considering the matter again at a subsequent meeting.

5.3 Finance & General Purposes Committee
The Committee would meet on 18 December to consider the budget and precept for 2008/09.

5.4 Any Other Finance Matters
The Clerk reported that the interim Internal Audit report for the half-year had raised no issues.

6. PLANNING MATTERS

6.1 Planning Committee
6.1.1 The minutes of the committee meeting held 6 November 2007 were RATIFIED.

6.1.2 The minutes of the committee meeting held 27 November 2007 were RATIFIED.

6.1.3 Councillor Mills gave a verbal report of the Committee meeting held immediately prior to the Council meeting; the Council AGREED the recommended responses to the planning applications.

6.2 Permissions and Enforcement Matters
No further progress on cases ongoing to report.

6.3 Any Other Planning Matters
Notification had been received that the application from Parkers Skip Hire Ltd for two cyclones and other development at Rackheath would go before the Norfolk County Council planning sub-committee on 30 November 2007. The Parish Council had responded to the original application asking that the firm's drivers observe the 7.5 tonne weight limit in and around Spixworth. The meeting agreed that there had been a reduction in the amount of skip lorry traffic from the site in recent weeks.
Councillor Thompson reported that Parkers and the District Council refuse collection contractors Veolia had been approached and asked to observe the weight restriction more stringently.

7. CORRESPONDENCE

7.1 Correspondence List
A list of the correspondence received had been circulated, and was updated at the meeting; all items were available from the Clerk. A list is attached to the signed copy of these minutes.

8. HIGHWAYS MATTERS

8.1 Maintenance Matters Update
Councillor Potter reported that none of the jobs that Highways had agreed needed attention had been completed, and he called for a meeting with Highways personnel. The Chairman commented that there was a significant difference in the standards of maintenance expected by Parish Councils and that which could be provided by Norfolk County Council, mainly due to budgetary constraints.

After discussion, it was agreed that the Clerk should seek urgent attention to those items which had been programmed for repair, and ask for a timescale for those which the Parish Council had reported but which Highways would monitor.
She would also ask for a senior member of the Highways maintenance team to attend a Highways Committee meeting.

It was noted that an apology had been received from the Highways Inspector over misleading information being given to the Parish Council about a refurbishment date for the footway on Lilian Road. The work was now programmed for 2008/09.

8.1.1 Other Maintenance Matters
The Clerk would take appropriate action on the following matters:
Trimming of trees on Buxton Road; maintenance program for the trees and shrubs on the cycleway; painting of the high-sided kerbs on the junction of Church Lane and the Lafarge haul road; copy of the drawings for the recently installed flashing sign on Buxton Road.

8.2 Church Lane
Following a spate of recent accidents on Church Lane, including a fatal one in the previous week, contact had been made by Councillors and the Clerk to various authorities.

County Councillor Williams had contacted the Head of Planning of Transportation for investigation by the Highways department.

Councillor Sadler had spoken to Road Safety personnel at County Hall, who maintained that the cause of most accidents on Church Lane was likely to be driver error. They had also maintained that the road surface was good; white lines were not likely to be installed as it was classed as a 'C' road; the road did not meet the criteria for a lower speed limit.

The Head of Central Road Policing had made contact with the Clerk to report that he had asked the Police statistics department to look at the accident record for Church Lane over the past 5 years, and he would be looking carefully at the analysis of causes. He would provide evidence to County Council Highways if he considered that any remedial measures were required to improve safety on that stretch of road. It would then be up to organisations like the Parish Council to apply pressure if needed for the work to be carried out.

Councillor Barrell had taken photographs of several of the recent accident sites and cross-referenced them with a map of the area. Most coincided with a blind bend. He had also observed driver behaviour along the road, which was treated as convenient route between the A140 and B1150 and was heavily used. The
Clerk would ask if a traffic count would be part of the ongoing investigative procedures.

Councillor Thompson reported that it appeared that a diesel leak had occurred some two weeks previously along Church Lane. His own personal investigation led him back to the junction of Church Lane with the Lafarge haul road, and it was surmised that an HGV could have caught its fuel tank on one of the high-sided kerbs.

The results of the Police investigation were not likely to be available for 2/3 months, but it was agreed to hold a Highways Committee meeting early in January 2008 to bring forward the Parish Council's ideas on safety, both on Church Lane and Crostwick Lane.

9. AMENITIES MATTERS

9.1 Various Matters
The Clerk reported that the new noticeboard for Arthurton Road, the lockable bollard in Russell Avenue and the replacement dog bin in William Peck Road should all be installed in the near future.

The Chairman reported that he was preparing a specification for the improvements to the central path on Greg's Meadow.

10. SPIXWORTH VILLAGE HALL

10.1 Village Hall Management Committee
The meeting noted Councillor Potter's report of the Committee meeting held 27 November 2007.
There was discussion on the likely costs of a Parish Poll, which would be requested in the event of all parties agreeing to proceeding with the Parish Council taking over management of the Village Hall. Councillor Sadler confirmed that the Chief Executive of Broadland District Council, as the Returning Officer, had confirmed the likelihood of his approval for a Poll to be carried out, as the matter had a bearing on the parish precept.

11. POLICE MATTERS
(See also above)

11.3 Safer Neighbourhood Action Panel
The Vice-Chairman confirmed that the next meeting would be held on 21 January 2008.

12. NORWICH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

12.1 Joint Consultative Committee
The meeting noted the minutes of the meeting held 15 October 2007, and the presentation slides on the new fire training ground.
There was discussion on the recent noise disturbance to residents of Spixworth from engine testing on high ground with the engines pointing towards the village. Councillor Sadler had been informed that this was because the Airport did not have a towing vehicle powerful enough to pull the aircraft beck up the slope from the lower testing site. He had asked whether engine testing was taking place with the requisite planning permission.

It was noted that helicopters overflying the village continued to be a major cause for complaint. One resident was taking up the matter with Keith Simpson MP.

12.2 Other Airport Matters
Councillor Sadler explained the consultation document regarding Instrument Approach Procedures. The beacon at Rackheath that was installed in 1969 was due to be replaced, and the Airport wished to replace it with one inside the airport perimeter. The new beacon should be able to control aircraft up to 3,000 feet. The installation should not affect Spixworth. The Vice-Chairman asked that final details about positioning were known before a response was made to the consultation, which Councillor Sadler would pursue.

Councillor Doy entered the meeting at this point.

13. REPORTS FROM DISTRICT/COUNTY COUNCILLORS

Councillor Thompson reported that, until the Terms of Reference for the Boundary Committee for England were known, Broadland District Council had refused to make a response to the Committee's request for proposals for the future of local government in Norfolk.

Councillor Kular reported that he had been contacted by parishioners about the engine testing at Norwich Airport. He was very concerned about the accident record on Church Lane, and would support a proposal to have the high kerbs at the haul road junction marked out with white paint.

14. AOB

Councillor Manning sought confirmation that the Council's website was being updated. He would ascertain which pages were thought to be out of date.

Councillor Mills asked that the future of the bus shelter on Buxton Road be placed on the agenda for the next meeting.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.50pm.