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BARNSLEY VILLAGE MEETING

 

MONDAY 21ST APRIL 2008

7.30PM IN THE VILLAGE HALL

 

AGENDA

 

 

1.              Apologies for absence

 

2.              Minutes of the Previous Meeting (21st January 2008)

 

3.              Matters Arising

 

4.              Neighbourhood Watch

 

5.              Village Festival 2008

 

6.              Flood Report Update

 

7.              Traffic Speed on Winson Road

 

8.              Any Other Business

 

 ALL RESIDENTS WELCOME

 

Chairman    Howard Franks           740471

 

 

 

 

MINUTES OF THE BARNSLEY VILLAGE MEETING

HELD ON 15 OCTOBER 2007

 

APOLOGIES: Lucinda & James Foster, Gill & Brian Skarda, Marcus Adey, Nora Russell

 

PRESENT:  Howard Franks (Chairman), Stephanie Cushing (Joint Clerk), Lynn Barrack (Joint Clerk), Sir Edward Horsfall, Paul Reason, Alan Adey, Beryl & Paul le Bars, John Russell, Adrian Sellars, Craig Fuller, Adrian Lines, Yvonne & Paul Bennets, John Smith, Stephen Clark

 

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT:  Howard provided a brief report on events during his first year as Chairman.

 

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: Agreed and signed.

 

MATTERS ARISING:

Clapton’s Lane:  There had been little progress since the previous meeting.  Tim Haigh intended to reinstate the lane as closely as possible to its original aspect.  Nothing further had been heard about the gates.

Ampney Downs Farm: Josh Ford had requested a meeting with Ampney Crucis Parish Council to discuss plans for future “parties”.   They had declined; they would wait for an application to be lodged with CDC before any discussions took place and their first discussions would be with Barnsley.  Villagers were asked to look out for notices about any proposed events at Ampney Downs as CDC was not obliged to inform parish councils/meetings.

Village Barbeque 2008:  Rosemary Hodge had offered her garden for the event. A date would be fixed asap.  Howard, Craig and Alan offered to help with organisation.

Traffic Speed:  The survey had been carried out between 7 and 13 July, but the Chairman and Clerks had not received any results.  Adrian Sellars had a copy of the results although he refused to say how he had obtained them.  Stephanie would contact Highways to establish why we had not received them.  The results apparently showed no mean increase in speeds since 2001 and that 4,000 vehicles a day pass through the village.  It was proposed that we ask for another survey in 2008, at a different time of year.  When received, the report would be compared with 1999’s results.  At villagers’ request the catseyes would not be replaced.

 

The cost of flashing lights (which seemed to vary between £3,000 and £7,000 would be investigated), and Highways would be asked whether signs like “Police speed check area” were permissible.  Enquiries would also be made as to whether the speed limit could be reduced to 20mph. 

 

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH: Some signs had been replaced, following lots of chasing up.  Equipment had been stolen from the contractors at Dower House Cottage and the Fuller’s wheelie bin had been taken.  The “waterboard officials” scam continued with uniforms and identity cards stolen from Fairford.

 

VILLAGE FESTIVAL 2008: Sarah Franks had joined the Committee.  The date for the Festival would be Saturday 17 May.  There were many new ideas being considered, including fundraising events before the Festival. As ever, help and support from villagers would be most welcome. 

 

PLANNING:  There was currently only one application – for work at Dower Cottage.

 

ANY OTHER BUSINES:

July’s Floods: Sir Edward Horsfall reported that CDC had received a substantial sum to assist flood victims but was having problems using it.  The money would now be used for flood prevention, with the council employing one or two people to establish what was needed and where.  The provision of sandbags locally might be possible, if there was somewhere to store them.  An appropriate letter would be sent to CDC.  There would be a meeting at the council offices on the evening of 17 October for those affected by the flood to express their concerns to relevant officials.  There would also be a Forum on 1 November for parish/village meeting representatives to discuss relevant issues with officials.  Paul le Bars, who had written a detailed report on behalf of the village meeting on the events of 20 July, had agreed to attend.

 

Disposal of Waste: Sir Edward advised that at a meeting the following day new proposals for disposal of household waste were likely to be accepted.  This would result, from February 2008, in a weekly collection of kitchen waste, a weekly collection of garden waste (green wheelie bins), a fortnightly collection of packaging waste (another wheeled bin) and a fortnightly collection of glass/cans/paper/cardboard (black boxes).  As the provision of green wheelie bins was discretionary, the council would charge £30 per bin per annum, with a 50% discount for those on benefits.  Plastic bottles would still need to go to the town’s bottle banks, although if a site could be found, a bank could be installed in the village.  There would be plenty of publicity and a helpline to ensure the new system worked efficiently.  Sir Edward was asked to check how ash from coal fires/wood burners should be disposed of. 

 

Accident Report in Village Life: Adrian Sellars advised that the accident had been reported to the police: he and Jenny had assisted the driver.  Paul le Bars had checked with Cirencester Police before submitting the article and they had assured him that they had no record of the incident.

 

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.42pm.  The next meeting will take place at 7.30pm on Monday 21 January 2008.   

 

 

 

MINUTES OF THE BARNSLEY VILLAGE MEETING

23RD JULY 2007

 

APOLOGIES:  PC Jon Palfrey, Stephanie Cushing, John Smith, Caroline Sherer-Clark,

                       PCSO Andrea Shutt, Jane Wykeham-Musgrave, Marcus Adey,

                       Lesley Russell, Nora Russell, David Tack

 

PRESENT:     Howard Franks (Chairman), Lynn Barrack (Clerk), Sir Edward Horsfall,

                       Alan Adey, Andy Walker, Adrian Lines, Brian Skarda, Adrian Sellars,

                         John Russell, Jeremy Mais, Lucinda Foster, Yvonne and Paul Bennets,

                       Craig Fuller, Beryl and Paul le Bars, Paul Reason, Stephen Clark

 

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: Agreed and signed.

 

MATTERS ARISING:

Clapton’s Lane  Highways had no problem with cars being parked at the Spa end of the lane; no response had been received from the Planning Department.  The recent bad weather had caused renewed problems with drainage.  Howard had been liaising with the parties involved.  The Cook’s Trust had agreed to do the drainage work but first needed from Tim Haigh a plan of where the pipe he had laid was sited so it could be joined in with the new pipe.

 

Issues at the village end of the lane, alongside the Foster and Cooper properties, had been resolved.

 

Nothing further had been heard from Highways about removal of the gates.

 

Ampney Downs Farm “Party”  Howard and Paul le Bars had attended the Licencing Committee on 21 May where the police had vehemently opposed the application.  Paul’s representation on behalf of the village had been excellent and after considerable discussion the application had been rejected.  However, notice was subsequently given that the party would go ahead for 499 guests, for which no licence was required.  Although the event had not proved a nuisance to the village (largely due to wind direction), Sir Edward noted that this was the thin end of the wedge and close watch must be kept for such events in the future.

 

Village Barbeque  The weather had been extremely kind for this event which had been extremely enjoyable.  Alan proposed a vote of thanks to Howard and Sarah, and Craig and Andy were praised for their excellent work on the barbeque.  Adrian Lines, whose first night it had been in the village, had been delighted by the warm welcome he had received.

 

TRAFFIC SPEED:

Following the last meeting a note had been sent round to villagers living on the main road asking them to choose from the various proposed options.  Highways had wanted a quick decision and since one or two people felt a wider consensus would be appropriate, the result had been voided and Highways told that the subject would be discussed again later.  Adrian Sellars asked that all residents in the village be consulted, together with Tim Haigh and Rupert Pendered.  It was pointed out that although the latter could be consulted, as non-residents they were not entitled to a vote.

 

Now that the road had been resurfaced, the catseyes and red markings at each end of the village would be replaced, although the question was raised at to whether the catseyes were necessary.  Highways would be asked if they were a statutory requirement.

 

Our PCSO, Andrea Shutt, was keen to come and discuss various options which might be suitable for controlling traffic speed.  A meeting with the Chairman and Clerks would be arranged.

 

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

There had been a burglary at Church Farm shortly after the Village Festival and sadly the police response had been slow.  Villagers were warned to be ever vigilant.  More scams involving bogus waterboard officials had been reported.  Alan was chasing up some new Neighbourhood Watch signs, hopefully enamelled.

 

VILLAGE FESTIVAL 2007

The day had gone wonderfully well and Howard praised Craig for his efforts in mowing the whole of Cow Lane’s verges.  Craig thanked everyone for their hard work and pointed out that next year would be the Festival’s 20th anniversary and help would be needed as early as possible on the planning front.  Craig gave a detailed report on the event’s accounts (available in full on the village website at www.barnsleyvillage.co.uk).  The majority of the profit, £3000, would, with agreement from the meeting, be given to the church with a balance of £343.43 being left on account to cover advance costs for next year’s Festival.  This proposal was accepted. 

 

Andy, new Joint Festival Chairman, thanked Craig for his hard work and advised that committee details were available on the website.  More committee  would be welcome.

 

PLANNING

Outstanding applications related to a proposed extension to Bob Verey’s house at 9 Barnsley, and tree work at 45 Barnsley.

 

Sir Edward reported that at a Planning Committee meeting on 8th August enforcement action against Barnsley House would be sought as no retrospective planning applications had been received for the unauthorised changes made to their new spa and conference buildings.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Adrian Sellars reported difficulties in accessing the village website.  Craig would assist him.

 

Sir Edward reported on the current flood situation, advising that CDC would arrange for contractors to collect any damaged goods – Lucinda has full details.  The Skardas, Jenny Stupple, Rosemary Hodge, The Greyound, Mark Gaunlet, the Fosters, the Coopers, the Falls and the Vereys had been flooded on Friday.  There had also been storm water problems in the bell tower at the church.  CDC were now providing a 24 hour helpline service, mostly for the benefit of those so badly affected in Gloucester and Cheltenham.   The Leisure Centre had had to be closed as there was 6ft of water in the plant room.  This meant the town’s emergency rescue centre would now be set up at the Royal Agricultural College.  Paul le Bars pointed out that the village hall, with the PCC’s permission, might be made available and also that there were 2 empty houses in the village.  Sir Edward advised that over 120 unoccupied houses had been identified in the CDC area and it was hoped that at least 20 would be returned to occupation in this financial year.

 

There was much discussion about the cause of the flood surge in the village on Friday evening which seems to have emanated from a blockage in the culvert leading from the sump under Barnsley Park’s ground at the north edge of the village suddenly being  moved by water pressure.  Highways would be asked to investigate the culvert under the road and Howard would have a word with the estate manager about maintenance of the sump to avoid future problems.

 

Various official notices had been torn down from the board in the bus shelter over recent weeks.  Villagers were asked to keep an eye open for the culprit.  The possibility of covering part of the board with a lockable screen was mentioned if the problem persists.

 

DATE OF NEXT MEETING:

Monday 15th October at 7.30pm.

 

The meeting closed at 8.55pm.

 

 

 

BARNSLEY VILLAGE MEETING

 

MONDAY 23 JULY 2007

7.30PM IN THE VILLLAGE HALL

 

A G E N D A

 

1.        Apologies for absence

 

2.       Minutes of the Previous Meeting (23 April 2007)

 (Copy available on village website: www.barnsleyvillage.co.uk)

 

3.       Matters arising

 

4.       Traffic Speed

 

5.       Neighbourhood Watch – Alan Adey

 

6.   Village Festival 2007

 

7.       Planning Matters

 

8.       Any Other Business

 

9.       Date of Next Meeting

 

 

ALL RESIDENTS WELCOME

 

Chairman:     Howard Franks    740471

 

Accounts for Barnsley Village Festival 2007

 

INCOME
ACTIVITY  RECEIPTS    Donnated Clubs4kids  
   
Passport        2,693.00 Print (estimated) 400
Refreshments          787.37 Advert - Cotswold Forum 30
Barbecue          593.50 Advert - Standard 173
Bar          363.50 Cash donnation 100
Church Donations          231.30 Glos Federation of Gardening 10
Plant Stall          200.00  
Kids Zone            95.67 Total Donnations 713
Book Stall            30.00
Norah's Baskets            15.00
Miscellaneous            19.50
Craft Stalls          105.00 Additional Income after accounts
 
  Gross Income       5,133.84 Oxwold Hse Plant sales 50
 
COSTS  
Sharon Batchelor            50.00
Wine/BBQ          136.74
Lunch (Speaker)            28.00
Neil Harvey            50.00
Stephanie Donaldson            50.00
Church Hall            20.00
Portaloos          193.88
Standard (Advert)          173.31
Teas            17.48
CDC License (TEN)            21.00
Tent            50.00
  Total direct Costs          790.41
  Total Donnations       1,050.00
  Nett Income   3,293.43
Plus late addition (Oxwold)_            50.00
  3,343.43

 

 

Donations to supporters of the Festival as follows:

 

Scouts 100
Salvation Army 100
Bibury School 50
Dial A Ride 60
Kung Fu 100
Village Hall 100
Cricket Club 500
Village Life 40
Total Donnations 1050

 

 

BARNSLEY VILLAGE MEETING

 

Minutes of a Meeting held on Monday 23 April 2007

 

APOLOGIES:  Sir Edward Horsfall, Roddy and Mags Brinkman, Ron Barrack

 

PRESENT:    

Howard Franks (Chairman)         Brian Skarda                             Bob Verey

Stephanie Cushing (Clerk)          Craig Fuller                              John Russell

Lynn Barrack (Clerk)                 John Smith                                Marcus Adey

Paul and Beryl le Bars                Adrian Sellars                           Alan Adey

Jeremy Mais                                       Davina Wynne-Jones                 Ken Falls

Lucinda Foster                          Caroline Sherer

Jane Wykeham-Musgrave           Pauline Anderson and Mark Biddle

 

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: approved and signed.

 

MATTERS ARISING:

Traffic Speed – dealt with under a separate agenda item.

Village Spring Clean – successfully completed.  Adrian was thanked for organising and Paul for his perseverance in getting CDC, finally, to collect the rubbish mounds and for returning unused bags/litterpickers etc.

Heating Oil – Howard had discussed possible bulk deliveries with his supplier but it would prove extremely difficult to get any discount off “bottom price”.  Anyone interested in obtaining competitive prices might like to speak to this supplier, John Sheppard, on 01666 841054.  Alternatively, the website BoilerJuice.com might interest villagers.

Wards Project Fund – details had been passed to the Village Hall Committee which had not met recently.

 

TRAFFIC SPEED:

Stephanie, Lynn and Paul had met Highways representatives to discuss alternatives.  Moving the speed signs further out of the village was deemed inappropriate as drivers would not slow down if there were no buildings in view.  Rumble strips posed noise problems and were not recommended by Highways.  Vehicle activated signs were unlikely to be installed as they were used only where fatal or very serious accidents had occurred.  It was thought that Barnsley would not score highly on the points system used to decide where such signs were installed.

 

However, Highways felt speeding was a problem in the village.  They propose conducting a traffic survey, using tubes placed across the road, for a week in June to measure the volume, speed and classification of traffic.  Following this, and the resurfacing of the whole road during the summer, the proposal would be to have signs marked on the road.  Mock-ups of potential alternatives were passed around for consideration and it was decided that homes in the village would receive details, asking them to select their preferred option.

 

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH:

Alan reported two new scams involving bogus callers in “distraction” burglaries.  They seemed particularly to target the elderly.

 

BARNSLEY FESTIVAL 2007:

Craig thanked the new committee for their huge efforts to date and asked for further help from anyone in the village who had not yet been approached.   Jesse Smith’s had generously agreed to donate food for the barbeque free of charge and it was hoped that Arkell’s might provide some alcohol.  Leaflets and car stickers were available in the hall and villagers were urged to publicise the festival wherever possible.

 

It had been decided not to charge an entrance fee to hear the garden speakers, but instead to ask for £5 donations at the door.  Seat reservations could be made on the village website or by ringing Craig. 

 

12-14 village gardens would be open and the Kids Zone in Craig and Anna Kate’s garden would make the day more of a family affair.  Beryl would appreciate helpers for the tea room and Andy Walker needed car parking assistants.

 

CLAPTON’S LANE:

Improvements in cleaning up and landscaping had been made, with the dry weather helping matters greatly.  The situation was complicated as the Cook’s Trust had agreed to renew the ground water pipes coming off the fields and leading into the drains down Clapton’s Lane.  Only once this work was completed could Highways apply a finished surface of scalpings to the lane, with the verges being reinstated to their former green and flowery state by Barnsley House.  There was still concern at the meeting that ground-water would not be able to sink away because of all the additional buildings.

 

Howard reported that another complication had arisen because Highways want the gates removed from either end of the green lane (ie Clapton’s Lane and Ready Token junction).  Howard had discussed the matter with Tim Haigh who was seeking advice from his solicitor.  The meeting expressed great concern at the possibility of the gates being removed as they had proved such an efficient deterrent to travellers.

Parking at the telephone box end of the Lane had improved, but things had deteriorated at the other end near Davina’s property where there were now 6-8 cars parked regularly near the new spa.  The Chairman was asked to investigate with Highways and CDC Planning Department whether this was permissible.

 

Questions were raised about helicopter landings at Barnsley House.  Howard was asked to request that there were no take-offs or landings directly over the village.  

 

PLANNING:

The only outstanding application was for Dower Cottage.  Howard had written to CDC expressing concern at the lack of detail and confused nature of the application.  The Planning Officer has promised a new Design and Access statement and a further opportunity to comment on the application.  Howard had also stated that in view of the length of time the property had been under development and the amount of applications made, any future applications should be decided by the full Planning Committee, not the Planning Officer. 

 

Brian again commented on the dangerous, open nature of the site in Cow Lane and added that he thought Mr Tack should be asked, once more, to secure it and tidy it up for the festival.  Howard agreed and said he would speak to Mr Tack asap.

 

LICENCE APPLICATION – AMPNEY DOWNS FARM:

Because of changes in the law, we had not been officially informed of the proposed “party” from 15–17 June at the site off Sheephouse Lane.  However, Stephanie had objected on behalf of the village, along the lines of the objection lodged to a similar event in 2000, since the deadline had been 5.00pm that evening.  Various individuals around the village had also lodged objections.  CDC had revealed that the Police and Environment Department had concerns, but were in talks with organisers about imposing “conditions”.  There would be a sub-committee meeting on 21 May at CDC where objectors would be invited to speak.  Adrian advised that although a “private party”, tickets were being advertised on the web: this was being investigated by the authorities.  Paul pointed out that access from the Right To Roam area could be gained legally, which meant anyone could enter the site from any direction.

 

Caroline urged everyone to be vigilant in looking out for notices about other proposed future events in the area since we would no longer be advised of them by CDC.

 

VILLAGE BARBEQUE:

Howard and Sarah were pleased to invite everyone to the barbeque at Dower House on Saturday 7 July, 6.30pm for 7.00pm.  Sarah would appreciate any offers of help with the food.  Craig thought that it might be possible to arrange some other village activities at the cricket ground during the day – details to follow.  Howard would send out a note to all homes in the village with barbeque details.

 

DATE OF NEXT MEETING:

Monday 23 July at 7.30pm.

 

The meeting closed at 9.45pm.

 

 

 

 

BARNSLEY VILLAGE MEETING

 

MONDAY 22 JANUARY 2007

8.00PM IN THE VILLLAGE HALL

 

A G E N D A

 

1.        Apologies for absence

 

2.       Minutes of the Previous Meeting (25 September 2006)

 (Copy available on village website: www.barnsleyvillage.co.uk)

 

3.       Matters arising

 

4.       Parking

 

5.       Neighbourhood Watch – Alan Adey

 

6.       Village Festival 2007 – Craig Fuller

 

7.       Clapton’s Lane (to the rear of Barnsley House)

 

8.       Village Spring Clean

 

9.       Planning Matters

 

10.   Heating Oil

 

11.     Ward Projects Fund – Grant Application

 

12.   Village Barbeque 2007

 

13.   Any Other Business

 

14.   Date of Next Meeting

 

ALL RESIDENTS WELCOME

 

Chairman:     Howard Franks    740471

 

 

BARNSLEY VILLAGE MEETING

MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 25TH SEPTEMBER 2006

 

APOLOGIES:  Councillor Sir Edward Horsfall        Gill Skarda

                       PC Jon Palfrey                                Craig and Anna Kate Fuller

                       Anne Armitage                                Jenny Sellars

                       John Russell

                  

PRESENT:     Brian Skarda (Chairman)                  Sharon Batchelor

                       Paul le Bars (Clerk)                         Adrian Sellars

                       Howard Franks                               Will Calnan

                       Stephanie Cushing                           Marcus Adey

                       Lynn Barrack                                  Alan Adey

                       Lucinda Foster                                Annabel Cooper

                        Beryl le Bars                                  Yvonne and Paul Bennetts

                        Jane Wykeham-Musgrave                Jeremy Mais

                        John Smith                                   

 

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING   Approved and signed.

 

MATTERS ARISING

Traffic Speed   Gloucestershire County Council advised this was a common problem in Cotswold villages.  Barnsley was not a special case and for physical, environmental and cost reasons no further traffic calming measures could be deployed.

Car Parking   There was little room for off-street parking unless residents managed to create their own spaces.  Works vehicles at Barnsley House were causing problems for nearby residents and a formal complaint should be made if this persisted.

Heating Oil   Little interest had so far been expressed in forming a co-operative.  Anyone wishing to be involved should contact Brian Skarda.

 

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT   Attached.

 

CLERK’S COMMENTS

Paul le Bars had been glad to serve the village for the past 15 years, but it was time to go.  Brian thanked Paul heartily for his efforts.

 

PLANNING

The Clerk reported 2 outstanding Permissions in the village, relating to The Greyhound and Marcus Adey’s house.  It might be possible to put details of planning applications onto the village website.

 

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

There had been an unsuccessful burglary attempt in the village and residents were reminded to be vigilant about security.  The collection box in the church had been broken into.  Alan Adey gave details of the latest telephone scam involving credit card details.

 

VILLAGE FESTIVAL 2007

Sharon Batchelor, Joint Chairman of the Committee, reported that there would be two festival days.  19th May would follow the usual pattern, focusing on village gardens, teas in the village hall etc.  On 24th June there would be a midsummer fair in two of John Russell’s fields.  The village would be asked to help with catering and there would be a variety of activities taking place throughout the day.  Adrian Sellars asked organisers to ensure adequate traffic circulation to avoid damage to the bank outside his property.

 

Details of events were sketchy and Lynn Barrack suggested a further village meeting in November to get agreement to the plans.  It was hoped there would be a fund-raising event in Cirencester before the end of the year.  This would be a 1940s themed “Swing” party.  There would also be a concert in the church on 8th December by the Baunton Singers, followed by supper at the Village Pub.  2007’s festival would aim to raise £10,000-£15,000.  The Festival Committee hoped to start issuing monthly bulletins shortly and would provide details for entry into Village Life.

                  

ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN

Brian Skarda confirmed he was stepping down as Chairman and invited nominations for a replacement.  Howard Franks, although new to the village, offered himself as Chairman, a move quickly seconded by Jane Wykeham-Musgrave.

 

ELECTION OF CLERK

There were no nominations, but Stephanie Cushing and Lynn Barrack volunteered to undertake the post between them.  It was decided that a filing cabinet would be found, to be kept in the village hall, to store all relevant paperwork.

 

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Interrupted Electricity Supply   Following the recent spate of power cuts, Brian Skarda had contacted Tony Cooper, Supply Restoration Manager, who was surprised to learn of intermittent supply problems.  He thought it was due to an auto-recloser malfunction and would investigate.

The Ivy    growing through the village hall roof is gradually being removed by Yvonne and Paul Benetts as they tackle it from their garden.

Monday Club   Adrian Sellars suggested the formation of this group, to meet at 8.00pm on the first Monday of the month in the Village Pub for drinks and socialising.  The first meeting would be on 6th November.

 

DATE OF NEXT MEETING    Monday 22nd January 2007 at 8.00pm

 

LDB/27.09.06

Chairman’s Report

Since being appointed Chairman of the Village Meeting in November 2005, there have been 4 Village meetings, at which a variety of subjects have been discussed. As we are a small community, there are few major official issues that affect us and much of the National, County and Local notices that are sent to our Clerk are for information only. We react to these as necessary, and bring anything important to the attention of the Village Meeting.

 

Planning Matters have been dealt with in accordance with the procedure agreed at the first meeting I chaired in Jan. 2006. That is to say that Planning Applications received from CDC by the Clerk have been retained by him for inspection by any interested parties, it being presumed that any residents affected by planning applications will have been notified by CDC, or picked up from Official Notices in the local paper. The only exception to this was action I took as Chairman on your behalf, when notification received from BT in July to place 12 x 11M telegraph poles at the southern entrance to the Village to supply lines to the Riding School needed urgent action. As this would clearly have been a ‘blot on the landscape’ for the Village as a whole, and a decision to oppose was necessary between Village meetings, I wrote opposing the notification, and requesting that if planning permission was requested, that it should be refused on the grounds of at least 4 of the CDC’s own Policies. With tremendous help from villagers who wrote to both CDC & people in high places in BT, they withdrew the request.

 

A number of planning applications or amendments for Dower Cottage have been received over the past year. I have attended two CDC Planning Meetings as an observer. A large amount of time has been spent by me, the Clerk and those immediately affected to grasp the many amendments that have been made to the plans. The ‘footprint’ now proposed for development of Dower Cottage and it’s ancillary buildings increases its area significantly. There has been some concern about how this development would affect immediate neighbours, and that development may eventually extend beyond the village curtilage. Whilst villages such as our’s must be open to change, and some development might be permitted on suitable sites, any extension or development outside the curtilage of the village, is against the Local Plan for Barnsley, and could lead to subsequent applications resulting in ribbon development along the back of existing dwellings. I bring this to your attention as an observation only, and it is for villagers to take a view of whether they would find further developments of this nature acceptable, In the course of the building works, damage has been caused to areas in Cow Lane, and this has been drawn to the attention of the owners of Dower Cottage, and the appropriate Authorities. It is understood that the owners have given an undertaking that all damage will be made good upon the completion of building works.   

 

I regret that following the first meeting I chaired, Tim Haigh, joint owner of Barnsley House and The Village Pub announced that he would no longer attend Village Meetings. This was unfortunate, and I have done all possible to encourage Tim & Rupert to return to further meetings by inviting them to all Village Meetings during the year, and sending them a copy of Agendas. I have made it clear to them on several occasions that their businesses are an important part of Village life, and we invite them participate in Village Meetings, whenever possible.

 

I have attended two Council Meetings at Bibury, connected with Restricted Byeways & Lorry schemes, and I reported back on both at the time.

 

During the year we welcomed PC Jon Palfrey as our Rural Beat Police officer, and he has become a useful link when dealing with matters concerning travellers, parking issues and other matters of concern. Similarly Cllr Edward Horsfall has attended some meetings, and spoke on matters that may affect us at our local Council.

 

In February, the War Memorial was damaged by a car, and we were successful in persuading The Ernest Cook Trust to pay for the repairs. We are most grateful to them for this generous gesture.

 

Village Website   In the interests of trying to communicate in a village where some residents are rarely seen or heard from, I was very pleased that Craig Fuller was able to develop the Village Website (www.barnsleyvillage.co.uk). At his own cost he has placed several pages there, and is in the course of updating current information such as events and Church Services. There is a facility for reading Minutes of these Meetings, and sending e-mails to the site. My thanks to Craig for his efforts, and I hope the site may be used effectively to promote future Village Festivals, and possibly for advertising local services.

 

On 24th June, Jenny & Malcolm at Aviary Cottage hosted a very successful Bar-b-que, which many village residents enjoyed;  I understand it may become an annual event.

 

Finally, I am a firm believer in local democracy, and as I stand down from being Chairman for the past year, I draw your attention to the fact that if no future Chairman, or Clerk are forthcoming from this meeting, then Barnsley will cease to hold a Village Meeting, and will almost certainly come under the auspices of Bibury or Ampney Crucis Parish Councils in future. I believe that the residents of Barnsley would lose considerable autonomy, and with no disrespect to other Councils, Barnsley business would become just another item on their Agendas. I ask those of you who care about local democracy whether you really want this to happen, because once our somewhat informal ‘village meeting’ status is lost, it is unlikely ever to be returned.  

 

Brian Skarda, Chairman                                                        25/09/06

 

 

 

 

MINUTES OF THE BARNSLEY VILLAGE MEETING

MONDAY 19 JUNE 2006 AT 8.00PM IN THE VILLAGE HALL

 

Present:    Brian Skarda (Chairman)                      Lesley Russell

                   Paul le Bars    (Clerk)                          Sandy Walker

                   Paul Reason                                         Andy Walker

                   Will Calnan                                         Caroline Shearer-Clarke

                   Adrian Sellars                                    Stephen Clarke

                   Jenny Sellars                                     Paul Bennetts

                   Beryl le Bars                                                Yvonne Bennetts

                   Rev Jeremy Mais                                John Smith

                   Lynn Barrack                                      Jane Wykeham-Musgrave

                   Lucinda Foster                                    Anne Armitage

                   John Russell                                       Sharon Batchelor

Guest:      Cllr Sir Edward Horsfall

 

Apologies

Marcus and Coco Adey, Alan and Sylvia Adey, Craig Fuller, Gill Skarda, Stephanie Cushing, Ron Barrack, Maggs and Roddy Brinkman, Mr and Mrs Tack

 

Minutes of the Previous Meeting (20 March 2006)

Read by the Chairman and approved by the meeting.

 

Matters Arising

a. Traffic Speed - No response had been received from Hatherop regarding our enquiry on their experiment with solar powered signs.  The Chairman and Clerk had attended a recent seminar on road safety in rural areas intended to promote the theory that bad road signage probably contributed to the problem and that the absence of signs, with minor hard road engineering could create a greater awareness of the need to drive more considerately and safely.  Police and County Highways are aware of our concerns.  Heavy goods vehicles are unlikely to be prosecuted at The Swan Bridge until the signage at Hare Bush Crossroads has been resited.

b. Car parking on pavements continues to be a problem.  Police have recently taken action at the Bibury end of the village, cautioning two car owners and issuing a fixed penalty notice to a third.

c. Litter along the main roads has now been acknowledged by CDC and revised contracts for periodic clearances issued. 

d. Travellers have now moved on from the Winson Road and CDC has cleared the site.  The group near the Ready Token junction are outside the parish boundary.

e. The village hall chimney rebuild was completed in early May and thanks were expressed to Colin Feltham for a job well done.

f. Heating oil supplies – More exploratory work was necessary.  Chedworth uses Sweeting Oil.

Chairman’s Report

a. A substantial consultative document on government plans for mental health had recently been received with a very short time for response.  Town and parish councils throughout the county had asked for more time to consider this important set of proposals.

b. Planning matters had been confined to trees and had been quickly resolved.

c. The War Memorial damage had been repaired and thanks had been sent to ECT who had covered the cost and to Colin Feltham for carrying out the work.

 

Village Website

This should be up and running within days using the address www.barnsleyvillage.co.uk  It will include a brief history of the village written by Anne De Courcy.   Agendas and meeting minutes will be displayed subject to an appropriate password.  Advertisements may be put on the site for a modest fee.  Enquiries to Craig Fuller.

 

Neighbourhood Watch

No recent crime problems but constant vigilance is necessary in the warm weather.

 

District Councillor Sir Edward Horsfall

Sir Edward apologised for his absence from the last meeting and briefly reported on CDC’s action on road cleaning and litter picking, and action against licenced premises operating out of permitted hours.  An additional £500,000 government grant for the CDC “Stay at Home” project for the elderly and new proposals to extend the weekly clearance of household refuse to two weekly intervals, whilst increasing the range of materials for recycling were also discussed.

 

Festival 2006

Steve Clarke presented the accounts and the suggested distribution of profit for the village’s approval:

Cricket Club                    £   500

Village Hall                      £   150

Church                            £2,850

Helen House Charity         £   500

 

This was agreed by the meeting.

 

Steve announced the resignations of himself, Adrian and Jenny Sellars and Tim Haigh from the organising committee.  The Chairman voiced the thanks of the meeting and thanked Steve and his committee for their work and efforts in keeping the Festival so successful over their 9 years in office.  Tim Haigh and Rupert Pendered were also particularly thanked for the contributions made by The Village Pub.

 

The future of the Festival was debated and it was agreed that it should continue.  Volunteers for the new committee were sought and the following came forward: Jane Wykeham-Musgrave, John Russell, Andy Walker, Beryl le Bars, Anne Armitage, Craig Fuller, Jeremy Mais and Sharon Batchelor, who would elect their own Chairman and present an outline plan/ideas to the September Village Meeting.  Jane Wykeham-Musgrave agreed to be the contact point for villagers’ views.

 

Any Other Business

a. The Chairman, on behalf of the meeting, thanked Jenny Sellars, the retiring Minutes Secretary, for all her efforts.

b. The Village BBQ on 24 June was brought to the attention of those who might not yet have bought tickets.

c. The Bibury Flower Show on 22 July was announced and it was emphasised that entry to the various classes was open to all who received Village Life.

d. Steve Clarke, as Chairman of the Village Hall Committee, thanked Paul Reason, Andy Walker and Paul le Bars for their recent work on the porch and main hall.

e. Recent flyposting of non-local events was noted and the Chairman suggested these could easily be removed.

f. The Chairman reminded the meeting that both he and the Clerk had agreed to serve for a period on ONE YEAR, expiring in November 2006.  It was hoped there would be nominations for their successors at the next meeting!

 

Future Meetings

          Monday 25 September 2006 at 8.00pm

          Monday 23 January 2007 at 8.00pm

 

The meeting closed at 9.15pm.

 
 
 
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