Present:
Mr. Brown (Chair), Mr Senior (Vice Chair), Mrs Adams, Mrs Aylott, Mr Dawson, Mrs Dyer, Mrs Elphick, Mr Vanbergen and Mrs Williams. Mrs Vanbergen, District Councillor, Sir Peter Brown, County Councillor. Mrs Lancey (Clerk). 6 members of the public.

Public Forum
Residents from Lordsway Park enquired about their request for directional signs. Clerk confirmed that this was in hand. They also confirmed that the grassed area near the flyover had not yet been cut. Clerk to chase They also requested some type of sound barrier on their side of the service road similar to that on the High Street side. Clerk to investigate.

Mr Wade enquired about the traffic survey to be carried out in the village. Clerk confirmed that this had been promised by the end of September. Clerk to chase. Mr Wade was also informed of the intended grant application for traffic problems in the village which would be discussed later in the meeting.

1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies were received from Mrs Dix, Mrs Watkin and County Councillor Elaine Kadic. Retrospective apologies were received from Councillor Brown for the August meeting. Mrs Judith Aylott was welcomed to the meeting as the new Parish Councillor and asked to sign her Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

2. Councillors’ Interests
None were recorded.

3. Minutes of the Previous Meeting held on 30th August 2005 and the Planning Sub Committee Meeting held on 5th September 2005.
Clerk reported that Mrs Watkin had remarked that the amount shown as being paid to ADCHC in the minutes of 30th August was not accurate. It was agreed that the minutes should be changed to read “approx. £82.5K”. Both sets of minutes were then approved and signed.

4. Committee Reports
a) Clerk’s infrastructure Report

Churchyard: Nothing to report.

Village Green: The village sign had been returned after repair.
Water had broken through the bank on Brookside of the brook and the ditch along the Great North Road had unusually flooded with water. Anglian Water had been called. A partial reed cut had taken place in the centre of the village. This would be continued in the Duck’s Nest area.

Mr. Rowlings and the clerk had carried out a tree survey on the green and Mr Rowlings had produced a map showing all of the trees together with recommendations of tree work that urgently needed to be carried out. It was agreed that the clerk should obtain quotations for these recommendations and that Mr. Rowlings be thanked for his work.

A quotation had been received for repair to the seat on Brookside of £236 + VAT which was accepted. Clerk to action.

General:
Some tree planting on the grassed area just past the entrance to Manor Lane in Rusts Lane on the right hand side had been suggested by Mr Rowlings. This was agreed. Clerk to action.

Clerk reported that the uneven path between Alconbury and Alconbury Weston together with pot holes in Spinney Lane had been reported. Highways were to flatten the ridged area outside the Post Office whilst repairing the footpath, hence making the shop accessible to mobility vehicles and wheelchairs.

The path leading from Bell Lane to the corner was to be resurfaced. Highways would inspect the remainder of this path leading onto Rusts Lane.

A complaint had been received from a resident in Bramble End concerning youths kicking footballs into gardens and around vehicles. Some damage had also been done to a tree in the playground. The Youth Worker and the PCSOs had been alerted. The clerk had replied to the resident accordingly.

A complaint had been received concerning the amount of horse manure on roads and bridleways. The clerk explained that this was not covered by any by-laws such as those pertaining to dog waste and other than to enlist the assistance of local stables, there was little that could be done to minimise the problem.

Rubbish left in Globe Lane had been reported to HDC.

It was agreed that the new paths between Alconbury Weston and Polecat Lane were a great improvement and the clerk should thank Highways accordingly.

The ditch along the left hand side of Polecat Lane going towards the brook needed clearing and hedges trimming. Clerk to contact land owner.

The hedge outside The Old Forge needed trimming. Clerk to contact land owner.

Mrs Adams asked whether directional signs could be supplied for the Sports & Social Club, which would help visiting teams find the playing field.

b) Planning
The clerk reported on three applications which had been discussed at a Planning Sub Committee Meeting. This meeting had been held due to applications being received too late for the August agenda but which required a response to HDC before the September meeting.
05025000S73 – Renewal of outline planning – erection of dwelling and garages adjacent to and including 1, Globe Lane – No observations
0502642FUL – Replacement agricultural dwelling, Home Farm, Rusts Lane – recommend refusal – a property of this style and age should not be demolished.
0502651FUL – Change of use of agricultural land to car parking – land rear of Steve’s Car Sales, Ermine Street – recommend refusal – expansion not in keeping with rural area and would encroach upon green belt between Stukeley and Alconbury.

New Applications:
0502834FUL – Insertion of 3 velux windows and one fire escape window – 5 Church Way – no observations
0502861FUL – Erection of dwelling – land adjacent 2 Great North Road - No observations.

Applications Determined:
0502247FUL – Erection of conservatory – 1 The Acre - permission granted
0502139FUL – Erection of conservatory – 9 Coulson Way – permission granted.
0502272FUL – Erection of conservatory – 25B Great North Road – permission granted.
0502414FUL – Erection of conservatory – 6 The Maltings – permission granted.

c) Bramble End Playground
Clerk reported that some ground movement had caused the new surface to move. Contractor had agreed to rectify as soon as possible. Clerk to contact resident who originally reported the fault. ROSPA inspection would be organised when remedial work was complete and when it would also be convenient for the ASSC play area.

5. Matters Arising
Grant Application Update – ASSC – pledged Section 106 Money
The ASSC had conducted a review of their application for the grant from the Football Foundation. As yet no decisions had been made. This was discussed at some length and it was decided that the Clerk should contact the ASSC requesting a definitive time scale of when a decision might be reached together with a full report to be available for the January (31st) Parish Council Meeting.

Strip of Land running along the Brook (Mill Road)
The Clerk and Mr Senior had inspected this piece of land which Mr Stock had requested to be cleared by the Parish Council. The land measured approx. 24ft wide and 163 ft. long. It was decided that should the land be cleared it was an invitation for youngsters to enter it from the very dangerous fenced access immediately after the bridge parapet. HDC had also advised that the Parish Council were under no obligation to clear this piece of land. It was also felt that the land in its current state was conducive to wildlife. Clerk to write to Mr. Stock accordingly.

Jointly Funded Minor Improvement Schemes 06/07 Bidding Round
The Sub Committee had produced two schemes for submission – the first dealing with road safety and the second with speeding issues in the village. It was agreed that both schemes should be submitted. Clerk to action.

New Bus Shelter – School Lane
Clerk reported that HDC had advised that due to the location, a wider shelter could not have been installed. As disabled access was necessary for the existing shelter it was too narrow for a seat to be installed. The only other option was for the Parish Council to supply a seat outside the shelter. It was decided to wait for any further reaction from residents before a decision on a separate seat was made.

Calligraphic Roll of Honour
As promised, a donation of £100 had been received from The Friends of St Peter & St Paul.

HCV Access and the A14
Mr Roweth the County HCV Route Manager had agreed to attend the Parish Council meeting on 29th November to discuss the A14.

6. Correspondence (A list of all correspondence had been circulated to all)
Bus Shelter - Village Green
A letter had been received from Claudia Waters, the Community Safety Team Leader at HDC, recommending that, after a meeting with District Councillor Mrs Vanbergen, County Councillor Peter Brown, a representative from Alconbury Neighbourhood Watch, PC Lofting and the Sector Inspector, Mr Lunn, the brick bus shelter on the village green should be replaced by a clear one. The letter stated that young people congregated in and around the existing shelter because it enabled them to engage in anti-social activities without being seen. This proposal was discussed at length together with estimated costs of a replacement and possible re-siting of the shelter. A vote was taken and it was unanimously agreed that the shelter should be replaced and that details of its replacement would be decided upon in due course.
Mrs Vanbergen also informed the Parish Council that at this same meeting she had made the point that Alconbury had not recently been properly serviced by police/ PCSOs but felt this situation would now be rectified.

Standards Committee Hearings: Breaches of the Code of Conduct
HDC had written to all Parish Councils reminding them of their duties and obligations in respect of the Code of Conduct

Complaint concerning Speeding/Wildlife in the village.
A village resident was concerned about speeding in the village, particularly around the village green where ducks were present. Clerk had responded detailing the Jointly Funded Minor Improvement Schemes. Signs warning of the ducks were not felt necessary.

Cambs. County Council Spending Priorities
CCC requested the Parish Council’s views on their spending priorities – passed to Mr Dawson for reply.

Parish Council Consultation Responses – Planning – circulated to Planning Committee.

Mobile Fast Food Van – The Parish Council had no objection to a mobile van visiting the village one night a week.

7. Responsible Finance Officer’s Report
The internal auditor had been thanked for his help with the year end accounts.

Payment of Accounts
Cheques for signature (now notified along with Correspondence List):
Fergusons - £423.58 – grass cutting
Demon - £23.50 – Web Hosting August/September
S Lancey - £12.02 – internet calls
Clerk’s Salary – September 05 - £346.38 – 42.5 hrs. @ £8.15 per hr.
N. Murphy - £100 – 1st Prize - Parish Plan Draw
R. Horner - £50 – 2nd Prize - Parish Plan Draw
J. Newman - £25 – 3rd Prize - Parish Plan Draw

Cleared balances – Current Account £15,336.65 and Deposit Account £18163.29
Accounts proposed by Mrs Adams and seconded by Mrs Dyer

Cleared balances – Parish Plan Account - £217.86
- Youth Group Account - £5682.95

Clerk had prepared some mid year budget figures which were passed to all Councillors. Any queries would be raised at the October meeting.

8. The Format of Parish Council Meetings
In the knowledge that she would be unable to attend this Parish Council meeting, Mrs Watkin had written a response expressing her concerns about Mr Vanbergen’s recent document outlining his proposals for streamlining Parish Council meetings. This response had been copied to all Councillors and was discussed at length. Whilst acknowledging Mr. Vanbergen’s concerns that major topics were not given enough time for discussion at meetings, Councillors felt that due to commitments already given to Parish Council business they had insufficient time to attend even more meetings. It was also felt that the public would not be inclined to attend more than one meeting per month. Councillors also felt that sub committees were already being formed when necessary and there was no need for this to be put on a more formal basis. They generally all agreed that they wished to continue to be involved in all Parish Council matters, and not divided into separate committees. It was decided that this issue might be addressed again at some point in the future. Meanwhile the Clerk and Chair would decide whether reorganising the Agenda could be beneficial to discussion of major topics.

9. CALC
Mrs Dyer reported on the recent CALC meeting where the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 was the main topic. This Act enables those Parish Councils who choose to, to have a nominated person to administer fixed penalty notices (approx. £75 each) in respect of dog fouling, graffiti, fly tipping, fly posting and litter offences. The nominated person would have to be trained and pass an accredited course – of which none are presently available. The Clerk would also have to make regular reports to the Government concerning numbers of notices served, paid, court actions etc. It was not recommended that the Parish Council should take up this option. All Councillors were in agreement. Clerk to contact HDC accordingly.

10. The Parish Plan
Mr Dawson reported that the Parish Plan should be ready for circulation to the Parish Council at the October meeting.

11. Date of Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on 25th October 2005 in the New Memorial Hall and will start at 7.45.

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