Present:
Mr Senior (Chair), Mrs Aylott, Mr Hardy, Mrs Hathaway, Mr Lay, Mr Sale, Mr Watson and Mrs Williams. County Councillors Peter Brown and Laine Kadic, District Councillor Keith Baker, Mrs Lancey (Clerk), 9 members of the public. Mrs Sharp - new Clerk

Public Forum
Mr Hodgson expressed his appreciation of the newly erected fence around the Alconbury Services (formerly Truckstop) facility which was helping to prevent illegal parking of HGVs.
Mr Baker representing Lordsway Park residents complained of the poor surface of the High Street between Rusts Lane and Lordsway Park and also the lack of a pavement along this stretch. Clerk to contact Highways and arrange a meeting (together with Mr Baker) to discuss the problems. He also complained about vehicles parking on the corner of High Street and Rusts Lane. Clerk to contact PCSOs. On occasion there was also an HGV parked at night under the flyover. Clerk to contact PCSOs. The general problem of HGVs getting lost in the village was discussed. Clerk to pursue with PCSOs the idea of leaflets in different languages being handed to drivers at both the airbase and Alconbury Services, directing them around the village.

96. Apologies for Absence
Apologies received from Mrs Adams, Mr Pickering and Mrs Elphick.

97. Councillors' Declaration of Interest for items on the Agenda
Mr Senior declared a personal interest in item 113c being a resident of Bramble End. Mr Watson declared a prejudicial interest in agenda item 109 as his wife was a Committee Member of the Alconbury Community Pre-School and his daughter also attended the school.

98. To sign and approve minutes of previous meeting held on 29th September 2009.
Minutes proposed by Mr Lay and seconded by Mrs Hathaway. Minutes duly approved and signed.

99. Recruitment of a new Clerk - update from Mr Senior
Mr Senior acknowledged Mrs Lancey's retirement and thanked her for her hard work and dedication as Clerk over the last 7 years. He announced that Mrs Jo Sharp had been appointed in her place and welcomed her to the Parish Council. The Council agreed that Mrs Sharp should arrange for a telephone and broadband connection into her premises.

100. East of England Plan to 2031
A consultation event had been held on 30th September and attended by Mr Pickering. Mr Watson reported on the meeting in his absence and explained that the consultation was to look at the development plan for the whole of the region and what proportion of growth had to take place in Cambridgeshire. Alconbury airbase and surrounding land had been mentioned several times as having significant potential for a new settlement of between 6,000 - 20,000 new homes. Whether such a proposal was taken forward was likely to depend upon the amount of growth which the East of England Regional Assembly directed to Cambridgeshire County and Huntingdonshire District. The ARUP report had suggested that Alconbury Air Base and land stretching from it up to the northern edge of Huntingdon had the potential for 20,000 new homes. Both the County Council and the District Council are opposed to this proposal. It was decided that Mr Watson would liaise with neighbouring Parish Councils to come up with a joint submission that needed to be made by 24th November 2009. As this was before the next Parish Council meeting he would circulate all relevant information by e-mail to all councillors.

101. A14 Re-alignment (Standing Orders were relaxed for this agenda item)
Mr Watson had attended the recent exhibition and outlined the concerns of the Parish Council that once the viaduct in Huntingdon was demolished, this would lead to an increase in HGVs using the A1 northbound in order to reach the airbase and Alconbury Services, and hence the slip road from the A1 and Rusts Lane, which would have a huge impact on the village. It was acknowledged that this was particularly relevant to Lordsway Park residents. Signage and the use of weight operated cameras were discussed as a means of directing HGVs to use the A14 rather than the A1, and hence away from the village. Objections to the proposed scheme had to be lodged by 10th January 2010. Mr Watson to draft the Parish Council's response taking into account all environmental issues such as noise and fumes and to present this at the next meeting on 24th November. Lordsway Park residents were urged to write individual letters of complaint. Councillor Baker would also put the Parish Council's case to the next full meeting of Huntingdonshire District Council on 28th October.

102. Provision of Allotments - update from Mrs Aylott/Mr Sale (Standing Orders were relaxed for this agenda item)
Mrs Aylott reported on the recent meeting with the Allotment Association where 12 questions had been asked of the Parish Council, some of which she and Mr Sale had not been able to answer. It was decided that another meeting should be held with Karen Kenny to resolve these issues. Clerk to arrange a date as soon as possible. Mr Craig representing the Association was concerned about the lack of progress. Clerk reported that the draft lease was with the solicitor and Mr Senior stressed that it was the Council's utmost priority to get the lease signed so work could commence as soon as possible. The Association was congratulated on its newsletter and website.

103. Portable Staging and Lighting Rig - request for donation (Section 137)
A portable staging and lighting rig was for sale and it had been suggested by Mr Malcolm Sharp that this might be purchased for use by the community. At this stage, no specific sum had been requested from the Parish Council. Ownership, responsibility, storage and insurance were discussed. It was agreed that no decision could be made until these issues were resolved. Clerk to contact Mr Sharp accordingly.

104. Provision of a Christmas Tree - Maypole Square
Clerk had contacted Highways and there were no objections to providing a Christmas Tree to be erected in Maypole Square. A 17ft spruce had been ordered. A. C. Green would erect the tree and A. Foster would organise the power supply from the uplighter for the tree lights. Neighbourhood Watch had agreed to donate £200 towards the overall cost of the tree and lights and would arrange for the annual carol singing to take place around the tree. Mr Senior/Mr Watson to confirm the delivery date of the tree with Dyers of Warboys and to purchase the lights after liaising with the electrician. Neighbourhood Watch to be informed of the delivery date.
Clerk to also contact the owners of the Fish and Chip van and the library van to let them know of the tree's delivery.

105. Speeding in the Village - update from Mr Senior
A resident had contacted Jonathan Djanogly MP about his concerns of excessive speeding in the village, especially along High Street/Chapel Street. Mr Djanogly has subsequently written to the Parish Council. This issue had been discussed at the last meeting when it had been decided to await the results of the Speedwatch programme in the village. These results were not yet fully available but Mrs Aylott reported that along the Great North Road where the exercise had already been carried out, of the 142 cars monitored, 43 were classed as speeding (30%). Mr Hardy reported that the police had been requested to install their speed wires to record speeds. Buses were considered to also be at fault. Laine Kadic to contact the bus companies accordingly. It was considered that some drivers taking children to school also exceeded the speed limit. Clerk to contact the school and also Alconbury Weston Parish Council in order to publicise the problem. Clerk to respond to Mr Djanogly accordingly. Clerk to continue to pursue the idea of a voluntary speed limit.

106. Community Orchard/Fruit Trail - update from Mr Lay
A successful initial meeting had been held between the Parish Council, the Tree Warden, Alconbury Weston Parish Council, Bridget Halford from HDC, Laurence Rickard and Mr Roger Read when plans had been made to establish a community orchard and plant native hedging at the Sports & Social Club. Rubbish had also been removed from the community orchard site and plans made of the location of the trees and paths. There would be space for approx. 40 trees. An article had been put into the forthcoming Newsletter inviting residents to sponsor a tree/shrub and take part in the planting day in January 2010. A date also needed to be organised for levelling the area of the orchard. Clerk to organise. Mr Sale, Mr Lay and Mr Watson to help.

Clerk reported that Peter Rowlings had suggested that a John Downey crab apple tree should be ordered (along with the plane tree to replace the felled horse chestnut) and planted on the village green in place of a cherry tree which had been removed. This might be part of a future fruit trail. The Parish Council agreed with this suggestion. Clerk to confirm with Mr Rowlings.

107. Small Scale Environmental Scheme 2010/2011
No suggestions put forward.

108. The Poppy Appeal 2009 - request for donation (Section 137)
A donation of £100 was agreed. Clerk to action.

109. Alconbury Community Pre-School - request for donation (Section 137) (Mr Watson left the meeting for this agenda item)
Mr Senior outlined the activities of the Community Pre-School which was a registered charity. A donation of £150 was agreed. It was suggested that they might also ask Alconbury Weston for a donation.

110. Alconbury Services (formerly Truckstop)
Clerk reported that CCC Highways were not in favour of bollards and trees or planters on the verge at the top of Rusts Lane. They had given maintenance problems as their reason for rejection of these ideas. Clerk had informed Truckstop accordingly.

111. Field Close
Clerk reported that the fence around the area owned by The Highways Agency had been completed. Clerk to inform HDC.

112. The Youth Group/Quiz Night - Mrs Aylott
This was planned for 27th November - teams of up to 6 people. Liz Adams to be contacted for tickets.

113. Committee Reports
(a) Clerk's Infrastructure Report
Churchyard: nothing to report

Village Green: The cost of repairs to the heritage bridge were expected to be in the region of £10,000 - £12,000. The bridge would be closed during the repairs. CCC had recommended that the proposed temporary diversion route should be made permanent for all traffic with a gross vehicle weight in excess of 3 tonnes including buses. This news was welcomed by the Parish Council. Clerk to obtain a copy of the repair plans. It was also suggested that the ford should be permanently gated during repairs.

General: A water leak had been reported and repaired in The Maltings. Dead branches on the Elm trees in The Maltings had also been reported. Salt damage to the front wall of a house in Chapel Street had been reported to Highways by the householder. Further complaints had been received about dog fouling in Spinney Lane. On 31st October from 7-9pm, the church bells would be rung 'full circle' for the first time in 43 years.

(b) Planning Applications Received
0901234FUL - Extension to amenities building to provide additional toilet facilities. Provision of additional parking spaces for staff use - Truckstop - No observations.
0901261FUL - Erection of shed for storage of agricultural equipment and produce - land south of Lordsway Park Homes, High Street - No observations.

Planning Applications Determined by HDC Planning:
0901142FUL - Installation of canopy over courtyard and between 2 classrooms. Replacement of 3 windows and cladding to northern block of front elevation - Alconbury C of E Primary School - withdrawn

(c) Bramble End - Monthly inspection: Carried out by Mrs Williams. Bolts on the bottom of the swings needed tightening. Mr Senior to action.

Bramble End - Re-development :
The bid would go before the Board in December and the result would be known around 17th December. As the overall value of the bid had risen, HDC would be asked whether they could increase their contribution to meet 10% of the revised figure. Mr Watson to supply Clerk with necessary details, and Clerk to contact HDC accordingly.

114. Correspondence
Parish Electoral Review in Huntingdonshire - this review had now been concluded and a Statutory Instrument - The Huntingdonshire (Parishes) Order 2009 had been made coming into effect on 1st April 2010. Alconbury Parish Council will lose the section of the airbase currently in its Parish to The Stukeleys.

Core Strategy Adoption Statement - HDC had given notice that it had adopted the Core Strategy as a Development Plan Document on 23 September 2009.

Breach of Weight Restriction - Buckworth Road, Alconbury Weston - Barton Manor Developments Ltd had been fined for breach of weight restrictions through the village.

115. Responsible Finance Officer's Report
Cheques for signature:
Pipex Internet Oct 09 (paid by D/D) - £14.67
Demon Webhosting Oct. 09 (paid by D/D) - £11.50
Victim Support - donation (Section 137) - £100
Moore Stephens - Annual Audit - £327.75
Clerk's Salary October 09 - £494.10
Inland Revenue PAYE/NI - £454.67
Petty Cash Top Up - £33.25
Memorial Hall Rental - Youth Group - £97.75

Payments were proposed by Mr Hardy and seconded by Mrs Aylott

Cleared Balances:
C/A £2200.75
D/A £47943.34
Youth Group C/A £890.21
Ball Park Account £1496.79

116. Date of Next Meeting
24th November 2009 at 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall.

A meeting to discuss the Precept for 2010/2011 would be held on 10th November 209 at 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall.

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