Present:
Mr Senior (Chair), Mrs Aylott, Mr Brown, Mrs Dyer, Mr Hardy, Mrs Elphick, Mrs Watkin and Mr Watson. County Councillor Peter Brown and District Councillor Keith Baker. Mrs Lancey (Clerk). 9 members of the public. These included members from both Stukeley and Buckworth Parish Councils.

Public Forum
Mr Hodgson requested that the Parish Council should write to TSA, a company whose vehicles were constantly parked at the old Truckstop site. The future of the site was discussed, but Mr. Senior said that the Parish Council were unable to comment before any formal planning application had been received.

Complaints were made about parking in the Manor Lane/Field Close area. Clerk to contact PCSOs. The public were also urged to call the police when they became aware of any illegal parking.

Mrs Bacon complained about HGVs parking on the slip road and using it as a lay-by near Top Farm which caused severe visibility problems when leaving the entrance to her residence. Clerk to contact PCSOs and the public were again urged to contact the police with any complaints.

37. Apologies for Absence
Apologies received from Mrs Adams, Mrs Hathaway, Mrs Williams and County Councillor Laine Kadic.

38. Councillors' Declaration of Interest for items on the Agenda
None recorded.

39. To sign and approve minutes of previous meeting held on 24th June 2008. Proposed by Mrs Aylott and seconded by Mr Watson. Minutes duly approved and signed.

40. Committee Reports
(a) Planning Applications Received
0801867FUL Temporary use of existing buildings for employment (B1, B2 and B8) – Alconbury Airfield
Mr Senior welcomed Ms. Louise Platt and Mr Andy Moffat of HDC’s Planning Department who had joined the meeting to observe public opinion and to assist with any matters of clarification with this application. He also relaxed Standing Orders for this agenda item.

Mr Watson outlined the current situation on the airbase and then expressed the Parish Council’s concerns about the renewal of this application. The general public were then invited to join the debate. Everyone expressed their concerns about the traffic impact, the visual impact (including light pollution), the noise and hours of operation on the site, the ecological impact of the application, and the lack of adherence to planning conditions by ADL and the lack of monitoring the site by HDC to ensure compliance with any conditions. After lengthy discussion representatives from HDC left the meeting and the Parish Council consolidated it’s official response which is attached to these minutes. Clerk to respond accordingly.

Applications Determined by HDC
0800572FUL - Erection of 2 storey extension – land adjacent 1, Globe Lane – permission granted.
08016181LBC - Repairs to boundary wall, Manor Farm, Church Way – permission granted

(b) Clerk’s Infrastructure Report
Churchyard: Nothing to report.

Village Green: The footbridge at the ford end of the village was in need of painting.
The Environment Agency should be asked whether a reed cut would be carried out this year.

General: Parish Council had been made aware of several recent burglaries in the village.
Complaint received about poor lighting between Alconbury and Alconbury Weston and in Polecat Lane. With the extension to the ASSC nearing completion it was considered important to address the resulting problem of both speeding and lighting between the two villages. Clerk to action.
Hedge on the corner of Mill Road had been trimmed
Peter Rowlings had carried out pruning to trees on the green and along the Great North Road near the ASSC.
The interactive speed signs along the Great North Road still needed some adjustment. Clerk to action.
Street sign at the junction of Mill Road and High Street was in need of attention, along with other signs in the village. Clerk to action.

(c) Bramble End
Mr Watson reported that little progress had been made with the plans for enhancing the play area. The formation of a working party was discussed. It was agreed this, along with possible funding sources, should be an agenda item for October.
Clerk reported that notices concerning dog fouling and litter had been delivered to all households in the area and that PCSOs had been made aware. Stickers re. dog fouling had been obtained for the area. The provision of a further waste bin and emptying it would be looked into further.

41. The Post Office (Discussed with item 47 – PO Closures Meeting)
The Parish Council were pleased to report that the Alconbury Post Office was not included on the recent government list of 2,500 closures. However, Mrs Dyer reported from the recently attended Post Office Closures meeting, that should any one of those Post Offices on the closure list be able to make a good enough case to stay open, then another one must be closed in its place. Seven offices are due to close in the area, notably on the B660 from Catworth to Ramsey St. Marys. All but Great Stukeley would be given some outreach service. The only business owned by the Post Office is that of postal orders. All other transactions have to be bid for, and if the Post Office in general has not managed to become profitable by 2012, then another round of closures could apply.

42. Proposed Community Orchard
Letter received from the owner of the land on Mill Road expressing his general approval of the idea of a community orchard. It was agreed that the Clerk should write to the owner informing him that the Parish Council wished to have the land in question valued.

43. Field Close – update from Clerk
Clerk was still pursuing the Highways Agency for the appropriate point of contact concerning the maintenance of this land.

44. Resources and Management Group - update from Mrs Watkin
Clerk confirmed that groups wishing to hold events on the village green should contact the Parish Council for permission. She also confirmed that she had obtained details of insurance policies held by the different organisations in the village such as Neighbourhood Watch and the ASSC.

At their recent meeting the group had discussed the role of the Chair and the level of commitment required in this position. The importance of the role of Vice Chair and its support for the Chair was also discussed. All those who had been in the position of Chair had unanimously agreed that one of the most difficult aspects of controlling meetings was the habit of Councillors talking amongst themselves, and this must not be allowed to continue. The meeting had accepted that Chairs were replaced by a personal approach from Councillors. It was decided that the election of Vice Chairs might be discussed further at a later date. It had also been agreed that the Parish Council had a good balance of Councillors, all of whom took part in discussion. The next meeting would cover the role of the Councillor as an individual.

45. The Clerk’s Appraisal - update from Mrs Watkin
The appraisal had been carried out by Mrs Watkin and Mr Senior on 9th July 2008. The session had begun with the recognition of the quality of the work carried out by the Clerk on the Council’s behalf. Outstanding tasks had been deadlined. The problem of Councillors not replying to e-mails had been highlighted. Clerk to ask for replies where appropriate e.g. the request for agenda items. It had been suggested that a mobile phone should be purchased instead of the Clerk using her domestic line. Mr. Senior to look into this. This would also have the advantage that during a time of absence the phone could be passed to a Councillor. It was appreciated that the Clerk was working more hours that she was currently paid for. This should be an agenda item for the August meeting.

46. Meeting on Speeding Issues - report from Mrs Aylott
Alconbury was the only Council to attend this meeting at the Stukeleys. The use of hand held speed guns by residents had been discussed, known as Speedwatch. This service has to be organised by the Neighbourhood Panel. One set of equipment would cost approx. £5000 and would be passed between participating villages. Details of vehicles travelling at 37 mph and above in a 30 mph limit would be fed back to the Police and logged and offenders would receive an advisory letter. No firm decision on the way forward had been reached.

47. Post Office Closures Meeting - See Agenda Item 41 above.

49. The Bi-monthly Newsletter
Suggestions for the next newsletter included the new noticeboards, recent burglaries with advice to residents, bad parking in the village, the desirability of keeping tidy gardens and an update on the opening of the major scheme at the ASSC. Suggestions for future improvements in the village might also be sought. Copy deadline 16th August with distribution date at the beginning of September.

50. Correspondence
Local Development Framework: Core Strategy: Submission – circulated to Planning Committee. No further comment to be made.
Road Closure Notification in event of flooding – notification how the Environment Agency provides information to Highways and Police in the event of flooding, and that the decision on whether to close a road will be made by Highways or the Police and is not within the remit of the Environment Agency.
CPALC Autumn Training Schedule and July Update – circulated to all.
Parish Charter for Huntingdonshire – as only a minority of towns and parishes were interested in this idea and because the devolution of service could lead to a fragmented and more expensive service for residents as a whole, a Charter would not be pursued.
Huntingdonshire Flood Forum – 15th October 2008. Mrs Elphick to attend. Questions to be discussed at August meeting.
Letter of thanks for donation from 1st Alconbury Brownies.
1st Alconbury Guides – it was agreed that representatives should attend the August meeting to discuss funding.
'Time Inspired' – it was agreed that representatives should attend the August meeting to give a short presentation.
Cambs. ACRE Conference on community-based solutions for rural services – 25th September 2008. Mrs Watkin to attend.

51. Responsible Finance Officer’s Report
Cheques for signature:
Alconbury Cricket Club – donation (Section 137) - £500
Pipex Internet (July 08) - £14.99
Grafton Projects – Newsletter - £120.17
Demon – web hosting (May) - £11.75
Demon – web hosting (July) - £11.75
Alan Summerfield – grass cutting - £3172.50 (Please note there was an error on the agenda as the amount shown did not include VAT)
Global Tree Solutions – treework on Brookside - £346.63
Clerk’s Salary July 2008 - £365.78
Petty Cash Top Up - £28.28

Payments were proposed by Mrs Watkin and seconded by Mrs Aylott
Cleared Balances: C/A £18,200.15. D/A £13,936.69 Y/G £1909.39.

52. Date of Next Meeting – 26th August 2008 in the Memorial Hall.

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