Westleigh Parish Council Meeting Minutes
Wednesday 6th September, 7pm, at the Village Hall
Attendees – Cllrs Chris Heard (Vice-
Apologies -
1. Min 45 23/24 – Opening of the meeting at 7pm – all welcomed by the Vice-
2. Min 46 23/24 – Declarations of Interest – none declared
3. Min 47 23/24 – Confirmation of the Minutes from July 7th – confirmed unanimously
4. Min 48 23/24 – Matters arising – 1) Green Bin lorry update (see Ward Report, minute 7), and Collete Hall update. Nothing received from NDC (Collete Hall), Clerk to follow up
5. Min 49 23/24 – Correspondence – 1) An email from Xlinks Morocco-
6. Min 35 23/24 – Public session – the Chairman introduced the session by welcoming the attending Parishioners, and asked for questions. The proposed development by Christie Estates was raised, to which the Clerk responded that he had had a reply to a query he had made, which indicated that planning permission submission, was now likely to be sometime in October. He also reassured the meeting that (as was already happening) any correspondence he received regarding the proposal, would be immediately forwarded to Brian Lees and Sara Cheesman to forward on. Brian Lees stated that he hoped Villagers were already preparing their comments and objections ready for when the planning application was submitted.
7. Min 36 23/24 – County & Ward reports – DCCllr Biederman sent his apologies, and in a reply to a question raised by the Clerk via email regarding the monies from the Solar Farm, answered that he had heard nothing, and no activity regarding it had been noted. He was attending Lovacott PC meeting next week, and would chase again. He suggested that it might be a good idea to get the Parishes together for a meeting to discuss. NDCllr Renshaw, over the course of the meeting, updated the Council on the ‘Green Bin Lorry’ suggestion, that the Lorry could reverse down to the defibrillation point, and collect green bins there. Apparently, NDC say the lorry is too big to reverse down, which the Council disputed, saying that the Westleigh Inn delivery lorries were of a similar size, and they had no problem! NDCllr Renshaw promised to raise this again, and aim for a site meeting with NDC and the Parish Council. She also promised to follow up the Solar Panel monies in conjunction with DCCllr Biederman, and also informed the meeting that she had some monies available for a grant to WPC, should it be needed to cover a potential overspend on the ‘Investment in Nature’ project.
8. Min 37 23/24 – Finance. Retrospective agreement for payment to Orbis (£1105.09), Jez Harris £100 for August maintenance, Westleigh Cricket Club £250 (as agreed at the July meeting), Monthly payment of £20 for website maintenance, £45 reimbursement for room hire, Clerk’s hours increase to 5 per week (Finance Committee needs Council retrospective agreement), backdated to July 2023. All agreed unanimously.
9. Min 38 23/24 – Environmental update on the Investment in Nature Grant. All wildlife habitat items items had now been ordered as a start on the project, and Cllr Burgess informed the meeting that at a meeting on the 26th August, most had been allocated/distributed to those who had responded. She also informed the meeting that an update had been emailed out that evening, but not in time for the meeting. It should be noted that Cllr Burgess has spent a lot of time on this project, and the Council (and Parish) appreciate her commitment. A slight miscalculation on the grant application had been missed by those who were involved in its submission, and by NDC, which could mean an overspend, and a WPC financial liability. It was felt best to wait until the Chairman’s return from holiday (as the person in overall control of the financial aspects of the grant) before any further decisions are made, or orders placed.
10. Min 39 23/24 – TTEF update. As the next meeting is over 6 weeks away, there will be no report forthcoming until after that meeting has been held.
11. Min 40 23/24 – Planning update. The Clerk had been in contact with Tapeley regarding any updates, and had circulated the reply to all Councillors, Brian Lees, and Sara Cheesman, which basically says that the application is now likely to be made sometime in October. Application No 76295 for a young stock enclosure was agreed, and has subsequently been approved, and the enlargement of Myrtle Cottage was received with a sigh of relief by the majority of the Council, that in fact something was at last being done.
12. Min 41 23/24 – Next meeting is Wednesday 4th October, 7pm at the Village Hall