April 2019 Minutes

Cllr H Thomas, Cllr B King, Cllr D Butlin, Cllr J Perrin, Cllr C Metcalf, Clerk Mrs T Cameron, Cllr P Kellend (WODC), Cllr C Mathew (OCC), and 1 member of the public

Cllr C Rylett (WODC),

No Declaration

The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 14^th March 2019 were approved.

At the end of 2018 Blenheim ended up having 660,000 paying customers.  A lot of that came from the Christmas Light Trail which started on 23^rd November and also for the first time the Cinderella theme inside the Palace which was received surprisingly well.  The target was to have 70,000 visitors in reality they had 75,000.  On 20^th December 2018 Blenheim purchased Pie Homes the regional developer.  Blenheim has already built 60 houses with Pye by Marlborough School about 2 years ago. The reason for the purchase was that Pye will be able to development on land that is not owned by Blenheim but it will also help with land owners agreeing to property developments on their land as they know that they can trust both Pie and also Blenheim.

In the year Blenheim handed over their first 7 truly affordable homes at 40% below the market rate which is about twice the discount that a local housing association would be able to achieve.  They plan to hand over a lot more during 2019. In Long Hanborough Blenheim are building 170 homes of which 60 are affordable. At the end of 2018 Blenheim started on another site in Woodstock.  The Oxfordshire Local Plan gave Blenheim 2 additional sites in Woodstock one right to the north near Chipping Norton for 120 houses and one on Green Road 180 houses.  These will be affordable home or split equity homes.

From 8^th July to 8^th September they are building Shakespeare Rose Theatre which is a recreation of Shakespeare Theatre and will be running matiness and evening performances of Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Mid Summers Nights Dream and Richard the Third.

Blenheim are seeking to draw in more multi day visitors as multi day visitors tend to spend on average 6 times more that a day tripper.

They expect to deliver 24 more truly affordable homes this year. Between Pie and Blenheim own construction company they hope to deliver 86 homes.  They are also building some commercial buildings in Witney.

On 3^rd April Blenheim launched the Oxford Pass along with Oxford Bus Company and Experience Oxford. It is a pass that you can buy for 48 hours and gives you discount into attractions in and around Oxford. Including the open bus tour and also Oxford Castle.

They are beginning their biggest restoration project to date £3.5 million including much more work on the Great Lake and Grand Bridges getting ready for 2020.  At the moment they are restoring the western quadrant of the Great Courtyard. They have just finished reguilding the north gates. They are just about to start Flagstaff Gates. Early 2020 Blenheim start on the restoration of the Chapel. Sadly, the alter is falling down into the crypt.

For the houses that are being built in Cassington.  The first 3 plots are expected to be finished by mid-June.  Plots 4 & 5 by the end of June. Plots 6-10 by the end of July.

a) Thames Valley Police Report – notifications of incidents in Cassington

Arson Eddington Square Witney

Over the past few weeks both the Police and the fire have been called to the wooded area at the back of the shops on Eddington Square, Dear Park, Witney. A group of teenage Males have been cutting down very large trees, building dens, and lighting bonfires. If you see any youths in the area either cutting the trees of starting fires then please call 101 and quote URN 1336 30/03/19 this needs to be stopped as a matter of urgency.

b) Report from the Clerk on actions from the last meeting –

i) War Memorial – The grant has now been received from the War Memorial Trust. James Mackintosh who was the architect on the project would like to use the War Memorial on his website.  He has taken pictures on the before and after.  Cllr Thomas has asked that we ask him to reword it to advise that the Parish Council also paid for part of the project not just the War Memorial Trust.  James has asked for a comment from the Parish Council.  Cllr Thomas feels that it would be better if Tracey made the comment as she has had more to do with the project than the rest of the Parish Councillors.

ii) Previous Planning Application –

APPLICATION NO: 19/00469/HHD

PROPOSAL: External alterations to the fenestration of the main dwelling and the erection of any alterations to the annex and the garage (part retrospective)

LOCATION: 61 Eynsham Road, Cassington, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX29 4DJ

VALIDATED: Mon 04 March 2019

STATUS: Under Consideration

iii) Housing Needs Survey – Tracey has contacted Tom McCulloch for him to do a draft Housing Needs survey.  This will be available for the next Parish Council Meeting.

iv) Playground Equipment – Tracey contacted Carterton, Eynsham, Woodstock Council Clerks to see what sort of maintenance they had for their zip wires and how much it had cost.  Carterton advised that since their zip wire was installed in 2011, they have spent approx. £3500 on maintenance.  The others advised that they occasionally need to have the wire tightened.  They use a company call TLC to do the works. Cllr Thomas has advised that we do not have the money in our budget to spend on the maintenance of the new sports equipment.  We have advised WODC that there will be new play equipment for them to check.  But it will need to be the Sport and Social that will need to pay for any maintenance and insurance of the new equipment.  The Parish Council is not happy to order the equipment until this is sorted out.  We still don’t have confirmation of the WODC grant.

v) GDPR Retention Policy for the Pavilion – Tracey found some retention policies on the internet for the Pavilion due to the CCTV being installed.  Graham Mills who is installing the CCTV thinks that he knows a way that whatever has been recorded can be wiped after a week. Which would comply with the GDPR.

vi) Accountancy Package – Tracey has been in touch with the company and they have booked in for a slot in June for someone to come and sit down with Tracey and set up the package that we have chosen.  It’s ok for this as we are still running our end of year accounts.

vii) A40 Cassington Junction Traffic Lights – Tracey emailed WODC and advised them that the traffic lights are not completely synched at the Cassington junction you can only get to the middle before you have to press the button and wait again.  This is proving quite dangerous for people with small children crossing the road as lorries drive past a fast rate.  WODC came back advising that as there is be a new bus lane this is in the works but cannot give me a specific time.

c) Playing Field – Sports Pavilion Improvements – Cllr Thomas has advised that this is running well.  Cllr Butlin has been at the Pavilion decorating.  The plumber has been in and installed a new water cylinder and showers.  The electrician has been in and changed the lights.  A carpenter has installed new doors.  On Monday there will be new flooring installed in the changing rooms, showers, hallway and toilets. We are working towards June 15^th for the opening ceremony.  A skip will be delivered so that all the rubbish can be cleared out.  The all that needs doing is the roof re insulating.

d) Request for Headstones by Banbury Memorial – None

e) Manor Farm – This seems to be moving along well. As advised by Dominic Hare they are hoping to get phase one done by the middle of June.  Some of the roofs are having slates put on so the scaffolding will be taken down shortly.  We had a complaint by a resident that there was a lot of dust and fumes.  Cllr Thomas spoke to Lester and he went around to the person concerned.  Blenheim did promise that they would clean the windows of some of the residents due to the work and this looks like it hasn’t been done.  But Cllr Thomas is hoping that will move them along abit.

f) Horsemere Lane Closure/Freedom of Information Request – The Council had a Freedom of Information Act request.  Which has been very time consuming for Tracey. She has been trying to answer all the questions that have been asked and has advised the person who has made the request the best that she can with all the information that she has at hand to provide.  She has also advised them to contact OCC with regards to other points as the information is not held by the Parish Council. Cllr Metcalf has also done some investigating on the act with regards to what we need to do and how we should progress.

Cllr Thomas has asked if the Parish Council are in agreement that we write to OCC with regards to the A40 entrance to Cassington stating that if the road is closed that there needs to be a slip road and new light sequencing. Due to the flow of traffic that will be coming through the village.

No Correspondence

a) Charles Mathew – County have put in a new hip bid £1.5 million.  This is for a dual carriageway from Farm Gate to the park and ride roundabout and widening some of the bridges along the A40 and also the bus lane coming the other way. Cllr Mathew has a meeting with the Chief Executive with regards to the A40.

b) Peter Kellend – In Bicester they have combined 4 small doctor practices to form one CCG.  Eynsham doctors surgery also works with the CCG.  Cllr Kellend has advised Eynsham Parish Council that they need to work out the parking for the doctors with the new garden village.

c) Parish Councillors – Cllr Thomas advised that he had attended Worton Liaison Committee meeting.  Hansons are going to start digging gravel again. Where the old wash site was.  There are about 150000 tonnes of gravel that they want to dig but once this is done, they have no plans to dig anymore.  Cllr Mathew advised that there is a 2-year delay on the Flood Alleviation Plan.

Cllr Thomas also made a comment with regards to M & M Skips planning application that has gone to the planning inspectorate on appeal as they would like to store their skip in their yard but they have been told they cannot.  If M&M cannot store the skips on site they will need to store them somewhere else which would waste time as they will be going to and from the site where the skips are kept.

Agravert have been brought out by Southern Trent.

c) Neighbourhood Watch – Cllr Perrin advised that they had a CFG meeting in Eynsham on Monday 8^th April. One of the Parish Councillors in Eynsham was upset by the amount of the children that are there taking drugs.  However, Inspector Hookam of Thames Valley Police advised that they are after the people that are dealing the drugs.

With regards to the Neighbourhood Watch cold calling area.  Cllr Perrin is working towards getting the yellow stickers from trading standards to give out to the village.  So that they can be put on their doors to stop people cold calling.

Cllr Perrin spoke about the break in that she had at her property.  The people were arrested.  She was advised that they are a massive group of organised crime.  They are based north of Birmingham.  They also believe that they are in charge of the Nottingham Knockers. They drop groups of 4 people in the area.  Three of them go and rob sheds and garages.  One stays in a car.  They hide the goods.  Then the person in the car drives round and collects the stolen goods.

Cllr Butlin spoke to his son with regards to strengthen the bench that is to go outside the pub and thinks that it only needs a few struts to make it more solid.

He also looked at the noticeboard by the Village Hall.  He advised that it would it’s not going to be easy to fix but could make a new one for £450.

The owner of the pub wondered if the old bench could be refurbished instead of installing a new one as she doesn’t want the responsibility if anything where to happen if someone sits on it.

The Parish Council are going to suggest that they move the bench that was to go outside the pub to somewhere else in the village. Maybe up by the Pavilion.

c) Speedwatch – This will begin again soon.  Will be starting again in the summer

A member of the public noticed that there have been people are using the hatchings and not staying on the side.  They have asked if there is any chance that there could be cameras installed.  Due to the A40 bus lane the Parish Council don’t think that there was anything that WODC would do.

They also brought up that there are people using the garages as a toilet and they have noticed that groups of young people meet up and go behind there.

Cllr Thomas is still working on his letter to OFWHAT re the issue with the pipes and the flooding of the village.

Can people please look at using the Fix My Street section on the WODC website before they contact the Parish Council.

a)    Payments:

b) Income:

Reynolds Farm have been advised that they need to apply for planning permission for the building works that he has already done. It has also changed its name to Dove House.  So planning  waiting for his application.  The Parish Council are waiting for the planning application to come through and will then look at it as part Cassington is in a conservation area.  Tracey is to write to the Planning Office at WODC to advise that the Parish Council would like to know what is being done in reference to Dove House.

i) Scoping Option for new Eynsham Park & Ride – The Parish Councils opinion is that it would cause more issues on the A40.

ii) Bus Stops in Cassington – We were asked if we needed new bus shelters and also the Parish Council would receive the money from the advertising

iii) Stile at entrance to the public footpath on Bell Lane – Cllr Butlin looked at it and one post was broken.  Which needs mending.

iv) Bird Scarcer – Re the complaint.  Tracey spoke to the owners and was advised that it is light sensitive and they cannot do anything about it.  However no more complaints have been made.

v) Lease on the recreation ground – Tracey and Cllr Thomas have both been working on the lease.  Tracey is in touch with the solicitor.

vi) Community Payback Scheme – Cllr Thomas will reply

vii) Insurance Quote through Came & Company – As the Parish Council now does the Christmas Event we will need to mention this.

Mid-Month Planning meeting on 16^th April 2019 8pm at the Chequers

This was agreed for Thursday 2^nd May 2019 at St Peters School

Parish Council Annual Meeting Thursday 9^th May 2019 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall