January 2021

01/21

ATTENDEES

Cllr H Thomas, Cllr B King, Cllr C Metcalf, Cllr D Levy, Cllr C Mathew, Cllr C Rylett & Clerk Mrs T Cameron plus 3 members of the public

02/21

APOLOGIES  

Cllr D Butlin & Cllr J Perrin

03/21

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Cllr Thomas re agenda item 16.3 or minutes 16/21.3

Cllr Metcalf – With regards to Lorries Turning in The Tennis

The Parish Council has made the public aware that the meeting is recorded for the clerk to type up the minutes later at home.

04/21

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL 

The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 3^rd December 2020 were approved

05/21

MATTERS ARISING

 a) Thames Valley Police Report – Two properties were broken into in Ashfield Close in Carterton during the early evening between 18:00 – 19:00 on 2^nd December.  Two men were seen leaving the incident.

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

 i) Neighbourhood Plan/Quote from Oneill Homer – Just waiting to hear back from Oneill Homer to confirm some evening dates for the Neighbourhood Planning Group to have their first meeting. It looks like to could be a Tuesday night. Tracey has resent the quote round. Cllr Thomas has brought up that it states that the payment of £2000 needs to be paid on acceptance and that the Parish Council do not have that money to pay out.  Tracey to check that the payment does not need to be paid until the Locality Grant is in place.

ii) Horsemere Lane/Cassington Lights – Tracey has just received an email from Cllr Mathew that she has yet to look at but apart from that she has had no reply from OCC.

iii) Lease for Playing Field – The lease has now been signed by the Sports and Social.  It needs to be signed by myself and Hugh and witnessed.

iv) Website – The company closed down for Christmas.  Tracey was going to email and chase them, but the schools have closed again, and she is home-schooling a few things have had to take a back seat, but she is hoping to email them this week.

v) Dog Fouling – Tracey emailed WODC to see if they could send out some new Dog Fouling signs as the ones that are around the village are very worn.  She has not heard anything back from them.

c) Previous Planning Application: –

APPLICATION NO: 20/01734/OUT

LOCATION: Land North of A40 Section from Barnard Gate To Eynsham Roundabout Eynsham
APPLICANT: Grosvenor Developments Ltd
DECISION: Under Consideration

APPLICATION NO: 20/02663/LBC – 20/02662/HHD
PROPOSAL: Erection of a new fully glazed conservatory to the rear elevation
LOCATION: Bell Cottage Bell Lane Cassington
APPLICANT: Mr Kevin Dunne
DECISION: Approved

APPLICATION NO: 20/02946/HHD
PROPOSAL: Erection of single storey rear extension and creation of first floor office above existing garage with addition of two dormer windows to front elevation.
LOCATION: 15 Hollow Furlong Cassington Witney
APPLICANT: Mr John Ashworth
DECISION: Pending Consideration

06/21

CORRESPONDENCE:

07/21

REPORTS FROM COUNTY, DISTRICT & PARISH COUNCILLORS:

County Councillor – Charles Mathew – The email that Cllr Mathew sent to the clerk is in fact a copy of an email that Cllr Mathew sent on 27^th November 2020.  The budget for OCC is 3.99%.  Cllr Mathew has advised that he has given £5,000 grant for laptops for home learning.  Cllr Thomas will speak to the Head Teacher at St Peters to find out if they know about this. There is a discussion on Tuesday for the Locality Board with regards to the Witney to Oxford Railway.  Cllr Mathew has spoken against the increase in the speed limits along the A40 from Dukes Cut for about half a mile. This unfortunately was pushed through. Cllr Mathew is in discussions with a director of Thames Water about the Sewer Flooding in the area, with regards to the lack of maintenance over the last 10-15 years and infrastructure investment.  They have 2 sets of lights one in Standlake and one along the B4449 near Eynsham. The outside Eynsham is due to the road subsiding and they have not repaired it so have put the tankers on the road. Cllr King has asked if there is anything that people can do about Thames Water?  Cllr Mathew advised that he has had 2 meetings with Robert Courts.  There is a bill coming up in the middle of January by Philip Dunn who is the MP for Ludlow to get an agreement in preventing sewerage being spilt into Englands waterways.  Cllr Mathew would ask anyone who feels strongly regarding this to write to Robert Courts as he has advised that he will be voting against the bill.  Also the Railway from Carterton, Witney, Eynsham to Yarnton estimate of cost would be £180 million. OCC are spending £245 million on the A40 and Park & Ride.  The Government have advised that they will give 75% up to £50,000 on a Feasibility Study. The only condition is that you get your Local MPs agreement which Robert Courts has refused to give. Cllr Thomas has brought up the issue of the road surfacing with regards to Williams Court.  Cllr Mathew has spoken to Andy Hicks and he has advised that the information that we have been give by Blenheim isn’t exactly correct.  Andy has advised that Blenheim are being quite difficult and not co-operating. OCC won’t do it at their expense.

A member of the public has also spoken to the person who was in charge of resurfacing the entrance to Williams Court and asked if they were going to do the rest and was told no and when asked why he replied that Blenheim are not prepared to pay the normal price that developers have to pay to County Council in order for it to be adopted.

 District Councillors – Cllr Levy – The Garden Village Area Action Plan has yet to go to the Inspectorate.  WODC is taking advice on how to best present it too the inspector in the expectation that Grosvenor will try to water down all the good things that are in there.  Thames Water have been offloading sewerage probably from Standlake to the pumping station in Eynsham through Cassington.  Cllr Levy was also approached by a member of WODC to see if he would back making the Cassington Allotments a Site of Community Interest.  He has agreed that it would be a great idea.

Cllr Rylett – Update on Dove House.  Planning are still working on it and are looking if they can get a Compliance Notice on one if the matters.

 Parish Councillors –

Cllr Metcalf – Traffic Calming – Tracey advised that we were going to get OCC to do a traffic survey but as we went into Tiers and then another lockdown it seemed pointless as there wouldn’t be nearly as many cars as there normally would be driving around the village. Cllr Mathew has advised that he seconded a motion that all 30mph should be 20mph in front of schools and it was passed.  OCC will be announcing their plans for this in the near future.  In the current budget there is £200,000 to help Parishes to pay the costs of changing the signage.  Cllr Mathew has suggested that we email Paul Wilson and ask if Cassington could be first in line when policy is passed.

War Memorial – Have we had our quotes through.  Tracey advised that we have only had 2 quotes through but will email James Mackintosh to find out where we are on the 3^rd quote.

On a separate note, Tracey received an email from English Heritage. They have now passed the application onto an Inspector to come and look at it and for them to decide if it should have a listed status. Tracey to put a note in CAWN to see if anyone has any information on the War Memorial that we could add to our application.

 Lorries in the Tennis – Cllr Metcalf has asked a colleague for some advice with regards to this matter. He advised that there were four lorries parked in Bell Lane and The Tennis.  Cllr Thomas advised that he saw a lorry with a trailer parked in The Tennis and Cllr Metcalf noted that he had seen a double articulated lorry reversing out of The Tennis into the yard opposite.

Cllr King – Cllr King advised that the pads and battery have been replaced in the defib and that she has been checking it weekly. Cllr Metcalf has asked if the defib has been registered with the ambulance service.  Cllr King advised that it has now been re-registered.  It was mentioned that perhaps it would be a good idea to mention it in CAWN so that people in the village know it’s there.

a) Neighbourhood Watch – There was no report from Neighbourhood Watch

08/21

CLIMATE CHANGE UPDATE

Cllr Thomas has spoken to a member of the Climate Change Group and they have a project with St Peters School.  The pond at the school is going to be dug out and re populated.  Various members of the village are also involved.

09/21

QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC:

A member of the village has asked if a note could go into CAWN to remind people of social distancing when they are out in the village on their walks, as people don’t seem to take notice if there isn’t a lot of room – Tracey to email CAWN and ask for it to be put in for the next issue.

10/21

DITCHES DRAINAGE AND FLOODING:

Cllr Thomas advised that the ditch between Jericho Farm and the sewerage works is still over grown and Kevin Jack has established that it is owned by Tony Brown and has spoken to him about clearing it – Tracey to email Kevin for an update.

11/21

MAINTENANCE/GRANTS: 

Please can people remember to things on fix my street on the WODC website.

12/21

TRAFFIC:

Speedwatch – This is currently on hold due the National Lockdown.

13/21

PLAY AREA/PLAY FIELD: 

Tracey had a Zoom meeting with Annabel from Proludic.  She has given us 2 quotes from and what she is planning to do is to go through all the quotes and make a little report for the Parish Council.

14/21

FINANCE 

Payments to be approved:

 Income:

15/21

PLANNING APPLICATIONS:

APPLICATION NO: MW.0122/20 – Oxfordshire County Council
PROPOSAL: Section 73 application for the continuation of the winning and working of sand and gravel with restoration using suitable imported materials to vary conditions 2, 3 and 6 of planning permission 19/02521/CM (MW.0111/19) in order to extend the period of extraction until 31st December 2021 and the time period for restoration until 31^st December 2023 to allow for sufficient time for the working of mineral from beneath the plant site and the revised restoration of the plant site at
LOCATION: Cassington Quarry, Cassington Road, Yarnton, OX29 4EB
APPLICANT: Hanson Quarry Products Europe Ltd
OBSERVATION DEADLINE: 22^nd January 2021

16/21

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

i) Rotary Club Donation – Last year we gave them £50 donation so it was decided that we should give them £50 donation this year as well.

ii) Clerk Hours Increase from 7 to 14 – Tracey advised that the 7 hours wasn’t enough for her to do all the work that is asked of here and that as she had been with the council for nearly 3 years, she doesn’t think that she has ever done 7 hours a week. Council agrees for the hours to be increased.  Tracey will check with the OALC on how to amend her contract.

iii) Tree outside Cllr Thomas house – Tracey has checked with the WODC website and found that none of the trees on the Green are under a TPO (Tree Preservation Order), however as it is in a Conservation Area planning permission will be needed in order to take the tree down. Tracey has had a few members of the village contact her asking if there are other options that we could look into rather than removing the tree completely.  The only thing that Tracey can suggest is that a Tree Inspector come out and look at the tree and give us a report on how big the tree will get and also where they think that the roots will go.

iv) Trees on the Playing Field – Last meeting we discussed about putting trees on the playing field to the left if your back is too the Pavilion.  Cllr Thomas has spoken to the Sports and Social and they have agreed to this as long as the trees are native to England. We have a quote for the delivery and planting of the trees, but we will need 2 more quotes.

A member of the village wanted pass on their thanks to Cllr Thomas and Cllr Butlin for their hard work with regards to the Christmas Tree.

17/21

Date of Next meeting:

Mid Monthly Planning Meeting – No mid-month meeting needed

Date of the next Parish Council Meeting – Thursday 4^th February @ 7.30pm via Zoom