Documents

January 2023 Minutes

Minutes 2023 Uploaded on January 10, 2023

CASSINGTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of Cassington Parish Council Meeting at 7.30pm on Thursday 5th January 2023 in the Village Hall, The Green. 

  1. Attendance
  1. Apologies
  1. Declarations of interest

(Any pecuniary interests should be declared also a review of current declarations of interests circulated)

  1. Minutes of the previous meeting held on 1st December 2022
  1. Report from Clerk
  • Dog Waste Bins
  • Proludic Maintenance Contract
  • 20mph Limit
  • Balfour Beatty
  • St Peters Close Sign
  • Yew Tree in the Closed Burial Ground
  1. Planning

Previous Planning Application Decisions

APPLICATION

NO:

LOCATION: PROPOSAL: APPLICANT: DECISION:
20/01734/OUT Land North of A40 Section from Barnard Gate To Eynsham Roundabout Eynsham   Grosvenor Developments Ltd UNDER

CONSIDERATION

R3.0034/21 A40 Request for Scoping Opinion for the proposed A40 Smart Corridor works, i) Dualling of a 3.2km section of the A40 between the Hill Farm Junction to the proposed Eynsham Park and Ride and upgrade to shared path on northern verge, ii) widening of existing carriageway to provide dedicated eastbound and westbound priority bus lanes along 6.5km section between proposed Park and Ride and Duke’s Cut iii) capacity and connectively improvements over three bridges and a culvert at Dukes Cut to enable eastbound bus lane over the bridges Oxfordshire County Council AWAITING DECISION
R3.0151/21 A40 Planning application seeking full planning permission for: • The dualling of approximately 3.2km of the A40 carriageway from the existing Hill Farm junction at Witney to the Eynsham Park and Ride site (R3.0057/19) including the construction of two new roundabouts. • An eastbound and westbound bus lane approximately 6.5km in length from the Eynsham Park and Ride site to existing structures at Duke’s Cut waterway (Duke’s Cut Canal Bridge, Earl’s Culvert, Wolvercote Railway Bridge and Wolvercote Canal Bridge); • Capacity and connectivity improvements over the existing structures at Duke’s Cut waterway to enable the proposed eastbound bus lane to extend over the existing structures up to the A34 flyover in the east, forming a connection into Oxford North (Northern Gateway) strategic development site; • Construction of a new signalized junction to the Eynsham Park and Ride site; • New pedestrian/cyclist underpass at Cuckoo Lane (‘the Eynsham Underpass’). Two new pedestrian/cycle bridges at Cassington Halt (Cassington Halt Footbridge North and Cassington Halt Footbridge South); • Widening of Cassington New Bridge; • Demolition and replacement/extension of existing White House Culvert; • Demolition and replacement/extension of Barnard Gate New Culvert; • New and improved shared use footways and cycleways, including new shared use links to National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 5 at Duke’s Cut waterway; • Alterations to existing junctions and property accesses along the A40; • Controlled crossings, external lighting, noise barriers, sustainable drainage systems, landscaping, habitat creation including ecology ponds and associated hibernacula; and • All associated engineering and temporary construction works, site compound and storage areas Oxfordshire County Council AWAITING DECISION
22/02137/HHD The Granary Jericho Farm Worton Proposed basement extension, replace existing timber framed windows and doors with new double glazed metal framed windows and doors, change one of the south facing ground floor windows to a door set and raise adjoining windows. The west facing old diary wing elevation, to have timber cladding finish in-between French doors replaced with a natural Cotswold stone finish (previously approved (21/03845/HHD) Mr And Mrs Ivanovic UNDER CONSIDERATION
R3.0151/21 A40 Notice of Submission of Further Information in relation to Application for Planning Permission Accompanied by an Environmental Statement (Regulation 25 of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 as Amended)

Planning application seeking full planning permission for: • The dualling of approximately 3.2km of the A40 carriageway from the existing Hill Farm junction at Witney to the Eynsham Park and Ride site (R3.0057/19) including the construction of two new roundabouts. • An eastbound and westbound bus lane approximately 6.5km in length from the Eynsham Park and Ride site to existing structures at Duke’s Cut waterway (Duke’s Cut Canal Bridge, Earl’s Culvert, Wolvercote Railway Bridge and Wolvercote Canal Bridge); • Capacity and connectivity improvements over the existing structures at Duke’s Cut waterway to enable the proposed eastbound bus lane to extend over the existing structures up to the A34 flyover in the east, forming a connection into Oxford North (Northern Gateway) strategic development site; • Construction of a new signalised junction to the Eynsham Park and Ride site; • New pedestrian/cyclist underpass at Cuckoo Lane (‘the Eynsham Underpass’). Two new pedestrian/cycle bridges at Cassington Halt (Cassington Halt Footbridge North and Cassington Halt Footbridge South); • Widening of Cassington New Bridge; • Demolition and replacement/extension of existing White House Culvert; • Demolition and replacement/extension of Barnard Gate New Culvert; • New and improved shared use footways and cycleways, including new shared use links to National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 5 at Duke’s Cut waterway; • Alterations to existing junctions and property accesses along the A40; • Controlled crossings, external lighting, noise barriers, sustainable drainage systems, landscaping, habitat creation including ecology ponds and associated hibernacula; and • All associated engineering and temporary construction works, site compound and storage areas

OCC UNDER CONSIDERATION

 New Planning Applications

APPLICATION NO: PROPOSAL: LOCATION: APPLICANT: COMMENT DATE:
R3.0164/22 Details pursuant to condition 36 (Lighting Details) of planning permission 19/01095/ADJ and 19/01725/CC3REG (R3.0057/19) Land West of Cuckoo lane and adjacent to the A40, Eynsham, West Oxfordshire, OX29 4PU OCC 14th January 2022

Botley Solar Farm

  1. Correspondence
  1. Reports from County and District & Parish Councillors

County Councillor – Dan Levy

HIF2

As you will have seen, the likely cost of the HIF2 A40 scheme is now judged to have exceeded the funding from Homes England, because of the high level of inflation. The scheme has therefore been paused to be reviewed.

I spoke at Cabinet in November to call for the review to be thorough, and to retain those parts of the scheme which add most value. I followed up with a question to the cabinet member at the subsequent cabinet meeting to try to ensure that there was full consultation on any changes to the proposals. It was predicable from the start to everyone apart from the previous administration that the scheme would cost more than planned and that the benefits are difficult to be confident about, and my predecessor as your County Councillor, Charles Mathew, and I were united in our position on the scheme.

It is likely that the review will report back to Cabinet by March 2023.

Botley West Solar Farm

I would not expect great involvement from the County Council on the unwelcome proposal. It should get asked about highways issues, and potentially on any flooding risk. WODC (and VOWH and Cherwell DCs) will be a consultee, and WODC has explained how it will go about this duty. The scheme will be assessed by central government rather than through the normal planning process, because of its scale.

Oxford traffic filters

There continues to be lots of misinformation about the proposed traffic filters. As a reminder, everywhere that currently can be driven to will continue to be accessibly by car, although we are keen that as many people use public transport or active travel as they can. The proposals are designed to make active travel safer and bus travel quicker. There is no “climate lockdown”.

Botley Road closure at the station.

Having told the County Council, bus companies and residents that the road would be closed from about now till December, National Rail subsequently decided they were not ready to commence the work and withdrew the closure. We await their latest plans. It hasn’t been impressive from NR to date. At the end of it, we will have a much improved station, room for new services, including the one to Milton Keynes, and that will be good.

A40 bike lanes.

Those of you who use bikes to get to Oxford will have noticed that the appalling chicane at Oxford North, on the south side of the A40, which was dangerous, inconvenient and entirely unnecessary, has now been removed. It should not have been built.

 Reduced bus fares:

For 3 months (Jan-Mar), bus passengers can enjoy a £2 cap on bus fares. Paid for by a government scheme, fares with participating bus firms will cost a maximum of £2 per adult single fare (includes Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel). Concessions are unaffected and school services are excluded. I appreciate that, until the new bus stops at the bottom of Horsemere Lane are built as part of the A40 reworking, getting to the bus is a pain for many people in Cassington, but it would be good for people to give it a go.

 Thames Water.

Anti-sewage motion passes and water summit: A Lib Dem motion at Full Council in December condemning the practice of dumping sewage into waterways passed with near unanimity. Over the Christmas period, Thames Water released raw sewage 6 times into Oxfordshire rivers. The annual cold water swim at Port Meadow, just downstream from Cassington Sewage Treatment Works, had to be cancelled. A water summit in December also looked at challenges facing water supply and demand in Oxfordshire.

 Electoral boundaries.

Cassington, along with the rest of the Eynsham, Cassington and South Leigh district council ward, will be in the new Bicester and Woodstock parliamentary constituency which will come into being at the next election, providing that happens after June this year. Until then, we remain within Witney, with Robert Courts as MP. The Lib Dems have chosen Charlie Maynard as parliamentary candidate for Witney for the next election, whenever it is.

The Boundary Commission is also looking at Oxfordshire County Council, and looking to make changes to ensure that each division is roughly the same size, following the large expansion in the population of the county. This process will happen throughout the year, with public consultation as part of the process. At the moment, the county council has determined that it will recommend the continuation of single member divisions, and an increase in the number of seats to 69 (from 63). This got cross party support. The next step is to sketch out possible new divisions.

District Councillors

Parish Councillors

  1. Ditches, Drainage and Flooding
  1. Maintenance/ Grants
  1. Traffic
  • Speed Watch
  1. Play Area & Recreation Ground
  1. Finance

Payments to be approved:

Individual/Company Reason Amount
Tracey Cameron Clerk Pay S/O paid £768.15

Extra to be £187.74

HMRC Tax & National Insurance £37.92
O’Neill Homer Neighbourhood Plan £1560.00

Income:

Individual/Company Reason Amount
     

Balance of Unity Bank as of Sunday 1st January 2023 – £13,145.04

Move Reserves from Nationwide to Unity Bank

  1. Any other business:
  1. Questions from the Public
  2. Date of next meeting: 2nd February 2023 @ 7.30pm in The Village Hall