Minutes Lands & Maintenance committee meeting 5 Apr 23

Wednesday 5 April 2023

Held in the Village Hall at 7.30 pm

Present: Cllr Nigel Denison (Chairman), Cllr Peter Mitchell, Cllr Mark Darwin, Steve Laux (co-opted member), Blake Edwards (co-opted member) and Roger Clements (Clerk)

1. Apologies for Absence
   1. All members were present.
2. Councillors Declarations of Interest not already declared under the Council’s Code of Conduct or members Register of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests
   1. No declarations were made.
3. Chairman’s report
   1. The Council’s finances had recovered from the initial outlay on cobbling work around the war memorial but an unbudgeted outlay of around £4k for tree felling was expected in May. Consequently, there would be little opportunity for fresh major initiatives in this financial year unless one or two grant submissions, made originally to the Hambleton District Council, were granted by the new North Yorkshire Council (NYC).
   2. A suggestion had been made that a tree be planted by the Council to mark the coronation of King Charles lll. No immediate site was yet identified but members were asked to put forward suggestions for possible action in the autumn.
4. Previous meeting minutes and Clerk’s report
   1. The minutes of the committee meeting on 1 Feb were noted.
   2. Clerk reported:
      1. The 2 silver lampposts in Main Street had been added to the NYC schedule for painting in black.
      2. An answer was awaited from NYC on whether addition streetlamps would be added north of Brafferton Manner when the 28 dwelling development was built beside the Boroughbridge Road.
      3. Drainage outside The Old Brewery – some maintenance had been observed and the drain now appeared to be flowing better.
      4. NYC had confirmed that Back Lane was classified as a 4b category road ‘serving limited numbers of properties carrying only access traffic’ and subject to a 12 monthly inspection regime. NYC concluded that it was correctly classified and no change in its standard of maintenance would occur.
      5. The Council had submitted to NYC an enquiry regarding the possible siting of a traffic mirror at the northern end of Back Lane. NYC’s reply: NYC does not support traffic mirrors in urban areas and only considers them in rural areas in certain conditions. Crucially, there would need to be a proven record of accidents related to poor visibility and high speeds. At present, there is no evidence available to further the case so the topic is placed in abeyance.
5. Public Forum
   1. A question was posed asking whether Thornton Bridge had a weight restriction. The answer was believed to be ‘no’ but a check will be made by the Clerk.
6. Improvements to the track from Bridge Street to St Peter’s Church lych gate – Chairman thanked Messrs Laux and Edwards for their preparation of a proposal to restore the track to an aggregate surface. Currently, the track from east to west comprises a tarmac stretch, a churned-up area supporting construction traffic to/from 8 Bridge Street and a grassed area running to the lych gate. Investigation suggests that the track below the grass was originally of aggregate. Liaison with the owners of 8 Bridge Street will be essential; how vehicles manoeuvre into and out of the new garage may influence the width of the track in this area. In advance of more detailed planning the following actions were agreed:
   1. Chairman to liaise with the PCC’s church architect on integrating any work on the track with work planned at St Peter’s.
   2. Clarity was needed on ownership of land and Land Registry boundary lines involving the Council, St Peter’s Church, 8 Bridge Street and NYC Highways. Clerk to research.
7. Working party to clear cobbled frontage to Helperby branch surgery – the work to be carried out on 8 Apr.
8. Fencing scheme for allotment gardens – Mr Laux proposed that allotment gardens should divided and, in certain locations, bounded by a common design of fencing. There was currently no council money available to fund a complete project; however, Council to be asked to consider funding a short stretch of fencing to assess its viability and to test allotment holders’ opinion on a full scheme.
9. Clearance of debris and the making safe of dilapidated building on allotment RR11 – although no major works can be undertaken on the building until the result a grant application is resolved, some site clearance should be carried out. Council to be asked to consider funding skip hire and setting up working party to begin site clearance in the summer.
10. Update/issue of the document on ‘how to look after your cobbles’ – Chairman read draft document and invited comments. A revised draft will be circulated to all members for comment.
11. Cobbles Project
    1. Progress report on cobbles re-laying around curtilage to War Memorial – the work was completed at the end of Feb and the approaches to the village hall were much improved.
12. Agenda items for the next meeting
    1. Lych gate track.
    2. ‘Cobbles Care’ document.
    3. The future for the western end of Bridge Street.
13. The next meeting date was confirmed as 5 July 23.