Minutes of remote Lands & Maintenance committee meeting 13 Jan 21

Wednesday 13 January 21

Held remotely at 7.30 pm

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

1. Apologies for Absence
   1. The Chairman was pleased to see all members present and welcomed John Featherstone as the newly co-opted member.
2. To receive any 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. Public Forum
   1. No points were raised.
4. Arrangements for Main Street tree planting – all was ready for planting of 5 trees at the end of January. Exact locations would be confirmed with input from those householders adjacent to each tree.
5. ‘Balsam Bashing’ plan for 2021 – Himalayan balsam was an invasive species and a plan to eradicate it on council land was discussed. Eradication was thought difficult but a 90% reduction was thought possible over a period of a few years through strimming and pulling out at the roots. John F to produce the scheme, with a plan of affected areas, and a provisional start date of 22 May. Clerk to liaise with Helperby Estate to seek a co-ordinated approach.
6. Cobbles Re-Instatement Plan
   1. Update on photogrammetry project – covid restrictions have slowed progress but a re-start will begin as soon as conditions allow (the cobbles need to be dry). Additional photographers will be recruited and work will progress on a property-by-property basis.
   2. Priority areas for renovation – experience gained showed how labour intensive the work is; local volunteers can undertake small scale repairs but contractors are likely to be required for larger areas. The area around the war memorial/access to the village hall remains the top priority.
   3. Plan for the delivery of repairs – a prioritised list of small areas for repair will be produced by Cllr Denison and Steve L for discussion at the next meeting. A list of approved contractors (ideally up to three) will be formed, each to be provided, by the Council, with a re-laying scheme specifying technique and materials against which their quotations may be calculated; during each contract the Council will appoint an individual to monitor progress against the scheme.
   4. Maintenance requirements and costs for cobbles including street cleaning and weeding – trials would be needed for selection of hired street sweeping and weeding machinery. Chemical methods for weeding would be avoided and a steam weed-suppression machine from Task-it, Harrogate will be trialled in the spring. Costs at present unknown but thought to in the order of £150/£300 per hire for both sweeping and weeding machinery. Steve L to produce a draft Cobbles Care leaflet for householders for discussion at the next meeting. Cllr Denison to research grants for young people to train in cobble laying with the intention of raising a small local workforce.
7. Date of next Meeting 7 April 2021