Meeting documents

Baldock and District Committee
Monday, 15th November, 2010 7.30 pm


Time:	7.30 pm	Place:	Baldock Community Centre, Simpson Drive, Baldock

PRESENT:	Councillor M.E. Weeks(Chairman), Councillor A.D. Young(Vice-Chairman), Councillor Marilyn Kirkland, Councillor I.J. Knighton, Councillor M.R.M. Muir
IN ATTENDANCE:	Laura Lack (Policy Officer) Andrew Mills (Service Manager Grounds) Lynn Saville (Head of Community and Cultural Services) Peter Underwood (Community Facilities Manager) Simon Young (Transport Policy Officer) Ashley Hawkins (Community Development Officer) Susanne Gow (Committee and Member Services Officer)
ALSO PRESENT:	Three members of the public, including the registered speakers Cllr Tom Brindley, NHDC Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transport.

Item	Description/Resolution	Status	Action
PART I
36	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies were received from Cllr S. K. Jarvis.	Noted
37	MINUTES Minutes RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 13 September 2010 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chairman.	Agreed
38	NOTIFICATION OF OTHER BUSINESS The Chairman announced that a briefing note had been tabled to advise Members of Area Committees on the timescale for referring highway-related projects for the Joint Member Panel discretionary budget funding for 2011/12. This would be discussed after the end of Agenda business and Members were asked to propose potential schemes to be match funded for 2011/2012, subject to funding being available.	Noted
39	CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS The Chairman welcomed everyone to the November meeting of the Baldock and District Committee, notably the Committee, the officers, the registered speakers and the NHDC Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transport. The Chairman then reminded Members that declarations of interest in respect of any business set out in the agenda should be declared as either a prejudicial or personal interest and they were required to notify the Chairman of the nature of any interest declared. Members declaring a prejudicial interest were to leave the room and not seek to influence the decision during that particular item. He proposed that Declarations of Interest should be made at the start of each relevant item on the Agenda.	Noted
40	PUBLIC PARTICIPATION The Chairman welcomed everyone to the November meeting of the Baldock and District Committee, notably the Committee, the officers, the registered speakers and the NHDC Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transport. 1) Murray Fastier, Baldock Town Centre Manager, addressed the Committee on behalf of the Baldock Town Partnership. He informed Members that the BTP now had the necessary funding and as from 1 December 2010 would be running the regular Wednesday market in Baldock. One suggestion was that a few free stalls of the new type for which the grant application had been submitted, should be provided for charities, community groups and not-for-profit organisations, in order to maximise community involvement and increase footfall through the market. The Committee posed questions and comments, such as: were the stalls similar to the traditional market stalls? (no, they were Â¡Â¥pop-upÂ¡Â¦ gazebo type stalls, quick and easy to erect and easily stored away); what is the cost? (Â£1,000 each); has it an awning and has it a BS kitemark? (yes it has both an awning and kitemark, and will be purchased from a reputable dealer); has a grant application been submitted? (yes it has Â¡V for Â£850); if the Wednesday market is a success and grows, would you look at obtaining more of these stalls? (yes, the aim is to hire these out to casual traders, for the good of the market). The Chairman thanked Mr Fastier for his presentation and explained that the grant application would be discussed during the item on the Champion News and Finance Report later on the Agenda, and the outcome would be advised to him in due course. 2) Mrs Marianne Cusworth, representing Friends of St MaryÂ¡Â¦s Church introduced Mr Mick Camp, who would answer any questions Members may have. She thanked the Chairman and the Committee for allowing their presentation and reminded them that the Friends of St MaryÂ¡Â¦s was a charitable organisation whose aim was to raise funds to restore the Church and, in this case, to bring the Church Hall into compliance with Disability Legislation. The Church Hall was currently on three levels, with narrow stairs and no toilet facility accessible for disabled users. Otherwise, there were two halls available for hire and facilities for light refreshments, open to and well used by the local community and visitors. However, due to the poor disabled access to the toilets, custom had decreased. The Friends of St MaryÂ¡Â¦s objective is to install a chairlift and a disabled toilet to bring the Hall into line with Disability Legislation. They already have a donation of Â£40,000 which, out of the total required of Â£55,000, gives a shortfall of Â£15,000. The group hoped to get an award from the Awards for All Scheme (maximum of Â£10,000) to get closer to the total. The formal grant application submitted was for Â£2,500 and the Committee asked whether the large donation had been gift-aided (no, as this would put the donor into a higher tax bracket). The Chairman thanked Mrs Cusworth and Mr Camp for attending the Baldock and District Committee Meeting and for their presentation. He advised them that their grant application would be discussed later on during the item on the Champions News and Finance Report and they would be advised of the decision in due course.	Noted
41	CEMETERY CAPACITY WITHIN NORTH HERTS Report The Service Manager Grounds (SMG) presented the report of the Head of Leisure and Environmental Services, the purpose of which was to inform the Committee of the current situation regarding burial capacity within the District cemeteries and to ask their opinion on the policies proposed at the Cabinet meeting on 28 September 2010. He explained that the cemeteries in North Herts were in need of consideration, as those in Baldock, Hitchin and Royston had just 10 yearsÂ¡Â¦ use left. The facility at Wilbury Hills was only four years old, and was still able to take full burials. Guidance was requested on how to manage the depleting land resources, as to acquire further land to extend the life of the cemeteries would mean a significant cost for North Herts District Council. The price of land was currently high due to demand, and Members were informed that in the space required for one full burial the cremated remains of 6 persons could be interred. The Chairman suggested that cremation remains should be buried in the cemeteries in Hitchin, Baldock and Royston, thus extending the longevity of these sites, with full burials taking place in the Wilbury Hills cemetery in Letchworth. The Committee discussed this, bringing up points such as: family members who wanted to be buried in Baldock, Hitchin or Royston would be in a cemetery separated from their loved ones; elderly or infirm residents of the towns, who wanted to visit the graves of family members, could find the journey long and possibly difficult, although the Wilbury Hills cemetery was on a bus route. The SMG commented that cremation had become more popular in recent years as well as full burials and it was expected that this would grow. The question of reopening the graveyard at St MaryÂ¡Â¦s Church, Baldock was raised and the SMG confirmed that reuse of graves is only permitted in London, as there are various criteria to satisfy, including contacting living relatives. The Committee agreed with the ChairmanÂ¡Â¦s suggestion and the Chairman thanked the Service Manager Grounds for his presentation. RESOLVED: 1) That the Chairman thanks the Service Manager Grounds for his presentation to the Baldock and District Committee; 2) That the Service Manager Grounds notes, for his report to Cabinet, that the Baldock and District Committee recognise the shortage of burial space in North Hertfordshire and wish to have only cremated remains buried in Baldock, with full burials taking place in the Wilbury Hills cemetery in Letchworth. REASON FOR DECISION: To ensure that a consistent and highly valued burial service is delivered to the residents of North Hertfordshire in the future.	Agreed
42	REVISED RURAL STRATEGY AND PARISH CHARTER FOR NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE Report Appendix 1 Appendix 2 The Chairman welcomed the Policy Officer to the meeting. She then presented the report of the Head of Policy, Partnerships and Community Development on the Revised Rural Strategy, and asked the Committee for their comments. She explained that their comments were also required on the Parish Charter, which was appended to the report. The Policy Officer (PO) then took Members through the timeline of the Rural Strategy and the Parish Charter leading up to its presentation to Cabinet in July 2010 and informed them that this report would be presented to the Baldock and District, Royston and Southern Rural Committees before going before the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and on to the Cabinet Meeting on 7 December 2010. She then asked the Committee for their comments. Members stated that: it was questionable as to whether the Rural Strategy should be rushed through by December when the effects of the new Government were still unclear; it was assumed that Â¡Â§ruralÂ¡Â¨ meant villages, but villages were not all the same and certainly not all the same size, which meant that the Rural Strategy must recognise flexibility and sustainability; most villages have an affinity to a nearby town and are affected by what happens in that town and therefore should be consulted on matters pertaining to the town; the forthcoming large cuts in the District funds are likely to be hugely damaging to the villages across the board; Hertfordshire County Council was considering a 25% cut to the Countryside Management Service, footpaths etc. The Chairman remarked that the Ward Councillor for Weston would be consulted on his return and that the remarks made appeared sensible. He thanked the Policy Officer for her presentation. RESOLVED: 1) That the Chairman thanks the Policy Officer for presenting to the Committee the report on the Revised Rural Strategy and Parish Charter for North Herts; 2) That the Members of Baldock and District Committee had considered the draft Rural Strategy and draft Parish Charter and would refer any further comments on it to the NHDC Policy team; 3) That the Policy Team notes that the Baldock and District Committee felt that the Rural Strategy and the Parish Charter were premature and should be delayed until the details of the specific budgets were known. REASONS FOR DECISION: 1) The recommendations contained within paragraph 8 are made in order to facilitate effective consultation with the parish councils, relevant agencies and rural communities as a whole in developing a rural strategy for North Hertfordshire; 2) A much shorter consultation period would run risks, including the lack of agreement by some of the partners who would have to help deliver the strategy and lack of engagement by some colleagues in the parish councils. In order to ensure that any Action Plan resulting from the draft Rural Strategy and the draft Parish Charter is informed by as much local knowledge as possible.	Agreed
43	PROGRESS ON HALLS AND COMMUNITY CENTRES STRATEGY Report Appendix 1.1 Appendix 1.2 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Appendix 4 Appendix 5 Before the start of this item, the Chairman, together with Councillors Knighton, Kirkland and Muir, declared a personal interest as they were all members of the Baldock Community Centre Management Board. The Head of Community and Cultural Services introduced herself and the Community Facilities Manager (CFM), who presented the report. He explained that the purpose of the report was to advise the Committee of the Centres and Halls Strategy currently being developed for North Herts District Council and of the progress achieved on this to date. He explained that a number of surveys were being undertaken and that it was necessary to be more robust in supporting supplementary planning for Section 106 and Unilateral Undertakings with developers. Statistics were to be produced for community centres and halls in North Hertfordshire, as some developers were attempting to avoid paying back the relevant funds. A specification was needed for developers as these buildings were community facilities, not just Â¡Â§halls for hireÂ¡Â¨ and provided a wider scope for income. The Committee was informed that the PACIF grants were always time-limited, and that it was now in its final year. The Committee were asked whether buildings existed in their area for which the information in Appendix 2 required updating. It was vital that the developers were held to their legal responsibilities regarding repayment of S106 monies. Members were asked for their comments, to be taken away for officersÂ¡Â¦ consideration. Members commented that the theory behind the report was good and proceeded to update the list at Appendix 2 as follows: â€žX St Mary the Virgin Church Hall â€žX Baldock Town Football Club was now known as The Arena â€žX St MaryÂ¡Â¦s was in fact two schools Â¡V St MaryÂ¡Â¦s Junior and St MaryÂ¡Â¦s Infants â€žX Baldock Museum was not a hall and should not be on the list â€žX The Maltings Spar was not a hall and should not be on the list â€žX Baldock Town Hall should be on the list â€žX Baldock Scout Hut in Park Drive should be included â€žX Baldock Guide Hut in Meeting House Lane should be included. The Ward Member for Arbury observed that the halls on the list were in Baldock itself and asked for the list of village halls. He mentioned that the list at Appendix 1.2 was not correct as the United Reform Church Hall and the Village Hall, both in Ashwell, had been omitted and he requested a breakdown of the village halls. He was assured that this would be forthcoming. The Committee was informed that the halls had been carefully examined in order to be able to give a qualitative handle on S106. The CFM was requested, with assistance/input from Members, to ensure that an accurate and up-to-date list of the halls at Appendix 1.2 (all the community facilities in the North Herts District) was compiled. He agreed to this, and the Chairman thanked him for his presentation and clarification of the Strategy on Halls and Community Centres in the North Herts District. RESOLVED: 1) That the Baldock and District Committee Members note the need for a Halls and Community Centres Strategy and give their support to its development and implementation; 2) That Members note the extent of those facilities surveyed during 2007/2008 in Baldock as shown in Appendix 2 and comment if it is felt that the survey no longer represents the extent of the provision currently made; 3) That the facilities in all villages, as well as towns, are comprehensively listed and circulated to Members. REASON FOR DECISION: 1) To enable the establishment of a strategic position to provide best value for those facilities operated directly by North Herts District Council and those owned by NHDC but operated by the local community, as well as those who operate entirely independently to serve the North Hertfordshire population; 2) To ensure that the mapping of facilities is as accurate as possible to ensure overlaps and that gaps in provision can be recorded and addressed.	Agreed
44	CHAMPION NEWS & FINANCE REPORT Report Appendix 1 Appendix 2 The Community Development Officer (CDO) for Baldock and District took the Committee through the report of the Head of Policy, Partnerships and Community Development which detailed the CDOÂ¡Â¦s activities since the last meeting held on 13 September 2010, the budget spreadsheet at Appendix 1 and the Work Programme 2010/2011 at Appendix 2, both of which were noted by the Committee. The CDO advised the Committee that the Baldock Town Partnership would take over responsibility of the Wednesday Baldock Market from 1 December 2010 and that credit for this should go to all those involved. The Committee commented that: the market traders would be in one location in the car park area; the Wednesday market had been promoted by handing out 20,000 leaflets; the new Chairman of the BTP and the Town Centre Manager should be praised for their hard work and the good results; all credit should go to the management as to how well things were turning out for Baldock. The CDO reminded the Committee that there would be a BTP Christmas Party on Friday 3 December, followed by the Christmas Event on 4 and 5 December, including an ice rink, dodgems and a ferris wheel. The CDO updated the Committee on the Baldock Youth Council, stating that the group is now up and running and has 7 members, meeting on alternate Tuesdays at the Baldock Youth Wing. A comment was made that young people from the villages in the area, such as Ashwell, Newnham, Radwell and Hinxworth should be asked to join the Youth Council and the CDO confirmed that the Baldock Youth Council had been promoted at school assemblies such as Knights Templar etc which are also attended by youngsters from the surrounding villages. It was suggested that the Balstock Event be combined with the White Lion Bike Festival in 2011, as it had not been as successful as expected. It was also proposed that other attractions be included next year. The Baldock Youth Question Time had been very popular with young people and it was proposed that a rural councillor be invited to attend as part of Local Democracy Week in 2011. The Committee discussed the damage to grassed area resulting from the Baldock Fair and it was proposed that Abbotts pay the appropriate penalties, negotiated by the NHDC Projects Manager and Service Manager Grounds. The Committee agreed unanimously that the whole amount should be paid by the fair organisers. The Chairman asked for sight of the grant application for Friends of St MaryÂ¡Â¦s for help with funding a disabled toilet and chair lift in St MaryÂ¡Â¦s Church Hall, which had not been published with the Agenda and the grant application was passed around for Members to note. The Committee then discussed and approved the grant applications: for the Friends of St MaryÂ¡Â¦s; from the Baldock Town Partnership for the pop up gazebo; from the Baldock branch of Neighbourhood Watch for signage; from Weston Cricket Club to be paid solely from the Ward Member for WestonÂ¡Â¦s budget; together with the recent fast track grant awards to the Royal British Legion for purchase of a storage shed and to the Ashwell Baby and Toddler Group to help cover the cost of premises hire. The Chairman thanked the CDO for his work for the residents of Baldock and the surrounding area. RESOLVED: 1) That the current status of the budget expenditure, balances and carry forwards for the 2010-2011 Development Budget be noted; 2) That the recent fast track grant award of Â£320 to the Royal British Legion Baldock Branch for a shed to store material pertaining to the Poppy Appeal, split in the normal manner between Baldock Town and Baldock East, be noted and agreed by the Committee; 3) That the recent fast track grant award of Â£500 to the Ashwell Baby and Toddler Group for premises hire costs, to be paid from the Arbury Ward budget, be noted and agreed; 4) That the Committee considers the grant application for funds to help towards provision of a disabled toilet and a chairlift and awards Friends of St MaryÂ¡Â¦s Church Â£1,500 from the Baldock Town and Baldock East budgets; 5) That the Committee considers the grant application from the Baldock Town Partnership for a new pop-up gazebo and stand to hire out at the Wednesday market. The sum agreed was Â£800 from Baldock TownÂ¡Â¦s pre-allocated Town Projects Initiatives budget; 6) That the grant application from Weston Cricket Club be considered and the award of Â£900 be agreed for equipment required including a sight screen; 7) That the grant application from the Baldock Branch of Neighbourhood Watch be considered and Â£428 awarded, split in the usual way between Baldock Town ward and Baldock East ward, for signs for 56 roads around Baldock; 8) That the CDO be thanked for his actions which had promoted greater community capacity and wellÂ¡Vbeing for the Baldock and District area. REASON FOR DECISION: To ensure that the Committee are kept up-to-date on the activities of the CDO, the balances of the Development Budgets and provide financial support to community projects in Baldock and the surrounding villages.	Agreed
45	BALDOCK AREA PARKING REVIEW - APPROVAL OF CONSULTATION ON PARKING MANAGEMENT OPTIONS Report Appendix A The Transport Policy Officer (TPO) went through the report and clarified Priority 1 and Priority 2 and their relevant Zones with the proposed options, in Appendix A. He summarised the results of the investigations carried out, which concluded that Zones 1, 2 and 3 were the most important areas. Zones 4 and 5 were more marginal but were likely to be affected if Zones 1, 2 and 3 had parking management schemes. The TPO pointed out that para 4.22 of the report proposed the possibility of selling parking permits to commuters/employees on a strictly limited basis to offset displaced parking in other streets. In addition, some of the unrestricted parking capacity in Baldock was not as well used as it could be. The Committee discussed the report, raising points such as: Norton Road should be in Zone 1 to form the last side of a square; was the charge of Â£1 all day for parking one of a range of new charges (yes, also 3 hrs for 50p); how will the Baldock Community Centre car park be policed (4 hrs to use the Community Centre has been discussed with the Centre Manager Â¡V any car there over 4 hrs would be issued with a ticket); the problem of large vehicles parking in unrestricted bays was getting worse; considering parking permits not required by residents in some roads being sold to commuters, it would be wise to take care as residentsÂ¡Â¦ needs change when houses are sold and new people move in (this also needs to be monitored). On being asked to comment by the Chairman, the Portfolio Holder for Planning, Transport and Economic Development stated that he had consulted the NHDC Car Parking Manager on the subject of the Community Centre and found that it would be easier to enforce 4 hrs than 3 hrs waiting and it was vital that residents would have priority for permit schemes. A dedicated Enforcement Officer was proposed. Residents and businesses in each road could apply each year and a permit would entitle parking somewhere in each zone, not necessarily the same parking space each time. Further comments from the Committee included: migration from Zone 1 into Zone 3 Â¡V the PH emphasised that Members could reinforce the message that this must be precise from the start; the funding for all zones using NHDC revenue funding, growth area funding and pending Section 106 monies; there was also the potential 30 spaces at Tesco, as were 30 chargeable spaces at Baldock Station delivered by new development. However there was no guarantee that either would go through, the latter of these sites still required detailed planning consent (the TPO advised that the developers could be on site by June 2011); would Baldock get its own parking enforcement officer; was a TRO possible for the long-term parking bays at the end of the High Street restricting use to cars only? (yes, but the other bays were restricted to 2 hrs and if the bays were motor cars only 24 hours, then the same would have to be done to the existing 2 hour bays, resulting in a costly amount of TROs and mass of different signs); could the lower weight limit apply to TROs throughout the town (the TPO offered to return to the Baldock and District Committee Meeting on 21 February 2011 with the information). The Committee agreed that Baldock should have its own dedicated full time parking enforcement officer. The Chairman thanked the Transport Policy Officer for presenting the report and for his clarification of its salient points. RESOLVED: 1) That the Baldock and District Committee endorses the issuing of Parking Management options for consultation to Zones 1 to 5 as set out in Appendix A; 2) That the Baldock and District Committee endorses the issuing of consultation material to properties within affected zones, as well as on request and online for people outside the affected area. Consultation information could also be made available in the Library; 3) That Norton Road be included in the list of roads in Zone 1 in Appendix A. REASON FOR DECISIONS: In order to progress the Baldock Parking Management project to move towards agreeing solutions for implementation in the current financial year.	Agreed
46	BRIEFING NOTE - TIMESCALE FOR REFERRALS TO HHP-JMP The Chairman brought to the CommitteeÂ¡Â¦s attention the tabled Briefing Note, provided by the Transport Policy Officer (TPO), on the timescale for referring highway-related projects for the Joint Member Panel Discretionary Budget funding for 2011/2012 Baldock and District Committee Meetings. The Committee discussed the Briefing Note and agreed that, as Baldock does not have a central budget but funding comes from four separate Ward accounts, it is more difficult to fund projects and grant applications. Members were not sure whether this difficulty was recognised and the Community Development Officer offered to notify the Transport Policy Officer of this fact. Members agreed to give their views on the Briefing Note directly to the TPO.	Noted