Hartington Town Quarter Parish Council
A meeting of Hartington Town Quarter Parish Council was held on Wednesday, 10th April 2024 at 7.30pm in the Bakehouse.
Present: D Annat, A Grindey, S Bruce, E Broomhead MBE, S Wager, R Sherratt, the clerk, S Hampson and four members of the public in attendance for part of the meeting.
Part 1 Non-confidential information
24.4.1 Apologies and attendance register
The members present completed the attendance register. There was no need, by any member present, to declare an interest in the agenda items.
24.4.2 Minutes of the previous meeting
The minutes of the previous meeting had been forwarded to members in advance of the meeting and posted on the parish council’s website and noticeboard.
Resolved: to accept the minutes as a true record of proceedings. The minutes were signed by Mr Grindey, Acting Chairman.
24.4.3 Public speaking
There were four members of the public in attendance but only one wished to speak during the public speaking section regarding continued ongoing issues with mobile phone signals and communication in the village. She reported poor connectivity for local businesses with the exception of 02. The recent application for a 30 m mast has been withdrawn and Mr Annat reported that the parish council had not supported this application due to the potential decimation of the landscape. He further advised that members of the public can use other means of communication via business providers’ sites. The member of the public has continued, over time, to liaise with the MP.
Resolved: The clerk to contact mobile phone providers regarding other masts in the area and their coverage copying in the MP.
Resolved: The clerk to contact mobile phone providers to explain issues in the village regarding coverage.
Resolved: The clerk to contact a member of Hartington Community Group, with communications experience, to confirm that the parish council is happy for him to progress with the broadband provider but to be kept informed of roadworks etc.
Resolved: Mrs Broomhead MBE to arrange for a display to be placed in former phone box concerning the War Memorial.
24.4.4 Update from District Councillor
The District Councillor had forwarded apologies in advance of the meeting and was not in attendance.
Resolved: to reorder the agenda to cover the item on the Neighbourhood Plan next in proceedings.
24.4.5 Neighbourhood Plan
Members of the neighbourhood plan committee had written to attend the meeting to present further information and provided this during a lengthy discussion and exchange of information with the parish council members. Each successive draft of the Neighbourhood Plan (the plan) has resulted in improvements being achieved. Imminent, future changes in procedure could impact on the possible success of the plan and a lot of work is still required.
A key area remains defining the boundary around the settlement. Some contradictory statements seem regarding boundaries were briefly discussed and absolute clarification will be required with regard to settlement boundary/development boundary. The consultant paid for by the parish council, in November 2023, suggested going through regulation 14 consultation with the community. If the plan goes to an external examiner, they will require the most up to date community consultation results.
Financial support is late coming on line. One of the members present will search out grant monies and submit a bid, on behalf of the parish council. A further complication may be the new Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) Management Plan for 2023-2028. Personnel with previous involvement at PDNPA will now be involved once more with the plan which is a positive step, due to her prior experience of this plan.
Resolved: The existing Neighbourhood Plan members, including Mr Annat, cannot take the plan any further without the skills and professional involvement of other consultants/experts. A further meeting with the existing consultant and contact at PDNPA and members of the Neighbourhood Plan committee will now be required, as a matter of some urgency, to establish what is required to move to Stage 14 and 16, costs and to ‘buy in’ administration for this. The parish council will be the statutory body taking the matter forward but other people will lead.
Mr Annat publicly thanked the members of the Neighbourhood Plan committee for the considerable efforts with the enormous workload. The other members of the committee also paid absolute credit to Mr Annat.
On a separate note, a resident had contacted the clerk regarding income and expenditure associated with the neighbourhood plan. The clerk had prepared the accounts and forwarded to members in advance of the meeting. From the time frame requested, the overall expenditure above and beyond the grant was only £250
24.4.6 Former cheese factory site
A resident had forwarded communications in connection to the development site and affordable housing provision. The clerk had forwarded a prepared statement to the Chief Executive of PDNPA prior to his recent attendance at an open session at the YHA. The letter is now on the parish council’s website under the news summary detailing the parish council’s position regarding the affordable homes’ situation.
24.4.7 Underground camera survey
Mr Grindey had spoken to the person who could undertake the underground camera survey. At present, due to high water levels, the procedure will have to wait until such time as the water levels subside. Access points will need to be identified. Water from the overflow from the pond is going down the drain.
Resolved: Mr Grindey to liaise directly with the camera survey team with an instruction to undertake the work at an appropriate time.
24.4.8 Snow warden and grit monitoring
The clerk had chased the order of grit for Reynards Lane and Derbyshire County Council (DCC) had forwarded apologies for not having refilled the grit bins.
24.4.9 War Memorial Plaque and Stone
It was reported that there are a number of advertising signs encroaching on the area of the War Memorial.
Resolved: Mr Annat to email the supplier of the stone with the dimensions to cut and to request the invoice to be sent to the clerk. Mr Grindey and Mr Sherratt to collect the stone.
24.4.10 Possible amendment to mowing contract
The clerk had sent a further reminder to the contractor regarding the possible amendment to them mowing contract on Stonewell Lane but at the time of the meeting, a response had not yet been received.
24.4.11 Items of account, salaries, HMRC, administration, banking
Cq 1746 DALC Subscription 2024/25 £153.23
Cq 1747 News and Views £250
Cq 1748 S Hampson Premises allowance £312
Cq 1749 S Hampson April internet provision £17
Cq 1750 S Hampson April clerk’s salary £429.57
Cq 1751 S Hampson Reimbursement of expenses £6.25
Cq 1752 Hartington Village Hall Meeting hire £27.50
All previous years’ accounts/internal audit/external audit certificates of exemption can be found on the website.
24.4.12 Planning applications, planning sub-committee and appeals
There were no new planning applications. A previous application for a 30 m telecommunications mast submitted to the neighbouring parish is considered to have been withdrawn.
24.4.13 Highway issues, yellow lines, pot holes, street lighting
Mrs Broomhead MBE enquired about additional directional signage towards the village hall as people claim not to be able to locate it. The clerk had previously advised that Derbyshire County Council Highways Department and the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) Built Environment Department would probably need to be consulted on this request.
The clerk had reported, in advance of the meeting, a broken grid near the British Legion, a pot hole near The Croft, Long Dale, a pothole in the vicinity of Midcliffe Farm, Dig Street, Mill Lane and Hall Bank.
Parking on some village pavements continues to be an issue, particularly on Church Street/Hyde Lane including people charging electric vehicles with cables causing a potential trip hazard and parking on a junction. The clerk had prepared an article for consideration for the website. The clerk had also contacted the PCSO to view the situation.
Resolved: the clerk to contact the properties concerned.
24.4.14 Correspondence and communication
Correspondence had Park Parishes Forum been forwarded to members in advance of the meeting and included: DCC news, Rural Bulletins, parishes bulletins, consultation on 100+ venues, home efficiency grants, RSN funding digest, parish and town council liaison forums, bus service improvement plan, Peak
Park celebrating volunteers, bus shelter cleaning report.
Request from 2 residents for accounts for the last 5 years. Request from a resident for the breakdown of expenditure of the Neighbourhood Plan.
Request for a resident to use the village green for a charity fund raising event, covered by the insurance from Hartington Village Hall.
Resolved: Mrs Broomhead MBE to advise the resident that the parish council will grant permission to use the village greens for the purpose of a charity fund raising event covered by the village hall insurance.
24.4.15 Items for the next agenda
This will be the annual parish council meeting. War Memorial plaque, Neighbourhood Plan, former cheese factory site, underground camera survey, accounts for the year ended 31st March 2024, internal audit (if taken place). Additional items to be compiled by the clerk.
24.4.16 Date of next meeting: Wednesday, 1st May 2024. This will be the annual meeting of the parish council and will be preceded by the parish annual meeting.
Confidential Items
There were no confidential items to discuss.
The meeting was declared closed at 9.10 pm.
Mrs S Hampson, Clerk
Hartington Town Quarter Parish Council
12th April 2024
©Hartington Town Quarter Parish Council minutes remain draft until approved by the parish council at the next meeting