Hartington Town Quarter Parish Council
A meeting of Hartington Town Quarter Parish Council was held on Wednesday, 7th February 2024 at 7.30pm in the Bakehouse.
Present: D Annat, S Bruce, E Broomhead MBE, S Wager, A Grindey, R Sherratt; the clerk,
S Hampson, District Councillor, Mr D Chapman and one member of the public for part of the meeting.
Part 1 Non-confidential information
24.2.1 Apologies and attendance register
There were no apologies. The members present completed the attendance register. There was no need, by any member present, to declare an interest in the agenda items.
24.2.2 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 Annat
24.2.3 Public speaking
A representative from Connect Fibre attended for this section of the meeting. She had communicated with the clerk via email, in advance of the meeting and this communication had been forwarded to the members in advance of the meeting. She provided a brief overview of the company, established in 2019, working on behalf of the government ‘gigabit programme’ supporting full fibre broadband in areas including parts of Derbyshire. She proposed to hold a public community meeting in the near future to provide information to parishioners regarding their new infrastructure. This involves laying new fibreoptic cables using the ducting belonging to Open Reach and installing new cabinets for their service but would not make a mess in the village. The timescale to start this may be within weeks although she could not confirm, however, that planning consent had been granted. Mr Annat stated that, in principle, the parish council supported proposals to improve communications within the parish.
24.2.4 Update from District Councillor
The District Councillor provided some figures related to percentage increases of council tax related to Derbyshire Dales District Council (DDDC) and Derbyshire County Council (DCC). He also confirmed that there would be no future traveller site allocation in the parish. He advised that DDDC will make £10,000 available to support air quality surveys and measurements to take place in Ashbourne related to concerns with air quality in this area.
Mr Annat asked the District Councillor to make enquiries regarding a survey for a small scale extension to the parish council cemetery in a field adjacent to the cemetery. This field was purchased many years ago by DDDC for this purpose but development costs had been considered as prohibitive at that time. If 50 further grave spaces could be achieved, this would secure burial facilities for many years for the benefit of the parishioners.
24.2.5 Former cheese factory site
Communication had been received from a resident regarding affordable housing at the Peakland Grange development suggesting the parish council might consider becoming an investment partner to purchase and manage the homes with ‘Homes England’. The parish council has already minuted that a revised 106 agreement has been signed, between the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) and the Owner, to allow the latter to become a Registered Provider to sell or rent the homes under the terms of the original agreement. It has also been minuted that the reason no other party has been prepared to take on the homes as the transfer price is too high to make them commercially viable, under the section 106 restrictions.
Therefore, even should the parish council consider becoming a Registered Provider to acquire and manage these units alongside ‘Homes England’ as suggested, exactly the same issue would make the exercise completely unviable.
Following liaison with the Head of Planning at PDNPA, Mr Annat had prepared a further communication to the PDNPA, for further consideration by the other members of the parish council, for onward submission to PDNPA. The planning officer concerned with the development is on extended sick leave. Members remain concerned that a £15 million development has failed to produce a single affordable dwelling and believes this is a disgraceful situation which should be brought to the attention of Government, local councils and the media, in order that no future major development in a National Park fails to provide affordable housing.
Resolved: to fully inform the MP, Mrs Sarah Dines.
Resolved: Mr Annat to consider writing a press release.
Resolved: to include Mr Annat’s Report with these minutes.
24.2.6 Neighbourhood Plan
The plan is all but finished in word form. When it is submitted to PDNPA, it has to be publicised for 6 weeks. The Neighbourhood Plan committee has to deal with any responses. A government inspector will answer questions. The village boundary and green spaces remain the most important aspects. Mr Annat reported that he will now step down from the Neighbourhood Plan committee to enable new champions to continue with the final stages. The parish council members are very grateful for all the dedicated hard work completed over many years by Mr Annat on the plan.
24.2.7 Precept for 2024-2025
The clerk had submitted the Precept agreed at the December meeting of £15,000 plus £410 to be reclaimed under the reimbursable expenditure scheme. The clerk had already completed the reimbursable expenditure for 2023-2024 and this amount had been received from DDDC.
24.2.8 Uses of former telephone box
Mrs Broomhead MBE reported that the History Group is presently engaged on a number of other projects and the telephone box will be considered afterwards. Once again, Mr Annat reported that the hard work carried by the Oddfellows group had preserved the telephone box and it its appearance. The inside of the box will be attended to over time.
24.2.9 Drainage and flood team
External agencies no longer issue sandbags and claim that other areas are of more serious concern than Hartington. Members believe a camera survey needs to be undertaken in at least the areas of most concern such as near the school and Stonewell Lane.
Resolved: Mr Wager to research providers of underground camera surveys with a view to the parish council meeting this cost as it is most unlikely that outside agencies will not pay for this service.
24.2.10 Snow warden scheme and grit bin monitoring
The parish council is very grateful to the hard work carried out by the volunteers from the Oddfellows acting as snow wardens for the village this year. Mr Grindey had reported to the clerk that both grit bins on Reynard’s Lane had been emptied. The clerk had requested refills from DCC in advance of the meeting. Equipment and high visibility waistcoats had been purchased by the Oddfellows and Hartington Community Group for use by the volunteers. The clerk had made enquiries at a local merchants who can supply 20 kg bags of road salt for £3 plus VAT, should additional small bags be required.
24.2.11 War Memorial Plaque and Stone
The plaque had been received and Mr Annat reported it was of very impressive quality.
Resolved: Mr Annat to source a suitable base stone to which the plaque will be attached. Mr Annat and Mrs Broomhead MBE to view the most appropriate place around the War Memorial to locate the stone and plaque.
Resolved: Mr Grindey to arrange for the removal of wreaths from the base of the War Memorial.
24.2.12 Items of account, salaries, HMRC, administration,
Cq 1734 S Hampson February clerk’s salary £429.57
Cq 1735 S Hampson February internet provision £17.00
Cq 1736 S Hampson Reimbursement of expenses £13.29
Cq 1737 D Annat Reimbursement Christmas tree electricity donation and materials £94.00
Cq 1738 DCC Grit refill £143.18
Cq 1739 Hartington Village Hall Hire £27.50
24.2.13 Internet banking
Resolved: to open an internet-based account by transferring some funds from the existing accounts. Also, to keep the present bank-based account open.
24.2.14 School Trust
Unfortunately, the parish council cannot materially assist with issues connected to The Hartington’s Charities Trust but support the efforts made by the local trustees in this matter
24.2.15 Planning applications, planning sub-committee and appeals
Resolved: there were no objections to the proposal for a garden room at 18 Stonewell Lane.
24.2.16 Highway issues, yellow lines, pot holes, street lighting
The area of concern opposite the Red Lion, previously reported to DCC, has not yet received attention. Further damaged areas for the clerk to report are in front of Fiveways, Mill Lane near a manhole and on Long Dale.
Resolved: the clerk to report the above issues.
24.2.17 Correspondence and communication
Correspondence had been forwarded to members in advance of the meeting and included: Rural Bulletins, DCC News, Communication Derbyshire, Derbyshire voice, PDNPA Listening to locals, personal security briefing, DALC newsletters, mobile library routes, police burglary advices, PDNPA mosaics lottery funding, RSN Rural Funding Digest, Accessible Castleton, Christmas waste collections.
24.2.18 Items for the next agenda
War Memorial plaque, Neighbourhood Plan, former cheese factory site, underground camera survey, banking. Additional items to be compiled by the clerk.
24.2.19 Date of next meeting: Wednesday, 6th March 2024.
Confidential Items
24.2.19 Mowing contract 2024-2025
The clerk had submitted tenders to suitably qualified people for a 2 year mowing contract. Only one tender had been received by the closing deadline date, from the previous year’s contractor, almost identical in value to the previous year’s costings.
Resolved: due to previous excellent service and the value of the tender, to unanimously award the 2-year mowing contract to Mr B Coles.
Mrs Bruce raised an additional area she would like to see incorporated into the mowing contract on Stonewell Lane to the public footpath. This had not been incorporated into the tender. Not all members agreed with the request.
Resolved: to ask the newly appointed contractor to consider the additional request and to provide a price for this.
The meeting was declared closed at 9.00 pm.
Mrs S Hampson
Clerk
Hartington Town Quarter Parish Council
10th February 2024
©Hartington Town Quarter Parish Council minutes remain draft until approved by the parish council at the next meeting