Gerrans Parish Council
MINUTES of the Meeting of Gerrans Parish Council
held on Tuesday 5th December 2017
in the Memorial Hall Annexe
NEXT MEETING – Thursday 4th January 2018 at 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall Annexe
Present:
Cllrs Mary Bax (MB), Richard Cochrane (RC), Robin Edwards (RE), Ralph German (RG), Helen Hastings (HH), James Hetherington (JH), Rick Iddison (RI), Nev Meek (NM), Charlotte Taffinder (CT) ( Chairman);
S Skull (Clerk), CC Julian German (JG)
3 members of the public attended.
121701
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
– Cllrs Gill, Neal
121702
DECLARATION OF INTERESTS IN ITEMS ON THE AGENDA
– None
121703
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Phil and Karen Holbrook introduced themselves and said they had recently bought a house in Gerrans and would soon be moving in and applying for planning permission to build an extension. They would be occupying the property permanently.
JG mentioned that St Just in Roseland Parish Council were reviewing their street cleaning arrangements and suggested that their existing contractor might be interested in bidding also for the Gerrans contract.
121704
MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
The Council accepted the draft minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 7th November 2017 as being a true record. The Chairman signed the minutes.
121705
REVIEW OF MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING – ITEMS FOR REPORT / DISCUSSION
The clerk reported:
- The clothing bank in aid of the Bosom Buddies breast cancer charity had now been installed in Treloan Lane car park next to the recycling containers. Councillors remarked that it was already being well used.
- The car suspected of being abandoned in Treloan car park had now been reported.
- The National Trust had informed him that the steps from the footpath below Admiralty Terrace up towards New Road car park had now been repaired.
121706
CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED
The clerk read out an acknowledgement received from Sarah Newton MP of the PC’s letter expressing its concerns regarding the overruling of local planning decisions by the Planning Inspectorate. Mrs Newton said she had written to the relevant Government minister passing on these concerns,
There was no other correspondence which would not be addressed in other items on the agenda.
121707
PLANNING MATTERS
(a) Applications
The PC had received 4 new applications. These are outlined below and comments are noted in the Planning Register.
| Application | Description | PC decision |
| PA17/10892 | New single storey conservatory at 4 Gerrans Hill. | Unanimous support |
| PA17/11101 | Proposed extension at Kitpurva between Froe and Tregassick Road. | Unanimous support |
| PA17/11121 | Conversion of garage to bedroom annexe and new garden store at 3 Treloan Lane | Unanimous support |
| PA17/11214 | Garden room link extension between replacement garage and existing property at Higher Rosevine Farm House. | Unanimous support |
(b) Decisions
| Application | GPC comment | CC Decision |
| PA17/09053 re The Barn, Higher Tregassa | Support | Approved |
(c) Enforcement matters
– Nothing to report
121708
COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVE REPORTS
CT read the minutes of a meeting of the Finance Committee held on 28th November at which the Precept Budget for 2018-2019 was discussed. The recommendation of the Committee was that the PC should approve the Precept at £21,971, an increase of £839 on the current year, which represented the movement on the RPI measure of inflation in the year. The budget and supporting documentation had previously been circulated, and after discussion, NM proposed (seconded CT) that the Precept be approved. This was unanimously agreed. Action clerk to claim
121709
LOCALISM
The clerk referred to the previously circulated offer from Cornwall Council (CC) for the transfer to the PC of the freehold of Treloan Lane car park. He said the PC’s solicitors had raised a query which was in the process of being resolved with CC.
Councillors considered the current consultation by the Local Government Boundary Commissions on the proposed new division boundaries for CC. It was decided that as the deadline for comment was not until February 2018, a decision on a final form of words for the PC’s submission could be deferred until the January meeting.
121710
PERCUIL PUBLIC CONVENIENCES
The clerk said the septic tank had now been pumped out and a firm of roofers was preparing an estimate for the roof replacement.
The overgrown hedge obstructing the road running down past the boatyard continued to be a problem. The clerk was asked to write a letter to the owner of the property concerned, which RI said he would deliver by hand. Action clerk
121711
CAR PARKS
The clerk said he and CT had had a site meeting at New Road car park with a tarmac contractor to assess the necessary surface repair work referred to in the November minutes. The contractor had suggested also installing a French drain alongside the wall at that section to lessen the flow of water down to the drain by the footpath gate by absorbing some of the run-off. The contractor had submitted an estimate of £1,850 plus VAT. Councillors considered that this represented good value for money, and given also that satisfactory examples of this contractor’s previous work have been seen in the village, RG proposed (seconded JH) the estimate be accepted and no further quotes sought. Unanimously agreed. Action clerk
The clerk also reported that the contractor had verbally given a very approximate estimate that to tarmac the whole area would cost at least £20,000 even before the costs of the extra drainage works that would be required. He said this was beyond the PC’s budget.
The clerk produced a quote for the next section of the Cornish hedge on the seaward side of the car park to be rebuilt. It was agreed to defer a decision on this until the consideration of the final budget at February’s meeting, when resources and priorities would be more clearly known.
121712
STREET CLEANING
The clerk produced the current contractor’s performance record in terms of hours paid, which were below the contracted hours. He said there were mitigating circumstances such as family health issues, the non-fulfilment of the weed spraying contract this year, and the backlog created by the 5 months in which no contractor for street cleaning applied for the post. Councillors were very aware of local concerns about the condition of the streets but also accepted that there had been improvement in the last two months. After discussion, RI proposed (seconded HH) that the current contractor be given an extension of 3 months on his probationary period and the matter would be revisited at the March meeting. On a vote, 6 were in favour, 1 against and 2 abstained. Action clerk
121713
COMMEMORATIVE BENCH
Councillors decided to defer a decision on whether to allocate funds for the refurbishment of the bench at the Memorial Hall car park until the consideration of the final budget at February’s meeting, when resources and priorities would be more clearly known.
121714
FINANCIAL MATTERS
CLERK’S REPORT
The clerk reported that all payments submitted for approval were materially within budget, or within forecast and agreed contingency levels where actual figures were unknown at the time of setting the budget.
ACCOUNTS FOR PAYMENT
It was resolved that the outstanding invoices totalling £4,483.38 (including VAT of £136.45) be paid. A schedule of all the payments is available from the clerk.
BANK RECONCILIATION
The reconciled bank balance as at 25th November was £63,723.70.
121715
OTHER PARISH MATTERS
- Any urgent business
– None
- Matters to be included on the next agenda
– None other than as minuted above
- Minor items for report
– The clerk suggested that Councillors might wish to consider the possibility of purchasing some new equipment for the playground in view of the reduction in size of the main apparatus caused by the safety repairs. It was decided to arrange a site meeting to explore options.
– NM said the Memorial Hall Committee was now chaired by Simone Kennett and a programme of works and redecoration was being embarked upon.
– RC reported that the public slipway at Place was in a poor state of repair. JG said its maintenance was the responsibility of the landowner and not Cornwall Council.
– JH said the footpath between Trewithian and Tregaire was obstructed. JG said he would report the matter.
– RG said the village charity had grant funds available for anyone in serious need over the Christmas period. He wished his fellow Councillors a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, which NM seconded in the Cornish language.
– RE proposed (seconded CT) that the January meeting be held on Thursday 4th rather than Tuesday 2nd as the Tuesday would be many people’s first day back at work. Unanimously agreed. Action clerk.
The meeting closed at 8.50 pm