Linton Parish Council
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting
On Monday 11 September 2023
At Gorsley Village Hall
Present: Cllr A Newton (Chair); Cllr A Bates; Cllr J Gough; Cllr A Price; Cllr A Reeves
In attendance: Fourteen members of the public; Parish Clerk Rich Hunt
1) Apologies for absence: Cllr B Clark, Cllr M Bertenshaw, Cllr S Jurkiewicz.
2) Declarations of Interest: None.
3) Co-option of members: None.
4) Minutes and Financial Reports of the meeting of 14 August 2023: It was RESOLVED to agree and sign the minutes as a true and accurate record, together with the financial reports.
5) Clerk’s Report: All the Councillors present requested that their signatures on the Declaration Of Interest forms on the Parish Council (PC) website be redacted. The Locality Steward ensured that the verges on Pound Farm Lane were cut back before the start of Gorsley Goffs School Term on 6 September. A Herefordshire County Council (HCC) request for donations to fund a Veterans Support Pilot in Ross-On-Wye-will be included on the October meeting agenda.
6) Public Submissions:
a) Ward Councillor and PCSO were not in attendance.
b) Parish Matters: The Clerk will contact his counterpart in Gorsley & Kilcot PC about the inaccessibility of the footpath by Linton Gate House which is just inside their parish. Councillors encouraged parishioners to ask the Ward Councillor to apply pressure on HCC Highways Department on road issues such as the dangerous speed of traffic on Gorsley Common Road at the junction of Chapel Lane. The responsibility of landowners to maintain their hedges adjoining roads will be reiterated in media such as The Chimes. The Locality Steward should be made aware where encroaching hedges constitute a safety risk.
7) Planning:
a) Current Applications
i) 232449 – Land Adjacent to Homestead Farm, Cothars Pitch, Gorsley: Erection of storage and distribution building. Following discussion, it was RESOLVED unanimously to object to this application with comments as set out in Appendix A.
b) Decided applications: The schedule of recently decided applications was noted. A condition of the approval of 231157 (Homestead, Cothars Pitch) is that the applicant will install passing bays along Cothars Pitch prior to construction work commencing.
8) Climate Change Working Group: Cllr Newton provided an update. The Group intends to hold further Recycling Cafes in Gorsley Village Hall but not until 2024 as Linton Village Hall is booked for the remainder of this year.
9) Locality Steward and highways matters:
a) The Locality Steward’s absence on paternity leave in November and December will be covered by a neighbouring locality steward.
b) Pinford Lane. No further updates.
c) Road drainage at B4224/Bromsash House. Cllr Bertenshaw will contact HCC drainage specialists about a proposal to improve the drainage down Fording Lane.
d) Bromsash speeding issues. The SID is still facing south and has not yet been moved.
e) Curbing speed on B4221 in Gorsley. Police motorcycle speed enforcement is constrained by a lack of resources. The Clerk will coordinate a set of actions: apply to The Safer Neighbourhood for a Community Speed Watch Team, once the requisite local support is obtained; reduce the speed limit on the road from 40 to 30 mph; replace the current Vehicle Activated Sign (VAS) with a SID.
f) Highway Signs. The Clerk will obtain a quote from the Lengthsman to install the HGV signs before a final decision is made on which company to purchase the signs from.
g) Roads projects. Nothing to report. This item will not be included on the agenda in future.
10) Public Rights of Way: The Clerk will report issues raised by parishioners, but these can be raised directly with HCC via their online page: https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/public-rights-way.
11) Lengthsman:
a) Grass Lengthsman. The Grass Lengthsman conducted his most recent strimming round on 29 August. The grass next to the Roadmaker is being cut by a resident.
b) Roads Lengthsman. A parishioner has agreed to take the soil that is displaced by drainage of the ditch on Woodend Lane, which will enable the Lengthsman to complete this work.
c) Priority requirements. None.
d) HCC have approved both a grant of £3556 and matched funding of £1280 for Linton(S) Parish under the 2023-24 Lengthsman Funding Scheme.
12) Allotments: The replacement posts have not yet been installed.
13) Tree Survey: An arboriculturalist is visiting Gorsley Common and Gorsley Quarry on 15 September to provide a quote.
14) Electric Vehicle (EV) Charge Points: It was agreed that there aren’t any PC-owned sites that are suitable for EV charge points.
15) Financial Matters:
a) Current Receipts & Payments were noted.
b) It was RESOLVED to pay: AGP Services, Strimming Services £148.50; Richard Hunt, Clerk fee and expenses £428.93.
c) Cllr Price volunteered to replace Cllr Reeves on the PC bank account mandate authority.
17) Chairman’s & Councillors’ Submissions: The PC reiterated their appreciation of all that Cllr Reeves has achieved for the parish during his six years as a Councillor. The Locality Steward will be asked to remind Gorsley School of their responsibility to cut back hedges on their property that adjoin roads.
18) Date of next meeting: Monday 9 October 2023 in Gorsley Village Hall.
The meeting closed at 8:26 pm.
Appendix A to Draft Minutes Ref Para 7) a) i)
Linton(S) Parish Council
Representation to Herefordshire Council on Planning Applications
General information
Number 232449
Location Land Adjacent to Homestead Farm, Cothars Pitch, Gorsley
Description Erection of storage and distribution building and construction of associated works
HC Case Officer Gemma Webster
Applicant Ms A Turner
Agent Mr Paul Smith
Date received by PC 3 September 2023
PC comments requested by 22 September 2023
Target HC determination date 17 October 2023
Review of compliance with Linton Parish Neighbourhood Development Plan
Relevant
Neighbourhood Plan
Policy
Compliant
Yes / No
BGL 1 Natural Environment
BGL2 Historic environment
BGL3 Building Design BGL3, bullet 5: The Council is sceptical of the applicant’s claim that there will be no increase in traffic and believes that a doubling of the capacity of the site will inevitably lead to such an increase over time. The site is in a very narrow lane meaning that the current level of traffic is problematic so any increase would not be sustainable.
BGL3, bullet 6: The Council is concerned that a residential neighbour will suffer considerable disruption and disturbance from an inevitable increase in activity resulting from a doubling of the site’s capacity.
NO
BGL4 Renewable low Carbon Energy
BGL5 Settlement Boundaries
BGL6 Housing Mix
BGL7 Community Facilities
BGL8 Local Green Space
BGL 9 Small scale employment development
BGL10 Agricultural Development
Summary
Conclusion The Parish Council object to the application as set out above.
Comments: Unanimous objection at the Linton(S) Parish Council meeting on 11 September 2023.