Odstock Parish Council
An Ordinary meeting of Odstock Parish Council was held on 7 December 2015 in the Barker Room, Nunton.
Present: Gavin Simmonite (Chairman), Rod Poynting (Vice-Chairman), Stephen Stapley, Nigel Start, Sally Nelson, David Williamson-Jones, Richard Parsons (Clerk), Wiltshire Cllr Julian Johnson and twenty three members of the public.
Apologies: Colin Berry.
48/15 Open
Public Forum: a) Wiltshire Council is seeking the local
community’s opinions for improving safety at the road junctions on the
A338 Bodenham Dual Carriageway. The following points were raised by
those present:
1. Speed is the main cause of the
problems and the double carriageways lead to driver confusion about
permitted speeds.
2. Insufficient clarity about who
has right of way at both the Nunton C12 junction and the southern
junction.
Suggested solutions include, road markings to indicate a
single carriageway, introduction of a speed limit, stop signs at the
right turn junctions, improved night-time lighting, additional cat’s
eyes and clearer signage. There was unanimous objection to Wiltshire
Council’s suggestion that a ‘No Right Turn’ measure be introduced at
both junctions since this would likely lead to many unsafe traffic
manoeuvres by drivers using alternative methods to reach their
destinations in a timely manner. There was also a request to improve
pedestrian access, safety and night-time lighting at the Nunton/Bodenham
junction.
b) Cllr Start is seeking volunteers to
join him in forming a Speed Watch group. Eight or more will be needed
for training. Once trained, groups of three will take it in turns to man
the equipment in the provided ‘hi-viz’ jackets. Regular sessions will
help to remind drivers that their speed is being monitored and swapping
with other Speed Watch groups will reduce the likelihood of being
obliged to report friends and neighbours.
c) Staff
parking on the road outside the Odstock School is a road safety concern
which some felt needed addressing.
49/15 Declaration of
Interest: None.
50/15 Minutes of the
Ordinary OPC meeting held on 7 September were approved and signed by the
Chairman.
51/15 Nunton Recreation Field:
a) Play
Area: The Chairman reported that he was satisfied with the
soundness of the wooden uprights and that OPC members would inspect the
equipment again in the Spring for signs of any deterioration. Cllr
Poynting reported that he had replaced the rotten posts in the fencing
around the play area. The playing field grass cutting contract includes
three applications during the year of weed-killer to the weeds which
grow in the play area safety surface.
b) Pavilion:
Cllr Poynting advised that the pavilion had originally been built by
members of the football team using mostly second-hand materials, hence,
it is functional rather than high quality. It was agreed to raise the
annual maintenance budget from £1,000 to £1,500 and Cllr Poynting will
obtain quotations for replacement windows.
c) Permitted
Uses: Following a discussion, it was agreed that any request to
use the field would be considered on its merits and terms of use would
be agreed in each instance. A donation towards maintenance costs would
be invited.
52/15 Community Initiatives:
a) Radnor
Hall Committee: The cost of the annual lease for the Radnor
Hall will be reviewed by the landlord in March and it was agreed that
OPC would contribute £250 towards the cost of the lease, subject to any
future review.
b) Parish/Community Planning: The
Chairman and Cllr Nelson continue to monitor progress and the
questionnaire will likely be distributed to parishioners early in 2016.
Cllr Poynting has stepped down from the steering committee.
c) Community Orchard: Negotiation with the Longford Estate for
a suitable site is ongoing.
d) Nunton Parish Garden:
The Chairman reported that the uneven slabs had been cleared and that he
felt there was insufficient damage to the wall to warrant having it
rebuilt. All were in agreement.
e) Social Media: The
Facebook page is proving to be useful for posting photos and delivering
timely notices. As more parishioners get to know of its existence, the
Chairman believes this will become an excellent communication channel.
53/15 Transport, Roads and Footpaths:
a) Wiltshire
Council Highways: The new maintenance contract commencing in
April will hopefully present some opportunities for better service
delivery which may include the return of the old-style Parish Steward.
There is still no confirmed start date for the promised road resurfacing
which will include the agreed traffic calming measures.
b) A338/C12 Junction: Following on from the earlier discussion,
the Chairman suggested the following as OPC’s response to Wiltshire
Council’s ‘No Right Turn’ proposals: 1. Both sides hatched off to create
single carriageways. 2. Reduce speed-limits to either 40 or 50 MPH and
introduce some form of speed enforcement. 3. Consider closing the
Southern Junction. 4. Clearer Stop Lines and additional Cat’s Eyes at
the Northern Junction. All were in agreement.
c) Community
Area Transport Group: The next CATG meeting is on Wednesday, 9
December. Cllr Start will attend. OPC will confirm their agreement to
contribute £1,000 towards the Traffic Calming; repairs to the foot-way
between the tree and Jubilee Gardens will be confirmed; and the issue of
parking on the road by Odstock School will be raised.
54/15 Planning: There were no planning applications for
consideration.
55/15 Correspondence: The next
Area Board meeting is in Coombe Bissett Village Hall at 7pm on Thursday,
28 January.
56/15 Finance:
a) Internal Audit:
The current internal auditor has agreed to his appointment for a fourth
consecutive year.
b) OPC's Community Grants: It was
resolved to award £600 to ONB PCC for grass cutting at Jubilee Gardens
and a £250 contribution towards the cost of the annual Radnor Hall
lease.
c) Precept requirement for 2016-2017: It was
resolved to limit the precept increase to £750, equal to about £2 per
Band D Council Tax payer, to accommodate the anticipated extra costs of
Pavilion maintenance.
d) Payments: The following
were approved:
Nunton Farm – Annual Rent 554
£400.00p
Nunton Farm – Hedge Cutting 554 £115.20p
Bawden Contracting Services Ltd – Grass Cutting 555 £403.13p
R C Poynting – Nunton Field supplies 556 £28.82p
S
Nelson – Nunton Field supplies 557 £9.99p
Radnor
Hall – Contribution towards Annual Lease 558 £250.00p
Odstock with N&B PCC – Grass Cutting Grant 559 £600.00p
R Parsons – Clerk's salary and expenses, on account 560 £920.00p
HAC Joynt – Ground Maintenance 561 £285.00p
Bawden Contracting Services Ltd – Grass Cutting 562 £403.13p
Southern Electric – Nunton Field Electricity DD £20.24p
57/15 Any Other Business (for information only): None.
58/15 The next Ordinary OPC meeting is scheduled for
Monday, 8 February.
The meeting closed at 9:23pm
Signed without amendment by the PC Chairman, Cllr Gavin Simmonite, on
8 February 2016.
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