Parish Council Meetings

Clerks Report: December 2016

Posted on 13 December 201615 February 2017 by Sbengerpc

Update From Sutton Benger Extraordinary Parish Council Meeting on 7 December 2016

Planning – the following decisions were agreed:

16/10661/FUL, 42 High Street, SN15 4RF – Demolish existing garage and erection of a dwelling and carport (resubmission of 15/10590/FUL) – Object
16/10996/TCA, 5 Manor Farm Drive, SN15 4RW – Fell 1 sycamore and 30%reduction to Ash trees – No Objections
16/10934/FUL, Land Adjacent Old Telephone Exchange, Seagry Hill, SN15 4SA – Change of use of land to 1 gypsy and traveller pitch, the erection of a day room, siting of a static home together with space for the parking of 2 cars, a mobile home, space for a garden and the siting of a cess pit. – Object – Agreed to ask Cllr Greenman to call it in
16/08789/FUL, Gate Cottage High Street SN15 4RE – Demolish existing dilapidated outbuilding and replace to create garden room. – No Objections
16/11216/LBC, Gate Cottage High Street SN15 4RE – Demolish existing dilapidated outbuilding and replace to create garden room. – No Objections

Next Parish Council Meeting –The date of the next Parish Council Meeting is Wednesday 11th January 2017 in the Village Hall, starting at 7.45 pm.

The Councillors and Clerk would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Clerks Report: November 2016

Posted on 17 November 201617 November 2016 by Sbengerpc

Update From Sutton Benger Parish Council Meeting on 9 November 2016

Planning – Consideration was given to 4 planning applications:

16/09784/FUL – College Green, Sutton Lane, SN15 4RT – Enlarge existing adopted informal parking area to accommodate 7 formal parking bays, including associated white line marking. – Support subject to conditions
16/10077/FUL – Oakleigh Acres Pitstop, Jct 17 M4, SN15 5LH – Proposed lounge/bar area and two temporary mobile type offices – No Objections
16/10466/TCA – 4 Chestnut Road, SN15 4RP – 25% Crown Reduction to Horse Chestnut Tree – No Objections
16/10550/TCA – East Starlings 25 High Street SN15 4RQ – Fell 1 Lawson Cypress Tree – No Objections

The PC had not submitted any comments on the original application in relation to the Planning Appeal for 16/02442/FUL – Kintyre, Sutton Lane – covered yard for livestock, as it had not received the original plans and would state this in a letter to the planning inspectorate.

It was agreed to make no comments on the proposed base station installation in the field adjacent to The Shrubbery, North of the High Street.

Matters relating to the unauthorised planning infringements at the traveller site on Seagry Hill were noted and the Clerk advised of the planning enforcement officer’s site visits, comments and the imminent planning application.

Dropped kerbs – Pavement on High Street at Starlings – Following a proposal by Cllr N Davis – Cllr P Jones agreed to take photos and submit an initial enquiry to the Chippenham Area Board regarding funding/action on dropping the kerbs to make it easier for disability scooters and prams using the pavement.

Rights of Way – Cllr Leigh Varnham has been working with the volunteer group to assign the pathways for inspection. There are lots of paths to inspect – if you are interested in joining the group, please contact the Clerk.

Neighbourhood Development – A public meeting has been arranged for 23-Nov-2016 to give an update on the survey results.

Village Hall – Cllr N Hayward advised that a proposal had been received by the VHMC to potentially lease part of the Rec to install a mobile phone mast. She also advised that they are very keen on extending the Hall – the PC have previously expressed their support for this project. The Clerk passed on the thanks received from the VHMC for the donation from the PC of 12 new chairs.

Next Parish Council Meetings – There will be an Extraordinary Parish Council Meeting on Wednesday 7th December 2016 in the Village Hall, starting at 7.45 pm to discuss planning applications. The date of the next ordinary Parish Council Meeting is Wednesday 11th January 2017 in the Village Hall, starting at 7.45 pm.

Councillor Vacancies – there is currently 1 vacancy for Parish Councillor. Please contact Linda Bragg, Parish Clerk on 07757 351584 / email: parishclerk@suttonbengerparishcouncil.gov.uk for further details and an Application Form if you would like to join our team.

Clerks Report: October 2016

Posted on 26 October 201626 October 2016 by Sbengerpc

Update From Sutton Benger Parish Council Meeting on 12 October 2016

Planning

Consideration was given to 3 planning applications:

16/08652/FUL – 10 Heath Avenue, SN15 4TH – Single storey extension – No Objections
16/09616/TCA – 7 Manor Farm Drive, SN15 4RW – Re-pollard 2 Goat Willows, 0% Crown Reduction to Maple Tree, Fell 3 Apple Trees and 1 Cherry Tree – No Objections
16/09047/LBC – 22 High Street, SN15 4RF – Replacement timber doors and windows to match existing for single dwelling house – Support

Arms Farm

Following a discussion on the recent Arms Farm planning applications it was agreed to put out a statement on the planning process – available here.

Cllr E Pope clarified her position with regards to the Arms Farm planning agenda items and the Parish Council is satisfied that she has acted in accordance with the PC’s procedures and the advice from the Monitoring Officer.

A brief presentation was received from Stonewater Developers on their proposals for development on land adjacent to Sharplands, Sutton Lane.

Highways Matters

B4069 – The PC were disappointed that the re-surfacing of the High Street was no longer on the schedule for this year. It is on the schedule for next year, if Wiltshire Council have enough money in the budget.

The “Parish Steward” Scheme

What is The Parish Steward Scheme? In its simplest form it is a person (our guy is called Adrian) who will visit once a month to help keep our village looking great (and it is funded by Wiltshire Council). This means we, as a Parish, can request specific tasks to be carried out and this is where we need your help.

The steward is set some tasks by the Parish Council, below is a list of some typical tasks. However, we need you to let us know if you have seen something that needs attending to. If you do all, you need to do is report it back to the Parish Clerk (parishclerk@suttonbengerparishcouncil.gov.uk), it will get added to the list and hopefully done on the next visit. This is a great scheme, and if we don’t use it we will lose it, so please send those requests in.

Possible tasks

Repairing, straightening and cleaning road signs
Weed treatment
Repair minor road defects (for larger ones please us the Wiltshire App)
Hand cutting hedges where there is a visibility problem.
Unblocking Grips, pipes, gullies etc

Finally, Adrian is a friend to the village so please say hello or give him a wave. You can’t miss him as he drives a big yellow truck!

High Street Crossing

Cllr M Bines is to liaise with the Primary School to arrange another pedestrian count to see if a crossing on the High Street is viable.

Footpath on Sutton Lane

The Clerk has contacted Wiltshire Council Highways to discuss the possibility of a new footpath and/or clearing overgrown hedging along Sutton Lane at Sharplands to improve pedestrian safety.

Rights of Way

Cllr Leigh Varnham will be organising a meeting of the volunteer group to make a start on inspecting the pathways. If you are interested in joining the group, please contact the Clerk.

Neighbourhood Development Plan

A public meeting is scheduled for the last week in November. It was agreed that the Clerk would liaise with the NDP Group to prepare a housing design statement.
Village Hall – Cllr N Hayward was appointed as the lead Cllr to liaise with the Village Hall Committee.

Next Parish Council Meeting

The date of the next Parish Council Meeting is Wednesday 9th November 2016 in the Village Hall, starting at 7.45 pm.

Councillor Vacancies

There is currently 1 vacancy for Parish Councillor. Please contact Linda Bragg, Parish Clerk on 07757 351584 / email: parishclerk@suttonbengerparishcouncil.gov.uk for further details and an Application Form if you would like to join our team.

Clerks Report: September 2016

Posted on 15 September 201615 September 2016 by Sbengerpc

Update From Sutton Benger Parish Council Meeting held on Wednesday 14th September 2016.

New Parish Councillor – a warm welcome was given to our newly co-opted Councillor, Nicola Hayward. Nicola has lived in Sutton Benger for 15 years and applied to become a Parish Councillor so that she could have the opportunity to give something back to the village.

Planning – Consideration was given to 4 planning applications:

16/06773/FUL & 16/07265/LBC – Wellesley Arms, SN15 4RD – Conversion of outbuilding to provide ancillary B&B accommodation – Object

16/07661/FUL & 16/08100/LBC – Arms Farm, SN15 4RE – Conversion of agricultural barn to dwelling; erection of a detached garage; formation of field access – Object and Cllr H Greenman was asked to call into committee

16/08467/TCA – Manete, 5 Chestnut Road, SN15 4RP – 25% reduction to copper beech and reduce overhang to road and crown-raise by 3m – No objection

16/08510/TCA – Elmete, High Street, SN15 4RE – Fell 2 Birch Trees – No objection

The Clerk had received a late request from Stonewater Developers to attend the meeting to give a brief presentation on their proposals for development on land at the rear of the Recreation Ground. If anyone would like to see details of their proposals please contact the Parish Clerk. They will be organising a public consultation meeting in the near future.

Approval was given for Cllrs N Davis and M Bines to attend a Planning Course on 2 November 2016.

Highways and Transport – The Clerk urged everyone to use the MyWiltshire App/Website to report highways issues, including potholes.

Rights of Way – Cllr Leigh Varnham agreed to take lead responsibility for the Rights of Way volunteer group. We have had several applications for the Parish Path Liaison Officer scheme and he will be organising a meeting for them with Stephen Leonard, Senior Rights of Way Officer at Wiltshire Council.

Neighbourhood Development – the deadline for completing the questionnaire online has been extended to 30 September 2016 – http://bigplan.suttonbengerparishcouncil.gov.uk/. Members were asked to encourage friends and neighbours to complete it.

Next Parish Council Meeting – The date of the next Parish Council Meeting is Wednesday 12th October 2016 in the Village Hall, starting at 7.45 pm.

Councillor Vacancies – there 1 vacancy for Parish Councillor. Please contact the Parish Clerk for further details and an Application Form if you would like to join our team.

Clerk’s Report: June 2016

Posted on 17 June 201617 June 2016 by Sbengerpc

Update From Sutton Benger Parish Council

Meeting held on Wednesday 8th June 2016 – Five Councillors, the Parish Clerk, 3 members of the public and Cllr H Greenman attended.

Planning

The Final Scheme for Arms Farm was noted but no formal discussions can take place until the planning application has been received by the PC.

Consideration was given to 1 planning application:

16/04319/FUL – Sheep Cottage, 6 Sutton Lane SN15 4RU – Single storey extension – No Objections

Highways and Transport

The Clerk has sent a letter to the Associate Director of Highways and Transport with a Request for Information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 concerning the disrepair of the B4069 High Street. Cllr P Jones attended a presentation on the new Parish Steward scheme on 9 June 2016.

18t Weight Restriction on B4069 Consultation – Traffic Regulation Order (rec’d on 9-Jun-16)

This proposal will be advertised in the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald on 16th June 2016 and the consultation period ends on 11th July 2016.

Comments on this proposal, quoting reference HKB/TRO/LYNE may be made by:

Email to trafficorders@wiltshire.go.uk or in writing to:

TRO Team
Sustainable Transport Group
Highways & Transport
County Hall
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
BA14 8JN

Wheelie Bin Speed Limit Stickers

The PC will be purchasing some 30mph and 20mph wheelie bin stickers to be available on a first come first served basis.

Grass Verges

The Clerk advised that the verge on the west side of Sutton Lane near the High Street junction was no longer on Wiltshire Council’s list as they do not own it. Land Registry searches have revealed that the verge seems to be another pocket of unregistered land. Wiltshire Council could be asked to cut it if visibility to motorists becomes impeded at all.

Talk to the School Council

Cllr P Jones gave a presentation to the Primary School’s School Council on the role of the Parish Council and its Councillors. The Clerk was asked to invite them to attend the next PC Meeting.

High Street Flowerbed

Wiltshire Council have now carried out the repairs to the dry stone wall.

Next Parish Council Meeting

The date of the next Parish Council Meeting is Wednesday 13th July 2016 in the Village Hall, starting at 7.45 pm.

Councillor Vacancies

There are 2 vacancies for Parish Councillor. Please contact Linda Bragg, Parish Clerk on 07757 351584 / email: parishclerk@suttonbengerparishcouncil.gov.uk for further details and an Application Form if you would like to join our team.

Clerk’s Report: May 2016

Posted on 16 May 201616 May 2016 by Sbengerpc

Notes from the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council (PC) held on Wednesday 11th May.

Six Councillors, the Parish Clerk and 2 members of the public attended the meeting.

Cllr E Pope was re-elected as Chairman and Cllr K Smedley as Vice-Chair.

Finance

Annual Maintenance of the additional Gossip Area, adj. to 1 Queens Close, to include grass cutting and strimming was approved for 2016-17
The outstanding Community Grant of £500 from 2015-16 was approved for payment to the PCC for maintenance of the churchyard
Approval was given for a contribution of £1,000 to the maintenance of the churchyard from the 2016-17 budget

Planning Applications

Consideration was given to 3 planning applications:

16/03301/TCA: Gate Cottage, High Street, SN15 4RE – No Objections
16/03211/FUL: Old Post Office, 26 High Street – Support
16/03977/TCA: 11 Chestnut Road, SN15 4RP – No Objections

Community Emergency Plan

Cllrs E Pope and H Parry-Jones agreed to complete Wiltshire Council’s Community Emergency Plan.

Highways and Transport

Following no response to Cllr P Jones’s repeated requests for information on the re-surfacing of the High Street, the Clerk was asked to draft a letter to the Associate Director of Highways and Transport.

Crossing on the High Street – Cllr P Jones measured the visibility along the High Street to identify a possible site for a High Street crossing at the Seagry Road junction. It is planned to carry out our own informal pedestrian count to assess feasibility.

Flowerbed on the High Street – Wiltshire Council have advised that, as the flowerbed is “entirely within the adopted Highway”, it is not possible to complete a Community Asset Transfer. The Clerk was asked to draft a letter to the Highways Dept. requesting urgent repairs to the dry stone wall.

20mph Chestnut Road – the Speedwatch group have been asked to include this in their scheme.

Next Parish Council Meeting

The date of the next Parish Council Meeting is Wednesday 8th June 2016 in the Village Hall, starting at 7.45 pm.

Councillor Vacancies

There are 2 vacancies for Parish Councillor. Please contact Linda Bragg, Parish Clerk on 07757 351584 / contact the Clerk for further details and an Application Form if you would like to join our team.

Annual Parish Meeting – 13th April 2016

Posted on 23 March 20167 April 2016 by Sbengerpc

All residents of Sutton Benger Parish are invited to attend your Annual Parish Meeting Wednesday 13 April 2016.

Along with an update from the Parish Council and other village organisations, there will be presentations by:

Meril Morgan, Arts Development Officer, Wiltshire Council – Ideas for an arts project within the village using the Arts Funding (£24,000) received from Redrow’s Park development
Daniel Everett, Flood Drainage Engineer, Wiltshire Council – Details of the flood mitigation works in Seagry Road and on the High Street.

An informal social session rounds off the meeting when you will be able to enjoy some Cheese and Wine.

The Date: Wednesday 13th April 2016
The Time: 7.45pm
The Venue: Sutton Benger Village Hall

Contact Linda Bragg, Parish Clerk for further details on 07757 351584 or via the contact form.

Download the invitation

Clerk’s Report: March 2016

Posted on 16 March 2016 by Sbengerpc

Notes from the Parish Council (PC) meeting held on Wednesday 9th March.

Six Councillors, the Parish Clerk, 10 members of the public and Wilts Cllr H Greenman attended the meeting.

Finance

Annual Maintenance contracts for the Gossip Areas, to include grass cutting, and the Bus Shelter were approved for 2016-17.

A Community Grant of £500 was approved for the PCC for maintenance of the churchyard.

The PC agreed to give the VHMC the old 3-door wooden noticeboard, currently situated at the Playpark.

Planning Applications

Consideration was given to 4 planning applications:

16/01017/TCA at All Saints Church
16/01238/FUL at 19 Queens Close
16/01508/FUL at 1Chestnut Road
16/01892/TCA at 4 Church Piece. The PC resolved to make no objections to any of the applications.

New Councillor

Mr Leigh Varnham was co-opted onto the Council – he was warmly welcomed by all present.

Highways and Transport

Cllr P Jones has again raised the following issues with Richard Dobson, Wiltshire Council: the gully clearing at the B4069/B4122 junction, the missing 50mph repeater sign and the re-surfacing of the B4069. The large pothole on the High Street opp. Manor Farm Drive has been reported and passed to the Contractors.

Crossing on the High Street – Cllr P Jones agreed to measure the High Street to see if a suitable site was available for a pedestrian crossing on the High Street before carrying out our own informal pedestrian count.

Community Asset Transfer of the flowerbed on the High Street – Wiltshire Council have advised that a Section 96 Licence allowing maintenance of it would be appropriate but the PC wished to proceed with a CAT to have total ownership if possible.

Parking Spaces at College Green – Cllr H Greenman agreed to investigate the possibility of securing funding for extra car parking spaces at College Green. The PC fully supported this matter and would help in any way it could.

Annual Parish Meeting

The Council will be inviting the following to give presentations at the APM:

Meril Morgan, Wilts Council Arts Development Officer on the S106 Arts Contribution of £24,000 awarded to the village. If you would be interested in joining a small team (4-5 people) to discuss possible Arts Projects for the village please contact the Clerk.
Daniel Everett. Flood Drainage Engineer, Wilts Council on the flood mitigation works in Seagry Road and the High Street

The Annual Parish Meeting will be held in the Village Hall on Wednesday 13th April 2016 starting at 19:30. This will be your chance to get an update from village organisations, including the Parish Council, about what has happened in the last 12 months and their plans for the future. There will short presentations with ample opportunity to ask questions during the meeting followed by light refreshments and informal discussion afterwards.

Next Parish Council Meetings

The date of the Annual Parish Meeting is Wednesday 13th April 2016 and the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council is Wednesday 11th May 2016 both in the Village Hall, starting at 7.45 pm.

Clerk’s Report: February 2016

Posted on 15 February 2016 by Sbengerpc

Notes from the Parish Council (PC) meeting held on Wednesday 10th February.

Four Councillors, the Parish Clerk and 2 members of the public attended the meeting.

Finance

A Community Grant of £100 was approved for the Sutton Benger Rugby Football Club towards the provision of new goalposts.

Planning Applications

Consideration was given to planning application – 16/100506/TCA at 3 Manor Farm Drive.

The PC resolved to make no objections to the application.

New Councillor

Mr Malcolm Bines was co-opted onto the Council – he was warmly welcomed by all present.

Defibrillator (Wellesley Arms)

The new cabinet has now been installed and the PC has now taken up responsibility for and maintenance of this Defib.

Crossing on the High Street

Following a disappointing response from Wiltshire Council who have put the matter on hold – it was decided to look into carrying out our own informal pedestrian count before committing expenditure to a formal one (which will cost approx. £1,000-£1,200).

Flooding

It was agreed that Cllr Pope would liaise with the NDP’s Flooding & Drainage Group prior to the PC updating its Flood Plan.

Annual Parish Meeting

The Council will be inviting Meril Morgan, Wilts Council Arts Development Officer to make a presentation at the APM on the S106 Arts Contribution of £24,000 awarded to the village. If you would be interested in joining a small team (4-5 people) to discuss possible Arts Projects for the village please contact the Clerk.

Next Parish Council Meetings

The next Parish Council meeting will be on the Wednesday 9th March in the Village Hall starting at 19:45