The meeting commenced at 7.15pm

these minutes will be ratified at the December PC Meeting

Present
Coun. Reynalds, Mrs Dawson, Mrs Edes, Mrs Morton, Dawson, Fendley, Gilson, Murray, Sandford , and the Clerk

NCC Dick Frazer, Coun. Bolam, District Coun. Bridgett

Apologies

Member's of the Public Present      scroll down
Anthea Wilbie Chalke wished to speak about the new junction layout, and apart from the poor design, is concerned about it not having a roundabout, and felt a cheaper option was now in place with the safety and needs of the Weldon Bridge road ignored. It was clear the design needed more thought, and the building contractor's did not see themselves responsible for reworking it, and surely their Civil Engineers should bear the responsibility for the reworking. Anthea therefore concerned taxpayers will be left to pay for the design failures. Coun. Sandford replied it was NCC planner's who approved the plan. Coun. Fendley said there were discussions at the consultative stage, and the question of a roundabout was not economically viable on the basis of anticipated return on the sale of properties. Coun. Reynalds said it had been the Parish Council's initial comments a roundabout was required. Coun. Gilson said Anthea’s basic problem was who is to pay for the 'foul up,' and in the past few PC meetings it had been stated it was NCC Highway Authority responsibility, the head of highways being the person who agreed the plan - however the plan was at fault, but the government system had allowed the layout to go ahead, therefore the tax payers will have to end up paying for it. Coun. Fendley's understanding after meeting with the developer was they have simply put into practice what was approved by NCC. Coun. Sandford said the initial pressure as a PC put on NCC regarding the junction plan was tremendous, and now suspected NCC could have been leant on by the developer.
Resident Guy Singleton present and wished to state the danger of the road junction for a heavy goods user such as himself, and said the road is not physically wide enough to take HGV's, and looking at the roundabout idea, the priority should have been with the Morpeth road There is a stay clear box but car users ignore it. Dick Frazer said Anthea's points are valid - the issue of why there is no roundabout he cannot answer as it was before his time and the engineer no longer works for NCC. However a roundabout would have problems and the approach would be very similar to present, at the time the arrangement was put together, NCC's policy had been to work with the developers and consulting engineers, but it was not for NCC to check every item proposed, however the proposals did cause some concern to NCC but they had been approved through the safety audit process and NCC did not have the power to design the set up themselves. According to the design engineers the junction should have been adequate for turning circles, and the results of the safety audit were accepted. With regard to the overall layout, there are issues, a fundamental one being the difficult turning area which is largely governed by site constraints, NCC did agree it should be widened and purchased additional land for the widening, but Dick agreed there are still issues. On the issue of costs, they are all being met by the developer. There is work still to do to the approach, there has to be a drainage connection created, and the gas main needs diverting - NCC are trying to negotiate access into the same trench as British Gas. Dick has visited the site and discussed issues with the Business Club, however it is very difficult to see any major realignment of the road taking place. Coun. Fendley said it was agreed the mark one version of the junction was a total disaster, and it seems mark 2 is not much better and can there not be a mark 3 taking on board comments regarding the extremely sharp right turn whatever you are driving. Dick said the site had been stripped behind the wall, but the wall is retaining the road, and without considerable expenditure it would be extremely difficult to widen, and would require a whole new retaining wall and difficulties for access to the cottages. If there had been vegetation it could have been feasible but with the amount of earth it is too much to deal with. Coun. Edes said it will be terribly dangerous in winter when making the sharp turn, Dick replied there is ongoing discussion for anti skid treatments to be extended. Coun. Murray has voiced objections since day one of the development plans, and thought the problem was the priority being changed and another option would be to put 3 way traffic lights on permanently. Coun. Dawson said it was all thrashed out 7 years ago, Dick has explained the reasons behind it, and now it has to be moved on - whatever the priority road is, it has been approved, the road is not right, all have to accept this and find out what can be done to improve it. Coun. Gilson asked if NCC/developers had looked into the fact larger HGV's are now in use, and was the whole infrastructure investigated. Dick replied all vehicles have the right to be on the road unless weight restrictions are in place. Coun. Gilson said it appears lessons are not being learnt, and surely somebody has to accept responsibility. Dick keen for NCC to design all roads, but this is not possible, and NCC has no power to force this possibility at present. Coun. Gilson wished to put in the minutes the PC appreciated Dick's involvement in this issue. Coun. Sandford said despite the legal predicament, under the present system it did not stop the NCC's officer of the Highway's Division saying it was unacceptable. Dick said the original plan did raise some concerns, but the safety audit came back up to scratch from the consultant. Coun. Edes said it is a pity an urban design is on the edge of a conservation area, Dick took this point on board and agreed the bollards and lighting give an urban feel, and summed up the current staggered arrangements require a more acceptable right turn and NCC are to see if it can be improved.

Parking          scroll down
Coun. Reynalds said parking schemes have been looked at over the years, and limited waiting in the centre would ease problems. Coun. Fendley asked Dick if he was aware of the Ove Arup report carried out in 2002 regarding parking in Rothbury, Dick said it would be on record at NCC. Coun. Sandford said the last plan up for discussion has suffered through not being taken forward. Coun. Fendley said he had thought the haugh parking charges would only be implemented when improvements to parking in the village centre were put in place, but this had not happened. Coun. Dawson replied it was the enforcement issue the police were not happy about, and Rothbury does not have any regulations other than yellow lines. A scheme within the centre was proposed for limited parking and a survey by NCC circulated to affected households, however the majority of returns did not wish to see a scheme implemented. Coun. Edes commented if white lines were put down as proper spaces in specific areas it would create extra parking areas. Coun. Gilson interested in the comments 'something must be done,' and asked why is this so, are there statistics of accidents etc, and on his personal experience, on only once occasion has he had to go twice around the village to find a parking place, yes it is a bit of a mess, but personally he cannot see any major problems. Coun Reynalds replied most of the residents have found major problems, Coun. Edes said there are people taking places up for the whole day going away walking etc. and to her knowledge problems have occurred for 25 years, Coun Mrs Morton pointed out the War Memorial keeps getting hit through vehicles parking where they should not be. Coun. Bolam said ADC have not allowed for an all day parking charge at the Haugh which has compounded problems, and if coming to spend all day you cannot park there, and Coun. Bolam has spoken to P Gee ADC and drawn his attention to this. Coun. Murray said Haugh all day parking would be beneficial, and could disc parking tickets not be used for shoppers. Dick said a scheme was proposed, and his understanding was it fell at consultation stage, he has looked at the proposals and noted some restrictions have been introduced, ego Yellow lines, but the difficulty is when parking is regulated and bays marked off, as then it is immediately bound by highway rules/issues, which is one of the reasons why parking is only shown on one side of the road on the plan. Pay and display and resident parking schemes had been introduced in Corbridge, and would be worth thinking about - they put together a working group with two public consultations. As an interim stage Dick would seek to set aside finance to pay for officer time to take ideas forward. Civil enforcement will come back to NCC to administer, which is a massive process to put in order - at least two years. Two hour limited could be an interim solution, eg between 8-6pm. Coun. Dawson wished to thank Dick for these comments saying he was the first NCC officer who has been positive about parking and working with the PC, and actually agreed something has to be done. Coun. Reynalds thanked Dick for his time.

Over the Bridges
Coun. Mrs Dawson to compile report.

Minutes of Previous Meeting
The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed after minor amendments.

Crime & Disorder Forum
Minutes available, next meeting 4/12/07.

Rural Transport
Coun. Murray and Reynalds had met with John Lazarus, current Chairman UCCT, and informed him a new Chairman can be supplied if required, and extra support for securing funding could be given from the PC.

Play Areas
Coun. Gilson had tried to contact Lisa Mason, with no success, however Tom Mason had agreed to help with repairs - ­thick rubber soundproofing will be tacked over the piece of heavy wood.

West End Entrance
Nothing to report.

Rothbury Shoppers Group
Invoice for October - £ 100.00 - fares received £112.00

NHS Governor
Coun. Sandford reported Northumberland Health Trust had organised a roadshow which was held today at the Cottage hospital, Coun. Morton said it was advertised in the Gazette, however Coun. Sandford had attended and been disappointed at the poor general public attendance. Alnwick Health Forum are meeting next Wednesday and Coun. Sandford had read a report about long mental health waiting times in the press, and had spoken to the chief psychiatrist running the department who had said there was little substance to the report, however Coun. Sardford had asked for the item to be put on the health forum agenda. Coun. Sandford to attend NHS Trust conference on the spread of c-­diff.

Nursing Home
Nothing to report.

Ambulance Service/Patient Transfer
Nothing to report

ADC Local Wide Plan
Coun. Gilson asked if there was somebody he can talk to about this - he has deep concerns about increasing housing in rural areas - and reported the village dentist has said there is no chance he will be able take on any new clients moving into Rothbury. Coun. Dawson said the plan covers the whole district, the PC have received paperwork in the past and have made comment, but it is a huge process, and once a site specific plan for Rothbury is received there will be the opportunity to comment and all comments are taken on board when final plans drawn up. Coun. Sandford said when the plan went through for Addycombe he did ask ADC if they were to involve themselves in an impact study and was told with the number of houses it was not necessary. Coun. Dawson said under new planning guidance this development would now be deemed significant.

Village Greens
Nothing to report.

Bridge Closure
Nothing to report.

Christmas Lights Committee
Coun. Edes and Dawson had attended a recent meeting, and the committee were pleased with the offer for the PC to aid in filling in forms for funding for the stanchions, and it does require being submitted by the PC instead of Rothbury Projects. Coun. Fendley wished to thank Coun. Edes and Dawson for their involvement in this. Coun. Edes said fund raising responsibility will be with Rothbury Projects. Coun. Dawson said if fittings are installed, who will be ultimately responsible for them, as there will be insurance, safety check costs, renewals, electricity charges, etc which could end up considerable, Coun. Mrs Dawson replied the committee are well aware of this, and assumed Rothbury Projects will have to stand most of the costs. Coun. Bridgett said when applying for funding, an insurance policy would be the first criteria organisations would ask for.

Spar Shop
Acknowledgement from Alan Beith, but no reply from CO-OP on the inadequacies of the present service.

Picnic Area
Nothing to report.

Village Shrubbery
After meeting with NCC and agreeing the trees needed removing, Coun. Edes had been contacted by a resident bitterly complaining about the removal works, however she had spoken to them and they have now accepted the situation. From a traffic point of view the area is an improvement.

Web Site
Nothing to report.

Graffiti
Nothing to report.

Signage
Coun. Murray in receipt of a map from ADC, and requested councillor's take note of streets in their area, as there is certainly confusion of what is correct/incorrect.

Rothbury Plan         scroll down
Haugh Land: Still awaiting N/Estates reply.
Parking: Reply received from police stating officers have been asked to keep a vigilant eye on speeding and parking in the areas of Brewery Lane and Station Road.
Hospital: No reply from NCC regarding weed problem on path.
Youth Project: A presentation had recently been made to the PCC, Coun. Sandford had received favourable comments on this, and meetings had also been arranged with ADC and National Parks - funding situation not looking too bad, but a way to go yet. Coun. Sandford reported the project visiting the Theatre Royal on Saturday.
Recycling: Nothing to report.
Cyclepath: Nothing to report.
Speed Cameras: Nothing to report.
Street Lighting: Coun. Murray had received two complaints about the High Street, one person had stumbled outside the Chemist. - Coun. Murray had devised a map oflights, and when new ones are installed they seem to be between 38 & 40 paces apart, however from the Turk's to the CO-OP they are 80 paces apart, and the CO-OP to old Spar shop even further apart, and when shop lights go off it is pitch black. Reverting back to the junction, Coun. Murray thinks the existing are not a patch on these lights, the old fashioned light comes out the sides, modem lamps have a dome with the light heading straight down. Coun. Murray thought a study could be carried out for the centre of Rothbury to see if improvements can be made. Coun. Sandford supported this proposal - it was agreed to ask NCC if they could carry a s_rvey out. Coun. Fendley sai__ being in a conservation area there was some pressure to provide a particular lamp design, Coun. Bolam had previously given the notion funding may be available. Coun. Gilson read out a report stating light pollution in rural places is still low, and a balance needs to be struck with safety and rural setting. Coun. Edes said when you live in the country you can always take a torch, Coun. Murray replied this could be difficult if using walking sticks.
Recycling: Nothing to report.
Enhance Public Areas: Nothing to report.
Heritage Amenity Project: Nothing to report.
Information Signage: Coun. Murray had received information, however there needs to be photographs/drawings provided before true costings can be sought. Coun. Bolam thought work could be done through the tourist budget, and suggested Coun. Murray re-contact ADC stating the PC understands there is funding available.

The following Accounts have been authorised
i].  TINN - October Shopping Bus - £100.00 - fares received £112.00.
ii]. T W Alderson - £5.40 - gardening materials
iii]. J Gregory - timber £157.45 - war memorial area repairs carried out by Amanda Boyce and Alistair Gaskell.

Community Action
Coun. Fendley reported a quango created with £35K funding available - divided between areas with Coquetdale and Morpeth one sub- group, which is representative of 19 PC's in the segment, Coun. Fendley had been appointed Chair, and requested the £2.5K running costs be funnelled through Rothbury PC bank account. Four bids have been accepted by the group, with an anticipated two further bids to be received.

Seats & Trees
Coun. Dawson had been contacted by the League of Friends who are willing to supply and pay for a new seat between the Haugh car park and the hospital, however this area could come under Whitton & Tosson PC - it was agreed if the area is within Rothbury the PC would agree to this. Coun. Gilson wished to mention the thank you e-mail from Mr & Mrs Minto regarding their replacement seat at Hillside. Coun. Fendley asked if there had been further discussion of purchasing seats other than wooden one's, and did have information on plastic seating, and there are two already outside of the Jubilee Hall. Coun. Sandford reported two riverside seats about two foot apart in desperate need of varnishing. Coun. Edes reported some seats have been attended to on Hillside road - requiring steam cleaning and preservative works. Coun. Gilson asked when a seat is accepted in memoriam does the PC then become responsible for it - this confirmed - and thought there could come a point when the PC would be unable to accept further seats due to maintenance costs, and too many seats being in the village. It was agreed Coun. Edes and Fendley would carry out a seat survey. Coun. Murray had mentioned at a previous meeting about no seat now being on land under Rothbury House at the riverside, and also reported a leg missing on one of the seats at the riverside, Coun. Mrs Edes to ask Amanda Boyce to look at this seat.

Cherry Trees
No information received from Ian Fletcher.

Dog Bins
It was reported a local resident was prepared to pay for an additional dog bin at the stepping stones area. Coun. Mrs Dawson commented there is already a bin nearby opposite the council yard, however it was agreed the bin could be ordered through the PC - Coun. Mrs Dawson to arrange this.

Paths & Verges
Nothing to report.

Post Office Barrier
No objections to NCC consultation, works to now go ahead.

Allotments
Coun. Reynalds said there is information in Council's Direct stating allotments need to be kept cultivated - and he would look at this in more detail and report back at the next meeting.

Riverside Sewage
Coun. Bolam reported the sewage problems at the riverside had been resolved, the old sewage outlet had been picking up houses illegally and flowing into the main sewer, and a tree root had caused damage - Environmental Health have written to all concerned properties offering to carry out the repair and recharge householders a proportion of the cost, all householders have agreed with this action.

Correspondence         scroll down
E Mail
i].    Mr & Mrs Minto - Hillside Seat - thanks for the seat works - discussed earlier
ii].   Inspector Peart - Neighbourhood Watch Schemes - requesting details of schemes - Coun. Murray thoughtAddycombe NWScheme has probably lapsed. Coun. Morton had met with Inspector Peart and reported Sergeant Danagher is retiring at Christmas and Inspector Peart had asked should there be a public retirement 'party,' Coun. Sandford thought it should be Sergeant Danagher's wishes alone. Inspector Peart thought residents do not know who their local police are, and suggested posters be placed in the village with details/faces.
iii].   NCC - shrubbery - confirming area to be actioned - discussed earlier.
iv].   ADC - Precept 2008/09 - requesting figures for the next financial year - Coun. Reynalds suggested the figure be raised by inflation at 3%, Coun. Gilson thought it should be between 5 & 10%. Coun. Sandford said years ago the precept was not raised for years and a resolution had then been taken it would be raised by the rate of inflation each year. Coun. Gilson again reiterated between 5&10%, Coun. Reynalds thought this figure could not be justified and it should be by 3% - agreed. Next Sub Committee finance meeting to be held 26/11/07, following meeting with Peter Biggers.
v].    Standards Board - Adopting Code of Conduct - for information.
vi].    Northumbria Police - minutes meeting held 4/9/07 - Crime & Disorder Forum - available for circulation
vii].   ADC - Core Strategy - Adoption - for information
viii].  ADC - Belonging Communities - for information
ix].    NCC - Pedestrian Guardrail - discussed earlier
x].     Community Action Northumberland - Minutes/Annual Report - 2006/07 - available for circulation
xi].    Jubilee Institute - Hearing Loop - for information
xii].    Community Action Northumberland - newsletter - copies available
xiii].   NNParks - New Leader Approach - for information
xiv].   NCC - Alnwick Area Committee Minutes - available for circulation
xv].    Alan Beith - CO-OP - requesting to be informed if reply received from CO-OP
xvi].   North Northumberland Hospice - newsletter/raffle tickets
xvii].   North East Assembly - annual report - available for circulation
xviii].  Government Office for the North East - Rural housing delivery - meeting to be held
xix].    Northumberland & Newcastle Society - City & County Newsletter - available for circulation
xx].     NCC - Proposed 30mph speed limit extension Whitton Bank
xxi].    Northumbria Police - speeding - discussed earlier
xxii].   CPRE Overview – newsletter
xxiii].   Fire Service - Improving your Fire & Rescue Service
xxiv].  Community Action Northumberland - Characteristic Communities
xxv].   Clerk newsletter - available for circulation

Planning

       Planning Applications received for the following:
   i].   A/2007/0569: Mrs Ainsley, Knocklaw Park - tree works
   ii].  A/2007/0561: Mr Abu Essa, Tyne & Wear - change of use, old Shilton's shop
   iii]. A/2007/0585: R J Waugh, Sunnycroft, Pondicherry – extension

      Approval of Planning Application have been received for the following:
   i].  A/2007 /0467: Dr & Mrs Wilkinson, Silverton Lane – conservatory
   ii].  A/2007/0508: Mr & Mrs Delaney, Westholme, Hillside West – conservatory

          Addycombe Development: Discussed earlier.
          Bridge Street: Nothing to report.

Any Other Business
i].  Coun. Sandford requested Burial Committee minutes be placed on next agenda.
ii.  Coun. Sandford reported the next PC meeting is to be held 12/12/07 and several councillor's have been invited elsewhere - it was agreed to change the date to Monday 10/12/07.
iii. Coun. Murray asked if the street map in his possession could be photocopied - Coun. Reynalds to action this.