Minutes of Community Development and Environment Comittee 19 February 2025

Agenda – Part 1

  1. To accept apologies for absence and to remind members that any member not attending a meeting of the Council for six consecutive months will be deemed to be no longer a member of the Parish Council.
  2. Members will identify any declarations of disclosable pecuniary and other registerable interest(s). Members are requested to read the note overleaf.
  3. Public Questions (Please read the note overleaf).
  4. To receive and agree as a true record the minutes of the meeting held on 27 November 2024. 
  5. To consider any matters arising.
  6. To receive a verbal update from the Parish Clerk on current issues including:
    1. Cleaswell Park. Members will be updated on the installation of the play area.
    2. Stakeford Crescent – Members will be updated on street surgery and public meeting for residents at Stakeford Crescent
    3. Neighbourhood Plan engagement – Members will be updated on recent engagement meetings.
  1. PlayZone Cleaswell Park.  Members are requested to consider the report on the PlayZone for Cleaswell Park and will be required to consider approval of gap funding.(Appendix 1)(page 7)

Agenda – Part 2. 

Members will be asked to consider if there are matters that in consideration of Standing Order 3 and because of their special and confidential nature, require the exclusion of press and public.

  1. Consideration of any requests for grants
    1. Cleaswell School – contribution towards electrical work to connect defibrillator on perimeter fence for community access
    2. Line dancing group for contribution towards celebrating 25 years anniversary.
  1. Consideration of any matters referred from part 1 of the agenda.

Notes to be read in connection with Agenda Items 2 and 3

 Note for the Public – Any resident of the Parish may raise topics for discussion during the public question session.  The length of the public session, normally fifteen minutes, is at the discretion of the Chairman.  Any resident may speak once on a subject, and they are requested to avoid duplication as far as possible.  Councillors are not allowed to participate, other than by asking direct questions for clarification.  Public attendance is limited to the space available in the Lounge.  For members of the public unable to attend, questions can be emailed or telephoned to the Parish Clerk on info@choppingtonparishcouncil.org or 01670 858664 – morning meetings no later than 4pm the day before and for evening meetings no later than 12 noon on the day of the meeting.  These will be read out during the public session.

 Note re Declarations of interest – Members are required to disclose personal and prejudicial interests relating to any matters to be considered at the meeting.  The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.   An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting if it only becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

If a member who has declared a personal interest then considers the interest to be prejudicial he/she shall declare that, and, after making any representations, answering questions or giving evidence relating to the business, the member shall withdraw from the room for the remainder of the item to which the interest relates.

Angela Brindley

Parish Clerk

12 February 2025

MINUTES OF A MEETING OF CHOPPINGTON PARISH COUNCIL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE HELD ON 19 FEBRUARY 2025

Members present:

 Cllr H Allsopp

Cllr K Burn

Cllr J Rowell

Cllr P S Vaughan

Cllr L Watson (Chairman)

In attendance:

Ms A Brindley Parish Clerk/Responsible Finance Officer, Mr D Nicholson and Mr D Iley FAO.

CD&E 030/24           1.         APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE.

 Cllr A Iley and Cllr G Huntley (illness), Cllr J Foster (NCC commitments)

CD&E 031/24           2.         MEMBERS’ DECLARATION OF DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY AND OTHER REGISTERABLE INTEREST(S).

None

CD&E 032/24           3.         PUBLIC QUESTIONS.

The parish clerk reported no questions had been received.

CD&E 033/24           4.         TO RECEIVE AND AGREE AS A TRUE RECORD THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 27 NOVEMBER 2024.

The minutes were received and accepted as a true record of the meeting.

CD&E 034/24           5.         TO CONSIDER MATTERS ARISING FROM THOSE MINUTES NOT ALREADY ON THE AGENDA.
  1. CD&E 028/24 The website is now compliant after our web administrator had completed the work without using the additional premium software.
  2. CD&E 028/24 Festive Lights – Those opposite the Swan have now been switched off.
 CD&E 035/24           6.         TO RECEIVE A VERBAL UPDATE FROM THE PARISH CLERK ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

1.    Cleaswell Park:  The Parish Clerk reported that Kompan had been appointed as the provider for the play equipment and the design had been circulated.  There will be a site set up at the end of the school holidays and installation is programmed to start on the 10th of March with an estimated end date of 30 April 2025.

  1. Stakeford Crescent: Before Christmas, Parish Councillors, and County Councillor Julie Foster held a street surgery on Stakeford Crescent visiting many of the residents to discuss the problems associated with the new build. Councillors had been appalled at the intrusion residents were suffering.  The Parish Clerk had reported the problems to NCC planning enforcement, but problems with imprecise language in the construction plan had resulted in limited enforcement actions.  The site visit was followed by County Councillor Julie Foster arranging a public meeting hosted by the Parish Council on 3 February with residents voicing their concerns directly to members of Bernicia and the construction company United Living.  Assurances were made at the meeting and a follow-up meeting for all attendees is to be held on the 17th of March at 6pm again hosted by the Parish Council.

RESOLVED: The Parish Clerk to contact the Director of Housing and Planning Mr R Murfin to advise of the problems residents have experienced during the house build at Stakeford Crescent and actions that need to be built into future projects to protect residents.

  1. Neighbourhood Plan: Parish officers had joined 2 local groups recently to speak to members about their memories of green spaces.
CD&E 036/24           7.         PlayZone Cleaswell Park:

Members considered the PlayZone report (appendix One).  Discussion centred on the conditions of the funding.

i.        The cost of the compulsory smart booking system and

ii.        The collection of the statistical evidence of usage.

An alternative to the PlayZone was considered of resurfacing the existing MUGA area.

RESOLVED: Members to accept the offer from the Football Foundation to provide funding for the PlayZone and approved a maximum figure for gap funding.

Agenda, Part 2.

Members resolved that in consideration of standing order 3 and because of

their special and confidential nature, the following items require discussion in

the absence of press and public.

  1. Consideration of any requests for grants:

CD&E 037/24           Contribution towards the 25th anniversary celebration of a local line dancing group.    £550.00

There being no further items for consideration the meeting closed at 7.30pm

Chairman………………………………………………………..Dated…………