2007-03-05

5th March 2007

PRESENT:
Mr Steve Smowton (chair)
Mr Brian Forster (vice-chair)
Mrs Gina Mannix
Mrs Carole Wainwright
Ms Judy Wanless
Mr Ian Reynolds
Mr Peter Skilbeck
Mr Mike Russell
Mr Charles Forbes Adam
Mr Bill Reader
Mr John Reader
Mrs Liz Casling North Yorkshire County Councillor and Selby District Councillor

APOLOGIES:

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING WERE READ AND MR RUSSELL PROPOSED THEY BE APPROVED AND THIS WAS SECONDED BY MS WANLESS

MATTERS ARISING

VEHICLE ACTUATED SIGNS
The meeting requested the clerk to request the Police to carry out more speed checks on the Skipwith Road.
Action: VC

Following discussions between the chair and Barry Derbyshire at NYCC a 'Welcome To Escrick - Please drive slowly' sign has been designed for the Skipwith Road approach to the village. The cost of £160.00 was approved by the meeting and the Clerk was asked to order this.
Action: VC

Mr Brian Watson from North Yorkshire Highways in the next financial year is going to install "Duck" warning signs and the white line in the village as previously agreed.

ANTI GRAFFITI PAINT COSTS
The chair and Mr John Reader have tried several times to paint the bus shelter and due to weather conditions have not been able to complete the work. They are hoping to complete it this coming weekend.
Action: JR/SS

LIGHTER SAFER COMMUNITIES PROJECT
The new light on Skipwith Road is now connected and working.

ELECTRICITY BILLS
The chair received communication from npower stating that the electricity bills for the parish could not be combined together as they are UMS sites. The clerk made enquiries as to the meaning of this and UMS stands for Utility Management Sites and they are a subsidiary of npower and manage all their sites including the monitoring of meters. Neither the chair or clerk understand why they cannot be combined, the project will be left until the next electricity bills arrive.

ESCRICK PLAYING FIELD ASSOCIATION
The planting of the paddock is nearing completion. An invoice for the work will be sent to the Council, together with a cheque that covers that amount. Mrs Mannix noted that it would be some time before the trees fill out. She has reported that there is some work to do to the path. Mrs Mannix reported £1,600 had been made from sale of calendars. Their account is in credit, £2,102.00. There is the cost of the yearly safety check of £160.00 to be paid shortly. The benches are due in March and the bill is to go to the Parish Council and also a cheque. Neal Hales did the work without profit and a letter of thanks to be sent to him and also to David Tomlinson for cutting the hedge at the playing field free of charge.
Action: VC

There is graffiti on the playing field sign and the chair suggested that the anti-graffiti paint purchased for the bus shelter could be used for this as well. Mrs Mannix reported that the bike ramp keeps re-appearing. The rabbits have been cleared away and the mole hills had not been removed.

NYCC FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR A PEDESTRIAN CROSSING
The chair replied to Mr Gresty at NYCC (copied to MP John Grogan) supporting the request by a parishoner for a pedestrian crossing. He has received a further letter from North Yorkshire County Council to say that a feasibility study is to be prepared.

MOLE CONTROL
There was some confusion about the mole and rabbit control - Mrs Mannix volunteered to liaise with the primary school to clear this up.
Action: GM

Mrs Casling informed the councilors of a meeting about affordable housing which is being held on Wednesday 14 March at the Regen Centre from 11m - 3pm. She said there was a grant available which would go to two villages. Mrs Wainwright will attend this meeting.
Action CW

North Yorkshire Land and Minerals at Escrick brickworks have to plans on the development of mineral waste to increase the site as there were a couple more years of extraction and then the site would revert back to woodland.

ACCOUNTS
The accounts are in credit but as yet the electricity bills are still awaited.
A/c No 1: £9,127.47
A/c No 2: £6,142.71
A/c No 3: £34.50
It was agreed to pay:
Escrick & Deighton Social Club: £10.00
Mole Control: £55.00
Mrs V Cumberland telephone & postage: £14.25

PLANNING APPLICATIONS

8/10/227/PA - Erection of a dwelling on land adjacent The Covers 70 Main Street Escrick - No objection in principal but would ask the Planning Officer about the distance the new house is to the existing wall that borders the site with regard to maintenance of the property next door and the proposed dwelling. Also that Highways give consideration to existing parking problems in Main Street and Escrick Park Gardens bearing in mind that 2 new entrances are already planned for the proposed development of the old Primary School. - Amended plans submitted.

8/10/57B/PA - Change of use from residential to hotel accommodation and function rooms Rectory Cottage 6 Main Street Escrick - No objection to change of use but the proposed exit past Rectory Cottage onto the road which is used by the surgery, church and farm and private house needs to be considered due to possible traffic problems. Possible condition re: signage and exit changes with regard to sight lines. - SDC permission granted

8/10/230/PA - Fell a beech, lop a birch and re-shape cherry tree within G1 of TPO 1/1993 at 3 Skipwith Road Escrick - No objections

8/10/84C/PA - Creation of new vehicle access on to the A19 to serve dwelling 1 Brickworks Cottages Riccall Road Escrick - no objections

8/10/227A/PA - Resubmission of an erection of a dwelling on land adjacent The Covers 70 Main Street Escrick - we stand by our previous comments with regard to this development ie position with regard to existing dwelling at No 1 Escrick Park Gardens and the highway problems that another exit onto the highway will create for residents.

8/10/231/PA - Erection of a conservatory to the rear 39B Skipwith Road Escrick - no objections

8/10/233/PA - Erection of a conservatory to the rear of 31 Dower Park Escrick - no objections

8/10/31D/PA - Change of use of land form agricultural to siting of below ground cesspool tank of 18200 litre to hold waste from adjoining caravan site and associated work Approach Farm Riccall Road Escrick - no objections

CORRESPONDENCE
A letter from John Grogan MP about Local Government Reorganisation requesting Parish Councils to express their views and the chair had voted to stay as we are ie. Selby District Council and North Yorkshire County Council continue but working more closely together.

Mrs Casling wrote about the mine sites at Gascoigne Mine and Riccall Mine which are currently under appeal. Howarth Estates who currently own the sites and are promoting these sites for use in Combined Heat and Power technology, Biofuel and high tech R & D afteruse. She is concerned about the situation as we have always fought for these sites to be returned to their original use as the original planning conditions stated and planning conditions should be adhered to.

Plans from Jenny Hubbard, Planning Consultant, for a farm shop and café for Escrick Park Estate sited at Hollicarrs together with a proposed affordable housing plan put forward by the Estate and Yorkshire Housing were received prior to the planning application. Mr Reynolds declared an interest in this application. The Estate had held a public exhibition which all the councillors had attended. The residents around Hollicarrs had been informed and had been shown the plans and their response had been very positive. The arboretum area will be for the public to use with the expectation being that they will use the farm shop and café. The farm shop will be supplied by local suppliers and this would limit food miles. Mr Forbes Adam had produced the plans for the affordable housing to give the community a chance to see these before they went to planning application and to get the public's reaction to them. Mrs Casling enquired as to the proportion of shared equity and this has yet to be finalised. Mr John Reader was concerned as this area is prone to flooding and Mr Forbes Adam had replied that a flood risk assessment had been taken and the risk was low. The chair was concerned about building on green belt land, but it was pointed out that planning permission would be sought as an exceptional case where it can be shown that the area is in need of affordable housing which would service three villages - Escrick, Skipwith and Stillingfleet. It was questioned whether the houses could be located in each of the villages, but Mr Forbes Adam pointed out that affordable housing schemes need to be of a certain size before the housing associations because interested. The proposal would comply with the government's policy of rural affordable homes. The applications for these homes initially would be limited to those already living in these villages. Mr Forbes Adam said there was no time scale on this project and Jenny Hubbard could be contacted to answer any questions.

The clerk has received communication from the neighbourhood Police that he will produce a report periodically and this will be placed in the parish magazine.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Mr Skilbeck attended the meeting with the Parsonage about the new exit road. It is proposed that The Parsonage would reshape the approach and put white lines to prevent vehicles crossing over to the right side of the road and blocking the lane for traffic trying to get off the A19. Additionally, a "Give Way" sign to be erected by the hotel and also "No parking" signs to be erected along the lane. It was suggested that a concave mirror could be erected. North Yorkshire Highways to be contacted to create a pull in from the Selby side to take any traffic turning left.

Mr Skilbeck expressed his regret that the old school was now closed after four generations of his family had attended this school.

Mr Forbes Adam reported that the Highways Dept are clearing the verges along Skipwith Road

Mrs Wainwright requested if funds were available another light on Main Street was required.

Mr John Reader reported that the light at the memorial had gone out after only three days and the clerk to contact Mr Brooksbank to return to fix this.
Action: VC

DATE OF NEXT MEETING and AGM: Monday 14th May 2007 at Escrick & Deighton Club