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Notes on Meeting of PC with Devizes Development Partnership (DDP)

held in Stert House on Monday 13th July at 6 pm

Present: 

DDP: Iain Wallis (IW), Richard Gamble (RG)

Stert PC: Clive Boyes (CB), Alick Edwards (AE), Lucy Barker (LB), Ann Harris (AH), Chris Lawrence (CL), William Howkins (WH)

The meeting was held between two members of the DDP and Stert PC. The meeting was called by DDP to update the PC on the status of the proposals for a new railway station at Lydeway.

Richard Gamble introduced himself as a director of the DDP, a Wiltshire councillor and chairman of the Devizes Community Area Transport Group (CATG). Ian Wallis is chairman of the DDP and a Devizes businessman.

In February 2018, when DDP (represented by Peter Lay) last briefed the village on their proposals, a plan was shown for a station, comprising two platforms with a foot bridge linking them and a large carpark adjacent to the station. The access road was shown branching off the A342 just below the Etchilhampton turnoff and after swinging in an arc northwards into the field belonging to Richard Hill, then running parallel to the railway line. The station and car park were shown on the north side of the railway by the existing airstrip. Also shown on the plans was a housing development in Richard Hill’s field. The proposal for the housing development was strongly opposed by members of the audience at that meeting. A response as part of the consultation for the renewal of the GWR franchise was submitted by DDP to Network Rail in February 2018 in which the new station was proposed.

At Monday’s meeting, RG summarised the changes that had occurred since 2018. Devizes was the largest town in Wiltshire which is not served by rail and DDP had received strong support for the proposal from Danny Kruger, MP for Devizes, who thought that it would stand a good chance to receive funding from the Government’s £500 million fund to help towns develop plans for new railway lines and stations. Devizes is estimated to have a population of 37,000 by 2026.

What is needed now is for DDP to complete the study to prove the economic and technical feasibility of the scheme. He explained that the developments in rolling stock offered an opportunity to achieve an hourly service for Devizes, The existing long distance trains were too heavy and slow to stop and start and were not suited for stopping at smaller country stations. A new generation of five coach binary trains, electric/diesel powered, which were lighter and more powerful, could operate an hourly service stopping at Gt. Bedwyn, Pewsey, Devizes, Frome and Westbury. This was entirely feasible and there was sufficient capacity on the line for such a service without conflicting with the through fast service London-Reading-Newbury- Westbury-Yeovil etc.

A key feature of the proposals was connectivity with the north/south services operating through Westbury. This would offer a service to Bath and Bristol,  as well as south to Southhampton. RG said that in discussions with GWR, they had shown interest in the proposed new station and saw an opportunity to take some of the traffic load off the congested Swindon line.

IW explained the need for businesses to attract skilled workers to work in Devizes. At present there was a definite constraint in attracting qualified staff due to the lack  of a rail service to the town. He also said that international visitors were put off attending meetings in Devizes as it was not served by a rail. RG said that from his time as WC Councillor for education, he found that a much smaller percentage of school leavers in Devizes went on to further education than elsewhere in Wiltshire due to the lack of a  rail service. He also stressed the importance of a rail connection for the development of tourism in Devizes, with its archeological sites, the canal and the open landscape. Whilst the station would serve commuters travelling from Devizes, that is not intended to be its primary function.

The Devizes station project is one of 10 schemes in the country that has been approved to make a ‘strategic outline business case’ for a station. RG informed that a consultant, WS Atkins,  had just been selected to carry our the feasibility study. DDP had received £50,000 from the Department for Transport (from a ‘Restoring your Railway’ fund) and Wiltshire Council  had pledged £25,000 towards the cost of the study. The study is due to be submitted by the end of September. He emphasised that at the present stage, no definite plans had been submitted and all options were on the table as far as layout, access road etc, was concerned.  The only thing fixed was the location of the station by the airfield opposite Lydeway as this was the nearest level straight section of track to Devizes. There would have to be access by sustainable means, so a cycle path between Devizes and the station would be essential. The route is currently undecided. 

He also stated categorically that the housing shown on the 2018 plans were not part of the project and there was no way that such housing would be considered in open countryside. Peter Lay is now only  involved peripherally. Danny Kruger has stressed that this project should be identified with community involvement and that was why DDP had wanted to meet with Stert PC. LB pointed out that the original plan, showing the housing development, were still shown on the website and suggested that this drawing should be removed so that it was quite clear that this was no longer being considered.

At this stage, it was thought that the project would cost around £15 million and that it could be built in five years.

MINUTES OF MEETING OF STERT PARISH COUNCIL 

held in Stert House on 11th May 2020

Present:

• Clive Boyes (CB),   Chairman
• Alick Edwards (AE),  Dty. Chairman
• Lucy Barker (LB),  Councillor/Treasurer 
• William Howkins (WH),  Councillor/Clerk

The meeting was held outdoors in the garden of Stert House with councillors observing social distancing.

1. Apologies for absence  

Chris Lawrence and Ann Harris and Wiltshire Councillor Philip Whitehead (PW) sent their apologies.

2. Declaration of Interest  

There were no declarations of interest.

3. Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 24th February 2020 were approved (proposed by LB and seconded by AE) and signed by the Chairman.

4. Treasurer’s Report

LB reported that since the last meeting in February there have been no payments and that the balance at the end of the 2019/20 financial year was £2041.97. This was confirmed by WH in the passbook. LB had since received email confirmation from Wiltshire Council that our account has been credited with £1800, being our precept for the current year. WH submitted an invoice for £36, the annual cost of the PC’s website. This was approved for payment.

4.1   LB presented a spreadsheet summarising the PC accounts. The total receipts for 2019/20 were £1747.70 and the total expenditure was £1573.44.

4,2   LB presented the Certificate of Exemption which exempts the PC from an external audit, the internal audit being carried out by Neville Burrell. Both our income and expenditure are well below the qualifying threshold of £25,000. This certificate was signed by CB and herby minuted.

4.3   The Governance Statement was read out and all the ‘yes’ boxes were ticked. It was signed by CB and WH and hereby minuted.

4.4   The parish asset register was the same as for last year and signed by CB.

4.5   Finally, the Accounting Statement, derived from the PC accounts (from 4.1 above) was signed by CB and hereby minuted.

5. A342 Speed limit review

WH reported that CATG meeting which was scheduled to be held on 28th April had been cancelled due to the corona virus and no new date had been set for the next meeting. Until then, there was no action taken on the implementation of the speed limit.

6. Closure of the Church

CB brought to the PC’s notice on the state of the church’s finances which had been severely affected by the lock down due to the corona virus. With the closure of the church, no collections at services have been received and its main fund raising event from the sale of cakes and plants in connection with the car boot sale had to be cancelled. The PC has a vested interest in the state of the church’s finances as it provides a social meeting place for the village quite apart from its spiritual importance. The details of the church’s finances have been posted on the notice board in the porch of the church. 

7. Lockdown restrictions

The PC welcomed the community spirit exemplified by the Thursday evening clapping for the NHS. The PM’s roadmap to the easing of restrictions did not result in significant changes to the lockdown requirements for Stert residents. The annual Cancer Research Car Boot Sale and the Classic Car Event had to be cancelled and no new events have been planned for the village in the foreseeable future.

8. AOB

8.1  WH had notified the PC of an application to WC by Nick Herrod Taylor of Crookwood Mill Farm to convert a tractor shed into an apartment dwelling. WH said he thought the plans looked sympathetically drawn up, in keeping with the original building and he could see no reason not to approve the application. The PC agreed with his assessment and asked him to notify WC accordingly.

8.2  WH had passed on to LB a proposal from an alternative insurer for the parish. Although marginally cheaper than our present insurer, LB recommended staying with Zurich in view of its wide experience with parish insurance nationwide.

9. Next Meeting

The next PC meeting is scheduled to be held in Stert House on Monday 13th July 2020, at 6.30 pm.

MINUTES OF MEETING OF STERT PARISH COUNCIL 

held in Stert House on 24th February 2020

Present:

• Clive Boyes (CB), Chairman
• Alick Edwards (AE), Dty. Chairman
• Chris Lawrence (CL), Councillor
• Lucy Barker (LB),  Councillor/Treasurer 
• Ann Harris (AH), Councillor 
• William Howkins (WH), Councillor/Clerk

1. Apologies for absence 

Wiltshire Councillor Philip Whitehead (PW) sent his apologies.

2. Declaration of Interest  

There were no declarations of interest.

3. Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 9th December 2019 were approved (proposed by CL and seconded by LB) and signed by the Chairman.

4. Treasurer’s Report

LB reported that since the last meeting, there had been three items of expenditure; £45 to Neville Moody for repair of the broken glass in the phone box, £196.59 to Clive Boyes for the Christmas party and £500 to Wiltshire Council as a contribution to the A342 speed survey. The account was credited £1.49 in interest. The balance stood at £2041.97, verified by WH in the passbook.

LB advised that since this was the last PC meeting before the new financial year, the budget for 2020/21 needed to be finalised. At the last PC meeting, it was agreed to increase the precept from £1700 to £1800. The expenditure for the current year will come to £1623.44 compared with the budget of £1600. LB therefore proposed to increase the budget for 2020/21 to £1700 to allow for unforeseen costs that seem to arise every year. This was unanimously agreed.

5. A342 Speed limit review

WH reported that he had received the notes of the recent CATG meeting held on 4th February in which it was noted that there were no members of Stert PC present. The meeting reiterated an indicative cost of £6000 for implementation of the limit. It noted that Stert was a very small parish with limited resources and should not be expected to be the sole contributor to this cost as the speed limit affected several parishes. As agreed at the last PC meeting, WH had written to WC to say the PC was prepared to contribute a further £500 towards the implementation costs (on top of the £500 already paid for the survey). CATG were seeking a contribution of 25% of the cost from the affected parishes and concluded that the other affected parishes should also be asked to contribute. The matter was shelved until the next meeting which is to take place on 28th April.

6. Railway station at Lydeway 

CB reported on the recent DDP meeting chaired by Mr. Iain Wallis that he and WH had attended at which progress on the proposed new railway station at Lydeway was reported. Mr. Noel Woolrych reported that meetings had been held with GWR who showed interest in the scheme and Devizes MP, Mr. Danny Kruger who actively supported the proposal and would try to obtain funding to develop the scheme from the Government’s new £500 million fund to help towns to reopen railway lines and stations closed by Dr. Beeching. Mr. Peter Lay said the next step was to raise £125,000 for a study to establish the technical and financial feasibility of the project. Mr. Richard Gamble explained that the new hybrid trains running between Paddington and Great Bedwin might be extended to Westbury and could also stop at Lydeway, allowing the fast long distance service to Devon and Cornwall to bypass these stations. These technical aspects would need to be addressed in the study. Mr Lay was asked if the housing development behind Clock Inn Park was still part of the proposal. He replied that he had received such a negative reception to this proposal at the meeting in Stert two years ago that this was not presently part of the project.

7. Tinkfield Recycling Centre

CB reported that he had recently spoken to Mr. Nigel Grist. He told CB that work on the bund had been halted by the recent heavy rains but it was planned to complete the earthworks this summer and complete tree planting in August/September. There would be no more building on the site but concreting of the internal roads would be completed. They were presently concreting the floor of the big storage building. A new concreted entrance to the site would be constructed in the summer.

8. Classic car event

CB reported that Paula Winchcombe of Devizes Rotary Club had recently asked Frank Edwards if he would be willing to host a classic car show at Manor Farm in aid of Cancer Research UK. She proposed it should be held on the day after the Car Boot Sale to avoid unnecessary duplication of site works and facilities. Frank Edwards agreed. He, AE, LB and WH had had a meeting last week with Paula Winchcombe and Alan Truscott who informed that they expected 150 classic cars to attend, if the weather was dry. The cars would arrive at 10 am and leave at 2 pm. The Rotary Club would supply their own volunteers to marshal the event and would not need assistance from Stert residents. AE did not foresee any significant additional work for him and said he was happy to agree to host the rally. CL suggested that the PC should approach the Rotary Club for a donation to the church as a way of generating good will from the villagers for similar events in future years, as the event will cause some disruption to the village. This was unanimously agreed and CB volunteered to contact the Rotary Club.

9. Replacement of water main on A342

AE reported that he had been notified that the work would be completed by 9th March. Wessex Water had reinstated the fields where they had worked, but AE said it would take a year for the ground to settle down.

10. AOB

10.1  WH reported that he had received two application for tree work. Mrs. Susan Phelps had requested approval for the felling of  five small trees near the back of her garden where they were causing the boundary hedge to die. Only one tree is of any size, a whitebeam. She proposes to plant fruit trees as replacements, but this is not mentioned in her application. He proposed that the PC agree to this application subject to the new trees being planted. This was agreed.

The second application was from Mrs. Linda Ball in the Burrow to fell two conifers and prune an apple tree. One conifer is blocking the light into her front room and the other is dead. WH proposed that the PC also approve this application and this was agreed.

10.2  Brian Phelps had raised concern over the subsidence of the outer edge of the paved roadway just opposite of Manor Cottage. WH had also noticed this and said it should be reported to the Parish Steward and scheduled for repair. He promised to take action.

11. Next Meeting

The next PC meeting is scheduled to be held in Stert House on Monday 4th May 2020, at 6.30 pm.

MINUTES OF MEETING OF STERT PARISH COUNCIL 

held in Stert House on 9th December 2019

Present:

• Clive Boyes (CB), Chairman
• Chris Lawrence (CL), Councillor
• Lucy Barker (LB),  Councillor/Treasurer
• Ann Harris (AH), Councillor
• William Howkins (WH). Councillor/Clerk

1. Apologies for absence  

Alick Edwards (AE) and Wiltshire Councillor Philip Whitehead (PW) sent their apologies.

2. Declaration of Interest 

There were no declarations of interest.

3. Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 30th September 2019 was approved (proposed by LB and seconded by AH) and signed by the Chairman.

4. Treasurer’s Report

LB reported that since the last meeting, there had been one payment of £300 to Alick Edwards for village maintenance as previously agreed.  The bank balance now stands at £2,782.07, verified in the passbook by WH.

5. Precept for 2020/21

LB presented a sheet showing the receipts and expenditures for the past two years and her proposed budget for FY2020/21. It was agreed to set aside £500 for the expected payment to Wiltshire Council for implementation of the A342 speed limit (see next item). This brought the budgeted expenditures to £1420. In setting the coming year’s precept, LB recommended a 5.9% increase over last year’s precept to cover inflation and unforeseen costs bringing the new precept to £1,800. This would amount to an increase of £1.71 for a Band D council tax payer in Stert. It was noted that for Band D properties, last year Stert residents only paid £18, compared with £45 for Etchilhampton and £92 for Urchfont. In view of the above, the PC unanimously agreed to raise the precept to £1,800 (proposed by CL and seconded by AH).

6. Speed limit on A342

WH had circulated to the PC an extract of the notes from the Devizes CATG meeting held on 5th November. Here it was recorded that the consultants, WS Atkins, had recommended that the speed limit from the entrance to Stert village to the railway bridge by Clock Inn be lowered from 60 to 50 mph. It also recommended that the stretch of the road past the railway bridge to the existing 50 mph limit at Lydeway also be lowered to 50 mph. The indicative cost to implement these changes was estimated at £6,000 of which parish councils concerned would be expected to pay 25%, ie. £1,500.

Following an enquiry by WH to Mr. Andrew Jack, WC’s Devizes Community Engagement Manager, to confirm if Stert PC’s contribution was expected to pay for the whole stretch of road as far as Lydeway, he replied that neighbouring parishes (Urchfont and Etchilhampton) would be asked to contribute. It was strongly felt by the PC that the responsibility for the safety of road users along this national trunk road should be the responsibility of the County Council and not be devolved to the parishes through which the road happened to pass. In view of these considerations, WH proposed that, as only half the stretch was within the Stert Parish boundary, the PC should write a letter to WC explaining that in view of our modest precept we should offer a contribution to the implementation costs of £500. It was agreed that LB should help WH draft this letter for CB to send to WC.

7. Overhanging growth along Stert Lane

Mrs. Phelps and Mrs Lane had complained to CB that trees and bushes overhanging the lower lane past Orchard Cottage were scratching passing vehicles. CB said that he would get someone to cut the branches back.

8. Tinkfield Recycling Centre

It was noted that there had been some progress since the last meeting towards completing the bund. The planting of trees was planned but had not yet started due to the recent wet weather.

9. Lydeway Station update

It had recently been reported in the local press that all the Devizes parliamentary candidates had expressed support for the new station, but that there had been no further definite progress reported.

10. Replacement of water main on A342

The PC noted that there had been no lengthy traffic delays due to the single lane operation along the A342  in spite of the very narrow passing lane down towards Clock Inn. The work was reported to be on schedule for completion by February.

11. Damage to telephone box

The recent breakage of a pane in the telephone box was a mystery: no one had reported what had happened to cause the breakage. LB advised that there was a £100 deductible on the insurance policy coverage, so we need not report the damage to the insurer. WH had spoken to Neville Moody who said he could easily make the repair. CL said he would ask him to carry out the work.

12. PC Christmas Party

CB reported that he had already received a lot of replies from residents wishing to attend the party. He asked for assistance with canapés and for CL to attend his usual barman duties.

13. AOB

13.1  The street lamp by the phone box was reported to be flickering. WH said he would contact our Parish Steward at WC to see to its repair.

13.2  WH had just circulated a planning application WC  from Helena Carney at Rose Cottage to approve an extension at the rear of her property. As this would affect the neighbouring attached cottage (The Lofts), belonging to the Baggarleys, it was agreed that the PC should discuss the plans with them.

14. Next Meeting

The next PC meeting is scheduled to be held in Stert House on Monday 24th February 2020, at 6.30 pm.

MINUTES OF MEETING OF STERT PARISH COUNCIL 

held in Stert House on 30th September 2019

Present:

• Clive Boyes (CB),  Chairman
• Alick Edwards (AE),  Dty Chairman
• Chris Lawrence (CL),  Councillor
• Lucy Barker (LB),  Councillor/Treasurer 
• Ann Harris (AH),  Councillor 
• William Howkins (WH),  Councillor/Clerk

1. Apologies for absence 

Wiltshire Councillor Philip Whitehead (PW) sent his apologies.

2. Declaration of Interest

There were no declarations of interest.

3. Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes of the Annual and Annual Parish meetings held on 15th July 2019 were approved (proposed by AH and seconded by LB) and signed by the Chairman.

4. Treasurer’s Report

LB reported that since the last meeting, the following payments had been made: £129.95 in cash to CB as reimbursement for the purchase of 20 folding chairs from Ikea, as agreed at the last meeting, and £40.50 for 6 bottles of wine as a gift in lieu of fee to our internal auditor. She reported two receipts: £1.21 as interest on the account and a £45 donation for the use of the village marquee and chairs. The balance in the account stood at £3,082.07 (confirmed by WH in the pass book).

LB asked for authority to pay £300 to AE for village maintenance (mainly verge cutting) during the last year. This is the same amount he has been paid since 2011, and therefore she saw no need to obtain alternative quotes as the PC has always felt that AE gave good value for money. She also said that there were many advantages in having maintenance done by a person in the village who is able to respond very quickly if, for example, a tree comes down. AE having confirmed that he was happy with the amount, the PC agreed the payment unanimously.

Now, halfway through the financial year and most of the expenditure has either been made or agreed upon, LB thought it timely to report on the PC’s finances. The income comes to £1,745 and, assuming a budget of £200 for the Christmas party, our expenditure should come to approximately £1,081 (including a £50 reserve for the phone box). This figure does not include the possible £500 that may be payable for the A342 survey. If we have to pay this in the current financial year, our expenditure would come to £1,581 compared to our budget of £1,530.

At our next PC meeting, we will need to agree the precept for 2020/21 and so it would be helpful to have an idea of any further contributions Stert PC may be asked to make towards implementation the possible A342 speed limit.

5. Neighbourhood Watch

WH said, apart from some warnings from Wiltshire Police of computer fraud which he had circulated to residents, there was nothing to report. 

6. Speed limit on A342

WH had received an email from PW giving an update on the result of the speed survey. He reported that Atkins had finished their survey at the time of the last CATg meeting but the results had not been released and no recommendation had been submitted. The results and Atkins’ recommendations will be discussed at the next CATg when a decision will likely be made. It is understood that the recommendation will be to extend the 50mph restriction westwards to include the bends and junction with Stert.  However, this has not yet been decided but will be presented to the CATg for approval.

7. Tinkfield Recycling Centre.

CB reported that earthworks on the bund had at last been completed and some tree planting had been done. It was agreed that CB should write to Nigel Grist expressing the PC’s appreciation that this work had been carried out and asking when the landscaping of the bund would be completed.

8. Claironailes update

CL said that there had been no further complaints about the burning of building refuse on the site. He had no complaints about the building which had largely been built according to the plans approved by the PC.

9. Replacement of water main on A342

The PC agreed that there had been no significant traffic delays due to the single lane operation along the A342 during the course of the works. AE reported that the contractor had benefitted from the dry weather and the work was ahead of schedule. He thought the contractor was doing a good job.

10. AOB

10.1  Concerning the light shining across the valley,  LB said she had spoken to Mr Douse, the butcher at Market Lavington who owned the farm where the light was situated, and he agreed to try and adjust the lamp causing the complaint.

10.2  Footpath over the railway embankment: Network Rail had agreed to repair the rotten steps up the sides of the embankment.

10.3 Defibrillator. AH gave the PC an update on the defibrillator installed at Clock Inn. She said the unit had cost £750 with £130 for installation. Batteries and pads need to be replaced every 3 or 4 years and cost about £200. These prices are much lower than those from two years ago when last discussed by the PC. It was agreed that the acquisition of a defibrillator for Stert be discussed further at the next PC meeting.

11. Next Meeting

The next PC meeting is scheduled to be held in Stert House on Monday 9th December 2019, at 6.30 pm.