Pre-meeting
Reports
4 February 2020
168. County Councillor
The Chairman welcomed County Cllr Rainger who gave an update on recent
activities. He reported that the Care Quality
Commission (CQC) had rated Suffolk favourably with 89% of adult social care rated
as good or outstanding. The Ipswich northern
bypass route had raised concerns and not been recommended to Cabinet. Further transport options will be
investigated. County Cllr Rainger also
mentioned a new scheme for permitted roadworks by utilities, ie road closures, diversions etc and levies if the work is
not completed on time which should make life better for motorists. Cllr Betson attended the TEAGS film event
last Sunday and asked County Cllr Rainger his views. He confirmed SCC made representations to EDF
and identified 300 areas for more clarification. Cllr Last raised concerns of the recent
notification that the dental practice in Crown Street was closing due to lack
of dentists. District Cllr Haworth-Culf confirmed
Therese Coffey MP was aware and investigating this issue. Cllr Harle commented that TASC had requested a
judicial review for Pillbox Field and Coronation Wood. Cllr O’Reilly thanked County Cllr Rainger for
dealing with a highways issue promptly.
During the
above item, the time reached 7.30pm, it was proposed by Cllr Ginger and seconded
by Cllr Harle and agreed that Standing Orders be suspended to allow the public
session to complete.
169. District Councillor
A report was tabled and Cllr Jocelyn
Bond and Cllr TJ Haworth-Culf were both in attendance. Cllr Haworth-Culf reiterated to be vigilant
on scam telephone calls and emails. Cllr
Morsley queried the parking enforcement arrangements and Cllr Haworth-Culf confirmed
this was being finalised at Cabinet tonight.
Cllr Last asked if parking enforcement would be policed outside of office
hours, ie 8-5 Monday to Friday and if the Town
Council would have any input into the areas policed. Cllr Haworth-Culf confirmed there will be 20
parking enforcement officers patrolling at different times of the day/evening,
including weekends and motorists will be issued with a ticket if they are
parked illegally. There will be a
dedicated email set up in due course for councillors and residents to report
problem areas.
170. Public Forum
No questions were raised.
At a meeting of the LEISTON-cum-SIZEWELL TOWN COUNCIL
held in
the COMMUNITY CENTRE, King Georges Avenue, Leiston, on
TUESDAY 4
FEBRUARY 2020 at 7.40pm
Councillor Mrs L Hill (in the Chair)
Councillor D Bailey
Councillor Mrs S Betson
Councillor D Boast
Councillor D Dix
Councillor Mrs S M Geater
Councillor C Ginger
Councillor P Harle
Councillor T Hawkins
Councillor J N Last BEM
Councillor D Morsley
Councillor S O’Reilly
Councillor Ms M A Woolf
171. Minutes
It
was proposed by Cllr Hawkins, seconded by Cllr O’Reilly
and agreed that the minutes for the meeting of 7 January 2020 be signed as a true
record.
172. Apologies
Apologies
were received from Cllr Levermore and Cllr Cooper.
173. Chairman’s Communications
Cllr Hill reported
as follows:
On 24
January I attended the Town and Parish Planning Forum at the ESC offices at
Melton. The event was led by Philip Ridley, Head of Planning and Coastal
Management. The agenda included presentations on Community Infrastructure Levy
(CIL). There is an opportunity for a further training session which the Deputy
Town Clerk is looking into as a new CIL strategy was approved on 7 January. The
Committee Management Information System (CMIS) which is a web-based platform to
host information on ESC business and where Committee papers, Cabinet decisions
etc are published was explained. To have access to this site you need to register and you can personalise the information you require
to a particular Ward or committee. Information on the Planning Portal was also provided and it was explained that as from 1 April 2020, there
will only be electronic planning consultations. I was advised that for larger planning
schemes a request could be made for a paper copy to be made available for councillors
to view. With so much information reported on at the forum, councillors have
been notified of the link to all the presentation material which is available
on the ESC website.
The
Community Partnership Workshops were held in the 8 areas between 27 October and
27 November and three priorities for each area were arrived at. The first round
of meetings, following the workshops, started with the Aldeburgh, Leiston,
Saxmundham and villages Community Partnership on 27 January and will
conclude on 27 February. The Deputy Town Clerk and I attended the first meeting
and a report will be given under Item 11 on the agenda.
Yesterday,
I attended the East Suffolk Community Safety Partnership Planning Event at The
Riverside Centre, Stratford St Andrew. The
Chairman, Councillor Mark Jepson opened the meeting which was followed by
presentations from the Suffolk Constabulary, the Local Government Association
and officers from Suffolk and East Suffolk Councils. This led into four workshops
on the topics raised of Anti-Social Behaviour and Modern Slavery, Hate Crime,
Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence, Criminal Exploitation and County Lines.
Everyone took part in the workshops which was an opportunity to share
information and ideas which would be looked at when formulating the Community Safety
Partnership Plan. Copies of the power point presentations are to be sent to
delegates and I will forward these to councillors when available.
174. Declarations of Interest
Cllr Hill for Leiston Film Theatre and item 19 letter 2, Cllr Betson for item
19 letter 2, Cllr Boast for item 19 letter 2, Cllr Geater for item 15 and item
16, Cllr O’Reilly for item 15 and Cllr Ginger for item 10 and item 19 letter 1.
175. Leiston
Together Update
No update. The next Leiston Together meeting was
scheduled for 18 February.
176. CLT Trustee Board
Cllr Hill updated the
meeting on this item thus:
The CLT, from the 3
quotes obtained, have agreed a preferred landscape design and construction contractor
for the United Church project. The quote covers the preliminary design stage
with initial drawings including 3D images and a detailed cost projection for
the project. Funding applications have been made to our County Councillor and 3
District Councillors which would enable the CLT to secure the contractor and allow
the work to proceed. A topographical study which is not included in the quote is
also required. With the bird nesting season coming up and with the consent of
the Co-op and the United Church, the ivy from the wall that borders the church
garden and Co-op car park will be removed.
The funding application
I mentioned at the last meeting for the Town Square project was looked at by
Ben Porter from ESC and a few additions suggested. The application to The Fore
is for £29,920 (including VAT) to cover the costs of an initial plan and site
survey to inform estimated costs. The application was submitted by the deadline
of 13 January and the Chairman has since been invited to take part in a telephone
conversation with a Consultant Grant Assessor working for The Fore. This will
be an opportunity for the plans of the CLT to be further explained and how our
request for funding would have a transformative impact. Their decision will be
known in March.
In order to reach more
members of the community regarding our project and to gain further membership,
the CLT took the plans to three sessions of Slimming World last Thursday and
gained 17 new members with a number of membership forms being taken. A lot of
interest was shown and very positive comments made
regarding the proposals.
On Thursday, the
Trustees will again have a stand at the Leiston Co-op displaying the plans and
seeking to increase our membership. A presentation is to be given to the
Trustees of the Leiston Works Railway on 18 February. There are other plans to
talk to local groups and organisations and for a display of the plans at the
Leiston Leisure Centre. Membership is currently 204 full members and 25
associate members. Associate members are people who do not live or work in Leiston
but support the town centre project.
This morning the CLT
met with the officers of East Suffolk Council and advised them of the progress
made in all areas of the project. The Officers agreed to provide Land Registry
plans and up dated information regarding an Economic Survey including retail capacity
which were needed by the architect and for the Business Plan. We were also advised that subject to Cabinet
approval this evening, plans for the next stage of the People and Places
initiative will be put in place to work with the stakeholders regarding the
data collected in Leiston and 10 other towns in our area.
Cllr Ginger commented on the report as
he personally felt a new footpath into the garden area and car park was not
needed and raised concerns this could lead to anti-social behaviour.
177. Allotment
Working Party
Cllr
Dix expressed an interest in joining the Allotment Working Party and on a
proposition from Cllr Bailey, seconded by Cllr Last this was agreed.
178. Grounds
Maintenance Meeting – 15 January 2020
Councillors
noted the minutes. Cllr Ginger had
suggested not asking for sponsorship of the baskets this year due to the
reduction in number. After some discussion
it was proposed by Cllr Woolf, seconded by Cllr Morsley
and agreed that we still ask for sponsorship but explain the changes in the
letter. Cllr Ginger against.
179. Open
Spaces Committee – 21 January 2020
Councillors
noted the minutes and discussed the items for approval.
Haylings Pond - It was proposed by Cllr Betson, seconded by Cllr
O’Reilly and agreed to proceed with the quote from Harry Stebbing for a nature
board at Haylings Pond and it was further proposed by Cllr Ginger, seconded by
Cllr Boast and agreed to have a history board in the same format in the future.
Community Orchard – It was proposed by Cllr
Betson, seconded by Cllr Morsley and agreed to proceed with the quote from
Harry Stebbing for a welcome board at the Community Orchard and it was further
proposed by Cllr Ginger, seconded by Cllr Harle and agreed to have a history
board in the same format in the future.
180. Film
Theatre Working Party – 23 January 2020
Councillors
noted the report.
181. Community
Partnership – 27 January 2020
The
Deputy Clerk reported further to the initial workshop at the end of November where 3 objectives
were agreed, she attended with the Chairman the Community Partnership meeting
on 27 January. This was the first one of
the eight Community Partnership meetings to take place to discuss their priorities. Funding of £10,000 is available until 31
March and we need to allocate this to a project, quick wins with priorities on
long-term projects.
Three main priorities
are:
· Transport
links and access to services
· Economic
regeneration/High Street
· Housing
to meet local needs
There were 3 groups
working on these priorities and after considerable discussion transport links/access
to services and economic regeneration/high street were taken forward. Two small task and finish groups would work
up a viable project and report back to the next meeting. The housing objective was felt too big and
needed much more thought and would be looked at further after April and perhaps
link in with the other community partnerships groups. The next meeting will be held on 23 March.
182. SSG
Meeting – 9 January 2020
Cllr
Betson gave an update from the meeting with a small positive that the redundant
areas at Sizewell A could possibly be re-licenced to Sizewell B to use as their
outage carpark instead of Pillbox Field.
A judicial review has gone in regarding Coronation Wood.
183. SALC
Meeting – 23 January 2020
Draft
minutes had been previously circulated.
Cllr O’Reilly attended as our representative
but all councillors and clerks are welcome to attend.
184. Inspire
Suffolk Awards – Sponsor Award
The
Town Council has sponsored the Student Community Engagement Award for the past
two years. Unfortunately, there is no
group programme from Leiston this year but future
programmes will again be held in Leiston.
It was proposed by Cllr Betson, seconded by Cllr Last and agreed to
sponsor the award at a cost of £100.00.
There were no volunteers to attend the awards ceremony.
185. Finance
and Personnel
a) Accounts for Payment
It was proposed by Cllr Boast, seconded by Cllr Last and agreed that accounts
presented in the sum of £18,538.98 along with £36,908.51 paid since the last meeting,
be approved for payment.
186. Planning Matters
The Clerk explained that the ESC Conservation Officer was
concerned about the impact of the proposal on the listed building and that
Highways had recommended refusal on vehicle access. It was agreed to concur with these findings
and recommend refusal as members still thought it was an overdevelopment and
that the access onto Red House Lane was not suitable.
RECOMMEND REFUSAL
b)
DC/20/0014/TPO – Norwegian Larch (T1) in rear garden – fell
because main growth is on one side of the tree due to proximity to other mature
trees. This has caused the tree to lean
extensively towards the property. Do not
wish to replant as a lot of other trees in the garden. Holly (T2) – fell because of proximity to Scots
Pine and hindering growth on one side of tree at 12 Haylings Grove, Leiston
REFER TO TREE WARDEN
The Clerk asked councillors if they wished for him to refer
TPO applications straight to Mr Newton (Tree Warden). It was proposed by Cllr Ginger, seconded by
Cllr Harle and agreed to keep the status quo. Cllr Hill suggested asking for his views on
TPO applications prior to the meeting.
c)
DC/20/0169/FUL – First floor extension to provide dressing
room and bathroom, replace existing flat roofed canopy with new pitched roof at
1 Haylings Grove, Leiston
RECOMMEND APPROVAL
d)
DC/20/0246/TPO – Common Lime T4 – Prune back branches overhanging
property to suitable growth point at 150 Carr Avenue,
Leiston
REFER TO TREE WARDEN
e)
DC/20/0268/FUL – Construction of a two storey
front extension and internal remodelling works at 21 Haylings Grove, Leiston
Councillors were very concerned at the scale of the incursion
in front of the building line, 4m. It was also an unremarkable extension which
would be thoroughly out of character and damaging to the street scene.
RECOMMEND REFUSAL
f)
DC/20/0342/FUL – Removal of front
boundary wall, provision of dropped kerb and paved frontage parking area,
construction of new front porch and single storey rear extension, re-roofing of
conjoined outbuilding and formation of canopy at 132 King Georges Avenue,
Leiston
RECOMMEND APPROVAL
g)
Land at the Cupola
The Clerk advised that the owner of the Cupola had consulted the Town
Council in 2018 regarding a development of houses and workshops around the
curtilage of the Cupola. Although he had not come forward during the call for
land when the Neighbourhood Plan was in consultation it was felt that this sort
of thing would have been considered. The
latest plans were more ambitious but not overly so. The inclusion of retirement
homes very close to where the Neighbourhood Plan had made provision was welcome
and the concerns members would recommend ESC look at are whether Church Road is
adopted (for the increased traffic), the retention of significant trees and how
best the project could provide the intended public benefit to outweigh any possible
perceived harm to the setting of the adjacent listed buildings. Overall though
generally very supportive.
187. County Matters
Cllr Ginger queried if the White Horse
junction had been mentioned in the recent meetings with EDF on traffic
management in the town. The Clerk
confirmed this was part of the discussions and would be raised at the meeting
next week with EDF.
188. District Matters
No questions were
raised.
189. Correspondence
Funding Request from Leiston
Ex-Service Club
Councillors
noted the request from Leiston Ex-Service Club asking for a donation towards
new fire exit doors. It was proposed by
Cllr Ginger, seconded by Cllr Bailey and agreed to
grant £500.00.
Funding
Request from CLT
Cllrs Hill, Boast and Betson left the room. Cllr
Last assumed Chairmanship for this item.
Councillors
noted the request from the CLT to fund the topographical study for the garden
area. It was proposed by Cllr Morsley,
seconded by Cllr O’Reilly and agreed to grant £495
using the CIL reserve. Cllr Ginger
against.
190. Questions to the Chairman
Cllr
Bailey queried minute 156 and making Kemps Hill a pedestrian access only,
stating there has been no consultation with the public other than for the Neighbourhood
Plan. Cllr Harle commented about a
letter to a resident in Valley Road regarding a possible compulsory purchase
order of their garden by EDF. Cllr Morsley
congratulated Russell Cooper on his hard work cleaning up in the town and Cllr
Hill, on behalf of Leiston Town Council, thanked him. Cllr Harle mentioned a Nuclear Free Local
Authorities meeting on 14 March at Saxmundham. Cllr Harle thanked the Chairman for
organising the recent CPR training which was very good
and Cllr Hill said 40 people had the training and it was great success. Cllr Harle suggested another defibrillator could
be placed in the telephone box in the post office square and said the First
Responders also thought this was a good idea.
The Clerk advised this is unlikely to happen until the telephone service
is removed. Cllr Betson advised Leiston
Works Railway could apply for a new Government funding initiative to support
their project. Cllr Ginger reported that
ornaments and such like have unfortunately been stolen from the cemetery.
The meeting finished at 9.15pm.
Chair ---------------------------------------------
Dated ---------------------------------------------