Minutes of Nettlebed Parish Council Meeting
held on November 2nd 2010 in Nettlebed Village Club 

Members Present – Councillors B. Lewis, J. Reynolds, M. Atkins, N. Gibson, D. Butler, J. Simon and clerk D. Elms.

Also Present - R. Laycock, A. Paterson, M .Lewis and C. Gibbs

Apologies from J. McDonnell and S. McIvor

1.R. Laycock. With the work on the new shop in the old Church hall practically completed, Mr. Laycock was able to state that the Post Office and shop would leave it’s existing premises on January 25th and would be open for business in the new premises on January 28th.The ‘Life’ shop which will occupy the front of the shop will be open in a few weeks time. In addition to the Post office and shop which will occupy the rear of the premises, two ladies from another company will run a coffee shop and delicatessen, whilst the Post Office shop will sell basic foods, stationery etc.. It is hoped that the red post box will be moved from it’s present location to the front of the new building and the Parish Council notice board attached to the wall near the post box. We are asked to support the shop as the transition has taken a very long time with many problems and costs involved., The constant flooding of the car park should be a thing of the past since new drainage has taken place.

2.C.Gibbs representing the Nettlebed Arts Society stated that instead of sharing the profits mad e from the Arts Show with various organizations in the village, since 2012 will be their 60th. anniversary, they would like to present to the village a village sign. They have various designs in mind but would like other ideas and suggestions .It would also have to be decided on the best location for the sign, whether planning permission will be required and if any other permissions need to be sought. Councillors thought this to be a wonderful idea and thanked Miss Gibbs for the generous offer. The clerk will carry out investigations

3.Nettlebed W.I. In 2011 the Nettlebed W.I. will be celebrating it’s 60th,birthday. To commemorate this auspicious occasion they would like to donate something to the village and have decided to offer a clock to be on the inside of the new sports pavilion with a suitably inscribed plaque marking the occasion. Councillors were delighted to accept this generous offer and agreed to send a letter of thanks to the W.I. President – Mrs C. Marsh

4.Distrct Councillor Mrs A. Paterson. Great consultations re the Core Strategy are under discussion . This relates to the number of new homes which need to be erected by 2027..
With nearly 11,000 homes to be built with the largest number allocated to Didcot, after allocating the numbers required to be built in Thame, Wallingford and Henley, about 700 have to be built in the larger villages, of which Nettlebed is one. With schools, surgeries highways and transport facilities to be taken into account the numbers of new homes will be a major task. With elections taking place in May, Mrs Paterson reminded parishioners to ensure that their names are on the electoral role.

5 Neighbourhood Watch report  PCSO J Smith was unable to attend but her written report was read by Mr. Lewis –Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator. Thefts from cars was reduced but there was an increase in cars stolen .Speeding in the Bix area greatly increased. Mrs H.Goodall and Mrs C. Harwood will act as co-ordinators for Priest Close area replacing Mr.T.Sedwell who has sadly died .

6.Children’s Playground. Commons Conservators had cut back the nettles surrounding the playground. It might be advisable to apply weedkiller to prevent future growth.
A replacement refuse bin made of metal is on order and this will be concreted to the ground. The annual ROSPA inspection was satisfactory but attention needed regarding the concrete slabs at the entrance to the playground.

7.Sponsorship of roundabout Sadly we had to decline the offer to keep the roundabout free of weeds in return for displaying a small advertising sign by Steiger Ltd., furniture sales at Nuffield The roundabout was considered to be too small to display advertisements.

8. M1 bus service This service which runs once daily to and from Reading, passing through Nettlebed has until June 2011 before it’s contract expires. At a meeting on November 10th. attended by the Chairman and Clerk, we were shown a very comprehensive breakdown of the passenger usage. It is very underused costing £7.00 per passenger. The likelihood is that it will be run on certain days only if a new contract is granted. It was pointed out that Nettlebed passengers have no other means of getting to Reading.The easiest access to Reading is from Sonning Common where buses run at half hourly intervals . We also discussed whether the M1 bus might start at Lewknor instead of Watlington. It was also pointed out that coaches originally went to Victoria, and then to Heath Row before being terminated at Henley.
If the one daily bus to Reading could give passengers more time in Reading it might be more used but the bus would be left out of action for such a long time.

9.AGM and conference ORCC This meeting, held at Oxford was attended by the Chairman and clerk. The title of the conference which followed the AGM was ‘Rural Communities- thriving assets or expensive liabilities.?’ Discussion groups were held after which 4 eminent speakers including the permanent secretary of DEFRA commented on the views expressed by those attending before inviting questions.

10.Pavilion Update. With the new pavilion now in place, work has been proceeding inside. It is hoped that some of the internal fittings e.g. electrics and plumbing can be carried out by local volunteers. The external painting of the window frames etc. will be left until later, as will the pathway leading to the building. It is estimated that about £20,000 will be needed to complete the whole project so it is essential that fundraising must continue both for this and for the upkeep on completion. The Henley Cricket Club has expressed an interest in using the facilities. The next fundraising event will be held in the Village Club on November 20th. where there will be table top sales and inexpensive lunches served..

11.Annual Donations It was agreed to donate £100 to Henley CAB, £100 to the Air Ambulance and £125 to Nettlebed W.I. who organize the Senior Citizen’s Christmas Party.

12.Leisure facilities within the District The population of the District is expected to increase by 9% by 2026 so a recent study has taken place listing the available facilities for all types of leisure pursuits Some facilities are the responsibility of the District Council but many are not.

13.NSCC Leisure Facilities Now that we have the Community halls available out of school hours, we are able to add considerably to the list of leisure activities . Parties both adults or children’s are proving to be very popular . The all weather sports pitch is marked for football, tennis, netball and cricket and the floodlighting is a great asset for winter use. We will ensure that the Leisure facility department at SODC is made aware of our contribution

14.Allotments. We can no longer keep the rental for our allotments at the ridiculously low sum of £6.00.We make no profit all we have to do is to cover the cost of the water supply. Sadly, the rent will need to be £12 for next year, which you will know is still a lot cheaper than most areas

15.Concesssionary Bus Passes. From April 1st the government has stated that concessionary bus passes will be administered by the County Council not the District Councils. Up until now there have been slight variations in the times but in future the timing throughout the County will be the same. These are the new rules –Monday to Friday –9.00a.m. to 11.00p.m. All day at weekends and Bank Holidays. Companion passes available to those accompanying elderly or disabled unable to travel alone. National Transport tokens and senior rail passes will not be offered as an alternative to the bus pass. Concessionary bus passes will not be available on dial a ride services

16.Mrs A. Kelaart a local resident is newly appointed as president of the local branch of the CPRE. On Saturday, November 13th she will be giving a talk entitled ‘The role of the farmer’

Planning a. Mayfield Cottage – demolish and replace. b. Kiln Bank Cottage – extension
c.Kiln Bank – part demolish, part extension. no objection -a and c objection –b

Roads and Footpaths - Pearces Meadow – repositioning of road name. Reported poor state of Port Hill pavement- unable to be cleared last winter due to the road gritters being fully occupied. Chapel Lane road sign re reported – faulty support.

Commons a. Letter sent to Planning Inspectorate in accordance with Commons Act 2006 section 38 re pavilion being built on registered common land. B. concern re scrub encroachment on part of Crocker End Common. Countryside officer at SODC contacted.

Amenities Trading Standards warn parishioners to beware of cold callers purporting to be working in liaison with the District Council.

Public Question Time 7 parishioners present

Meeting Closed at 10.15p.m.

Date of next meeting JANUARY 11th.2011

These minutes will be signed at next meeting subject to approval by the Council.