Author: Lindsey Wood

Mere Town Council

Town Clerk – Mrs. L. C. Wood

Minutes of a meeting of Mere Town Council held on Monday, 4^th November 2024 at 7.00 pm in the Andy Young Pavilion, Duchy Manor, Springfield Road, Mere.

Present: Councillors John Jordan (Chair), Glen Ings (Vice-Chair), Sandra Catley, Aubrey Colman, Philip Coward, Rodney Coward, Rachael Hansford, Clive Hazzard, Raymond Hill, George Jeans, Linden Stone, & Lesley Traves.

4 members of the public

Public Participation Session

George Jeans said that he would be declaring a personal interest in the discussion on the public toilets and would not be voting on the matter.  He wanted to point out, however, that he was in favour of cars parking on the wide pavement to the north of the public toilets and wondered if moving the water filling station on to that elevation may cause a conflict.

It was explained that the old flag pole had been removed and Cllr. Jeans volunteered to erect a temporary flagpole for the Remembrance period.

Aubrey Colman asked if the cemetery grass could be cut.

Reports from local police representatives – None present

484. Apologies for absence received from Cllr. Kate Symonds.

485. To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests and other interests from Councillors on matters to be considered at the meeting.

• Clive Hazzard declared a pecuniary interest in Minute Ref: 493 a) Payments
• John Jordan declared a personal interest in planning application PL/2024/09486
• George Jeans declared a personal interest in Minute Ref: 492b)

486. Minutes – RESOLVED that the minutes of the Town Council meeting held on Monday, 7^th October 2024 be approved & signed as a correct record. (attached)

487. Matters Arising from Public Session

• None

488. Matters Arising from previous Meetings (not covered by other agenda items)
489. Minute Ref. 475b) Commemoration for Dr. David Longbourne – the Chairman had been to discuss this with the family and the thought was that a little corner of the new cemetery with a couple of benches, rose bushes and perhaps a bird bath might be created and they felt that this would honour Dr. Longbourne marvellously. The Chairman and Cllr. Hill had identified an area in the cemetery that would be suitable for this.  RESOLVED that this should proceed as discussed.
490. IT Support – this was raised at the last meeting and Cllr. Colman recommended some local IT support, which we have followed up and whilst this may help in one aspect, it wouldn’t help with the maintenance of the equipment, hardware and software issues and so we are still looking to see if it might be possible to find a company that can look after all our IT support requirements under one umbrella.

489. Reports & Consultations
490. Wiltshire Councillors Report

• Fly Posting – requests for advertising with posters around the town should be given to southernhighways@wiltshire.gov.uk.
• Still having difficulties to get a response regarding the lighting of the bollards along Eric Mitchell Way and so I have now emailed the leader of Wiltshire Council.
• I have raised an issue, also with the leader of the Wiltshire Council, about a street light along Church Street that has not been working for 3 or 4 years.

1. Project Co-Ordinator’s Report (report attached) – members noted information within the report. Roger Pipe talked about the MUGA and asked for thoughts on the possibilities.  In general, members felt that the any overhaul of the MUGA should enable as many sports as possible.  Catley said that she felt any future plans for refurbishment of the children’s play area in the Recreation Ground should encompass some inclusive and accessible playground equipment.

490. Planning
491. Applications for consultation response:

The Chairman pointed out that the Town Council had supported a similar application for this property in 2022 but that the Planning Authority had objected on the grounds that the building was not capable of conversation without significant new building operation works being undertaken and that it was within close proximity of agricultural buildings which would detrimentally impact the amenity of future occupiers.  The Clerk read out the criteria for determination of prior approval and it was RESOLVED to recommend approval of the above application.

RESOLVED to recommend approval of the above application.

491. Highways, Rivers, Footpaths, Traffic & Transport
492. To identify jobs for the Parish Steward, Sparkle Team and MyWiltshire reports.

• Hedge blocking pavement in Clements Lane
• Leaves on the pavement at the top of White Road/Chetcombe Road

The Chairman complimented the Town Council’s grounds team on the clearance work they carried out on overgrowth along Dark Lane.

1. LHFIG requests:
2. To request the levelling of a 1.2m footpath width along the length of White Road from where it leaves the junction outside No. 18 to where it joins Footpath MERE20 otherwise known as Burton Path.

RESOLVED that the Town Council should focus on the LHFIG project requests that we have on the table at the present time rather than add more at this stage.

1. To request 30mph speed limit sign be erected on the entrance to Woodlands Road

The Chairman pointed out that this road had street lights on its entrance and for quite some way which would tell all drivers that the speed limit is 30mph and therefore he didn’t think that the Highway Authority would approve the installation of signage.  RESOLVED that the Town Council should focus on the LHFIG project requests that we have on the table at the present time rather than add more at this stage.

492. Buildings, Open Spaces, Play Areas, Sports Grounds, Car Parks, Allotments & Cemeteries
493. Draft lease for Town Council space at Duchy Manor (draft lease attached and other comments in separate report) – members noted the information and the Chairman summarised key points:

RESOLVED to proceed with the recommendation i.e.  the Town Council should commission a building condition survey, which will identify defects in the building and likely costs of repair.

1. To consider report, plans & costings for refurbishment of Public Toilets (report attached + copy of development appraisal and revised plans) – various options of the plans were explained by Roger Pipe with costings as provided by a quantity surveyor ranging from £130,000 to £184,000. Several councillors felt that this was far too much money for the Mere ratepayers to spend on the public toilets.  Whilst members felt that some improvements needed to be made to the public toilets and that the toilets were needed in the town it was agreed to revisit the refurbishment in the near future to give councillors a bit more time to think about how this could go forward, perhaps with some further costings from builders/plumbers to smarten up & repair what we have got rather than include so much structural work in a major refurbishment.

493. Finance, Policy & Resources
494. Payments – RESOLVED to authorise schedule of payments (attached) -Cllr. Clive Hazzard, having declared a pecuniary interest, left the room whilst this matter was discussed and took no part in discussion or voting.
495. To authorise signatures for Direct Debits for Northover Energy and AllStar Fuel Card Account – Jeans experience was that you need to monitor fuel cards because you get charged what the card company wants to charge and not the price of the fuel at the garage you have just used. Cllr. Stone suggested Fuel Genie – they charge you the price at the pump but that can only be used at supermarkets.  RESOLVED to approve the Direct Debit for Northover Energy but to explore the option of having a debit card or our bank account rather than a fuel card.
496. To note the reconciliations for September 2024; the Chairman confirmed that he had verified the bank reconciliation against the bank statements and signed accordingly.

494. General Items
495. Briefing Note 24-19: Substantive Highways Scheme Fund 25-26 (Briefing Note attached) – Noted.

495. Future meetings and events
496. Invitation for The Chair and 3 members of the Town Council to the licensing service of Michael Molano, our new vicar on Tuesday, 26^th November at 7pm at St. Michael’s– The Chairman said that he would be attending the event to welcome the vicar as Chair of the Council. Aubrey Colman, Rachael Hansford and Lesley Traves also accepted the invitation.  Some other councillors pointed out that they would be attending the event as representatives of other groups.
497. LHFIG meeting to be held at 2.00 pm on Wednesday, 13^th November at Nadder Centre, Tisbury SP3 6HJ & via Microsoft Teams – the Chairman said that he would be attending this meeting.
498. South West Wiltshire Area Board Meeting to be held on Wednesday, 13^th November at Wilton Community Centre, West Street, Wilton SP2 0DG from 6.00 pm – Cllr. Jeans said that he would be attending this meeting.
499. Mere Town Council’s Annual Budget Meeting to be held at 7.00 pm on Wednesday, 20^th November in the Andy Young Pavilion, Mere – Noted.
500. Wiltshire Council’s consultation with Town Council and public to view proposals to redevelop Fives Court into Affordable Housing Independent Living apartments for people of 60 years and older to be held on Thursday, 21^st November in the Andy Young Pavilion, Mere – timing details were not yet known but would be distributed to councillors nearer the time.

496. Future agenda items – None

Meeting closed at 8.20 pm

Note:  Members are reminded that the Town Council has a general duty to consider the following matters in the exercise of any of its functions: Equal Opportunities (race, gender, sexual orientation, marital status and any disability), Crime and Disorder, Health and Safety and Human Rights.

Approved at Mere Town Council meeting held on 2^nd December 2024

Signed:                                                                                                                                                                 Chair of meeting.

MERE PEACE MEMORIAL SPORTS AND RECREATION GROUND

Registered Charity No. 1093497

Meeting opened at 8.21 pm

For Trustees to consider the following:

1. Payments:

Water2Business (supply to the old Mere Cricket Club – standing charge only)

23.3.24 – 9.10.24                                                                                                                    £38.83

RESOLVED to approve the above payment:

2024. Report on Seeds4Success AGM held on Thursday, 10^th October 2024.

The Chairman reported on the AGM and said he was dumbfounded by the amount of money that Seeds4Success raise and also the amount of work that goes into providing all the services for the youth.  Cllr. Catley said that there is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes than we get to hear about at the AGM and applauded the good work of Seeds4Success.  Cllr. Colman said that he was concerned that there was a surplus amount of money in their bank accounts but the Chairman said that he thought it was probably prudent of the charity to build reserves in the same way that the Town Council builds reserves.

1. To consider draft lease for Youth Club Building for Seeds4Success and appointment of surveyor (Draft lease & report from Project Co-Ordinator attached) – – with reference to the report prepared by Roger Pipe, Trustees RESOLVED to proceed with the commercial valuation and approved the expenditure.

Meeting closed at 8.30 pm

Mere Town Council

Town Clerk – Mrs. L. C. Wood

Minutes of a meeting of Mere Town Council held on Monday, 7^th October 2024 at 7.00 pm in the Andy Young Pavilion, Duchy Manor, Springfield Road, Mere, Wiltshire, BA12 6EW. 

Present:  Councillors John Jordan (Chair), Debbie Beale, Nick Beale, Sandra Catley, Aubrey Colman, Rodney Coward, Rachael Hansford, Raymond Hill, George Jeans,

4 members of the public

Public Participation Session

Judy Phillips publicised an event for the Read Easy organisation that offers 1-2-1 free coaching for adults who struggle to read or missed out in learning to read for one reason or another.  The coaching is carried out in a neutral place.  Some short videos are being shown at the URC Coffee morning at 10.30 am on Saturday, 19^th October – this is not a fundraising event but an information event and all are welcome and please help publicise.

Aubrey Colman thanked those that attended the coffee morning that raised £660

Reports from local police representatives – None present

471. Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs. Philip Coward, Glen Ings, Kate Symonds and Lesley Traves.

472. Declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests and other interests from Councillors on matters to be considered at the meeting.

Cllr. George Jeans declared a pecuniary interest in Minute Ref: 480a) (Finance)

473. Minutes – RESOLVED that the minutes of the Town Council meeting held on Monday, 2^nd September 2024 be approved as a correct record. (attached)

474. Matters Arising from Public Session

• None

475. Matters Arising from previous Meetings (not covered by other agenda items)

*a) Minute Ref. 464 b) Consultation on Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (final submission attached) – The Chairman confirmed that the Town Council had submitted a consultation response that incorporated everyone’s feelings and thanked the Clerk for bringing this together.

*b) Minute Ref: 465b) Naming of footpath in memory of Dr David Longbourne – (see attached suggestions map) – the Chairman explained that he had been to see the Longbourne family and they were very honoured that the Town Council wanted to commemorate Dr. Longbourne in this way.  Whilst they were not against the idea of naming a path after him, they did suggest that as Dr. David Longbourne was such a keen gardener, whether there might be an opportunity to name a future road Longbourne Gardens or earmark a corner of the cemetery or some land somewhere as a spot to put a couple of benches and some shrubs instead.  It was agreed that this item should be deferred in order to allow councillors a bit more time to think about this.

28. c) Minute Ref: 465 d) To report on LHFIG meeting held on 28.8.24 – complaint about lack of communication & progress – The Chairman confirmed that he had written an email to the Chair of the LHFIG on 26^th September but had not yet received a response.
29. d) Minute Ref: 468 d) 24-hour cashpoint machine – pictures of example stand-alone cashpoint machines were shown around. Cllr. Jeans explained the history of Post Office having a 24hour cashpoint machine as a ‘hole in the wall’ and how this was no longer possible. There was a suggestion that it be included as a ‘built in unit’ to be included within the public toilet refurbishment project. The Clerk said that it would be necessary to get design details of this because it would be necessary to find out how much space it took up and whether or not 24-hour access would need to be given.  Rodney Coward suggested that a stand-alone unit might go near the defibrillator in The Square.  It was agreed to defer this matter in order to get more information and specifications for built-in and stand-alone cashpoint machines.

476. Reports & Consultations
477. a) Wiltshire Councillors Report – Jeans supported the Town Council’s concerns about lack of progress and communication over LHFIG projects. Cllr. Jeans mentioned the RTA that took place at the top of Pettridge Lane this month and said that there had been calls from nearby residents to reduce the speed limit to 20mph although it was pointed out that this driver was 3 times over the alcohol limit and that any speed limit would not have made any difference. Extra light installations for the Church and Churchyard for Xmas was also mentioned.  Cllr. Jeans also said that a recent Appeal decision means that Wiltshire Council now only has a 3.85 years’ housing land supply which will have an impact on current planning applications and whether case officers can continue to defend appeals.  Wiltshire Council is working to update the housing land supply statement and hopes that this will be published next spring. The Clerk confirmed that Wiltshire Council is reviewing the Local Plan at a meeting on 15^th October.

*b) Project Co-Ordinator’s Report (attached) – members noted the information in the report attached.

In respect of the Public Toilet refurbishment project the Chairman confirmed that there would be no decisions made until members saw the plans and quantity surveyor’s report.  It was pointed out that plans may need to be changed if the Council is going to consider using one of the toilet cubicles for a cashpoint machine and there was also another idea of using this toilet cubicle as a community fridge and foodbank distribution point.  There was a brief discussion over the fact that Wiltshire Council had still not responded to the question on the lighting on the Eric Mitchell Way.  Cllr. Colman asked to see a copy of the draft lease for Seeds4Success and asked why it was necessary to have a building surveyor and a quantity surveyor to survey the Youth Club building.  The Clerk said that she would ask the project co-ordinator to answer these questions, hopefully at the next meeting.

1. c) Report on South West Wiltshire Area Board Meeting held on Wednesday, 11^th September 2024 – the Chairman reported that the police can now determine which areas have speeding issues by using the data from the more sophisticated Speed Indicator Devices that the parishes have purchased. The Chairman suggested that the Town Council might like to look at including funds to purchase a more sophisticated Speed Indicator Device so that we can provide data to the police. The Chairman also said that he learned, at this meeting, that although our Neighbourhood Police Team is based in Warminster, our emergency response unit that deals with 999 calls has been moved from Warminster to Trowbridge so it could take at least 40 minutes to attend to an emergency.

*c) Wiltshire EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy (information in Clerks Report) – the Clerk confirmed that Wiltshire Council had secured £3.9 million capital grant funding to deploy EV infrastructure and they were looking at how they could help people that didn’t have off-street parking and asking people to identify streets where public chargers could be installed.  Members were invited to complete the survey (link in the Clerks Report)

477. Planning
478. a) Applications for consultation response:

RESOLVED to recommend approval of the above application.

RESOLVED to recommend approval of the above application.

RESOLVED to recommend approval of the above application.

In view of the Council’s previous objection relating to the fact that the property had not been marketed, the Clerk pointed out that additional information supplied seemed to relate to the marketing of the property although she could not ascertain, from this information, that this was evidence that the property had been marketed as a commercial property or part-commercial property and odd that it says that the shop had been in suspended animation since 2008 when in fact it had been used as a commercial premises and offices for the HR Support and Employment Consultancy business – as shown when carrying out a google search of Conundrum Consultancy and indeed, evidence that the property was used as collateral for the business is still available on Companies House: see  https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/02935021/charges

RESOLVED to defer to the planning officer’s consideration as to whether or not this property has been marketed in accordance with Wiltshire Council’s policies & procedures.

*b) Wiltshire Council’s Draft Enforcement Policy (information in Clerks Report) – it was pointed out that there had only been 6-days’ notice for the consultation on this 75-page document.  Cllr. Jeans spoke about the issues that he felt were important to mention relating to this Policy and said that he had written these down.  Members agreed that the Clerk should try and submit these points to the officer concerned in time for the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.

478. Highways, Rivers, Footpaths, Traffic & Transport
479. a) To identify jobs for the Parish Steward, Sparkle Team and MyWiltshire reports.

• Publish a reminder to people to cut back their hedges in Mere Matters
• Report Wiltshire Council owned hedges on MyWiltshire Reporting pages
• The Clerk has a standard letter to send to people whose hedges are causing obstruction or visibility issues.

The Clerk informed members that the Town Council would be collecting 100 gel sacks to hand out to people that were concerned about flooding as part of the Parish Emergency Assistance Scheme with Wiltshire Council.

479. Buildings, Open Spaces, Play Areas, Sports Grounds, Car Parks, Allotments & Cemeteries
480. a) Use of Duchy Manor Sports Field and other facilities requested for the Friends of Mere School Fireworks event on Saturday, 9^th November 2024 – the Clerk reported that the Friends of Mere School had written to ask if they could use Duchy Manor for their firework event again this year which they were proposing to hold on Saturday, 9^th The Clerk reminded councillors that their feedback from last year’s event was to provide more police presence/marshalls to help with the on-street parking situation, particularly in the White Road & Hazzards Hill areas and also to provide more toilets. Members noted the reassurances that Mr. Bloomfield had provided about police presence for the event and their intentions to tape & cone off Hazzards Hill.  Members felt that this was an excellent event that brought a lot of people into Mere and raised a lot of money for the school and were happy to grant permission for the use of Duchy Manor and raised the following points:

• Drivers got stuck in the Recreation Ground car park last year because they were too tightly parked and they couldn’t manoeuvre out– It was agreed that it would be better for the committee to provide marshalls to stop people from driving into Queens Road altogether but it was agreed that it probably wouldn’t be helpful to lock the Recreation ground car park gates as access may be needed for emergency reasons. Sandra Catley agreed that she would lock the Recreation Car Park Gates later on that evening.
• The Chairman suggested that the Committee might like to contact the Dorset Marshalls as they have the experience to help with the parking situation (The Chairman would be happy to get contact details from the Carnival Committee).
• The Council agreed to provide a donation to the committee for the provision of 2 X portaloos (The Clerk had secured a quotation from Rob Peale and 2 x portaloos, delivered to Duchy Manor would cost £216.)

12. b) Break in to chapel 12.9.24 – the Clerk informed members that the south chapel at the cemetery was broken into on Thursday 12^th As the chapel is no longer used for storage there was nothing stolen and some minor damage to the alarms and padlock which have subsequently been replaced. The break-in has been reported to the police.
13. c) EV Charging Spaces at Salisbury Street Car Park – RESOLVED to authorise the Chairman and Vice-Chairman to sign Licence Agreement between Mere Town Council and Pluscharge Limited and note Operating Agreement between Wiltshire Council and Pluscharge Limited

480. Finance, Policy & Resources

*a) Payments – RESOLVED to authorise schedule of payments (attached) – The Clerk confirmed that there had been issues this month with Forge Garages not having any fuel and this necessitated the Clerk having to travel with the grounds staff to get fuel at a different filling station so now the Council was looking into getting an AllStar Fuel Card Account Card.  Having declared a pecuniary interest in the above item, Cllr. Jeans left the room whilst this matter was discussed and took no part in voting.  The Clerk also confirmed that the staff’s First Aid at Work certification had expired and had the opportunity to get a trainer in that would do a class for 10 and as we would only need 4 spaces, we could put this out to local businesses and organisations to see if they might be interested in sharing costs.  All agreed that this was a good idea.

1. b) To note the reconciliations for August 2024; the Chairman confirmed that he had verified the bank reconciliation against the bank statements and signed accordingly.
2. c) To report on the completion of the Annual Governance & Accountability Return (AGAR) Review for the Town Council for the year ended 31 March 2024 and consider the external auditor report and certificate and publish the Notice of Conclusion of Audit – the Clerk confirmed that she had received the external auditor report and certificate details and that there were no matters arising from the review. A “Notice of conclusion of audit” would now be published on the Town Council’s website.
3. d) Wiltshire Towns Programme – Year 3 (24/25) & Year 4 (25/26) (information attached) – the Chairman explained that Wiltshire Council had changed the criteria for the Wiltshire Towns Programme and said that a draft Action Plan had been distributed showing how the Council could claim the funds. RESOLVED to submit the draft Action Plan with the amendment to remove mention of ‘recycled plastic materials’ and substitute this with ‘suitable materials’.
4. e) Do we want to renew VisitWiltshire subscription – RESOLVED that the Town Council should no longer subscribe to VisitWiltshire and to advise the Chamber of Trade of this action so that they can take it up if they wish to.
5. f) To set date, venue and membership for Annual Budget Meeting – it was agreed that the Annual Budget Meeting would be held on Wednesday, 20^th November at 7.00 pm with membership make-up: Chairman, Vice-Chair, S. Catley, A. Colman, R. Hansford, G. Jeans, L. Traves + C. Hazzard & P. Coward (N. Beale as reserve)

*(g) Wiltshire Independent Remuneration Panel – Allowances Survey for City, Town & Parish Councils (information in Clerks Report) – the Clerk explained that the Town Council does not currently provide allowances for councillors although an allowance is given to the Chairman for expenses and individual councillors can claim travel expenses if they need to attend a meeting on behalf of the councillors.  It was agreed that councillors should complete the online survey individually if they wanted to.

*h) IT support (information in Clerks Report) – members noted the information in the Clerks Report, Cllr. Colman said that he would provide the Clerk with details of a business based in Mere that also offered the services required by the Town Council so that they could be included in the contract process.

481. General Items

*a) Wiltshire Emergency Contacts Hub (information in Clerks Report) – it was agreed to give this matter some further thought.

*b) Update and feedback on the DRAFT Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for Wiltshire & Swindon (information in Clerks Report) – the Chairman confirmed that there was a survey to complete on this and asked members to do so and submit their comment by Friday.

482. Future meetings and events
483. a) Seeds4Success 2024 AGM to be held on Thursday, 10^th October 2024 from 7.00 pm at Mere Youth Centre (you can also attend via Zoom online – please contact me for joining details) – Cllrs. Sandra Catley, Aubrey Colman, George Jeans and John Jordan said that they would be attending the meeting.

483. Future agenda items

Cllr. Rachael Hansford asked if the Town Council could set up an online calendar for events that will be held in the town.

Meeting closed at 9.02 pm

Note:  Members are reminded that the Town Council has a general duty to consider the following matters in the exercise of any of its functions: Equal Opportunities (race, gender, sexual orientation, marital status and any disability), Crime and Disorder, Health and Safety and Human Rights.

*Further information on these items enclosed/attached

Mere Town Council

Town Clerk – Mrs. L. C. Wood

Minutes of a meeting of Mere Town Council held on Monday, 2^nd September 2024 at 7.00 pm at Duchy Manor, Springfield Road, Mere, Wiltshire, BA12 6EW.  The meeting will consider the items set out below. 

Present:  Councillors John Jordan (Chair), Glen Ings (Vice-Chair), Debbie Beale, Nick Beale, Aubrey Colman, Philip Coward, Rachael Hansford, Clive Hazzard, Raymond Hill, George Jeans, Linden Stone, Kate Symonds & Lesley Traves

4 members of the public

Public Participation Session

Five members of the public spoke in objection to the planning application for a new detached dwelling adjacent to Long Cottage, North Street, Mere and mentioned issues with parking spaces, vehicular access, pedestrian access, drainage and sewerage and said that there should be a climate strategy and environmental study to accompany the planning application.  Concerns about the scale/measurements of the plans were also raised.

The Chairman announced that some councillors and relatives of the late Eric Mitchell came along last week to unveil the name signs for footpaths 50 & 66 now known as ‘Eric Mitchell Way’.

458. Apologies for absence received from Councillors Sandra Catley & Rodney Coward.

459. Declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests and other interests from Councillors on matters to be considered at the meeting.

• Glen Ings declared a pecuniary interest in planning application PL/2024/07693
• Clive Hazzard declared a personal interest in planning application PL/2024/07693 (he pointed out that North Street Nurseries used to own the site but that there was no longer any ownership connection to the site)

*460. Minutes – RESOLVED that the minutes of the Town Council meeting held on 1^st July 2024 be approved as a correct record and APPROVED the contents of Delegated Decision Report dated 8.8.24.

461. Matters Arising from Public Session

• None

462. Matters Arising from previous Meetings (not covered by other agenda items)

• None

463. Reports & Consultations
464. a) Wiltshire Councillors Report – Jeans said that although copies of the consultation documents had been sent to some of the Wiltshire Libraries, they had not been sent to Mere Library and he had made representations about this with no success. Cllr. Debbie Beale volunteered to print out a copy of the draft Wiltshire Gypsy and Travellers Development Plan and take it to the Mere Library for people to read. The Clerk reported that Wiltshire Council now had a new Chief Executive – Lucy Townsend.

*b) Project Co-Ordinator’s Report (attached) – Report noted.

*c) Report on AIM event (attached) – The Chairman reported that the AIM event had been very successful and thanked the people that took part in the activities as well as all those that helped to organise it.  He said that any prospects of holding a similar event next year would be dependent on funding.

464. Planning
465. a) Applications for consultation response:

RESOLVED to recommend approval of the above application.

RESOLVED to object to the above application for the following reasons:   [In order not to compromise his position as Wiltshire Councillor, Cllr. Jeans abstained from voting on this matter.]

The Town Council approved the original planning application 21/01808/FUL on condition that the property had an agricultural occupancy condition.  The original application was approved by the Planning Department in 2021 with the planning officer stating under “Siting, scale, design and impact on the character of the Special Landscape Area (SLA)” –  ‘the proposed dwelling is, in my view, of a size that is commensurate with the identified essential need and the proposed dwelling was therefore considered to be acceptable in terms of scale.’  The planning officer also concluded that “the proposed development would not unduly disturb, interfere, conflict with or overlook adjoining dwellings or uses to the detriment of existing occupiers and appropriate levels of amenity are achievable within the development, in accordance with CP57.’  The proposed dwelling under the original application had two bedrooms and two parking spaces.  It would appear that the applicant now wishes to build the agricultural workers dwelling to a different design to provide three bedrooms and an office and to re-orientate the building by 90 degrees on the site.   In response to a planning application submitted by the same applicant (albeit in a slightly different location) that was refused by the planning authority in 2022 (PL/2022/06854), the planning officer stated: ‘The consented dwelling does not provide for a farm office.  No clear reasons or evidence has been given to explain this additional element or the need for larger accommodation, when the justified essential need and business proposition apparently remains unchanged.  The enlarged and re-sited dwelling is therefore unjustified…”    He also pointed out in his report that “the proposed dwelling is not for occupation by the general public, but an agricultural worker caring for the calves in the adjacent barns.”  The Town Council feels that the planning application and planning statement does not provide sufficient justification to demonstrate the need for the additional bedroom, farm office or re-orientation of the building and nor does it appear that the functional needs of the farm have changed and therefore members felt unable to support the application.

Having declared a prejudicial interest in the above planning application, Cllr. Glen Ings left the meeting whilst this application was discussed/considered and took no part in discussion.

RESOLVED to object to the above application for the following reasons: .  [In order not to compromise his position as Wiltshire Councillor, Cllr. Jeans abstained from voting on this matter.]

The Highways Department states that they are satisfied that adequate parking has been shown for both the existing and new units.  However, we believe that there may be an anomaly in the provision that is shown and the actual provision that may be achieved.  There is one proposed parking space shown on the plans for Long Cottage (outside the stone barn).  There is another parking space shown alongside (not allocated to any particular property), in front of the corrugated metal shed.  The scaled parking width on the proposed Site Plan & Floor Plans would suggest that the available parking width is approximately 2.5m.  However, it is believed that the available parking width is much narrower (between 1.67m and 1.95m).  Given that the standard parking space for parallel parking is 2m X 6m on a road where both doors can be opened, the Town Council feels that it would be impossible to achieve these off-road parking spaces adjacent to the building.  Indeed, it is noted that the Design & Access Statement says in 7.5 that the proposals also include external works to the street, within the ownership of Long Cottage, by reducing the width of the stone chip tarmac with a strip of block paving.  The Town Council is concerned that the reduction of the width of the road by nearly 1m may therefore impede access for the other properties that have access rights to the road when the cars are parked in the allocated parking spaces.

We note that within this application is the proposal to remove the garage/store adjacent to Long Cottage in order to create a courtyard area as amenity space for Long Cottage.  This will also leave a detached, dilapidated stone barn in the middle of the site.  Furthermore, whilst we realise that we can only consider the plans and drawings presented to us, there is concern that the stone barn structure may later be the subject of future development proposals which would require more off-site parking provision and, indeed, this may impede the provision of the unallocated parking space altogether.  If this is the case then the Highway Officer’s view that one additional small dwelling would be unlikely to present a significant highway safety concern would become invalid.  Existing on-street parking in North Street is heavily congested and there is no further capacity for on-street parking along the street and therefore it is vital to be able to accommodate sufficient parking.  I am attaching photo captures from Google streetview showing the current problems with on-street parking in North Street (see photo 2 & 3).  The on-street parking situation is, however, even more congested during the evening and weekends.

The Town Council feels that the proposed development will result in overcrowding of the site resulting in a cramped form of restricted development with little amenity space around it and a front door coming out directly onto the road.

The new plot is squeezed into the site with only 1m space behind and in front and a small garden area.  There is no provision shown on the plans for bin storage capacity either for the new plot or for Long Cottage.  Therefore, we assume that the bin storage will need to be accommodated within the small garden areas for both properties as there is insufficient room for them elsewhere.

We cannot find any biodiversity report nor consideration for climate strategy measures or renewable energy provision within this planning application which is very disappointing and does not conform to the Town Council’s Biodiversity Strategy.

Concerns that there is a certain amount of speculation relating to the future purpose/intention for the dilapidated stone barn that sits in between the new plot and Long Cottage.  As you can see from photo capture 1 – the outside stonework of this building has been crumbling into the area that is roped off.    As the whole site is owned by the applicant it would be preferable if the purpose/intention for this building were to be included within the plans in order to avoid conjecture and take away any element of guesswork.

Informative:

Although not a planning consideration, given the fact that the road outside this site is a private road and access needs to be maintained for all properties that have access rights and given the fact that it is proposed to demolish the garage part of Long Cottage which has a building behind it, and given the fact that the development site is fairly cramped with little off-road space, we would stress the importance of communication with adjoining landowners and requirements of the Party Wall Act 1996

*b) Consultation on Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system (Consultation runs from Tuesday, 30^th July 2024 until Tuesday, 24^th September) See: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-reforms-to-the-national-planning-policy-framework-and-other-changes-to-the-planning-system/proposed-reforms-to-the-national-planning-policy-framework-and-other-changes-to-the-planning-system

Notes from Chairman attached

Link to Wiltshire Council’s webinar:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MLFP7-Ex90

The Chairman stressed the importance of the Town Council responding to this consultation as well as the importance of individuals responding to this consultation.  It was agreed that the Chair, along with Cllrs. Nick Beale, Debbie Beale, Rachael Hansford, George Jeans and Lesley Traves would get together to form a draft response to the consultation which could then be distributed to councillors for final comment before submission by the deadline on 24^th September.

1. c) Consultation on the draft Wiltshire Gypsy and Travellers Development Plan (Consultation runs from Tuesday, 20^th August until Friday, 4^th October 2024) For further information see: https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planning-gypsy-travellers

The Chairman explained that he had looked at this in detail and the consultation really relates to whether or not the draft Plan complies with the relevant legal requirements and regulations in the way it has been prepared, including the duty to co-operate, and the soundness of their proposals.  It was felt that the Town Council had insufficient expertise to be able to comment on the legal compliance, soundness and whether or not this Plan met the Duty to Cooperate.

465. Highways, Rivers, Footpaths, Traffic & Transport
466. a) To identify jobs for the Parish Steward, Sparkle Team and MyWiltshire reports – the Chairman said that he had received requests to ask the Parish Steward to tidy up Dark Lane, especially overhanging foliage.
467. b) Naming of footpath in memory of Dr. David Longbourne – Kate Symonds asked if the Town Council were in support of naming a footpath after Dr. David Longbourne. She said that she was aware of two different footpaths that had been suggested, one of which already had a name, but said there may be more but wondered if the question might be put to the family for them to decide. There was a discussion as to the wording on any such nameplate but it was RESOLVED that the Town Council would look at naming a footpath after Dr. David Longbourne – the details on exact wording to be decided later and the exact route to be discussed at a later meeting with a view of reaching a consensus that can be put to the family for consideration.

*c) Public Consultation on proposed Traffic Regulation Order to extend 30mph speed limit along Shaftesbury Road (in Clerks Report) – the Chairman confirmed that the details were covered in the Clerks Report.  He said that one member of the public had raised comments on what he believed to be errors in the proposed Traffic Regulator Orders to Wiltshire Council but that the Town Council would leave Wiltshire Council to deal with this direct.  RESOLVED to respond to the consultation in support of the proposed Traffic Regulation Order to extend the 30mph speed limit along Shaftesbury Road.

28. d) To report on LHFIG meeting held on 28.8.24 – The Chairman reported that he and Roger Pipe (Town Council’s Project Co-Ordinator) had attended the LHFIG meeting on 28^th Both had arrived early because they wanted to talk to Paul Shaddock about trying to get some of Mere’s issues moving and Roger was very forceful about the fact that he doesn’t get any response from Paul Shaddock to emails which is extremely frustrating because we can’t find out what is happening. The Chairman said that he was going to make contact with the Chair of the meeting, Bridget Wayman, about the lack of progress on any of the Mere issues and particularly the question of who is accepting responsibility for the payment of the electricity for the lighting of Eric Mitchell Way as it is likely that the clocks will change before this matter is resolved.

The Chairman also stated that he wouldn’t be at all surprised if Town and Parish Council contributions were raised above 25% in the future as it is fairly obvious that their finances will not be sufficient to deal with all the issues that are put forward.

It was agreed that a formal complaint to Bridget Wayman about the lack of responses to any correspondence and to question whether the reason for this is a completely unrealistic workload and whether the job of progressing the LHFIG is completely unsustainable in terms of officer time.

466. Buildings, Open Spaces, Play Areas, Sports Grounds, Car Parks, Allotments & Cemeteries
467. a) Use of Duchy Manor foyer for foodbank distribution on Saturday mornings – the Chairman confirmed that this had been happening over the summer without problem and it was RESOLVED that this practice could continue. The Chairman said that the Town Council would be discussing the use of a fridges in the kitchen for the Foodbank in the near future but felt that it was inappropriate to consider this until the Town Council had a lease in place.

467. Finance, Policy & Resources

*a)  Payments – RESOLVED to authorise payments as detailed in the schedule of payments (attached)

1. b) To note the bank reconciliations for month ending June 2024 and July 2024; the Chairman confirmed that he had verified the bank reconciliation against the bank statements and signed accordingly.

*c) To consider Budget/Expenditure report prepared for quarter ending 30.6.24 (attached) – it was pointed out that the Town Council’s spending against the budget was showing a shortfall of £15,254.36 at the end of the first quarter.  However, the Clerk was confident that this shortfall would be reduced as the year progressed.

*d) To review Procurement Policy (attached) to take account of changes in Procurement Thresholds – see NALC Legal Topic Note 87 – 24.1.24 (attached) – RESOLVED to adopt the Procurement Policy as reviewed without further amendment.

468. General Items

*a) To note Clerks research on Forest Deer Leazeholders and consider way forward (attached) – members noted, with interest, the information that had been presented and agreed to take up the Clerk’s suggestions as follows:

• contact Dorset County Council and get an up-to-date register for the Forest Deer Leazes and any other common land in the vicinity.
• contact Wiltshire Council to get an up-to-date register of Common Land within the parish of Mere.
• ensure that a commons association is re-formed for the Forest Deer Leazes with detailed discussions on the financial situation and what to do about back rents and back payments that have been missed. Bank accounts, signatories and banking rights would also need to be discussed.

1. b) Does Mere want/need a 24-hour cashpoint machine? – the general concensus was that a 24-hour cash machine would be a useful facility. Jeans said that about three years ago a planning application was approved for him to have a 24-hour cashpoint machine outside the post office. However, this did not go forward and it is no longer a feasible option.  The only alternative is to have a stand-alone ATM booth which would take up too much space to house outside the Post Office as it would cause an obstruction.  There was a discussion about whether or not one of these stand-alone ATM booths could be housed in the car park and the general feeling was that members felt that a 24-hour ATM machine would be a useful facility but they didn’t want to commit to installing one anywhere until they had further information such as what it would look like, where it would go and how it would be managed.

469. Future meetings and events
470. a) Invitation to Community First AGM 2024 on Wednesday, 9^th October, meeting 6-7.30 pm, Devizes Town Hall
471. b) South West Wiltshire Area Board meeting to be held on 11^th September 2024 at 6.30 pm at East Knoyle Village Hall.

*c) Invitation to Wiltshire Neighbourhood Watch Association AGM, Saturday 5^th October at Wiltshire Police HQ, Devizes commencing at 10 am

470. Future agenda items

Note:  Members are reminded that the Town Council has a general duty to consider the following matters in the exercise of any of its functions: Equal Opportunities (race, gender, sexual orientation, marital status and any disability), Crime and Disorder, Health and Safety and Human Rights.

*Further information on these items enclosed/attached

Meeting closed at 8.58 pm