Author: Lindsey Wood

Mere Town Council

Town Clerk – Mrs. L. C. Wood

Minutes of a meeting of Mere Town Council held on Monday, 7 February 2022 at 7.00 pm at Duchy Manor, Springfield Road, Mere, BA12 6EW

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

Also: Anne Rich,  Richard Jefferies,  Craig Bower, John Gammie,  Geoff Sams, Rose Heesom, Logan Lewis-Proudlock, + Spence Gunn & Claire Shaddick

Meeting convened at 7:02 PM

Public Participation Session

John Gammie – here on behalf of the Jubilee committee. I joined the committee last week to help advise them on road closures etc. The group have been trying to set everything up with no budget at all. During carnival our outgoings can run into thousands of pounds.  Is it possible for Mere Town Council to grant them some money to assist the committee.

Richard Jefferies – here to put a bit of flesh on the bones for that request. The Committee’s expenditure would be in excess of £3110 and that is for a minimum social get-together. We have been promised £200 from the Town Council and we have received pledges from businesses and individuals. Of the estimated £3110 expenditure we anticipate a shortfall of £860 we have applied to the area board for some funding but we are uncertain as to the amount, if any, that we are likely to receive we would therefore like to ask the Town Council to act as guarantor and to underwrite any shortfall in funding.

Anne Rich – also on the Jubilee committee. We are trying very hard with John Gammie’s help because we need to do this properly.  Not skimping on risk assessment and insurance and it is not cheap to do everything by the book.  We do not like to have to ask for money at this time after having had such an expensive few years.

Craig Bowers – moved here six months ago and bought property in Water Street and we also bought 4 acres of land to house rescue donkeys in Wet Lane.  Here to speak in support of my planning application which is for a field access so that we can move the donkeys down from Oxfordshire. At some stage we will be applying for planning permission for stables but that is for the future.

The Chairman explained that Christine Brown and Laura Young from Wiltshire Council would be joining the meeting electronically via Teams this evening to talk about and answer questions relating to the options for sheltered housing at Lynch Close.

Mr. Geoff Sams of 38 Lynch close explained that the residents of Lynch Close had formed a committee and, as Chairman of that committee, he asked for permission to read out the following statement:

“First of all, thank you for inviting us to your meeting.  I have come here today in the hope that you will be able to help the residents of Lynch Close with the threat from redevelopment of the bungalows.

Just a little history background – the residents were called to a meeting at the Community Centre on 26 September 2021 where representatives from the Council were in attendance (Christine Brown and Eamon McClelland). They said they were there to talk about the redevelopment of Lynch Close which could take the form of three options:

1. they would do nothing and carry on as we are
2. repair and upgrade the bungalows
3. move the residents out and redevelop the site

The thing is where would we go and would we have to leave the area?  Christine, at the meeting talked about the utopia build at the Council’s new place at Evergreen Court in Amesbury.  There were many other things talked about but the thing with this meeting was that it threw the elderly residents into a panic with the feeling that they were going to be evicted from their homes.  As this has proceeded the fear for residents has multiplied.  At the end of the meeting a survey was produced just for the residents of Lynch Close that we were asked to fill in.  Christine Brown later called another meeting on 9^th November 2021 with the results from the survey but unfortunately it meant little as no one at the meeting could make sense of it.  So now we are in a place of limbo not knowing what is going to happen to us. We formed a committee of Lynch Close residents to give Wiltshire Council officers and others a point of contact should they need to inform the residents of Lynch Close as to what is happening to us.  If this redevelopment goes ahead, it will not only affect Lynch bungalows but the other residents who also live on the estate and will have a knock-on effect with the residents of Water Street. I would just like to say that the elderly residents and the people of Lynch Close are a tight community and during the last 2 ½ years due to Covid have looked after one another. The community is a close-knit family and always have been – they look out for one another only a knock on the door away from help since the warden has been removed from Lynch Close. We are a in the twilight years of our life and have no wish to be uprooted from our homes and move on just to make way for progress as some see it. We are here today to ask the Parish Council for help and some guidance as to the way ahead. I don’t want to be insulting but I feel it is part of the parish council to help their parish residents in this matter. Thank you for your time and patience. In addition, there has been another survey sent out which has caused more worry to residents and that is a survey about decanting residents which we have been asked to fill in. It is basically a survey asking people how they feel about moving out of their homes and being moved to another site.”

Christine Brown (CB)- The Council is undertaking an options appraisal at Lynch Close as part of a wider review of the Council’s sheltered housing much of which was built in the 1960s and 70s.  There are issues with the stock: Access issues and the housing does not meet our commitments on sustainability. We have built some new sheltered housing in Amesbury and Devizes which are of a different standard. Due to these issues we’ve decided to undertake a review of our housing stock.  CB had prepared a PowerPoint presentation (as attached) and stated that there are four standard options:

• do nothing
• minor refurbished (occupants can remain in property)
• major investment and refurbishment (occupants cannot remain in property)
• redevelopment

We are also looking at Fives Court. Earlier thinking is that we will redevelop that site into one and two bed flats for older people.

Would like to offer assurance that we will keep residents involved all the way through

commitment to social housing in council ownership

committed to improve the standard of accommodation for older people

The options appraisal is being undertaken and no decisions have been made.

I understand the level of anxiety

With regards to the decanting survey – this has turned out to be an unfortunate coincidence.  This survey has been put out on behalf of the “Challenge and Change group” which is a group of residents who would like to find out what level of disruption residents would put up with before they feel it necessary to move out of their homes and the survey is being conducted of all of our stock throughout Wiltshire.

Geoff Sams said that in one of the meetings with Christine his wife asked the question in relation to refurbishing the bungalows “if we get moved out will we be able to move back?” the answer she received was “no there was a possibility that you would not be offered your home back”.

Christine responded that her memory of that was different but pointed out that there is evidence to suggest that when people are moved out they resettle in their new home and quite often do not want to move back again but she stressed that this is one of the issues she would hopefully be able to address.

Geoff Sams – mental health is a big thing at Wiltshire Council and we now have four residents who are under the doctors with stress and two residents that are cancer patients.

Cllr. Clive Hazzard (CH) – the people of Mere and, indeed the Town Council does not have much faith with Wiltshire Council due to the situation at Fives Court when we heard about the closure of Fives Court on the morning that it closed. What commitment can you give us that this isn’t a fait accompli. We are all for improving property but at what cost?  This is people’s homes we are talking about and we need more commitment to be kept more informed.

CB – We are at the very beginning of this process and you would have been one of our early consultees and we would have been in touch with you as a matter of course.

CH – at what point do we become involved. Maybe we should have been involved earlier as we now have residents asking us for our help as we are their elected representatives and we know absolutely nothing about what is going on.

CB – I can assure you that absolutely no decisions have been made. I am aware that it has caused a lot of concern and anxiety.  In relation to Fives Court, I am aware that Wiltshire Council only became involved when it became vacant.

Cllr. Philip Coward – It is quite understandable that the main concern of the residents is that they are going to get pushed out of their homes. Is there an option to develop Fives Court so that people can be moved to Fives Court as temporary accommodation before being able to move back to Lynch Close?

CB – It is certainly something that we are going to come back to the residents of Lynch Close about.

Cllr. George Jeans – I am aware that not one of the residents is prepared to move out I am aware that Wiltshire Council cannot force the residents to move out without obtaining a court order.  If you are going to redevelop Fives Court then I hope it will be done as a single-story development as it is in the centre of town and within the Conservation Area.   Also, Wiltshire Council currently has flats at The Yews and at Lynch close and they cause nothing but problems: the communal areas are always an issue and living above or below someone causes continual problems with associated noise levels.  Lynch Close is a very nice sheltered housing development the bungalows are low-density; they have an open environment and individual gardens – I don’t think any resident would want to move out of this environment into a high-density housing environment. Your picture at the beginning of your presentation showed what you described at access problems for the community centre but I want to point out that the community centre has a ramp as well as steps and so there aren’t any access problems – it is the same as the new building in Trowbridge which also has steps and a ramp.

Cllr. John Jordan – It sounded as though a decision had been made by Wiltshire Council on Fives Court – is it going to be housing and not something else because we understood there were proposals afoot for health & wellbeing facilities on the site.

Laura Young – at the moment we are only exploring the option of Residential Development but there is no definitive answer on that.  We have discussed the possibility of the site being used for a surgery with planners but concerns of traffic and parking were highlighted.

The Chairman closed the open discussion on this item and thanked both Christine Brown & Laura Young for giving up their time to attend the meeting on screen.

Apologies for absence received from Cllr. Louise Bennett

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

• To receive Declarations of Interest relating to matters contained in this agenda, in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 in respect of officers and the Localism Act 2011 in respect of members.
• To receive written requests for new DPI dispensations.

Members are invited to declare disclosable pecuniary interests and other interests in items on the agenda as required by the Mere Town Council Code of Conduct for Members and by the Localism Act 2011.  The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.  If you become aware, during the course of a meeting, of an interest that has not been disclosed under this item, you must immediately disclose it.  Whether you can remain in the meeting and the extent to which you can participate depends on the type of interest you have.

– None

109. Minutes – RESOLVED that the minutes of the Town Council meeting held on Monday, 10^th January 2022 be approved as a correct record. Proposal made by Cllr. John Jordan seconded by Cllr. Aubrey Colman and carried with a majority vote of those present on 10.1.22.

110. Matters Arising from Public Session

*a) Concerns raised by residents relating to ‘Options’ put forward by Wiltshire Council for the future of Sheltered Housing at Lynch Close (Clerk’s report attached) – following on from the discussion during the public session and due to the concern & anxiety being experienced by residents, it was agreed that the Town Council should write to officers (Simon Hendey, Mike Dawson, Christine Brown and Laura Young) at Wiltshire Council to request that a representative from Mere Town Council is invited to all future meetings with residents and is involved fully in any consultation meetings & discussions with Wiltshire Council Officers relating to proposals & decisions for the future of Lynch Close and Fives Court in Mere.  If, it should transpire that there are occasions that this might be inappropriate as the meeting would require the disclosure of confidential or exempt information; then, at the very least, our elected Wiltshire Council member should be in attendance.

Members also asked the Clerk to request that officers of Wiltshire Council refrain from using the words ‘stock’ and ‘decant’ from any future discussions with residents as these words are insensitive and offensive when talking about people’s homes.

111. Matters Arising from previous Meetings
112. a) Climate Change Strategy – suggestions for community survey & also Town Council strategy document – Debbie Beale asked for this matter to be deferred until next month so that a report could be distributed to members with agenda papers
113. b) Update on Platinum Jubilee Celebration preparations and application for Scheduled Ancient Monument Consent for brazier – In response to the financial plight of the committee, Cllr. Rodney Coward said that he was Chairman of the Forest Charity and that he was hoping that the Charity would provide a donation of somewhere between £200 and £500 from the Forest Charity funds. However, Richard Jefferies said that this still left the committee with an £860 deficit. R. Coward said that Wood Farm Clay shooting would donate £100 towards the event, Cllr. Nick Beale said that Lavender Lane would donate £100 towards the event and John Gammie confirmed that the Carnival Committee would donate £100 towards the event.  It was pointed out that there were other individuals at the Town Council meeting that had already pledged a donation towards this event.

The Chairman read out a report from the Jubilee Committee requesting that the Town Council attend to various matters:

1. a) Accept responsibility for dressing the town in flags and bunting for the period 2-5 June: Hazzard said that the Town Council once had flags on broomsticks and Cllr. Jeans confirmed that these were provided for the Golden Jubilee but people were asked to decorate their own properties. It was agreed that the Town Council should decorate the Town Clock and Cllr. Jeans said that he would like the town to provide flags.  Cllr. Mitchell said that he would donate £200 towards the provision of flags.
2. b) Many have expressed a desire to plant or pay for a tree to be planted but do not have the space. Could the Town Council take this on? The Clerk pointed out that the Town Council does not own any land that is suitable for planting trees and members confirmed that this was the case.  It was also pointed out that planting a tree is not always as straightforward as people think and is often quite costly.  Hazzard confirmed that the Town Council was purchasing a specimen tree to plant in Jubilee Gardens to commemorate the platinum jubilee.  Cllr. Ings asked for ‘Open Space at Kingsmere to be planted with trees’ to go on the next agenda.
3. c) We were disappointed that neither the Council nor the Church felt able to take on the very modest accountancy responsibility (hopefully accepting the SW Area Board grant). Luckily, the Carnival Committee has stepped into the breach. Jordan confirmed that, as Treasurer for the Carnival Committee, they will be providing the bank account and he will do the treasury for them.
4. d) In the lead up to 4^th June, will the Town Council allow the staff, James, Simon & Sam to help in the preparation of the Vicarage Field and putting up of flags and bunting: The Clerk expressed concern that the amount of work involved in this was unknown and therefore how much time would need to be taken to prepare the field but asked the Town Council to bear in mind that this would be during the busy grass-cutting season. Hazzard said that it should just be a case of going in the field with the topper.  Cllr. Ings said that it would be mowing the grass and making the entrance accessible.  The Clerk said that she would visit the site and assess this with the staff.
5. e) Allow the use of the cemetery car park for the car show: members were happy to grant permission for this use.
6. f) If there is a shortfall, will the Town Council underwrite the costs? Ings said “At the very worst, the Town Council might end up having to pay £860 + the £200 it had already promised.” RESOLVED on proposal made by Cllr. Jeans, seconded by Cllr. Jordan to underwrite the Jubilee Committee for any shortfall between grants and donations and expenditure up to a limit of £860.00.  Proposal carried with a unanimous vote.

*c) Mere School Expansion Project

1. Planning Application – Certification of Ownership notification – the Clerk reported that as Lessees of part of the building, the Town Council had received the Certificate of Ownership notification and had also received confirmation that a Certificate of Ownership notification had been sent to the Duchy of Cornwall.
2. Report on pre-start meeting held on 31^st January 2022 via Teams (report attached) – members noted the contents of the report.
3. d) What is the Town Council’s thoughts on taking on the freehold/leasehold of Mere Library and responsibility for running the facility?

Cllr. Hazzard said that he had an interest in this question as he was Chairman of the Museum Committee and would very much like to keep the museum.   It was pointed out that the structure itself was a Listed Building and, if it came down to an ultimatum then the Town Council probably ought to keep it rather than lose it as it is a great community asset.  The Clerk suggested that the Town Council might do a feasibility study on this and ask other Town & Parish Councils that have taken on the library service, what is involved and the level of resources that are needed.

1. e) Cemetery Wall – the Clerk confirmed that she had received one quotation for the repair of the wall following the storm damage. The insurance company had requested two quotations and the Clerk was awaiting the second quotation before she could submit the insurance claim.

112. Reports & Consultations
113. a) Report from Wiltshire Councillor – no report.

113. Planning
114. a) Applications for consultation response – (All applications can be viewed on Wiltshire Council’s Planning & Building Control Public Register – https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/ – type in the relevant

RESOLVED to recommend the above application for approval on proposal made by Cllr. Mitchell, seconded by Cllr. Colman and carried with a majority vote in favour. In order not to compromise his position as Wiltshire Councillor, Cllr. Jeans abstained from voting on this planning application.

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

• Pothole at Manor Road/North Road junction (Cllr. R. Coward)
• Mud and debris washed down at the top end of Burton Path (Cllr. Mrs. Beale)
• Clean road signs – locations to be advised (Cllr. Mrs. Beale)
• Issues with uneven tarmac along Castle Street (Cllr. Hazzard)

115. Buildings, Open Spaces, Play Areas, Sports Grounds, Car Parks, Allotments & Cemeteries
116. a) Suggestion for a dog ban (Public Spaces Protection Order) for Mere Peace Memorial Sports & Recreation Ground – Cllr. Rachael Hansford said that she had asked for this to be raised as an agenda item because there was a recent incident reported on Facebook where a mother had found her toddler covered in dog faeces which provoked a lot of posts from members of the public. A lot of people were saying they couldn’t understand why dogs were allowed in the Recreation Ground at all. Mrs. Symonds said that she has found the Recreation Ground an invaluable area to walk dogs and she thought it would be impractical to ban dogs there.  Cllr. Colman said he walks his dog in the Recreation Ground twice a day and most dog owners are sensible and clear up after them.  Cllr. Hazzard pointed out that the suggestion of banning dogs from the Recreation Ground was raised 10 or 15 years ago at a public meeting and it caused a lot of upset for parishioners.  Cllr. Hill said that there were a lot of parents who take their children to the Recreation Ground and they take their dog along with them.  If we banned dogs from the Recreation Ground then the children would miss out.  Cllr. Jeans said that the real issue was training dog owners to clear up after their dogs and he said that the dog warden will go and tap on the door of anyone that is reported not to have cleaned up their dog’s mess.  Cllr. Mrs. Beale said she wondered if public opinion may have changed and whether it was time to do a re-consultation. The Chairman asked for members views on whether or not the Town Council should pursue this further -there were 3 in favour, 8 against and 3 abstentions.

*b) Rebuilding of Mere Youth Centre – report on meeting held at Mere Youth Centre on 18^th January 2022 – with reference to the report provided to members, members agreed that the Town Council should pursue the short term solution for the toilets i.e. to operate the girls’ toilets as unisex or gender neutral and to convert the boys’ toilets into an accessible toilet (without shower, hoists etc) and the Clerk was asked to obtain quotations/estimates for this work.  With regards to the longer-term goal, Cllr. Colman said that the Youth Club had obtained quotations to refurbish the existing building and the Clerk was asked to obtain a copy of those quotations.

1. c) Environmental Stewardship Agreement Extension 2022 – the Clerk confirmed that Natural England had offered the Town Council the option to sign up for the Environmental Stewardship Agreement for a further year and members authorised the Clerk to sign up for a further year.
2. d) Mere Electric Car Club Survey – the Clerk said that this matter had been raised to remind members that the deadline for completing the survey was 25^th A reminder would be posted on Social Media a week before the deadline.

116. Finance, Policy & Resources

*a)  Payments – RESOLVED to authorise payments as set out in schedule of payments (attached) on proposal made by Cllr. Mitchell, seconded by Cllr. Colman and carried with a unanimous vote.

2. b) To set date, membership, venue & agenda for Working Group meeting to review and assess the effectiveness of internal control measures – It was agreed that the meeting would be held on 17^th March 2022 at 2.00 pm – membership of working group being Chair, Vice-Chair, Cllr. Colman & Cllr. Jeans.

*c) ‘Specification’ to form job advertisement for Project Co-Ordinator for Mere Town Council (as recommended/approved at Budget Meeting) – Cllr. Jordan said that reading all the agenda papers gives him an insight into how busy the Town Clerk is and the number of issues that the Town Council is involved in which confirms the need for a project co-ordinator to carry out all the other projects that the Town Council wishes to do which is why he had prepared this ‘specification’.  Cllr. Colman said that he had looked at this and that from a professional point of view he has concerns that there are issues that the Town Council needs to address.  Cllr. Hazzard said that the Town Council needed to offer the appropriate wage rate in order to get the appropriate applicants.   The Clerk said that she would do some work on the advert & rates and liaise with Cllr. Colman and try and have something to present to the council at the next meeting.

1. d) To consider setting a Draft Communications Policy – Cllr. Rachael Hansford said that she would like to defer discussion on this matter. She said that she had attended some training on communications for Town Councils and it was clear that the right level of communication is not just about telling people what is going on it also about listening to what they have to say. She said that at the very least, we should have an email newsletter.

117. General Items
118. a) To set date, venue & agenda for Annual Town Meeting – it was agreed that the Annual Town Meeting should be held on 20^th April 2022 in the Grove Building

118. Future meetings and events

Mere Carnival Committee AGM – Monday, 7^th March 2022 at 6.15 pm

119. Future agenda items

• Firework Display for Mere School – Cllr. Hazzard
• Tree planting in Kingsmere Open Space – Cllr. Ings

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 8.48 pm

MERE PEACE MEMORIAL SPORTS AND RECREATION GROUND

Registered Charity No. 1093497

For Trustees to consider the following:

1. a) Suggestion for a dog ban (Public Spaces Protection Order) for Mere Peace Memorial Sports & Recreation Ground – Cllr. Rachael Hansford

Trustees of the Mere Peace Memorial Sports & Recreation Ground Charity were happy to endorse the decision made by the Town Council during the Town Council meeting of 7^th February (see Minute Reference 115a)

1. b) Rebuilding of Mere Youth Centre – report on meeting held at Mere Youth Centre on 18^th January 2022

Trustees of the Mere Peace Memorial Sports & Recreation Ground Charity were happy to endorse the decision made by the Town Council during the Town Council meeting of 7^th February (see Minute Reference 115b)

 Minutes of a meeting of Mere Town Council held at 7.00 pm on Monday, 10^th January 2022 at Duchy Manor, Springfield Road, Mere, BA12 6EW.

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

The Chairman convened the meeting at 7.00 pm, welcoming everyone to the first meeting of 2022 and wishing all a very Happy New Year.

Public Participation Session

Mr. Nick Beale spoke as a member of the general public in objection to the Planning Applications for Plot H, The Old Nursery Burton, Mere.

Mrs. Debbie Beale spoke as a member of the general public in objection to Planning Applications for Plot H, The Old Nursery, Burton.

Mr. Hazzard pointed out that the double-yellow lines outside the Lecture Hall are very worn and asked if the Town Council could ask for them to be repainted.

Mr. Jordan said that the paving around the bench at the bus stop, outside Balcony Cottages in The Square, was in a bad state and uneven and that someone had fallen there recently.  The Clerk said that the Town Council would bring this to the attention of Wiltshire Council as well.

Mr. Philip Coward said that the road outside Park Corner Farm, towards West Knoyle, was in a terrible state.  He pointed out that Wiltshire Council kept patching it but that the tarmac just comes out again.

Apologies for absence received from Cllrs. Eric Mitchell and Rodney Coward

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

• To receive Declarations of Interest relating to matters contained in this agenda, in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 in respect of officers and the Localism Act 2011 in respect of members.
• To receive written requests for new DPI dispensations.

Members are invited to declare disclosable pecuniary interests and other interests in items on the agenda as required by the Mere Town Council Code of Conduct for Members and by the Localism Act 2011.  The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.  If you become aware, during the course of a meeting, of an interest that has not been disclosed under this item, you must immediately disclose it.  Whether you can remain in the meeting and the extent to which you can participate depends on the type of interest you have.

• Jeans said that for clarity he would like it Minuted that he had considered whether or not he had an interest in the planning application for F. J. Chalke & Son and the planning application for 11 Barnes Place and had concluded that he did not. However, he would abstain from discussion or voting on those two planning applications during the meeting.
• Councillors Nick Beale and Debbie Beale declared a pecuniary interest in planning applications PL/2021/11278 and PL/2021/11280

97. Minutes – RESOLVED that the Minutes of the town Council meeting held on Monday, 6^th December 2021 be approved as a correct record of proceedings on proposal made by Cllr. Mrs Symonds, seconded by Cllr. Rachael Hansford and carried with the unanimous vote of those present on 6.12.21.

98. Matters Arising from Public Session

• None

99. Matters Arising from previous Meetings

None

100. Reports & Consultations
101. a) County Councillors Report – Cllr. Jeans reported on the winners of the Christmas light competition and requested that the names be Minuted:

1st: – Mr Bill and Mrs Kathleen Foster of 45 Bramley Hill

2nd – Mr Mick and Mrs Karen Hurst of 5 Denes Avenue

3rd – Mr Dick and Mrs Brenda Morris of 47 Downside Close

Highly Commended, Mr Geoff and Mrs Pat Sams of 38 Lynch Close

Cllr. Jeans confirmed that Wiltshire Council members would be voting whether or not to approve to tender for the replacement highways maintenance contract to commence on 1 April 2022 (the present contract is with Ringway who were drafted in after a fallout with Balfour Beatty): Cllr. Jeans said that he had asked if the intention was to continue to include the Parish Steward service within the contract and confirmed that he was told that it would. He said that there had been some criticism on social media relating to the fact that contractors had not moved the flower tub when they resurfaced the footway in The Square recently and upon taking this matter up with the Highways Authority Cllr.  Jeans said that he had been told it was our fault, we knew that the work was taking place and we should have used our initiative and moved the tub as they would not have wanted to take responsibility for breaking it.  Cllr. Jeans also confirmed that he would be installing the community’s speed indicator device along Shaftesbury Road but warned that it would be installed within a 40 mile an hour limit but the setting of the speed indicator device was 30 mph so it would flash when speeds of 30 mph were exceeded. Cllr. Jeans said that he was aware that the Carnival Committee was facing difficulties in that it was very short of members he pointed out that the Town Council have always convened the Carnival Committee’s AGM in order to have an official record of their committee members and financial status and he asked for this to continue.

19. b) Chairman’s Report on remote Introductory Meeting with the Leader and Chief Executive of Wiltshire Council – the Chairman reported that she and the clerk had attended a virtual teams meeting with the leader of Wiltshire Council, Richard Clewer and Andy Brown, the Deputy Chief Executive: she said that this was obviously an initiative whereby they were booking in slots with all Wiltshire Town Councils but Mr. Clewer said that he was keen to have a different relationship with town and parish councils and wanted to place more emphasis on partnership working. Their priority was how they could support High Streets & Wiltshire Council’s economy and they finished off by asking whether we thought there might be some appetite from the town Council in taking on responsibility for Mere Library. We took the opportunity to point out that we had experienced problems with legal work for leases i.e. car parks and toilets office and children’s centre and that we had asked for an asset transfers of the public toilets but were told that this would not be possible. The Clerk pointed out that she felt that Wiltshire Council were looking to offload assets that were a financial drain to them but not so keen to offload anything that may provide income. She confirmed that she had informed Cllr. Clewer that his question about the library would be raised as a future agenda item and advised members that it would be on the agenda for February. We were also invited to a physical gathering of Town Council’s which would be held later in January but we have subsequently heard that this has been postponed due to COVID-19.

101. Planning
102. a) Applications for consultation response – (All applications can be viewed on Wiltshire Council’s Planning & Building Control Public Register – https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/ – type in the relevant

RESOLVED to recommend approval of the above application on proposal made by Cllr. P. Coward seconded by Cllr. Ings and carried with a unanimous vote. In order not compromise his position as Wiltshire Councillor, Cllr. Jeans abstained from voting on this planning application.

Cllr. Hazzard said that he had made a site visit and confirmed that the proposal was to extend the workshops towards the bungalow on the eastern boundary.  As the bungalow was under the ownership of the applicant, Cllr. Hazzard could see no issues with the application.  RESOLVED to recommend approval of the above application on proposal made by Cllr. Hazzard, seconded by Cllr. Mrs Beale and carried with a majority vote in favour. In order not to compromise his position as Wiltshire Councillor, Cllr. Jeans abstained from voting on this planning application.

Cllr. Mrs Symonds said that she had made a site visit and felt that the application was probably an improvement. RESOLVED to recommend approval of the above application on proposal made by Cllr. Mrs Symonds, seconded by Cllr. Nick Beale and carried with a majority vote in favour. In order not to compromise his position as Wiltshire Councillor, Cllr. Jeans abstained from voting on this planning application.

Having declared a pecuniary interest, Cllrs. Debbie Beale and Nick Beal left the room and took no part in discussion or voting on this planning application.  Cllr. Philip Coward said that he understood that this site had some special status relating to the aquifer due to its proximity to the pumping station. Members felt that this was an attempt at residential development through the backdoor. Cllr. Hazzard said that he felt the most important aspect of this planning application was the hazardous vehicular access onto and off the A303.  He said he would have thought that the Highways Agency would be making an objection.  Cllr.  Jordan said it was a nonsensical and ill thought-out application. RESOLVED to object to this planning application for the following reasons:

1. Dangerous and hazardous vehicular access – the only vehicular access is restricted in width and is unable to allow two vehicles to pass which may result in traffic having to stop on the A303. Traffic may also need to cross the westbound carriageway but this access is near the point that the dual carriageway becomes single carriageway and is also just past the brow of a hill and so visibility for oncoming traffic when coming out of this access is poor.  The A303 Trunk road has a high rate of Personal Injury Accidents and fatal accidents in the Mere area.  In the A303/A30/A358 Corridor Feasibility Study prepared for the Highways Agency in February 2015 by CH2MHILL it names Chicklade Bottom to Mere as being one of the three poorest performing sections of the A303 in terms of fatal accidents and that it was one of the worst performing sections in terms of the total number of personal injury accidents.  The Town Council fears that any development on this land that encourages the use of private vehicles will exacerbate the road safety issues on the A303 in this location.
2. Overdevelopment – The whole plot is about 40m X 57.5m and within that area the applicants intend to have a caravan parked on hard standing, 3 ponds, and a reed bed area, a worm farm area, a polytunnel and composting toilet & sink, a parking area for 4 bikes and hardstanding for 2 cars, an area for recycling bins and a tool shed with solar panels. The proposed development of this site would be unsympathetic to its natural landscape setting and would result in harm to the character and appearance of the area, and conflict with CS Policies CP51 and CP57.

3. Justification – In a recent planning appeal decision on an adjacent plot on this same site, the Planning Inspector stated that planning permission is not required for the use of the land for agriculture, the growing of vegetables and fruit, or as a nursery. However, It would appear that the scale of the horticultural/agricultural activity to be carried out on the site would be extremely small and although the applicants seem to place emphasis on increasing biodiversity and improving wildlife habitats on the site, there is no evidence to suggest that the amount of horticultural or agricultural activity taking place is sufficient to require the level of development proposed or to justify the requirement for a caravan, mains electricity connection, water connection or composting toilet to be provided within the site.  It is necessary to have flowing water for trout to survive and therefore it would not be possible to grow trout in ponds.  It is also necessary to have flowing water for a reed bed composting system to work.  Furthermore, the development of a reed bed composting system with or without flowing water would be a cause of concern for stream water contamination given the close proximity of the Ashfield Water.

4. Character & appearance – the site can be clearly seen from the public footpaths which run close to the southern & western boundaries of this site. The western boundary consists of a line of beech trees with are protected with a Tree Preservation Order.  There are concerns that any ground works relating to the development proposed for this site may cause harm to the root system of the beech trees.  The Town Council feels that this development would result in harm to the character and appearance of the area and conflict with CS Policies CP512 and CP57.  Security lighting on this plot is a cause of concern.  The area of Burton is on the edge of the Cranborne Chase AONB and the dark skies status of this area would be affected by security lighting that may be triggered at night, either by activity from the occupants or by wildlife.

5. Contamination of aquifer/groundwater – the site lies within the Environment Agency Source Protection Zone and the Town Council would be concerned about the effect that these proposals would have on the aquifer/groundwater. There is no historic evidence of this land flooding or of any water runoff causing flooding to the stream that runs to the south of the site or damage/pollutant to the stream.  However, the Town Council is concerned that the creation of ponds and a reed bed composting area without running water, could cause issues for groundwater and/or stream water pollution.  The Town Council would urge that an Environment Impact Assessment for Groundwater should be applied to this planning application.

Proposal made by Cllr. Hazzard, seconded by Cllr. Ings and carried with a majority vote in favour. In order not to compromise his position as Wiltshire Councillor, Cllr. Jeans abstained from discussion or voting on this planning application.  All members present voted in favour of asking Cllr. Jeans to call in this application to committee if he considered that the officers’ recommendation would differ with the Town Council’s submitted objection.

Having declared a pecuniary interest, Cllrs. Debbie Beale and Nick Beal left the room and took no part in discussion or voting on this planning application.  RESOLVED  Cllr. Mrs Symons proposed that the Town Council should object to the application above for the following reasons:

The land was historically used as an old horticultural site with greenhouses which stopped being used some 30 – 40 years ago and fell into decay.  Whilst the glass cannot decompose, the area had been left to nature during that time and had become a wildlife haven until it was sold off in small plots in 2020 and the land disturbed.  The bunds appear to have been made up of surface scrapings and the applicant suggests that the purpose is to help with land flooding and to create boggy ground.  There is no historic evidence or local knowledge of the land flooding and there is therefore no evidence to suggest that bunds are needed for drainage purposes and therefore they are not reasonably required or justified.  The Town Council is surprised at the following statement on the application ‘On buying the plot we did not realise that beneath the nettled, brambled overgrowth were literally tonnes of glass panes, metal support poles and brick pillars.’  The sale particulars of the estate agents that sold the plots clearly state that ‘the land was formerly a horticultural nursery’ and at any viewing of the site before purchasing it would have been very evident that the ground was contaminated with glass.   The Town Council feels that the appearance of these bunds which are visible from the public footpaths to the east and west of the site are out of character with the surrounding area and cause harm to the appearance of the area.  An enforcement notice against bunds on an adjacent plot within the site was upheld by a planning inspector on appeal in May 2021 and therefore this application, if approved, would set an adverse precedent.  The Town Council concludes that aesthetically the bunds are an unnatural landform and is unnecessary development that is detrimental and unsympathetic to its setting in the rural countryside and feels that the ground levels should be restored to match the profile of the land that existed prior to this unauthorised development taking place.

Proposal seconded by Cllr. Rachael Hansford and carried with a majority of vote in favour. In order not to compromise his position as Wiltshire councillor, Cllr. Jeans abstained from discussion or voting on this application. All members voted in favour of asking Cllr. Jeans to call in this application to committee if he considered that the officer’s recommendation would differ with the Town Council’s submitted objection.

1. b) PLANNING APPEAL DECISION – PL/2021/03847 – Highbrook, Mere BA12 6EA – APP/Y3940/D/21/3280158 – the clerk reported that she had received the inspectors decision on the appeal which was dismissed. The reason for dismissal was mainly due to its effect on the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.

*c) Report + Q&A on CPRE’s Neighbourhood Planning Webinar held on 9^th November – Cllr. Rachael Hansford (report attached) – members discussed the report, stating that commitment to a Neighbourhood Plan would be a tremendous amount of work, not helped by the fact that the government kept overhauling the planning system.  Cllr. P. Coward asked if it would not be better for the town to have a design statement.  The Clerk explained that, as far as she was aware, design statements did not achieve the same amount of ‘gravitas’ as a Neighbourhood Plan because it was not approved by public referendum and was not given supplementary planning guidance status.  Cllr. Jordan said that he spent some considerable time with a gentleman from Gillingham who had created a design statement and after five years they got a neighbourhood plan and then their design statement didn’t carry that much punch. Having said that, it would be a good idea to have a Mere Plan which, if nothing else, would justify to the community that the Town Council thinks about how we want to see the future of Mere being shaped- similar to the document ‘Mere Parish Plan’ that was produced in 2005.  Cllr. Jeans said that he thought it was a good idea but pointed out that it is all very well saying you want to build there and you want this area to be used for housing and this area to be used for employment land but it doesn’t always happen, as is now evident with the employment land allocation between Quarry fields and Hill Brush. Cllr. Rachael Hansford suggested that she contact the Wiltshire Area Localism and Planning Group to find out more information on their purpose.

102. Highways, Rivers, Footpaths, Traffic & Transport
103. a) To identify jobs for the Parish Steward, Sparkle Team and MyWltshire reports – Cllr. Ings reported that the Parish Steward had filled potholes in Denes Avenue but the filling had since come out and now the road is left with potholes and lumps of tarmac. Ings also reported that the road near the roundabout area outside the Walnut Tree Inn is also very poor.

103. Buildings, Open Spaces, Play Areas, Sports Grounds, Car Parks, Allotments & Cemeteries

Cemetery wall – Cllr. Raymond Hill reported that the storms at the end of November had caused a tree to blow over from the cemetery into the garden of a property in Pettridge Lane and in so doing, had knocked a boundary wall over between the two properties.  The Town Council’s grounds staff have cleared up the tree but there is now the problem of the damaged wall to deal with.  Cllr. Hill has been to see the property owners who have confirmed that the wall on the opposite side of the garden is on their deeds. The wall that has come down lines up with the old wall that we had in the cemetery that we have subsequently removed and therefore Cllr. Hill deduced that the damaged wall belonged to the Town Council.  The property in Pettridge Lane is on the market and the property owners would like to have some confirmation from the Town Council that we will take responsibility for the wall (they are not necessarily expecting it to be done immediately but they want something to show potential buyers who may have concerns). It is a long patch of stone wall and we would have the option of repairing it with blocks on our side and stone facing on the property side as the wall can’t be seen from the cemetery but it would not be possible to replace it with a wooden fence. The Clerk said that she had made enquiries with the Town Council’s insurance company who had indicated that it may be possible to make a claim for the repair of the wall as being storm damage and they had sent the clerk the relevant papers to submit but the clerk could not confirm an insurance claim outcome at this stage. RESOLVED that the Town Council should write to the owners of the property telling them that we will take responsibility for the repair of the wall and that we should try and pursue an insurance claim on proposal made by Cllr. P. Coward, seconded by Cllr. Ings and carried with a unanimous vote

104. Finance, Policy & Resources

*a) Payments – RESOLVED to authorise payments as set out in schedule of payments (attached) on proposal made by Cllr. Mrs Symons, seconded by Cllr.  Nick Beal and carried with a unanimous vote.

*b) To approve and adopt Draft Document Retention Policy (attached) – RESOLVED to approve and adopt Document Retention Policy on proposal made by Cllr. P. Coward, seconded by Cllr. Mrs. Beale and carried with a unanimous vote.

*c) To approve and adopt draft Complaints Policy (attached) – RESOLVED to approve and adopt Complaints Policy on proposal made by Cllr. Rachael Hansford, seconded by Cllr. Mrs. Beale and carried with a unanimous vote

1. d) Is the Council happy for Cllr. Hazzard to investigate purchase and payment options for replacement tractor & implements? – Cllr. Hazzard said that given the concern for the state of the Town Council’s tractor he wanted the Council’s approval to investigate options for the council to purchase a new tractor. He said that it would be useful for the council to have a machine that is capable of being used for more than just grass cutting (something that we could perhaps over a period of time buy attachments for hedge cutting, woodchipping etc). Hazzard said it would be tricky to get three like-for-like quotes but with the help of Cllr. Rodney Coward and Cllr. Eric Mitchell he would do some research & visit outlets and retailers and bring the best options to the Council.  He would also provide potential payment options at this time.  Members were happy for Cllr. Hazzard to proceed as outlined above.

105. General Items
106. a) Flood Plan for Mere – Cllr. Jeans said that he had arranged for a meeting with Wessex Water but pointed out that recent heavy rain pointed out some problem areas. He said that the Highways Engineer has been really helpful and arranged for about 60 gullies to be cleared but it has been pointed out to him that the purpose of these drains is to take the water off the road and they are not there to protect property from flooding. Cllr. Jeans said that there is an area in Shaftesbury Road where a resident says there is a blocked culvert under the road and it is this sort of local knowledge that is really helpful. He said he was not sure how to move forward with this but felt that something should be done and suggested that this should be an item to be raised on the agenda every six months or so.  The clerk pointed out that she had carried out some work on a Flood Plan for a neighbouring parish and was aware that there was a template for a Flood plan on the environment agency’s website but she pointed out that the Flood Plan required community volunteers, a fair amount of work and placed a fair amount of responsibility on property owners.  The clerk also pointed out that advising members of the public to report blocked drains on the Wiltshire reporting pages was not necessarily appropriate as she had discovered that very often these reports were just marked as closed and no action taken. It was pointed out that there has been a fair amount of misinformation and confusion on this subject in social media recently and it was agreed that the Town Council should write an article “What do I do if I get flooded” on the website and that the chairman would also include this in her report for Mere Matters and that people should be made aware of their responsibilities.
107. b) Briefing Note No. 21-27 COVID-19 Update (attached) – noted

106. Future meetings and events
107. a) CATG meeting Wednesday, 23^rd February – Cllr. Jeans said it would be nice if someone could go and support the issue for Shaftesbury Road.

107. Future agenda items

• Cemetery Wall – Cllr. Hill
• Climate Webinar –– Cllr. Mrs. Beale)

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

Minutes of a meeting of Mere Town Council held on Monday, 6^th December 2021 at 7.00 pm at Duchy Manor, Springfield Road, Mere, BA12 6HG

Present:  Councillors Lesley Traves (Chair), Kate Symonds (Vice-Chair), Debbie Beale, Nick Beale, Rachael Hansford, Clive Hazzard, Glen Ings, George Jeans (from 7.05 pm), & Eric Mitchell

Meeting convened at 7.00 pm with Public Session

• None

Apologies for absence received from Councillors Louise Bennett, A. Colman, P. Coward, R. Coward, R. Hill & J. Jordan.

Members RESOLVED that the absence of Cllr. P. Coward be authorised and approved.

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

• To receive Declarations of Interest relating to matters contained in this agenda, in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 in respect of officers and the Localism Act 2011 in respect of members.
• To receive written requests for new DPI dispensations.

Members are invited to declare disclosable pecuniary interests and other interests in items on the agenda as required by the Mere Town Council Code of Conduct for Members and by the Localism Act 2011.  The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.  If you become aware, during the course of a meeting, of an interest that has not been disclosed under this item, you must immediately disclose it.  Whether you can remain in the meeting and the extent to which you can participate depends on the type of interest you have.

• Jeans declared a pecuniary interest in Minute No. 92a) Payments

85. Minutes – RESOLVED that the minutes of the Town Council meeting held on Monday, 1^st November 2021 be approved as a correct record of proceedings on proposal made by Cllr. Mrs. Symonds, seconded by Cllr. Mitchell and carried with a unanimous vote of those present on 1.11.21. RESOLVED that the minutes of the Annual Budget meeting held on Wednesday, 24^th November 2021 be approved on proposal made by Cllr. Mrs. Traves, seconded by Cllr. Hazzard and carried with a unanimous vote of those present on 24.11.21.

86. Matters Arising from Public Session

• None

87. Matters Arising from previous Meetings (not covered by other agenda items)
88. a) Mere School expansion plans and alterations to green amenity areas to make more car parking spaces – to consider the consultation responses given by community users of the site and to compile the Town Council’s formal consultation response: RESOLVED to send the following response: “As tenants of the Duchy Manor Sports Grounds and tenants of offices adjacent to Mere School, the Town Council has consulted with user groups of the Duchy Manor Sports grounds and facilities and following feedback from them, members have considered the consultation documents for the expansion of Mere School and in particular the plans for the additional parking and drop off area and layout to create a safer route for children/parents to walk to Mere School.

On the whole, the user groups raised no objection to the proposals although one or two were concerned that construction work may cause disruption to their activities and planned games/matches.  Concerns have been raised about the loss of the two trees and the necessity to check that these two trees are not commemoration trees for ex pupils of Duchy Manor Middle School that passed away.

One issue that has arisen is that drivers coming from the school site and into Springfield Road do not realise that they must give way to users in Springfield Road and this could be attributed to the fact that the give way white line road junction markings have eroded.  We would be grateful if the reinstatement of these could be encompassed into the scheme. Another issue is that the Town Council does often receive concerns and complaints from residents relating to the car parking and congestion along Hazzards Hill and White Road at school dropping off times.  Indeed, the parking of vehicles along Hazzards Hill is a worry as it is on the brow of a hill just before a blind bend and the parking in White Road (near the school’s rear access gates) invariably ends up with residents finding themselves being blocked in and unable to get their cars out of their own driveways. The Town Council has asked me to write and confirm that it is in support of the proposals for the expansion of Mere School but hopes that the increased car parking and drop off zones will succeed in addressing some of the problems outlined above and that, once implemented, parents will be encouraged to use the main front entrance to the school and not the side or rear entrances.”

*b) To consider permanent fixture for the town to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – with reference to the information in the Clerks Report, members felt that the suggestion of planting two beautiful trees that would provide a flowering interest or leaf colour interest to be planted in Jubilee Gardens with a commemorative plaque would provide an excellent permanent commemoration for this event and would also fit in with the Queens Green Canopy scheme.

88. Reports & Consultations
89. a) Wiltshire Councillors Report – Jeans said that flooding seemed to be a major topic of concern just lately. He pointed out that Wiltshire Council had been round with a tanker emptying the gullies but said it was unlikely that Wiltshire Council is going to invest billions in enlarging the drains and when we have a deluge of rain, Wiltshire Council cannot guarantee that the drains can take the volume of water and so residents are going to have to do their own risk assessments. Cllr. Jeans said that he had been made aware of three properties in Mere that had flooded at the end of October.  The Clerk said that many towns and parishes were encouraged to produce flood plans which does suggest measures for residents to take but involves volunteers to become community flood wardens etc.  Cllr. Jeans asked that Flood Plan for Mere is raised as a future agenda item.
90. b) Report on Town & Parish Council Climate Action Day held on 16^th November 2021– Cllrs. Nick & Debbie Beale – Cllr Mrs. Beale reported that they had attended a day webinar and the purpose was to get some ideas because change is coming and we will need to focus on how to become carbon neutral. Mrs. Beale asked for this issue to be raised again on the next agenda.

89. Planning
90. a) Applications for consultation response – (All applications can be viewed on Wiltshire Council’s Planning & Building Control Public Register – https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/ – type in the relevant application number:

Cllr. Mitchell said he felt this was overdevelopment in what was a tiny little lane with vehicular accesses for 6 properties on a blind bend.  He pointed out that the Access Statement says that the slurry lagoon will be filled in but he was concerned that this may exacerbate the dirty water and surface water problems that neighbours have mentioned in their consultation responses.  Cllr. Rachael Hansford pointed out that the farmyard is going to be obsolete and asked what would happen to those buildings if they weren’t converted into dwellings – are they going to be allowed to fall down or will they be knocked down?

The Chairman pointed out that there were a number of objection letters on the Wiltshire Council planning website relating to this development.  RESOLVED that the town council recommend approval of the application with the following concerns/conditions:  The Town Council raised concerns about the fact that this will result in three vehicular accesses coming off a narrow road on a blind bend with poor visibility that will be serving 6 properties and their associated vehicle movements.  The Town Council has received a number of complaints relating to the fact that HGV and unsuitable vehicles are using the narrow lanes that come off the B3092 along Mapperton Hill as a ‘short cut’ to get to Woodlands Road thereby coming through the Huntingford and Swainsford areas.  Whilst the Town Council accepts that much of this traffic may be heading for the C. G. Fry development further east or for Mere town centre or even using it as a bypass around Mere to get to the Shaftesbury Road, members felt that this development may exacerbate the situation, especially whilst conversion and construction is taking place and requested that permanent signage be erected on the two junction roads from the B3092 that feed into Woodlands Road – the signage to state “NARROW LANES – UNSUITABLE FOR HGV’s”

Proposal made by Cllr. C. Hazzard, seconded by Cllr. Rachael Hansford and carried with a vote of 4 for, 2 Against and 2 abstentions.   In order not to compromise his position as Wiltshire Councillor, Cllr. Jeans abstained from voting on this planning application.

RESOLVED to recommend the above application for approval on proposal made by Cllr. Mrs. Symonds, seconded by Cllr. Ings and carried with a unanimous vote.

1. b) Report on CPRE’s Neighbourhood Planning Webinar held on 9^th November – Cllr. Rachael Hansford – deferred

90. Highways, Rivers, Footpaths, Traffic & Transport
91. a) To identify jobs for the Parish Steward, Sparkle Team and MyWltshire reports – request for Parish Steward to clear mud that has been washed onto the path along Waterside from Steep Street to Water Street.
92. b) Report on CATG meeting held on 24^th November 2021 – The Clerk reported that Cllr. Mrs. Beale was unable to attend the meeting but confirmed that the Town Council request for a speed limit assessment along the Shaftesbury Road is now listed as a CATG issue under new requests but it has not made it into the Priority Schemes list yet.

*c) Frome Bus Service – In view of the information in the Clerks Report, members agreed that the Town Council should submit an email expressing the importance of these bus services locally and urging Wiltshire Council and the bus operators to continue all efforts to resume the service as soon as possible, if this has not already been achieved and to express the view that this is especially significant given the Governments initiative on Bus Back Better setting out a strategy to deliver better bus services.

*d) S W Rail & Great Western Rail cuts to timetable – with reference to the information in the Clerks Report, the Clerk said that she was concerned about the email because it mentioned that service reductions would affect Tisbury station and the Clerk therefore assumed they must affect Gillingham station.  An enquiry with the Clerk of Gillingham Town Council has revealed that a 44-page consultation document sent out by South Western Railway was considered by them in August and it does outline some service reductions.  (1) ‘The core service on the West of England line is two trains per hour from London Waterloo to Salisbury with alternate services extending through to Exeter St. Davids.  We have removed a small number of lightly used off-peak services between Salisbury and Yeovil (via Sherborne).  These changes reduce the number of services over the congested single line sections between Salisbury and Yeovil allowing us to deliver a more resilient service.’

(2) ‘The route between Salisbury and Bristol Temple Meads has historically been served by both SWR and Great Western Railway, with SWR running five of the Average 25 daily services in the May 2019 timetable.  Following a separate review with the Dept. For Transport, SWR will withdraw its current three daily services from December 20231 as duplicating services between the two operators does not provide good value for the taxpayer.  Great Western Railway will continue to meet demand on the line and services will connect into London bound trains at Salisbury, Bath and Westbury.’

The Clerk further added that the Shaftesbury & Gillingham Transport Forum had agreed with the SERUG (Salisbury to Exeter Rail Users Group) submission to this consultation saying that the proposed timetable was totally inadequate for the number of passengers travelling but she did not know whether or not Wiltshire Council had made a formal consultation submission on the document.  It was agreed that the Clerk should make enquiries with Wiltshire Council about this and if so, to ask for a copy.

1. e) Road naming to clear up confusion with Coward Road that runs parallel with Woodlands Road – Cllr. Jeans reported that the new houses with a frontage along Woodlands Road have actually been given the address as Coward Road which is causing confusion for residents and delivery drivers etc. It was agreed that Cllr. Jeans pursue this with whoever needs to be involved as long as there is no admin work and no cost to the Parish Council and that resolution meets with the agreement of all the residents.
2. f) Suggestion to submit CATG request for “Unsuitable for lorries” sign on some feeder roads to Woodlands Industrial units (may need coordinating with Dorset Council) – George Jeans said that several people had approached him about the number of lorries and large vehicles that are using the narrow lanes off the B3092 along Mapperton Hill as a ‘short cut’ to get to Woodlands Road thereby driving through the Huntingford & Swainsford areas. Cllr. Jeans said that C. G. Fry & Son did erect a sign encouraging all people coming out of their development to turn right out of the estate and out onto the Shaftesbvury Road or Clements Lane rather than turning left into Swainsford and he wondered if new road signs could be erected on the entrances to these lanes off the B3092 at Mapperton Hill. Members felt that as the development of West Swainsford Farm may exacerbate this situation, especially whilst conversion and construction is taking place, that the developers be requested to erect permanent signage on the two junction roads from the B3092 that feed into Woodlands Road – the signage to state “NARROW LANES – UNSUITABLE FOR HGV’s”.

91. Buildings, Open Spaces, Play Areas, Sports Grounds, Car Parks, Allotments & Cemeteries

92. Finance, Policy & Resources

*a)  Payments – To review and authorise schedule of payments (attached) – The Clerk explained that she did not think that the Sydenhams Hire Centre invoices tallied with the amounts quoted to Cllr. Hazzard and it was agreed that Cllr. Hazzard would telephone Sydenhams Hire to discuss a.s.a.p.  In the meantime it was agreed to authorise the Sydenhams Hire Centre payments as a maximum payment.  All other payments listed were authorised on proposal made by Cllr. Mrs. Symonds, seconded by Cllr. Mitchell and carried with a majority vote.  As Cllr. Jeans had declared a pecuniary interest in this item, he left the meeting whilst the matter was discussed and took no part in discussion or voting.

*b) To adopt recommendations made by Budget Meeting, as shown in Minutes of Budget Meeting held on Monday, 24^th November 2021  (Minutes attached) – RESOLVED to adopt the recommendations made by the budget committee as recorded in the minutes of the budget meeting held on  24^th November 2021 on proposal made by Cllr. Hazzard, seconded by Cllr. Jeans and carried with a unanimous vote.  Cllr. Hazzard asked for the Council’s thanks to the Vice-Chairman and the Clerk for the work in preparing for this meeting to be recorded in the Minutes.

789. c) To approve Precept on Wiltshire Council for 2022/23 – RESOLVED to approve a Precept of £172,789.00 for 2022/23 on proposal made by Cllr. Hazzard, seconded by Cllr. Mrs. Beale and carried with a unanimous vote. The Chairman was authorised to sign the Precept form for submission to Wiltshire Council.
790. d) To consider the provision of a street light to light steps from Salisbury Street Car Park to Dark Lane – Cllr. Jeans confirmed that a quotation had been received and that the Town Council had set aside the money at the Budget meeting and he was therefore asking for the Town Council to give the go-ahead for the light to be installed. RESOLVED that the Town Council agree to request that Atkins Global install the street light in Dark Lane at a maximum cost of £2500 and on condition that the light will be maintained by Wiltshire Council Highways on proposal made by Cllr. Rachael Hansford, seconded by Cllr. Nick Beale and carried with a majority in favour. Jeans abstained from voting.
791. e) Request for Grant Funding Support from Mere Platinum Jubilee Committee – Cllr. Ings who is on the Jubilee Committee said that the plan for the day is to have a street market along Church Street with proper traders and a Church Fete in the Churchyard and the Vicarage Field to be used for live music, bar, food and entertainment. They would also like to arrange a car show in the cemetery car park. General feeling is to charge less to attract more although there will be expenses and costs involved.  It was anticipated that two road closures would be required.  The Committee had applied to the South west Wiltshire Area Board for grant funding of £2300 towards the estimated total cost of £4600.  RESOLVED that the Town Council should make a contribution of £200 to the Jubilee Committee funds and to act as seed funding for the Area Board grant on proposal made by Cllr. Hazzard, seconded by Cllr. Mrs. Beale and carried majority vote in favour.
792. f) Training – to Authorise expenditure for Clerk to attend Society of Local Council Clerks – Practitioners’ Conference 2022 (Virtual) – Delegate cost £75 + VAT for members – RESOLVED that the Clerk be authorised to attend the SLCC Practitioners’ Conference at a cost of £75.00.
793. g) Town Council Communication Strategy – Cllr. Rachael Hansford said that she would like the Town Council to adopt a policy for communication to use as a framework as she was concerned that sometimes things were published in Mere Matters and other times things were published on Facebook and copied into Mere Mutters and then other notices went on the website. She said that she had found a working document and would circulate this to members for the next meeting.

93. General Items

*a) Vacancy on the Mere Charities committee for Town Council representative – Cllr. Jeans proposed that Mrs. Anne Rich be asked to fill the vacancy on the Mere Charities Committee.  This proposal was seconded by Cllr. Mitchell.  It was agreed that Cllr. Jeans would communicate with Anne Rich accordingly.

1. b) Recognition for special community contribution – Cllr. Rachael Hansford said that she thought it would be nice to reward recognition for all the people who do so much work in the town. Jeans said that he initially thought this was a good idea but then realised that there are so many people who do so much work who don’t want to be recognised and they do it because it is what they want to do. Cllr. Hazzard pointed out that the Town Council had issued a Certificate of Appreciation to the last PCSO when he retired.  Cllr. Mitchell felt that the Town Council would be opening up a can of worms as someone would be bound to feel left out or insulted and it was pointed out that there are all sorts of recognised awards that people could be nominated for by individuals.  It was agreed that this suggestion would be left in abeyance and no further action taken.
2. c) Date of next meeting – it was agreed to hold the next Town Council meeting on Monday, 10^th January 2022

94. Future meetings and events
95. a) South West Wiltshire Area Board meeting to be held on Wednesday, 15^th December in Nadder Centre, Tisbury

95. 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

MERE PEACE MEMORIAL SPORTS AND RECREATION GROUND

Registered Charity No. 1093497

For Trustees to consider the following:

*To submit Annual Return for Mere Peace Memorial Sports & Recreation Ground for Financial Year End 31.3.21

Mere Town Council

Town Clerk – Mrs. L. C. Wood

Minutes of a meeting of Mere Town Council held on Monday, 1^st November 2021 at 7.00 pm at Duchy Manor, Springfield Road, Mere, BA12 6HG

Present:  Councillors Lesley Traves (Chair), Kate Symonds (Vice-Chair), Debbie Beale, Nick Beale, Louise Bennett, Aubrey Colman, Rodney Coward, Clive Hazzard, Raymond Hill, Glen Ings, George Jeans (from 7.05 pm), John Jordan & Eric Mitchell

Also 3 members of public

Meeting convened at 7.00 pm with Public Session

David Brett speaking as one of the small committee of people planning ideas for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations next year said that the committee had identified something that the Town Council might like to consider as a permanent memorial and that is to plant a tree in the churchyard at St. Michaels.

However, there is not very much space there and the only trees we could plant would be small and we feel that the occasion really justifies an oak tree but that needs a lot of space and the space we had in mind was the triangle of land immediately past the cemetery at the end of Angel Lane.  A nice plaque which would sit at an angle could be installed with the tree at a cost of around £400 and so the whole thing, with the tree, is probably going to cost around £600 as a minimum.  Whether you may want to put a bench in there as well is up to you.  The Chairman said that, as this matter required a decision of the Town Council, it would be raised as an agenda item for the next meeting.

PCSO Dan Gill + colleague attended the meeting and reported that over the past month there had been 8 incidents in the Mere Area, 3 of which related to anti-social behaviour.

Clive Hazzard wanted to say how well he thought the Town Council’s staff were doing on the work int he cemetery.  He also pointed out that there had been one or two incidents of flooding over the weekend and wondered if there was anything the Town Council could do to encourage farmers and landowners to clear their ditches and gulleys.

Apologies for absence received from Councillors P. Coward and Rachael Hansford.

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

• To receive Declarations of Interest relating to matters contained in this agenda, in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 in respect of officers and the Localism Act 2011 in respect of members.
• To receive written requests for new DPI dispensations.

Members are invited to declare disclosable pecuniary interests and other interests in items on the agenda as required by the Mere Town Council Code of Conduct for Members and by the Localism Act 2011.  The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.  If you become aware, during the course of a meeting, of an interest that has not been disclosed under this item, you must immediately disclose it.  Whether you can remain in the meeting and the extent to which you can participate depends on the type of interest you have.

• Jordan declared a personal interest in planning applications PL/2021/09039 & PL/2021/09417 both for Tithings, Castle Street
• Jeans declared a personal interest in planning application PL/2021/09710
• Jeans declared a pecuniary interest in Minute No. 80a) Finance
• Hazzard declared a pecuniary interest in Minute No. 80a) Finance

73. Minutes – RESOLVED that the minutes of the Town Council meeting held on 4^th October 2021 be approved as a correct record on proposal made by Cllr. R. Coward, seconded by Cllr. Colman and carried with a unanimous vote of those present on 4.10.21

74. Matters Arising from Public Session

The Clerk advised that as the matter raised by the Platinum Jubilee Committee affected Town Council land and required funding then it would require the statutory public notice for consideration and she would therefore raise it as an agenda item for the next meeting.

75. Matters Arising from previous Meetings
76. a) Update on Wessex Water Environment Fund Grant Application for water refilling station (Minute Ref: 63b) – The Clerk confirmed that she had raised this as an agenda item as the information provided, or minuted, at the last meeting was not quite correct. Jordan had found a company that can install a wall-mounted water refilling station for £910 which included installation but it did not include the four-year maintenance agreement and this would cost an extra £165 per year for four years, making the total cost £1570. Members agreed to proceed with this company/model as the figure was only just over the amount received from the Wessex Water Environment Fund.  The Clerk said that she was still trying to ascertain whether this company/model was approved by Wessex Water and if they confirmed that this was the case then she would order a.s.a.p.

*b) Suggestions for expenditure of S.106 funding (Minute Ref: 63e) – Members noted the information in the Clerks Report and confirmed that the Town Council would be proceeding with the two priorities (No. 1 – Walnut Road Play Area and No. 2 – Right of Way improvement Clements Lane to Angel Lane) that had already been agreed and once they were completed then members would be in a position to re-evaluate other suggestions & projects for implementation.

*c) Issues with public toilets (Minute Ref: 67b) – members noted the information in the Clerks Report.

76. Reports & Consultations

*a) Report on meeting held on 23^rd September 2021 to discuss Mere PPGs proposal for a new Health & Wellbeing facility in Mere (report attached) – members noted the report.

1. b) Wiltshire Councillor’s Report – Jeans reported that, as mentioned in the report above, the consultation on the review of the older people’s housing stock was now under way and it had caused a great deal of concern amongst the older residents of Lynch Close where a number of meetings had taken place, some with representatives of Wiltshire Council. The residents are concerned that they are going to get evicted from their bungalows but Cllr. Jeans said that he had established that Wiltshire Council could not do this without taking them to court. Cllr. Mark McClellan is the new Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste, Street Scene and Flooding and has taken over from Bridget Wayman.  Cllr. Jeans also asked for road naming to be put on the agenda for a future meeting as he said there was some confusion with Coward Road that runs parallel with Woodlands Road.  Cllr. Jeans also asked for Platinum Jubilee Celebrations to be included as a Budget heading for the impending budget meeting as he did not think there would be any funding from Wiltshire Council to help with celebration events.

77. Planning
78. a) Applications for consultation response – (All applications can be viewed on Wiltshire Council’s Planning & Building Control Public Register – https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/ – type in the relevant application reference number.

The Chairman reported that this was a piece of land that was situated opposite the site that is subject of a planning application for four caravans for gypsy families – the field had an access on the road that leads from Woodlands Road to the Gillingham Road, coming out at the junction on Mapperton Hill.  The Chairman said that she was not aware that the owners of the field had any other agricultural land in the vicinity but was aware, from the information accompanying this planning application, that they were planning to plant about 60 – 100 trees of mixed species on the field and were also proposing to include a composting toilet.  Cllr. Jeans said that, whilst outside the scope of planning, he thought that there could be a need to involve third parties i.e. Natural England and/or Forestry Commission, in any proposals that involved planting trees on this scale.  Members expressed some concern over this application relating to the fact that the applicants were intending to plant a number of trees on the site and yet they wanted an agricultural barn to house farming equipment with solar panelling on the roof and a composting toilet.  Members felt that there was no justification for the barn of this size with these facilities when the purpose of the land was to plant trees and it would be some time before the trees were old enough to cut and provide logs that needed drying and that there was no other agricultural purpose that would require a wash room, composting toilet, solar panelling etc.  RESOLVED to object to the planning application on the grounds that there was insufficient justification for the proposed development.  Proposal made by Cllr. Mrs. Symonds, seconded by Cllr. Hazzard and carried with a majority vote in favour.  In order not to compromise his position as Wiltshire Councillor, Cllr. Jeans abstained from voting on this planning application.

RESOLVED to recommend approval of the above two applications on proposal made by Cllr. Hazzard, seconded by Cllr. Ings and carried with a unanimous vote in favour.  Cllr. Jordan, having declared a personal interest in these planning applications, refrained from discussion or voting.  In order not to compromise his position as Wiltshire Councillor, Cllr. Jeans abstained from voting on this planning application.

The Chairman said that it is a shame that a barn is now required for storing hay as the applicant was authorised Class Q planning in 2019 to convert a barn into two dwellings only a couple of years ago.  RESOLVED to recommend approval of the above application on proposal made by Cllr. Ings, seconded by Cllr. R. Coward and carried with a majority vote in favour. In order not to compromise his position as Wiltshire Councillor, Cllr. Jeans abstained from voting on this planning application.

Cllr. Jeans declared a personal interest in the above application and left the meeting room whilst it was under discussion & took no part in voting.  RESOLVED to recommend approval of the above application on proposal made by Cllr. R. Coward, seconded by Cllr. Mrs. Beale and caried with a unanimous vote of those present.

78. Highways, Rivers, Footpaths, Traffic & Transport
79. a) To identify jobs for the Parish Steward, Sparkle Team or MyWiltshire reports – Cllr. Jordan asked if it would be possible for the Sparkle Team or Parish Steward to attend to Burton Path and also to fill any potholes in the path. There was also a large pothole in Pettridge Lane by the Catholic Church. Jeans said that he felt that Wiltshire Council needed to make far more effort to get rid of leaves.  He said that he had sent an email to the Head of Local Highways stating his views that considering Wiltshire Council had declared a Climate Emergency, they should make more effort to stop the build-up of leaves that can block up gulleys and cause flooding to property.  Members of the Town Council agreed to submit an email to the Head of Local Highways in support of Cllr. Jeans.

79. Buildings, Open Spaces, Play Areas, Sports Grounds, Car Parks, Allotments & Cemeteries

*a) Mere School expansion plans and alterations to green amenity areas to make more car parking spaces – with reference to the information and plans distributed to councillors prior to the meeting, the Chairman explained that the plans were proposing 65 marked car parking spaces on the site.  However the Clerk had counted the number of cars parked on the site at 3.17 pm on 19^th October and there were 54 parked cars (not all in marked spaces).  It was felt that the plans were not going to provide for a huge number of extra car parking spaces although members recognised that the purpose of the modifications was more about providing for safer vehicle & pedestrian movements within the site than it was about providing increased car parking spaces.  The Clerk also pointed out that there would be no provision for lighting within the car parking area although Cllr. Jeans did point out that the contractors had offered to put conduits in trenches whilst they were digging if that would help.  Cllr. Jeans said that we should ensure that our consultation response requests this action and also to ensure that there is no restricted access to the swimming pool site.  The Clerk confirmed that the formal consultation document had been received this morning and she had found a sentence which stated “The parking will be available outside of school hours for wider users of the site, including sports clubs and will be managed by the Town Council.”  The Clerk said it would be preferable and advisable to take out ‘outside of school hours’ because the existing parking is available to all users of the site all the time and not just during school hours.  It was agreed that the Clerk should point out this error and once an amended consultation document is received, it should be sent out to all councillors and to all community users of the site asking for them to submit their responses to the Town Council so that we are aware of any concerns.

1. b) Report on Annual Play Area RoSPA Safety Inspections – the Clerk reported that “the annual RoSPA Play Area Safety Inspection was carried out on 27^th September on our three play areas and our skate park. We have received the four written reports which identify an overall Risk Assessment for each site and individual Risk Assessments for each piece of equipment – ranging from Urgent, High Risk, Medium Risk & low Risk. The report then lists various remedial tasks that should be carried out to reduce risks etc.  Apart from the skate park which is a High Risk item due to its usage (not due to the equipment which meets required standard), I am pleased to report that we have no ‘Urgent’ or ‘High Risk’ equipment identified and there is nothing contained within the reports that has given us cause for concern.  The grounds staff have been given copies of the reports and we will work through them to carry out as many of the remedial tasks as we can.

*c) Request to light steps from Salisbury Street Car Park to Dark Lane by Shreen Harmony members – with reference to the request, as detailed in the Clerks Report, Cllr. Jeans said that there had been complaints about the darkness of Dark Lane for years and he would invite councillors to walk along there at night and see for themselves how dark and dangerous it is, particularly if you try and walk down the steps.  Cllr. Jeans said that he had met with Stuart Brown who is the Exterior Lighting Consultant working for Atkins Global (Wiltshire Council’s contractors) who said it was possible to put in a better light to help the situation and he would therefore request that this is put to the finance meeting for further consideration.

80. Finance, Policy & Resources

*a) Payments – To review and authorise schedule of payments (attached) – RESOLVED to authorise payments as set out in schedule of payments (attached) on proposal made by Cllr. Colman, seconded by Cllr. Jordan and carried with a majority vote.  Cllr. Jeans & Cllr. Hazzard, having declared a pecuniary interest in this agenda item, left the room and took no part in discussion or voting on this item.

1. b)  Town Council Communication Strategy – Cllr. Rachael Hansford – this item was deferred owing to the absence of Cllr. Rachael Hansford
2. c) To set date and other details for Annual Budget Meeting – it was agreed that the Annual Budget meeting would be held on Wednesday, 24^th November at 7.00 pm at Duchy Manor and that the following councillors would be invited to attend: Rachael Hansford, Rodney Coward, Aubrey Colman, George Jeans, Clive Hazzard, John Jordan, Raymond Hill, Philip Coward. The Chairman & Vice-Chairman would attend ex-officio and the Vice-Chairman would Chair the meeting.

81. General Items
82. a) Recognition for special community contribution – Cllr. Rachael Hansford – this item was deferred owing to the absence of Cllr. Rachael Hansford
83. b) Wiltshire Council rough sleeping snapshot estimates – the Clerk reported that Wiltshire Council would like to know if we have any rough sleepers in our parish area on the night of 11^th November into the morning of 12^th November as they are required to submit an annual figure indicating the numbers of people sleeping rough to central government. Therefore, the Clerk would appreciate it if people could inform her if they are aware of anyone rough sleeping during that night/morning.

*c) Wiltshire Council Briefing Notes:

• 21-20 – Wiltshire Community Environmental Toolkit
• 21-21 – Planning Policy for Renewable Energy
• 21-22 – Covid-19 Update
• 21-23 – Democratic Meetings during the pandemic

82. Future meetings and events

*a) Wiltshire Council – Local Councils Climate Action Planning Seminar, Tuesday, 16^th November 10 – 4 online.  (Booking is essential and places need to be booked by 2^nd November) – Cllrs. Mr. & Mrs. Beale expressed an interest in attending the seminar.

10. b) Remembrance Day Service – the Clerk reported that the service would start at 10.30 pm on Sunday, 14^th November in The Square, followed by a service in St. Michaels Church. The Town Council had arranged for a 20 minute road closure and the Town Council’s staff would be marshalling the road closure.
11. c) Xmas Lights – the Clerk explained that work was underway to erect the Xmas lights and that she understood that the Carnival Committee was arranging a lighting ceremony and for Father Xmas to be in the Clock Tower on Friday, 3^rd

83. Future agenda items

• None requested

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