Mungrisdale Parish Council

Mungrisdale Parish Council

Clerk / RFO: Mrs Suzanne Smith

Troutbeck Camping and Caravanning Club Site, Hutton Moor End, Troutbeck, Penrith, CA11 0SX

Tel: 017687 79149

(Draft) Minutes of the Mungrisdale Parish Council held on Monday 12^th July 2010 in Mungrisdale Village Hall

Present

Chair Michael Bohling (Vice-Chairman)

Councillors Adam Beeston, David Huxley, Jennifer Stevenson, Ernie Teasdale, Bob Watt, Ronnie Wilson

10/055 Apologies for absence

Mungrisdale Parish Council Alan Bird

Cumbria Police Andy Holliday

Eden District Council Roy Fisher

10/056 Minutes

Resolved by unanimous agreement that the minutes of the meeting held on 10^th May 2010 be signed by the Chair as a true record

10/057 News from Cumbria Police / Cumbria County Council / Eden District Council

Cumbria Police

Thefts from farms and rural businesses continue.

PC Holliday has met with National Park Ranger Graham Strandring to discuss and monitor the use of bridle ways by off-road motorbikes and also the summer problems regarding camping at Swineside.

Eden District Council

Adam McNally the enforcement officer at Eden District Council is looking into reinstating the soil where the caravan at Berrier used to be.

10/058 Public Participation

The Chairman adjourned the meeting to allow electors present an opportunity to raise issues of concern or interest. The following points were raised:

A parishioner thanked Mungrisdale Parish Council on behalf of the Berrier Wind Farm Opposition Group for its support and expressed the Group’s delight at the government’s decision to uphold the Planning Inspectorate’s opposition to a wind farm being sited at Berrier Hill.
Concern was expressed over cyclists using the back roads with no regard to the possibility of encountering pedestrians or vehicles, often cycling several abreast and with their heads down. The clerk will write a letter to C2C and will copy in Judith Cooke (Lake District Parishes and National Park Liaison) and Graham Standring. It is understood that the Parks are looking at how to appropriately sign routes which are used both by pedestrians and cyclists.

10/059 Declarations of interest

Councillor Jennifer Stevenson declared an interest in items 10/069 and 10/070 purely as a resident of Hutton Roof.

10/060 Accounts

Payments

Resolved that the following accounts be paid:

Clerk wages and expenses As detailed separately to councillors

United Utilities Liscow Gardens £11.57 (direct debit)

United Utilities Mungrsidale Field 7264 £13.15 (direct debit)

BDO Stoy Hayward (Auditors) £141.00

The auditors advised that the Parish Council’s current surplus is higher than they would expect to see and that whilst no action is necessary they have included a guideline as to a more acceptable surplus level. This will be addressed at the next Parish Council meeting and councillors are invited to prepare suggestions for this item.

Report on income received and current financial position

Income Received:

Monies received from car parks £252.78

Current balances stand at £7322.57

10/061 Planning Applications Received

10/0555 Greystoke Forest, M-Sport – Improvement works to roads in the forest including reconstruction, some new stretches of road and new culverts to facilitate forestry operations and occasional motor sport use. This is a retrospective application. An e-mail was received by the clerk from a parishioner who noted the application does not refer to ‘retrospective’ planning and who was concerned that new works will be undertaken. The planning application however does state that the work has already been completed. The parish council will investigate and clarify the nature of the application.

10/062 Planning Decision Notices

7/2010/3009 Blakebeck Farm, Mungrisdale, Mr C Hockley – Conversion and change of use of a disused farm building to study and studio (renewal). Granted with five conditions.

10/0114 Cape Farm, Berrier, Mr S Hunter – Proposed agricultural building. Granted with two conditions.

7/2010/3011 Chapelside, Mungrisdale, Mr R Acland – Provision of a new first floor structure to provide an en-suite shower room to guest bedroom. Listed building consent refused.

7/2010/3925 Mr A Tiffin, Wham Head Farm – roof over existing feeding yard. Granted with two conditions.

7/2010/3013 Mr M Statham, Town End Bungalow, Mosedale – change of use of paddock to domestic use and erection of garage. Permission refused.

10/063 Caravan at Eycot Farm, Berrier – A planning application has been submitted to the Lake District National Park Authority but has been declared invalid. Whilst the process of dealing with a planning application is ongoing the LDNPA will not be taking any further action on the existing caravan at this time. The Parish Council will continue to monitor the situation.

10/064 Wind Farm at Berrier Hill – The Secretary of State dismissed the appeal by West Coast Energy, supporting the Inspector’s decision earlier in the year. West Coast Energy has six weeks to appeal following the decision.

10/065 Request for funds from Hospice at Home – Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland is an independent hospice at home service of which there are very few in the whole of England. It is part-funded by the NHS to a small degree but this year the charity has to raise 78% of its costs to enable the continuation of this service. (The charity has a shop in Penrith.) A discussion ensued between councillors as to whether the Parish Council should respond to the request for funds and a one-off donation of £100 gained a majority vote.

10/066 M Sport Activities in Greystoke Forest – Report from meeting between M-Sport and Mungrisdale Parish Council. A meeting note will be distributed to councillors but in summary the meeting was a positive one between parish councillors, Malcolm Wilson, head of M-Sport, Alan Lightfoot and George Bruce. The company is sensitive to the concerns of local residents and is willing to work with the community to help alleviate some of the problems perceived.

Notice will be given regarding rallying and testing within the forest and activities will not exceed the 28 days submitted to Eden District Council.
Details of forthcoming events will be posted on gates and on the website.
Regarding parking during rallies the company has negotiated parking space with Scales farm at the road up to the reservoir on Berrier Hill. Clear signage will be used at events to direct people to the correct parking areas.
Regarding the noise levels all cars are road legal.
Much work is being undertaken to protect and develop the forest wildlife and its habitat. Deer poaching has occurred and the public are requested to report any unusual activity.
Under the Forestry Commission no public access into the forest was permitted. Mr Wilson confirmed that it will always be his intention to allow public access into the area and he encourages the use of the forest by other groups.
The company would be very happy to host a group of up to twenty local people to show them around. Parishioners are to contact Michael Bohling or Jennifer Stevenson if they wish to participate.

10/067 Noticeboard Update – Bowscale noticeboard will include header and will cost the same as the Berrier one. As at the time of the meeting it had not been installed. The clerk will chase this up.

10/068 Highways Update The Parish Council recently met with the Highways to voice its dissatisfaction with what it perceives is the low priority given to the parishes Highways needs. The meeting was positive and assurances were given that co-operation going forward will be much improved. The Steward scheme is being reorganised and will become a two-man team as opposed to a single person. The statuses of specific issues are as follows:

The signage request for the gated road to warn it is unsuitable for heavy vehicles has been passed to the relevant department.
The repairs on the Bowscale to Mosedale Road will require complete road closure. It is hoped that the work will be completed within two weeks of commencing and that hopefully the road will be open in the evenings.
Parish land maintenance is progressing as discussed and discretion is being used regarding how much wild flower areas are being cut back. Strimming work will be cleared up afterwards. Another meeting between the Parish Council and the contractor may be useful.
A suggestion was made that each area within the parish puts forward a ‘wishlist’ of maintenance it would like done.
The work done on the edges of the gated road was completed via funding from a separate budget.

10/069 Hutton Roof Village Pond Clean-Up The council will contact Rita Swindle at Eden District Council for assistance with the grant request to recover the costs incurred by Hutton Roof residents during the clean-up of the village pond.

10/070 Hutton Roof Skip The principle of a garden skip in Hutton Roof has been agreed with Kevin Beattie of Hilltop but the project is on hold until the resident who requested it returns.

10/071 Land by Horseshoe Inn Hutton Roof A meeting was recently held between a representative of some of the residents of Hutton Roof, the Parish Council and Cumbria County Council’s litigation department regarding the possible encroachment of the highway at the pub in Hutton Roof. Due to possible impending legal action it would be inappropriate to comment any further on the matter at this stage.

10/072 Correspondence

CALC Circular

United Utilities information regarding replacement of water meter at the Mungrisdale field 7264

Letter of thanks from Mungrisdale PCC for the recent grant from the Parish Council towards the upkeep of the graveyard.

Lake District National Park Authority survey of condition of listed buildings forthcoming

Letter to councillors from Eden District Council regarding Code of Conduct training

Invitation to the parish council from Northern Fells Group to the launch of the new minibus on 17^th July at Millhouse Village Hall, 10.00

Local Transport Plan 3 for Cumbria 2011 – 2026 Consultation Document

10/070 Date of Next Meeting Monday 13^th September, 7.30pm at Mungrisdale Village Hall