MINUTES – MARCH 2024

Minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council of Waterhouses.

Re: Meeting held Thursday, March 21st 2024 at 7.30pm in the sports pavilion, Waterhouses.

Present: Cllr Goldstraw, (Chair); Cllr Turner, (Vice); Cllr Carr; Cllr Harvey; Cllr McCarthy; Cllr Simpson; Cllr Stanmore; Cllr Stone;

Also present: Mr C Hinton (Clerk);

1. Apologies: Cllr Wain.

2. Minutes of the last meeting:
The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday, February 15th 2024 were approved as being a true record and were duly signed by the Chairman. Proposed: Cllr Turner; Seconded: Cllr Stone.

3. Matters arising:

Clerk’s report:

Parish Assembly: The chairman reported that he had attended the latest meeting of the assembly. He presented a petition from the event seeking a Public Enquiry into the problems with the West Midlands Ambulance Service. This was shared with all those present.
Progress had been reported in relation to the long-awaited scheme to oversee the maintenance of defibrillators within the Staffordshire Moorlands, although no details were provided.

Lafarge Update: The council had received notification from the works that there had recently been issues relating to noise emissions and that they were trying to resolve the problem.
The council asked the clerk to contact the Environment Agency to ensure that they would be monitoring the situation. It was noted that the upcoming liaison meeting had been postponed.

Pavilion: The hedge adjacent to the bowling green had now been lowered. The fence around the green had also been repaired. The fire alarm had twice been activated, without real cause and hence requires attention. The electrical installation also requires its period inspection, along with the portable appliances. An electrician would be asked to attend to these issues asap.

Sports Field: Cllr Stone and the clerk had recently completed the periodic inspection of the pitches. This is required by the Football Foundation, as a condition of their ongoing funding support. Cllr Stone and the clerk will attend the upcoming groundworks meeting to be hosted by the Staffs FA. The application for funding towards the fencing of the field is nearing completion.

Playing Fields: Following a further meeting with Support Staffordshire, the clerk reported that application for grant funding would be ready for submission by the end of March.
A sign restricting access to the allotments and the play area and advising of a 5mph speed limit, had been installed at the entrance to the track. A further complaint had been received in relation to excess rain water flowing over the new surface of the track, into neighbouring gardens. The council is in search of advice on how this can be averted.

Grazing fields: Tenders received for the two fields were discussed and the successful bidder selected. The licences, effective from April 1st would be processed by the land agent.

Allotments: The council agreed to ask the allotments holders to mow the area when required, in order to save the council money. They would also be asked to plant the news trees that had recently been delivered, so that they could decide where these should best be planted.

4. Correspondence received; None

5. Planning Matters;
• The clerk advised of decisions recently made by the planning authorities.
• NP/SM/0224/0122; 25, Portland Place, Waterhouses. Conversion of attic above detached garage to an annex equipped with bathroom, kitchen and living space.
No objections were recorded.
• S53 Application to upgrade FP1A Waterhouses Farwall Lane to Slade House to a restricted byway. Cllrs Goldstraw and Turner declared an interest in this matter and declined involvement. No objections were recorded.
• S53 Application to upgrade PF1(b) Waterhouses from Slade Farm to Castern Lane to restricted byway and to add a restricted byway from PF1(a) to PF1(b) Waterhouses Parish
Cllr Turner declared an interest in this matter and declined involvement.
The council resolved to object to this application in view of concerns for the privacy of the land owner and the security of livestock.
• 017595 – S53 Application to upgrade FP10 Waterhouses (known as Roods Lane) to a restricted byway. Cllr Turner declared an interest in this matter and declined involvement. No objections were recorded.
• SMD/2024/0100 – Units off A523 Leek Road, Waterhouses. – New Fencing to existing site. No objections were recorded.
• Concerns relating to the potential development of land off Hamps Valley Road, raised by a resident, had recently been discussed with SMDC. The parish council advised the planning department that any future planning applications relating to this site, would receive careful consideration, especially in terms of access to it.

6. Financial Matters:
The latest bank statements and the year-to-date position were shared.
The following cheques were requested:
• Clerk, for work & expenses in February; £1232.23 (inc. items paid for on behalf of WPC).
• Caretaker, for his work in February; £60.00
• Lengthsman, for his work & expenses in February/March; £480.00
• Beetham Tree Care, for lowering the hedge by the bowling green: £750.00
• Signal Fire for annual servicing of fire extinguishers: £127.62
• Electrician for attention to fire alarm system: £55.00
• HMRC for the PAYE on the clerk’s salary; £162.00
Payment for the above was approved, en bloc. Prop: Cllr McCarthy; Seconded: Cllr Simpson

7. Highways:
• Signs advising large vehicles against the use of Rocester Lane had been installed.
• The Flood Team at Staffs County Council had confirmed that they had received the information from the council in relation to the flood risk area centred around the War Memorial and would consider the matter before getting back in touch.
• The alterations to FP19, at the far end of the Sports Field, had been completed.
• Cllr Simpson reported damage being caused, by horses and motor bikes, to the path linking Waterhouses and Cauldon Lowe. The clerk is to write to Aggregate Industries.
• A resident had reported the poor state of the pathway along Earlsway.

8. Any other business:
• The council agreed to oversee and maintain five defibrillators throughout the parish, one in each village. These will all be kept in safe working order and visible on the internet.
• The culvert off Beech Close is badly blocked and is to be reported to the authorities
• A timetable will be installed in the bus shelter on the A523 in Waterhouses.
• The council would mark the upcoming 90th Birthdays of a parishioner

9. Date of next meeting: Thursday, April 18th 2024 at 7.30 pm.