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Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council
Minutes of the Council meeting held on Monday 11th November 2013 in the Parish Hall.
Councillors present:
Cllr. Malcolm Reid (Chairman) Cllr. Andy Dunhill
Cllr. Jill Mills Cllr. Brian Singer
Cllr. Eileen Carew
Co-opted at meeting: Mr Bill Cairns
In attendance:
Cllr. Anne Dale – Northumberland County Council
Mrs Catherine Harrison – Parish Clerk
Public (10): Rob Archer, S Newman, A Newman, Barbara Purvis, Jean Rowntree, Linda Shepherd, Sue Soulsby, Linden Stephenson, Richard Walker and Brian Young
Cllr. Reid as Chairman opened the meeting at 7.47pm and welcomed Mrs Catherine Harrison, the new Parish Clerk.
1. Apologies
None given.
2. Declaration of Interests
No disclosures of personal and prejudicial interests from Councillors on matters to be considered at the meeting were given.
3. Co-option of Councillor
Cllr. Reid proposed and Cllr. Mills seconded that Mr Bill Cairns be co-opted as a Councillor. This was unanimously agreed by the councillors. Cllr. Cairns then signed the requisite form and was welcomed to the Council.
4. Approval of the minutes of the meeting of 9th September 2013
It was agreed that the minutes of the Council meeting held on 9th September 2013 were a true record and duly signed off by Cllr. Reid.
5. Matters arising from the September meeting other than those listed on the agenda
(i) Minute 6c – Grass cutting
It was noted that the grass had been cut eight times and other designated areas strimmed only three times – the contract had allowed for sixteen cuts and areas to be strimmed six times. It was agreed that the Clerk would contact NCC and ask for a rebate on the contract and that Cllr. Dunhill would contact the Cricket Club for recommendations as to a possible alternative contractor;
ACTION: CH/AD
(ii) Minute 10 – Speed activation signs
Cllr. Reid reported that he had not yet contacted the installers but would do so shortly. Concerns were expressed that the signs seemed to be triggered randomly or continued to flash once traffic had passed. Members of the public were asked to report all such examples to the Clerk who would keep a record to send to the installers along with a request for a correct trigger speed and the relocation of the eastern sign;
ACTION: MR/CH
(iii) Minute 13 – Long Rigg
Cllr. Mills reported that she had been in touch with the valuers but before proceeding she and Cllr. Reid would like to meet with the Long Rigg Residents’ Association representatives to discuss various ideas. It was agreed to arrange a meeting and report back to the December PC meeting;
ACTION: JM/MR
(iv) Minute 17 – Dene Close Wall
Cllr. Mills reported that the letter referred to in the previous Minutes from 1999, lodged with the then PC’s solicitor, had not been found (the requirement to retain this type of document was only six years). From all discussions it would appear that the ownership of the wall was never properly recorded on residents’ deeds. Cllr. Reid suggested coming to a common sense agreement with the current residents. His suggestion would be that the PC withdrew any claim to the wall and the properties would assume ownership. This would entail responsibilities for the residents but would also allow them freedom to make an opening in the wall should they so wish. Cllr. Reid agreed to write to all residents to outline his proposals;
ACTION: MR
(v) Minute 18 – Remembrance Day
Cllr. Mills had attended the Remembrance Day Service. It was noted that next year the Clerk should inform Alison White as to who would be attending the service and laying the wreath;
ACTION: CH
(vi) Minute 22 – Format of Agendas
It was noted that the format of the Agenda had now been changed to include a summary of correspondence received from residents and also any consultation documents on which the PC had been asked to comment. The consultation documents would also be displayed on the ridingmill.org website whenever possible;
(vii) Minute 22 – Railway Footbridge
Cllr. Dunhill reported that Network Rail engineers had been to look at the footbridge but were still deciding on how to solve the drainage problem. One suggestion had been to drill a drainage hole in the bridge but Cllr. Dunhill reported he was not in support of this solution.
ACTION: AD
6. West End Bus Shelter
Cllr. Carew reported that the site for the bus shelter was complicated – a number of roads met and, with the hillside behind, there were drainage issues. There had been some discussion about installing a bus shelter without a base but NCC insisted on a base construction. The quote from NCC for installing the bus shelter base works including all drainage was £4750 excluding VAT. The cost of the shelter from their preferred supplier, Clear Channel, was £4000 excluding VAT.
Quotes from other suppliers had been obtained but could not really be compared as they couldn’t offer the complete package. It was also felt that if NCC completed the base any later drainage problems could be easily rectified.
Normally Standing Orders required three quotes for expenditure of this level, however, Cllr. Reid proposed to suspend Standing Orders for this one item on safety grounds and to accept only one quote. This was seconded by Cllr. Singer and unanimously agreed by the councillors. It was agreed to appoint NCC to undertake the base work and Clear Channel to supply the shelter.
ACTION: CH/EC
Cllr. Dale offered a grant of £1000 towards the cost of this work.
7. Local Transport Plan
It was reported that the following three priorities had been submitted:
(i) Pedestrian and cyclist road safety improvements between Stocksfield and A68/A695 roundabout at Riding Mill;
(ii) Pedestrian safety – widening of pavement outside St James Terrace;
(iii) Highways safety – realignment of A68 signage at Broomley/Healey junction.
8. Arrangement for deposit account and signatories for current account
Before a further bank account could be opened for half the PC’s reserves as previously agreed, Standing Orders required signatories to be agreed by resolution of the PC. Cllr. Reid proposed that the following five councillors should become bank signatories:
Cllr. Reid, Cllr. Mills, Cllr, Dunhill, Cllr. Carew, Cllr. Singer.
Cllr. Mills seconded this and it was agreed unanimously by the councillors.
ACTION: CH
9. Tennis Club Management Plan
(i) Rob Archer reported that as the residents had only responded to the Tennis Club Management Plan on 8th November he felt unable to comment as he needed to meet with other members of the Tennis Club first. He agreed to report back to the December PC meeting.
ACTION: RA
Cllr. Mills requested to see a copy of the initial grant offer from Sports England to check what was stipulated as regards offering multiuse facilities.
ACTION: RA
Cllr. Mills also raised discussions she had had with the solicitors re the lease. The PC had to ensure it was not giving away an asset worth over £2million i.e. the land could not be put over for housing and raise such sums. As this was clearly not the case Cllr. Mills proposed that no formal valuation was required because the land was worth manifestly below the sum of £2million. This was seconded by Cllr. Singer and unanimously agreed by the councillors.
(ii) Cllr. Reid reported that he felt it fair that the PC offered some support to local residents because of the changes and had offered that the PC meet half the cost of any plant screening chosen by Mrs Soulsby and Mr & Mrs Davison, the two closest residents, between the properties and the path.
Mrs Soulsby reported that whilst appreciative of the offer she felt that she should not be asked to pay and that it should be the responsibility of the Tennis Club. She also requested that hedging be planted on the opposite side of the path closer to the courts, however, this was land currently used by the Pre-School for a garden. It was noted that a laurel hedge would cost approximately £160.
Cllr. Reid reiterated that the offer only applied to her side of the path. The PC might consider making a greater contribution but it would be a one-off offer and the PC would take on no obligation for trimming. Mrs Soulsby agreed to consult her neighbours.
ACTION: SS
10. Standing Orders
It was unanimously agreed to adopt the Model Standing Orders for Smaller Parish Councils compiled by the Northumberland Association of Local Councils. Cllr. Reid duly signed a copy of the Standing Orders.
11. Budget
Cllr. Reid reported that the budget for next year would be set at the December meeting but asked all councillors to put forward any suggestions for large expense items in advance of this meeting.
Cllr. Mills raised the suggestion of repositioning the bus stop on the westbound side of the A695 opposite The Wellington as she felt currently the pavement was too narrow to accommodate the bus stop safely. Cllr. Dale suggested that she spoke to Margaret Field at NCC to see if she could suggest alternative sites for the bus stop.
ACTION: JM/EC/ADa
It was agreed to hold a meeting in advance of the December PC meeting with the Clerk to review current and forecast spending.
ACTION: ALL
12. Joint Area Committee and Parish Town Council Meeting
Cllr. Reid reported that he had found this meeting useful. Among items discussed were improvements to highway safety for pedestrians and the proposed re-opening of Gilsland Station.
Cllr. Reid proposed that the PC support the opening of the station. Only verbal support was required at this time. The councillors unanimously agreed to give their support to the campaign. ACTION: MR
13. Planning
It was reported:
(i) that the following planning applications were under consideration by NCC:
13/03059/OUT New dwelling, Highfield, Sandy Bank (PC – no objections)
13/03390/FUL New dwelling, Land south of 1 & 2 the Bungalow, Broomhaugh
13/03263/FUL Extension, Long Rigg, Long Rigg
13/03370/FELTPO Tree work, St James Church
(ii) that the following planning applications had been considered by NCC and granted permission:
13/02169/FELTPO Tree work at woodland east of Hollin Hill Terrace, Riding Mill
13/02166/FUL Construction of single storey side extension, Parish Hall, Riding Mill
13/02865/VARYCO Land west of Kingmead, Sandy Bank
13/02861/CLPROP Change of use of garage, Rowan Tree, Long Rigg
14. Handyman
Reports were received. Work had been undertaken in the Spinney to cut back vegetation, paths had been edged adjacent to the single tennis court and grass cut and other works completed in the play park.
The Clerk requested that the handyman look at the notice board as it was currently very difficult to open and close and needed to be sanded and resealed.
15. Finance
The following payments were authorised:
C Harrison – September salary and home allowance payment £172.91
Matthew Charlton – materials £72.00
Tyne Rivers Trust – contribution to plaque installation event £53.60
RM Cricket Club – contribution to grass cutting £560
RM Allotments’ Association – contribution to insurance £73.90
Ward Hadaway – invoice in respect of Tennis Club Lease £327.60
C Harrison – October salary and home allowance payment £345.82
C Harrison – expenses
(funeral wreath, stationary, postage, travel, additional hours) £242.55
Standing Orders:
Homevend – September £75
Homevend – October £75
It was reported that the Clerk had worked 13 extra hours which had been anticipated when she commenced this role and it was agreed to pay her at the pro-rata hourly rate.
16. Correspondence
Cllr. Reid reported that a number of residents of Millfield Road had written to the PC to report damage to the verges due to electricity cables being laid and to large lorries parking on the road whilst delivering tarmac to a resident’s house in Marchburn Lane.
It was agreed to write to NEDF to request that they re-turf the verges now rather than reseed them in the spring. It was also agreed to write to Mr Turner to ask him to contact Debmat and request that the damage to the pavement be repaired.
ACTION: CH/MR
17. Vexatious Communications
Cllr. Reid reported that he considered Mr B Young’s letters regarding covenants and complaints to be obsessive and as harassing to the Council and as such proposed that the Council’s policy on vexatious communications be implemented meaning that only the first fresh item in the first letter, email or other form of correspondence, sent to the Clerk, the Chairman or any Councillor, would be dealt with by the Parish Council between successive meetings for the following year. Cllr. Mills seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously by the councillors.
ACTION: CH/MR
18. Minor Matters
(i) Request for Funding from Citizens Advice Bureau
A request for funding to support the work of CAB was received. It was noted that it was usual to consider other applications for funding at this time of year. The Clerk should compile a list for consideration at the December PC meeting;
ACTION: CH
(ii) Request for waste bin in Mill Race Garden
It was agreed to ask that the Dog fouling bin be removed and replaced with a large multipurpose bin instead;
ACTION: CH
(iii) NDL Sports Survey
It was noted that Rob Archer had already completed this survey and it was not necessary for the PC to respond;
(iv) Core Strategy
It was reported that the Core Strategy sub-group would meet on 13th November to formulate a response. This would be circulated prior to the December PC meeting so that it could be considered at the meeting. Cllr. Dunhill noted that there were no specific green belt land proposals that affected Riding Mill;
(v) Tennis courts
Rob Archer reported that all three courts were now operational and since the re-opening 500 people had used them and both adult and junior coaching sessions had been offered. The final interim payment from Sports England had been received and would now be used to upgrade the walkway to the double tennis courts and the club house;
(vi) Stabilisation of the river bank by the tennis courts
Linden Stephenson suggested that trees be planted to stabilise the river bank where it had been disturbed following work on the tennis courts. She had contacted Tyne Rivers Trust and they had suggested planting alder trees. She suggested planting 12 alder trees at a cost of £0.90 each plus £0.99 each for a rabbit guard. It was agreed to authorise this expense;
ACTION: LS
(vii) Frank Turner’s retirement
It was reported that Frank would be retiring on 29th November 2013. The PC wished to record their thanks to Frank for his huge service to the village and would write to him accordingly;
ACTION: ALL
It was also discussed whether there should be a memorial to Bobby. A number of different groups were considering ideas. It was suggested that a joint proposal should be put to Frank outlining some suggestions and asking for his views.
19. Date of the next meeting
It was agreed to hold the next meeting on Monday 9th December 2013.
With no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.38pm
Parish Council Meeting held on Monday 9th September
at Riding Mill Parish Hall.
Councillors present:
Cllr. Malcolm Reid (Chairman)
Cllr. Jill Mills
Cllr. Eileen Carew
Cllr. Andy Dunhill
Cllr. Brian Singer
In attendance:
Cllr. Anne Dale – Northumberland County Council
Ms. Yvonne Probert – minutes secretary
Public(14): Linda Shepherd, Jean Rowntree, June Newton, Eve Downs, Barbara Purvis, Craig Mitchell, Carole Green, Jack Hannon, Sue Soulsby, Steve Plaskitt, Magdalene Letswaart, Rob Archer, Bill Law, Linden Stephenson
Cllr Reid as Chairman opened the meeting at 7.48pm.
Cllr Reid commended and thanked the former Vice Chairman, Peter Howe for his contribution to the Parish Council.
Action – Cllr. Reid to write press release for Parish News.
Item 9a. was changed to read ‘it was reported that the Methodist hall noticeboard appeared to be inadequate’. The minutes were then agreed as a true record, and duly signed off by Cllr Carew and Cllr Reid.
The Chairman confirmed that these minutes had been approved at the April meeting but missed off the minutes.
b. cheque for the Village Hall Trust remains unpaid (£40)
c. grass cutting -It appears we have not had the contractual number of cuts & the position is being checked with NCC
Action – Cllr Reid to follow up on the cheque and we are awaiting a response from NCC regarding the grass cutting.
Cllr. Reid reported that a plaque contributed by the Tyne Rivers Trust would be installed by the March Burn weir cascade on 3rd October 2013.
A report was given to the meeting by Rob Archer on the progress being made by the Tennis Club with online bookings, security, events, maintenance, pedestrian and disabled access. The Parish Councillors commended the committee for their work; they looked forward to receiving the final version of policies and procedures after consideration had been given to constructive proposals put by the neighbouring residents, so that the PC could amend the lease appropriately; also so that ideas on planting or screening could be implemented.
Cllr Dunhill reported that works were ongoing to improve pedestrian access from Sandy Bank to the village and to improve crossing provisions of the Main Road, These were due to be completed within a week.
The Chairman reported that the signs appeared to have been set at 34mph and should be at 30mph.
Action – Cllr Reid to review with installers.
Cllr Dunhill reported that ideas had been discussed.
County Cllr Dale suggested:
Deadline is the 27th September 2013. Cllr Dunhill would invite other suggestions through the website Cllr Singer proposed a planning committee meeting and this was agreed.
Action – Cllr Dunhill to implement the consultation and to submit the agreed 3 priorities
Cllr Carew informed that the quotes for a shelter were £3,399 and £5,048 plus around £4,000 for the concrete base. The 1952 bench would be retained and a budget of £10,000 has already been allocated.
Action – Cllr Carew to continue with plans for the shelter
Cllr Mills had written again to the valuer but had no reply.
Action – Cllr Mills to contact valuers again.
The external auditors had required that 3 sets of figures on the financial statements, to include 2 cheques that had been issued but not cleared within the financial year, should be amended by the Clerk; Cllr Reid had checked this with the external auditors. Councillors confirmed the amendment.
The Chairman suggested that funds are spread between bank accounts to reduce risk. It was agreed that the Council should place deposits in two different bank groups. Three banks (Nat West, Lloyds and Triodos) were suggested. The Council would investigate further on choice of banks. All Councillors would be signatories, with a minimum of two signing any cheque.
Action – Further research.
Report circulated.
Action – Parish Council to review the need for further tree cutting.
The Chairman reported that the actions of the Parish Council in removing ivy and pointing the roadside of the wall of Dene Terrace to remove obstruction to the pavement emanating from a wall with uncertain ownership were ex gratia (ie. good will and not establishing precedent). During that work a gap in the wall was created with the agreement of neighbouring properties to allow safer access to the station for residents of Station Close. The minuted record of the previous dispute (1999) about a gateway, for which the District Council’s opinion was that the wall belonged to the properties, had not included seeing the deeds to the properties adjoining the wall. The PC will continue to try to establish the ownership of the wall.
Action – Cllr Reid to write to neighbouring properties.
Action – Planning application notifications to be confirmed by new Clerk.
Cllr Dunhill proposed that a letter is written to thank Mr Thompson for his excellent voluntary grass cutting service work; this was agreed.
Action – Chairman to write letter of thanks to Mr Thompson
Action – New clerk to ensure new format is adopted
Action – Cllr Andy Dunhill to write to Network Rail.
With no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.28pm.
| Actions from 09/09/13 meeting: | By whom: |
| 2. Vice Chairman thanks – press release for Parish News | Cllr Reid |
| 6. Grass cutting – contact NCC | Cllr Reid |
| 10. Speed activated signs – review instalment specifications | Cllr Reid |
| 11. LTP – planning committee meeting | Cllrs Dunhill and Singer |
| 12. Bus shelter – continuation of project | Cllr Carew |
| 13. Longrigg – contact valuers again | Cllr Mills |
| 15. New bank accounts – further research | Cllr Reid and new Clerk |
| 16. Handyman Report – further tree cutting | Cllr Dunhill |
| 17. Dene Close Wall – letters to neighbouring properties | Cllr Reid |
| 18. Remembrance Day – representation | Cllr Mills |
| 19. Planning – Future notifications | New Clerk |
| 20. Finance – letter of thanks to Mr Thompson | Cllr Reid and new Clerk |
| 22. Minor items – New agenda format and updating website | New Clerk |
| 22. Minor items – Railway foot bridge letter to Network Rail | Cllr Dunhill |
Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council
Minutes of the Meeting of the above Parish Council, held on Monday, 8th July 2013 in the Parish Hall at 7.45 pm
Present: Cllrs Howe (in the Chair), Mills, Carew and Singer. County Cllr Dale was present before and during the meeting. 7 members of the public were in attendance.
Date of next meeting: Monday 9th September 2013.
Agreed as an accurate record by the Vice chairman.
Peter Howe………………………………………………………………………………………..14 July 2013.
The Parish Council has been notified that the signs are not functioning correctly and would like to compile a report of all such instances to send to the installers.
If you notice the signs flashing when there are no cars about or failing to trigger on other occasions please report such events to the Parish Clerk by either emailing her at ridingmillclerk@gmail.com or through the contact page on this website.
Thank you
The Village Shop will be closing at midday on Saturday 30th November. It is not expected to re-open for at least a month. When there is firm news, it will be posted on the notice boards and put on the village website, ridingmill.org. Alternative arrangements for the medical basket are being explored. It would be helpful if you indicated to the Surgery if this is an important service for you.
Below is a link to the “Tribute to Bobby Turner” that was included in the Parish News, for anyone who may be interested in reading through it for a few memories.
To open click on Bobby’s name below.
The meetings on the following dates shall be held in the Supper Room in the Parish hall
The public are open to speak at the meeting from 7:30 – 7:45 pm
Normal meeting starts at 7:45 pm
Dates:
The Council has recently been asked to comment on the Northumberland Local Plan Core Strategy.
Consultation begins Thursday 31st October until Thursday 2nd January 2014.
NCC have arranged a number of local drop-in events where you can find out more information.
Thursday 7th November Prudhoe (Spetchells Centre, Front Street)
Tuesday 19th November Hexham (Prospect House, Hallgate)
Thursday 21st November Ponteland (Memorial Hall)
Thursday 28th November Haltwhistle (Library, Westgate)
Each event will comprise of an exhibition from 3-6pm followed by a discussion session between 6.30-8.30pm
All of the consultation documents are available to view on the NCC website: www.northumberland.gov.uk/corestrategy or by clicking on the links below. Paper copies can be requested from NCC.
If you have issues which you want to raise with the Parish Council regarding the Local Plan Core Strategy please contact Councillor Dunhill.
01 Brief Guide to the Core Strategy Preferred Options Stage 2 Consultation October 2013
02 Core Strategy Preferred Options Stage 2 Consultation Document October 2013
03 Core Strategy Preferred Options Stage 2 Response Form October 2013
04 Interim Sustainability Appraisal – Core Strategy Preferred Options Stage 2 October 2013
05 Habitats Regulations Assessment – Core Strategy Preferred Options October 2013
06 Viability Assessment Consultation Paper – October 2013
07 Draft Revised Statement of Community Involvement October 2013
08 Delivery Document – Scoping Document – October 2013
TO ALL RESIDENTS OF RIDING MILL : October 2010
The Broomhaugh and Riding Parish Council’s position on Millfield Road
1 Background
Over the period 1907 to 1973 the Riding Mill Estate Company (RMEC) bought and developed land in Riding Mill, including Millfield Road, Marchburn Lane, Longrigg and Sandy Bank. Specified obligations and rights went with the properties. One obligation was to make up the road in front of the property and one right was access to all RMEC roads.
In 1973 the RMEC no longer held any land in the village which it could develop and negotiated with the Parish Council (PC) to take over its assets. These consisted of three plots of land which did not appear to be suitable for development; the benefit of covenants; and the above named roads including their 2 bridges. Only the plots of land were seen as having value, and parish residents and the PC raised a sum of money to buy the land. The conveyance of the roads and bridges was made by a separate document for which there was no exchange of money. There was no suggestion that the roads and bridges were “given to benefit the entire village” as has been stated by some. All the roads had longstanding residents’ associations which maintained the roads to the standard the residents saw fit.
2 The Law
The legal advice obtained by the PC was that its ownership of the roads did not imply any obligation to maintain their surface. This is the standard situation in England, as borne out by the briefing document prepared by the House of Commons Library on 3 July 2008, which states:
“The law on the maintenance and adoption of private roads in England and Wales is highly complex. It is contained in sections 203 to 237 (Part XI) of the Highways Act 1980. Briefly, a private or unadopted road is by definition a highway not maintainable at public expense. The local highway authority is therefore under no obligation to pay for its maintenance. Responsibility for the cost of maintaining a private road rests with the frontagers (the owners of properties with frontages on such roads).”
“The highway authority is not responsible for maintaining an unadopted
road although it can intervene under existing legislation to repair it. Responsibility for the cost of maintenance of a private road rests with the frontagers; that is, the owners of properties with frontages on such roads. Even if it is not the frontagers who ‘own’ the road but a third party such as a property company, it is the frontagers who are referred to in the legislation.” (our italics).
The PC is aware that some Millfield Road residents may have obtained conflicting legal advice, but remains convinced of the soundness of its case.
3 And then…..
Sandy Bank residents paid for the upgrade to adoption of Sandy Bank in 1963. Marchburn Lane and Longrigg continue to have associations which manage their respective roads. Millfield Road (MR) had a property owners’ association for 40 years, from the 1960s to 2004, which was then dissolved and its fund of some £14,000 returned to the residents.
In 2001 questions were raised about the strength of MR bridge and the then PC requested the Highways Authority to impose a weight restriction of 7½ tonnes (even though this could not be effectively policed). This was done in 2002.
In 1980 the construction company for Meadow Park had the stretch of unmade road in Church Lane from Church Close to MR upgraded. It has been claimed that this action turned MR into a through road. Responsibility for the link was first laid at the Highways Department, and then the PC and District Council, and they were in turn approached for funding the upgrade of MR to adoption.
After the failure of the approach to the County Council, the PC of 2007 tried to address the issue by arranging a long term interest free loan with the County Council of £220,000 (an average of more than £500 per council taxpayer in the Parish) and sought support of the village to pay for the upgrade of MR and bridge to adoption (to European standards of 40 tonnes).
A referendum was held on the proposal for the village to pay for the upgrade for adoption of the road and bridge using the loan, with the possibility that this would be repaid from selling off the land partly occupied by the double tennis courts; this failed to gain widespread support (199 valid papers returned were in favour and 278 were against). A much less costly alternative was put forward by some parish residents for downgrading the bridge to 3 tonnes and restricting its width so that it could not take large vehicles and would be expected to last for a substantial period. A petition requesting the PC to adopt this solution received 363 elector signatures (nearly half the electorate in the village) within only a few days.
4 The Offer of 2009
After an unsuccessful approach to the District Council in 2008 the PC of 2009 followed through on the second proposal (which would not have permitted adoption). However, after a year’s negotiations with the County Council and the Highways Department, a package was agreed which would allow for adoption of the road alone, provided the bridge was restricted, the road improved and turning heads included. The PC offered to meet the costs for the bridge restriction and to provide a half share of the costs for the upgrade of the road to adoption with the frontagers if that was their wish, and in that package the PC would also accept the cost of 2 frontager shares (for the Parish Hall and the double tennis court land). The offer was turned down by the majority of MR property owners.
5 New Evidence
Research reveals that concerns existed in Millfield Road about traffic from other estate roads before transfer of ownership to the PC and well before the improvement to the link. In 1970 the Millfield Road Property owners’ Association (MRPOA) sought permission from the RMEC to have bollards erected at the south end of MR, closing it to vehicular use from Longrigg. This was turned down. However it establishes that the MRPOA considered the then access from Church Lane was adequate as the sole vehicular access to Longrigg, and that the MRPOA must have considered that there was a proper vehicular link to Church Lane at that time, at least 3 years prior to the transfer of the roads to the PC. In addition, the planning application of 1979 for Meadow Park lodged in the Woodhorn archive shows that there was not a single objection to the improvement to this surface.
6 An analogy
The PC is concerned that many of the arguments advanced in the claims about responsibility for MR have been irrelevant. For example, it has been repeatedly stated that the fact that it is a through road absolves the residents of any responsibility for maintenance. We have been unable to find any legal justification for this point of view. However, we were interested to find a statement in the minutes of Carlisle City Council Executive on 13 September 2004 that Cumbria County Council’s policy on unadopted roads was to contribute up to 50% of the cost of works required to bring the road up to an adoptable standard, provided that the road was a through road (again, our italics). It appears that Riding Mill PC’s offer to pay half the costs of upgrading MR for adoption matched Cumbria County Council’s.
7 Conclusion
We are concerned that the stance taken by certain residents of MR may have encouraged false hopes and discouraged a fair resolution of the issue. Residents who bought before 1979 were able to object to the improvement to the surface of Church Lane and chose not to. Residents who bought after 1979 bought with the full knowledge of the conditions that existed from then to 2010.
The PC acknowledges some of the burdens experienced by residents of MR, and it has sought ways of alleviating them, including offering to pay half the costs of making up the road as well as the entire cost of a Parish Hall car park. But the PC has to maintain a balanced approach when using PC funds (raised through the precept charged on all properties in the village), and it felt that its offer to the frontagers was on the generous side of fair. All 4 former RMEC roads had the same legal status. Other roads in the village are unadopted. Adoption of the road would increase the value of its properties. There are both advantages and disadvantages in having village amenities on your road.
The situation is made doubly difficult for the PC by MR not having an association or representatives to negotiate constructively on its behalf. This was illustrated in July this year when one MR resident expressed safety concerns to the Health and Safety Executive about the bridge on behalf of himself and others in the road and precipitated restrictions being imposed without the consultations promised by the PC. The PC would welcome MR residents re-establishing an association that can represent their interests.
8 Invitation
There are 4 vacant places on the PC. If parishioners are not content with the position of the PC they are welcome to put themselves forward for co-option or election so that they are in a position to advance alternative views.
The PC would in any case welcome new members of all persuasions, ages and interests to contribute towards all its work, especially on improving the amenities and safety in the village. The role is unpaid. There are no perks. It can involve a considerable amount of time, but it is also an opportunity to contribute to the wellbeing of the community.
FOR INFORMATION:
The Northumberland County Council website has undergone some recent changes. It has been redesigned based on customer feedback to make it much easier to complete the tasks that people want to do online.
