St. Fagans Community Council
Minutes of the Council Meeting held on Monday4thApril 2016
at 7.00pm in the Village Hall
Present:CouncillorsB. Critcher (Chairman)
S. Chedzoy, J. Hughes,F. Lewis,T. Pallier & C. Price.
In Attendance:PoliceCh. Insp. Joe Jones
ConstituentG. Morgan
ClerkD. Barnard
Apologies:CouncillorsJ. Griffiths & M. Parry
County CouncillorG. Thomas
PolicePCSO L. Moore
Cooke & ArkwrightC. Hyde
The Chairman opened the meeting and welcomed everyone present.
298.04.01 – Declaration of Interests
No interests were declared.
298.04.02 – Minutes of the Council Meeting held on 7th March2016
Members approved the Minutes and the Chairman signed them accordingly.
298.04.03 – Matters arising from the Minutes
Cllr. Hughes referred to the slight confusion that had arisen at the last meeting regarding ‘Approval of the Minutes’ and ‘Matters Arising’. He reported that in the past month he had visited two other community councils where Council procedures were not as they should be. In his opinion it is imperative that Chairs and Vice-Chairs should have the knowledge and skills to conduct meetings properly. He proposed that all future chairmen of St Fagans Council should be required to attend a training course on Chairing Skills. Cllr. Lewis seconded the proposal and Members agreed accordingly. Cllr. Price (Vice-Chairman) advised that he had already requested the Clerk to inform him as soon as a suitable course becomes available.
298.04.04 – Police Reports & Neighbourhood Watch
a) General
The Chairman welcomed Chief Inspector Joe Jones and invited him to address the Meeting. C/I Jones firstly apologised for the lack of attendance at recent meetings and explained the area was in a transitional stage following several officers changing jobs. He also apologised that Insp. Randell had failed to attend the last meeting as planned. He advised that he had recently returned to South Wales from London where he had been on plain clothes duties and he was accordingly on quite a learning curve. In terms of what information, etc. the Council wants from the police, he asked that Members let him know through the Clerk.
C/I Jones confirmed that PC Willis is the Neighbourhood Beat Manager for the part of St Fagans that lies north of the railway and will be the regular contact point together with PCSO Moore. He confirmed that he and Insp. Randell would also attend Council meetings by invitation. Cllr. Lewis commented that one issue is the fact that St Fagans is split between two police districts and it would be helpful to get a co-ordinated report to provide the whole picture. Cllr. Hughes added that little information is forthcoming from the Ely police district. C/I Jones accepted that it would be useful to provide wider information to put it into context and said he would look into that.
b) Off-road bike nuisance
C/I Jones expressed the view that St Fagans is always likely to be a prime location for off-road bike activity, though there had only been 21 reported incidents during February and March. He accepted that with the better weather and lighter evenings an upturn in activity is expected and police action will be stepped up accordingly. He referred to the meeting held on 14th March and said that he had not established why the Community Council had not been invited to attend. The meeting had been chaired by Rebecca Williams from the Noise Pollution Division of Cardiff Council.Landowners were asked to check their perimeters for potential access points, and it was emphasised that it is their responsibility to ensure those perimeters are maintained.
A lengthy discussion ensued during which a number of points were made: the police don’t have the resources to have a dedicated off-road bike team; tackling the housing tenancy issues is one way of addressing the problem; off-road biking is anti-social behaviour– it is not actually a crime; Grand Avenue and Westfield Park are regular problem areas; residents have given up reporting the problem because they have lost any confidence that the police will do anything; the bike riders need to be made to realise that their behaviour is not worth it. C/I Jones concluded by saying that the end aim is to seize the vehicles and destroy them.
The Chairman drew the discussion to a close and thanked C/I Jones for his attendance. He said that he hoped the Council could have a further report to the next Meeting. C/I Jones said it had been informative to hear Members’ views and it was his intention that he and/or Inspector Randell would attend again in the future.(C/I Jones and Mr G. Morgan left the meeting at this point. 19.53)
Cllr. Hughes suggested that some Members should walk the fields and photograph all the entry and exit points. This was agreed on a date to be confirmed.
298.04.05 – Village Hall – Health & Safety Issues.
The Chairman had circulated a revised schedule. He reported that a number of the outstanding issues had been addressed and work was continuing to address the others. Specific reference was made to the first aid box and also to the fire door, which is not to be held open.
The Chairman referred to the problem with the drains and advised that the person who had laid the drains for the pub had now blown a jet through and carried out a small amount of work.
298.04.06 – Planning
a) Cardiff LDP
It was reported that a site adjacent to Homebase may have recently been sold for social housing. While it is outside of St Fagans, it is yet another development that will add to the pressures on infrastructure in the surrounding area.
Cllr. Hughes reported that the North West Cardiff Group intends to continue and would be meeting the following evening.
Cllr. Lewis reported that the Sub Committee had met and agreed a few action points including:
- the aim to gather a petition of 50 signatures that then provides the opportunity to speak at the meeting of the Planning Committee; and
- making Freedom of Information requests to find out the situation with regards to the schools in the areas of proposed developments.
Cllr. Hughes referred to the approved development at Clos-Y-Cwarra and advised that there is nothing in the S106 agreement to sustain the infrastructure in the area.
b) Redrow / Plasdwr proposals
There was no further information about this application.
c) Museum Development
There was no further information about the ongoing development.
d) Other Planning Applications
The Clerk gave details of the following planning applications:
New:
16/00474/DCH – 8, St Fagans Drive: New porch / lobby entrance to front and new chimney breast to side.
Decided:
15/02908/DCH – 14, Nant Y Gwladys: Two-storey extension with garage conversion and separate garage. Permission granted.
A/16/00002/MNR – Land at Cwrt-Y-Cadno: Advertisement hoarding. Permission granted.
15/02607/MJR – Land at Great House Farm: Reserved matters approval for 21 new homes. Permission granted.
Other Planning issues:
Cwrt Y Cadno – In response to a question from Cllr. Hughes, the Clerk confirmed that he had contacted the Enforcement Officer about a wheel-washing facility at this development and was still waiting for a response. He agreed to chase it up.
298.04.07 – Environmental Matters
a) Highways / Lighting / Traffic Concerns
The Clerk reported that Cardiff Council had agreed to look again at the condition of Persondy Lane.
Members discussed the proposed line markings on Greenwood Lane. The Clerk was asked to draw up a new specification and forward it to Cllr. Hughes with a view to getting another quote.
Cllr. Chedzoy reported that the ‘Give Way’ road markings at the roundabout on Rhydlafar Drive are badly faded and need attention. The Clerk was asked to report this.
With regards to the proposal to get more light on the footpath off Greenwood Lane, the Clerk reported that he had spoken to Matthew Davies in Street Lighting, who did not consider that an illuminated bollard was likely to be the best solution. The Clerk was asked to arrange a site meeting with Mr Davies.The Chairman and Cllrs. Lewis and Price agreed to attend.
b) StreetCleansing / Litter
Cllr. Lewis said she was planning a litter pick on Saturday 23rd April. Cllr. Price agreed to arrange a skip and share the cost.
c) Village Walkabout
No new issues were raised.
d) Council’s land at the railway line
Members commented favourably on the sundial in memory of Mrs Johansson’s son that was now in place. Cllr. Lewis commented on the park’s overall appearance and suggested that more stones would be needed in due course.
e) Other environmental issues
Cllr. Price asked the Clerk to report a water leak in front of the Old Post House Restaurant on Crofft-Y-Genau Road.
Cllr. Chedzoy reported that metal poles from the perimeter fence at Parc Rhydlafar are going missing. The Clerk was asked to report this to Cardiff Council.
Members commented that there had been at least one road traffic accident on Llantrisant Road that wasn’t mentioned in the police report. The Clerk was asked to speak to the PCSO.
298.04.08 – Wales National History Museum / St Fagans Castle
No matters were raised.
298.04.09 – One Voice Wales
Cllr. Hughes reported on his attendance at a meeting of the NEC on 11th March. A wide range of issues was covered including OVW funding, Members’ training, remit of the Audit Panel and Youth Councils.
298.04.10 – Charter with Cardiff Council
The Clerk had circulated the latest draft received from Cardiff Council. Cllr. Hughes said that he had raised the matter at the Standards & Ethics Committee and expressed his disappointment that important issues that the community councils wanted had not been included. It is his recommendation that St Fagans Council should not sign the Charter at this stage. He said he would wait to see the reaction of the other five councils and reconsider the way forward. Members agreed.
298.04.11 – Correspondence and other communications
The Clerk reported on the following:
Cardiff West Neighbourhood Partnership – Weekly updates.
12/03/16 – WG: M4 corridor around Newport – details of exhibitions, etc.
21/03/16 – Cardiff Council: Waste Management / Recycling – Spring update.
22/03/16 – OVW / WG: Consultation on Planning Policy Wales, Chapter 6 – changes to the Historic Environment.
22/03/16 – OVW / WG: Community Asset Transfer Guide – Revised edition.
22/03/16 – OVW / WG: Draft Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Bill – Finance Cttee. Report.
04/04/16 – South Wales Fire & Rescue: Improvement Plan 2016/17.
298.04.12 – Finance
a) Requests for Financial Assistance
The Clerk reported that no new requests had been received.
b) Clerk’s salary, expenses and gratuity.
The Clerk had circulated a report setting out the details relating to his employment. Members approved the Clerk’s salary for 2016/17 at £4,655, pending any pay award, together with the agreed level of mileage allowance. Members approved an increase of £174 in the Clerk’s gratuity to reflect a further year of service. The Clerk agreed to report back to the next meeting of the Council in relation to his working hours.
c) Monthly Report / Payment Approvals
The Clerk had circulated the monthly finance report (as annexed hereto), which was approved by the Council. The Clerk advised that the following items weredue for payment:
One Voice WalesMembership fee for 2016/17 264.00
D. BarnardSalary and expenses1,262.15
J. HughesExpenses March 2016 214.11
D. BarnardCivic Trust event booking fee (J. Hughes) 30.00
Planning Aid WalesTraining (T. Pallier) 25.00
Members approved these payments and signed cheques accordingly.
c) Statistics
The schedule of Members’ attendance and web site statistics was noted.
d) Progress of projects
i)The Clerk reported that he was still awaiting information from Cardiff Council about where speed awareness signs would be most effective in the Village.
ii)Cllr. Lewis reported that she was arranging a meeting with the Museum’s Conservation Team to consider options for renovating the drinking trough in the Castle wall.
iii)There was no information from Cllr. Parry in relation to the Public Rights of Way / styles project.
iv)Members discussed the needs of St Mary’s Church and Cllr. Lewis agreed to speak to Peggy Jackson.
298.04.13 – Keeping in touch with residents
The Chairman circulated a working draft of the proposed community magazine. He advised that eight organisations intended to supply material. The Association intend to seek sponsorship for subsequent issues with the aim of it eventually being self-funding, but it requests the Council to financially support the first few issues. Cllr. Price proposed that the Council meets the costs of up to four issues of the magazine. The proposal was seconded by Cllr. Hughes and agreed.
298.04.14 – Other Business
The Clerk reported that he would be preparing the accounts for 2015/16 and confirmed that he would ask Laura Jones to conduct the internal audit.
298.04.15 – Date & Time of Next Meeting
The Clerk advised thatthe Annual General Meeting would be held on Monday 9th May (2nd May being a Bank Holiday) followed by a full Council meeting.Members discussed the Chairmanship, agreed that Cllr. Price would become Chairman for 2016/17 with Cllr. Hughes as Vice Chairman.
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There being no further matters to discuss the Chairman thanked everyone for their attendance and the meeting closed at 8.57 pm.
Confirmed as a correct record…...……………………..Chairman…...………….Date
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