STOTFOLD TOWN COUNCIL
You are summoned to attend a meeting of the Town Council being held on Wednesday 7th March 2012
in the Council Chamber, Simpson Centre, Stotfold, commencing 7.30pm
AGENDA
1. Mayor’s announcements and civic attendance (see Clerk’s Report)
2. Disclosures of Members Interest on matters contained in this agenda
Members are reminded that if at any time during the meeting they feel they have an interest in an item being discussed, they should declare it at that point.
3. Apologies for absence
4. Report from a representative of Bedfordshire Police
5. Oral questions from Electors
6. Council minutes
To receive and adopt minutes of the Council meeting held on Wednesday 4th January 2012.
7. Clerk’s report for information
See attached.
8. Correspondence
See attached.
9. Central Bedfordshire Councillor report
To receive a report from a Central Bedfordshire Councillor on matters pertaining to Stotfold.
10. Member representative reports
To receive a report from Member Representatives on outside Bodies.
11. Town Plan Implementation group
To receive a report on the work of the Town Plan Implementation Group.
12. Report on blue cycling/walking signs
To receive a report from Councillors Mrs Cooper/Hayes/Saunders on their meeting with Ann Rowland, Team Leader, Sustainable Transport Team, Central Beds Council regarding the recently installed blue cycling/walking signs.
13. Annual Town Council Dinner
To consider and confirm venue and date for 2012 Town Council Dinner. Saturday evenings available for each venue are:
Chequers: 31st March, 14th April, 21st April
Fox & Duck: 31st March, 14th April
Tudor Oaks: 31st March, 14th March, 21st April
Copies of menus for each venue attached for Members.
Members are reminded that no public money is spent on the Annual Town Council Dinner, and each Member pays for their own meal.
14. Events Committee funds request
To consider a request from the Events Committee for a further £1,000 to be made available should it be required in order to assist with holding the Jubilee celebration event (see Events Committee minutes).
15. Central Beds Council consultation – Local lettings policy relating to Rural Exception Sites
To consider making a response to the above consultation which proposes allocating letting properties to local people (see attached note from the Clerk and consultation papers).
16. Town & Parish Council Conference
To receive and note for information, the post conference report for the conference held on 25th January 2012 regarding Central Beds Council’s budget.
The next Town & Parish Council Conference will be held on 1st May 2012 and will focus on the Localism Act and the framework to devolve services to Town and Parish Councils. This event will be aimed at larger Councils, and those with an interest in taking on the delivery of services. We are invited to send representatives of this Council to attend, and those wishing to attend should advise the Clerk.
17. Relocation of Football Club from Roker Park to Arlesey Road
See Clerk’s Report for confirmation of previously queried matters.
1) Members are asked to consider continuing with ‘phase 2’ to relocate the football club from the Roker Park site to the Arlesey Road site on a ‘like for like’ basis, and to instruct Levitt Partnership to market Roker Park. Due to timescales available with both phases it would be necessary to start marketing by the end of March at the latest.
2) Members are asked to consider a revised phase 3 for a leisure and recreation facility at Arlesey Road (attached for Members) To be financed using S106 money from the Land South of Stotfold (additional housing to rear of Community Building).
3) Should Council resolve to continue with the phase 2 and 3, Members are asked to authorise the Clerk and Mayor to work with all parties involved to provide the best option for relocation and development on the new site.
18. Response to John Atkinson (CBC Legal) relating to Community Governance Review
Mr Atkinson asked: ‘The Action Group contends that, in practice, the Town Council does not contribute to community projects in Fairfield and that the precept is absorbed entirely by other parts of the town. The General Purposes Committee would like to know if the Town Council has any practical ideas about how this issue might be resolved.’
Members are asked to consider forwarding the Clerk’s report on matters identified from the informal meeting of 30th January 2012 to Mr Atkinson (attached for Members).
19. Monthly accounts
i) To receive the payments list for March 2011 and receipts records for February 2012.
ii) To receive the income and expenditure record for end February 2012, together with the bank balances as at end February 2012.
20. Committee Minutes:
Planning Committee
8th February 2012
· Members of the Planning Committee will be asked to receive, confirm and approve the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 8th February 2012
· Members of the Council will then be asked to receive and adopt the minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on Wednesday 8th February 2012
22nd February 2012
· Members of the Planning Committee will be asked to receive, confirm and approve the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 22nd February 2012
· Members of the Council will then be asked to receive and adopt the minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on Wednesday 22nd February 2012
Recreation Grounds, Public Lands and Lighting Committee
· Members of the Recreation Grounds, Public Lands and Lighting Committee will be asked to receive, confirm and approve the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 8th February 2012
· Members of the Council will then be asked to receive and adopt the minutes of the Recreation Ground, Public Lands and Lighting Committee meeting held on Wednesday 8th February 2012
Events Committee
· Members of the Council will be asked to receive and adopt the minutes of the Events Committee meeting held on Monday 13th February 2012
21. Questions from electors on items arising from this evening's meeting.
22. Items for information purposes only.
Kate Elliott-Turner
Town Clerk
27th January 2012
To: All Stotfold Town Councillors, Central Bedfordshire Authority Councillors, representative of Bedfordshire Police, representative of the press, and electorates of Stotfold.
CLERK’S REPORT
Council – 7th March 2012
ITEM 1 – MAYOR’S CIVIC ATTENDANCE
The Mayor has been invited to attend the following events:
Ampthill Town Council Civic Service, Sunday 22nd April 2012, 3pm, Ampthill Methodist Church
Sandy Town Council Civic Service, Sunday 29th April 2012, 3pm, Sandy Baptist Church
ITEM 8 – CLERK’S REPORT FOR INFORMATION
Stotfold Jubilee Picnic in the Park, 12 – 6pm, Sunday 3rd June 2012 – volunteers needed to man the Council’s stall/gazebo, and volunteers to help man or marshal the event please.
Stotfold Festival Fete, 1-4pm Saturday 23rd June – volunteers needed to man the Council’s stall/gazebo please.
Jubilee Fundraising Dinner – members are reminded that a fundraising dinner is being held on Sunday 29th April, 7.30pm for 8pm at the Two Brewers Pub. Tickets are £25 and can be purchased from the Assistant Clerk. If you are not able to attend, please spread the word.
Annual Town Meeting – reminder that this will take place on Thursday 8th March at 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall. Speakers this year will be Councillor Alan Cooper of the Events Committee to give a presentation on the Town Council Jubilee event planned for Stotfold, and Geoff Comb, Bedfordshire Bobby Scheme on crime prevention. The presentation of the Citizens Award/s will also take place.
ITEM 9 – CORRESPONDENCE
Items available from the Clerk
- Bedfordshire Bugle March 2012 edition
ITEM 15 – RELOCATION OF FOOTBALL CLUB FROM ROKER PARK TO ARLESEY ROAD SITE
Jane Moakes (CBC) confirms:
Central Beds Council would relocate the playing field pitches and toilet provided by the S106 money, should they require the land for other purposes. This would be at the cost of Central Beds Council. They are also prepared to provide space to accommodate the main pitch, stadium seating, changing and associated facilities on the Arlesey Road site on the basis of a new ‘like for like’ development, with these positioned sensibly and adjacent to the new pitches. Lease and rent details would be considered as part of this. Again should this need to be relocated, Central Beds Council would fund this.
A meeting is to take place to discuss design options and layout. A more detailed time table has been drafted which shows work starting on site in September with the submission of the planning application in April. As lead for phase 1, Central Beds Council will be submitting the planning application. The Town Council would need to submit the application for phase 2 relocation of the Football Club.
Harry Hughes (Levitt Partnership) confirms:
Details of Roker Park have been circulated to local and national developers, and considerable interest has been shown. He has requested clarification and confirmation on several items (including confirmation given above that the club could relocate to the new site).
It is estimated that the sale of Roker Park to a developer would bring sufficient funds to provide a new club facility at Arlesey Road on a ‘like for like’ basis.
The relevant deadlines for the Roker Park aspect are: Option Agreement on the access to Roker Park expires 27th November 2012, Planning Permission for access to Roker Park expires 4th December 2012, Planning Permission for residential development on Roker Park site expires 13th January 2015.
A meeting has taken place with a Trustee of the Football Club who advised that they are keen to see a move to the new site continue.
Housing funding from Land South of Stotfold for leisure/recreation
The submission of the planning application for the additional housing is imminent. When the housing application is submitted they will have to show that the money coming from it is going to a leisure facility, and so have produced a costed design for a leisure/recreation building that is deliverable within the 66% of the land value.
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