Nether Poppleton Parish Council

Report to Annual Parish Meeting - April 2004

We started this year with an election. Well we should have but only four candidates were declared for this Parish

This immediately prohibited any thought about Quality Council Status as at least 80% of councillors i.e. six must be declared. Over the following months after much consultation a further three candidates were co-opted, giving the Council its correct status. Regrettably, this was followed by the resignation of Alex Acomb due to ill health and personal reasons. However, we are now back to full strength and all Council members are fulfilling their duties.

During this year updating procedures have resulted in revising the format of agenda’s, introducing regular monthly finance reports and the setting out of minutes slightly different. We also now have a Contract of Employment with our Clerk. For the first time in many years we had a meeting in August but still maintain that there is no necessity for a meeting in December.

Regrettably, in some ways, we have also found it necessary to move our meetings from the Tithe Barn to the Community Centre. After experiencing the intense cold for a few months, we have now agreed to move here permanently as it is more comfortable. We also have a car park to get cars off the road. There are also outside lights and it make more sense to use the village facilities for what they were intended when they were planned nearly 15 years ago.

I will now turn to the activities of the Council covering the last twelve months.

We started by holding a reception for our retiring Clerk, Ron Hansell, and making him a presentation on behalf of the Village. It was pleasing to see so many people gather together with whom Ron had been involved during his 50 years of service.

Everyone enjoyed the evening and many thanks of appreciation were received.

And now to individual matters.

Last summer we spent some time tidying up this green corner. A great deal of self seeded trees needed to be removed along with a crown lift to those remaining to give a spacious feel to the area. After the hedge has flowered this year, it will be reduced in height so that it becomes a much less obstruction than it has been.

During the year the old patched and waterlogged notice board was replaced.

Unfortunately, within a few days someone had set fire to it.

As part of the Village Traffic Study undertaken some years ago, this parking problem was highlighted but unfortunately at that time it was impossible to have anything done. Having spent some 6 months consulting on various schemes, at long last the work has been completed and, as a result, fewer obstructions in Allerton Drive are experienced. It has also made crossing the road safer as you can see vehicle movements much more easily.

We hope that work to the entrance in Montague Walk will also be carried out this year.

The Village Traffic Study also recommended other measures, which included a Gateway Treatment on Millfield Lane and various speed cushions around the village, especially on Long Ridge Lane. Discussions on the slowing down of village traffic continue. Even the introduction of a speed gun operated by PC Fickling and others has not yet had the desired effect. We are also looking at improvements to be undertaken at the roundabout end of Millfield Lane, the junction with the Outer Ring Road.

A great deal of time has been spent on this subject under various headings.

Firstly, there have been two applications for easement over the Common Land to gain access to properties. Both have been considerably delayed due to difficulties in proving the Parish Council ownership. These are now moving ahead.

Arrangements were made to have the verge cleared and cut back to the hedge line along Main Street. As a first attempt it was successful and will be cleared again this year.

It has also been agreed that the woodland should become a managed area rather than allowed to run to nature.

A tree survey has been carried out to part of the land, and work is in hand with felling, cutting back and crown lifting.

Some of this is as a result of police action towards young persons riding scooters along the river bank and causing disturbance. It will take some time to control the wild and untamed weeds and overgrowth, but subsequently it is hoped to under-plant the trees with spring bulbs and the like.

Following a public meeting, a working group was set up chaired by David Hopton to see about purchasing the Hall for the Village and saving the site from housing development.

The Parish Council has maintained an interest but regrettably has not been able to provide the means of financing the purchase.

The knock-on effect on the Parish Precept would have been too much to expect the residents to contribute. Although a request for the sight of the structural survey, a proposed business plan with feasibility study and budget costs were requested, none appeared. The working group has applied for Charitable Status for the Trust to look after the Hall and the Parish Council has agreed to become the Custodian Trustee.

The Clerk will give a statement of income and expenditure and report on various financial matters that have occurred during the year following the presentation of this Annual Report.

These have been held with Upper Poppleton Parish Council at regular quarterly intervals. This has ensured that the two Parish Council work together on matters of joint interest such as Village Traffic Plan, Youth Facilities, Policing and crime matters, the environment and proposals placed before the Ward Committee for funding.

This always takes up time at every meeting and also between times when individual applications are assessed.

Generally, we do not raise many objections but we do try and seek safeguards to maintain a village view without over development, terracing or the like.

We, like many other Parish Councils, do not always enjoy the support of the City of York Council Planning Officers or the Planning Committee. We do not believe that they have the feel of being on the ground and understanding some of the village issues. It never seeks to amaze that development in the Green Belt can be permitted for residential use, nor that our reasons for refusing a large mobile telephone mast on York Business Park should be disallowed.

A Section 106 agreement raised monies to be spent, it was considered appropriate, on a community room.

However, residents voted against this and the monies will now be spent on railings around the open area, which is used for ball games. Tenders have been received so work can start to secure the area and make it safer.

During the year a funding application was made to both Parish Councils.

Financial statement and a five-year business plan were requested before any discussions could take place.

A full application for funding assistance was duly received, circulated and discussed at length.

It was agreed that a small sum of money should be included in the 2004/5 budget for meeting a possible request for financial help.

This will be reconsidered at a later date depending upon the financial assistance that is granted by the City of York Council and how the Trust proposes to develop its services.

A wreath was laid on our War Memorial early on Remembrance Sunday.

Later the Chairman of Upper Poppleton Parish Council was assisted in reading the Roll of Honour and laying a further wreath at the Upper Poppleton Service.

The Youth Action Group has come up with a number of proposals.

The Youth Club is maintaining its opening on one night a week by the provision of a youth worker supplied by the City of York.

The proposals for a skateboard park and a youth shelter are still under consideration and at this time out of our hands.

Due to a very bad pruning and a cutting back exercise to trees around the Village, an exchange of heated e-mails followed.

It was agreed that no future work would be carried out on trees without prior notification to the Parish Council.

Discussions followed on Council responsibilities and whether the Parish Council or the City of York Council should be responsible for maintenance.

The Parish Council was advised that all trees planted in highway verges became the property of the City Council unless a licence was granted. It was agreed that all highway trees responsibility would pass to the City of York Council.

It was brought to our attention that the Mill Stone sign outside the entrance to the Sports field was damaged and that the sign near the Sugar Beet factory was badly corroded. It was agreed that these should be renewed and at the same time a new name sign and stone be erected near the entrance to Poppleton Park.

One sign has been replaced, not by us, and we are continuing to endeavour to have a new stone erected near Honda UK Garage.

The Parish Council is represented on many Village and outside bodies by its Councillors and others.

Organisation and Representative

Yorkshire Local Councils Association, Peter Powell

Yorkshire Rural Community Council, Peter Powell

York Open Planning Forum, Alec Acomb

Green Waste Collection, Nick Carling

PopSOC, Peter Powell

Poppleton Community Trust, Glen Bradley

Poppleton Youth Action Group, Charles Chisholm

Friends of Dodsworth Hall, Carol Partington

Moatfields Management Committee, Carol Partington

British Sugar Liaison Group, Carol Partington

Tidy Poppleton Group, Carol Partington

Wild Life Trust, Colin Robinson

Poppleton Ousebank School Governors, Colin Robinson

Ainsty Group of Parishes, David Tomlinson

Planning Committee, Peter Powell, David Tomlinson and Charles Chisholm

All representatives give reports on the meetings they attend and seek Council support as required.

Before closing I must include my appreciation and the thanks of all Councillors to the work that our Clerk has put in during his first year. It is not until much of the correspondence he deals with is listed, can anyone understand the complexities of the Clerks function and the generally smooth way in which it is dealt.

This ends the Annual Report

There are many other minor issues which have not been covered but all are recorded in the minutes of meetings going back very many years.

Peter Powell

19 April 2004