MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 2024 ORDINARY MEETING OF THE
DRIGG & CARLETON PARISH COUNCIL
Held in Drigg Village Hall on 13th February 2024 at 6.30 pm
Attended: John Jennings JJ (Chair)
Andy Pratt AP (Vice-Chair)
Sadie Clarke SC
Chris Gigg CG
Suey Browne SB
Keith Murray KM
Karen Warmoth (Clerk / RFO)
Apologies: Jimmy Naylor JN
Parishioners: 6 members of the public attended
- Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 9th January 2024
- Resolution to approve the minutes of the meeting on 9th January 2024 as a true and accurate record proposed by KM and seconded by AP with all in favour; minutes signed by the Chair
- Apologies for absence: JN
- Declarations of interest relating to this agenda: none
- Financial matters
- Finance report
- Balance: the balance of the Parish Council account is £4,223.25
- HMRC Fine: HMRC have accepted the appeal against the £200 fine from October 2023
- Finance report
- Expenditure limit 2024-25: the new s.137 LGA 1972 limit is £10.81
- Consideration of payments
- HMRC Tax: Clerk owed £449.07 gross in back tax (correcting an administrative error where 20% tax was deducted when tax code indicated much less tax was due); payment approved by AP, seconded by SB, with all in favour
- PAYE Basic Tools: professional advice on correcting tax admin errors at a cost of £40 approved by KM, seconded by SC, with all in favour
- PAYE Training: Clerk to attend a CALC training seminar on 26th February 2024 at 7 pm via Teams, costing £20; payment approved by AP, seconded by SB, with all in favour
- Voluntary Action Cumbria: £505 to be remitted to Village Hall account to pay the costs of the Warm Hub; payment approved by KM, seconded by SC, with all in favour
- Actions and matters arising
- Action 11/4: quote received from an alternate builder – action closed
- Action 11/5: Stewart Kenyon has quoted for the mowing and hedging tender – action closed
- Action 11/6: AP arranged for LLWR to supply a block – action closed
- Action 1/1: CG showed video of electric loft ladder – action closed
- Action 1/2: Clerk to produce Newsletter Issue 1, Spring 2024 by early Feb – action closed
- Action 1/3: JJ to search for the original Charity application for the Information Boards – action completed
- Action 1/4: Clerk to contact Highways to recommend reducing the speed limit through Stubble Green to 30 mph – action completed
- Action 1/5: Clerk to draft a response to the NDA Social Impact consultation for the February meeting; draft approved – action completed
- Action 1/6: Clerk to respond to the NFLA – action completed
- Cumberland Council
- Highways
- Dropped kerb: requested by residents, to be installed on Old Shore Road shortly
- Resurfacing: Highways confirm that the road from Holmrook to Stubble Green will be resurfaced in the 2024-25 financial year
- Highways
- Markings: New white lining; speed bumps to be painted to highlight their position
- Potholes: Holmrook Hill potholes have been reported and will be repaired
- Street lights: those lights which are not working have been logged
- Pavements: teams coming to strip back vegetation encroaching on pavements at Saltcoats, near the garage
- Drigg to Stubble Green has similar pavement problem; AP to report to Highways
- Corney Fell: unsafe bridge to be removed shortly and new bridge installed this summer
- Traffic survey: no results data provided as yet; AP to chase Highways
- Gun club: notice to quit by April 2024 extended to April 2025; possibility of leasing an NDA owned building at New Mill
- Funding: an extra £1,000 of funding supplied for the Warm Hub by Cumberland Council
- Public Participation
- Four members of the public attended in total
- Three members of the public came forward to discuss planning matters
- One raised the possibility of extending the 40mph limit from Stubble Green to Seascale
- Holmrook Hill is a traffic hazard when so many parked cars reduce visibility on the bend
- One other member of the public attended as an observer expressing interest in the current PC vacancy
Action 2/1: Clerk to ask Highways to extend the 40 mph speed limit from Stubble Green to Seascale
Action 2/2: Clerk to send materials to a parishioner re eligibility to become a Parish Councillor
- Main Business
- Hall Stairs project:
- Fully comprehensive quote received from a competent professional builder for £17k
- Stairs would take up space in the hall
- The stairs are designed to facilitate carrying tables downstairs and comply with the required width in the building regulations
- Other potential options to access the Village Hall loft also to be explored
- CG showed a video of an electric loft ladder with bannisters
- theelectricloftladdercompany.com
- Benefit of ladder taking up space in the loft, not the hall
- Eaglesfield Village Hall has a bespoke loft ladder; CG to review quality and cost
- Ladder would need survey: CG to send contractors dimensions / structure of hall
- Estimated cost around £9k + VAT + installation
- CG to enquire re maintenance costs
- Jubilee Oak tree: NWS can provide a block of granite for the oak. AP to liaise with them to install it
- Parish Natural Assets: software on free app iNaturalist can store information on the parish
- Map with highlighted items, eg listed buildings, building data, flora and fauna
- Drigg Information Board: possible forthcoming application by parishioner to the Charity as a funded project
- Newsletter: all in favour of continuing with the Newsletter
- Summer issue: due 1st May 2024, before the Annual Parish meeting (due 16th May 2024)
- Copy deadline: articles to be submitted by 7th April 2024 for inclusion
- Greengarth: plans for hotel not yet submitted; no update from the LDNP. AP to follow up with LDNP to establish whether and when plans are likely to progress
- Benches
- Shore Road: Stewart Kenyon to add flagstones around the bench on Shore Road to improve accessibility for those with mobility problems
- Beach: bench is a hazard with rotten boards and poor foundations
- Fully comprehensive quote received from a competent professional builder for £17k
- Hall Stairs project:
- Needs to be removed but it is not a PC bench; report to Cumberland Council?
- NDA have the lease on the land; AP to ask them to remove and/or replace it
- Warm Hub
- AgeUK attending on 1st March 2024 10 am to 12 noon to give advice on benefits, etc
- Social Prescribing to attend at the end of March to give advice
- Interpretation Board: info submitted by Charlotte Rankin of Cumbria Wildlife Trust. CG submitted wording from DCPC with all in favour. SC to pass on to Wildlife Trust
- Road to Low Moor: resident complained about the poor state of the road
- Road is unadopted; onus falls on residents to repair and maintain it
- Parish boundary runs down the centre of the road
Action 2/3: CG to establish if the Eaglesfield loft ladder example might meet our requirements and then liaise with the contractors re physical requirements at Drigg with a view to obtaining a quote
Action 2/4: AP to follow up with LDNP to establish whether and when plans for Greengarth are likely to progress
Action 2/5: AP to liaise with NDA about removing and /or replacing beach bench
- Received communications
- NDA consultation: NDA Social Impact and Communities Strategy Draft for Consultation, published November 2023; closes on 21st February 2024
- Drafted response approved
- Planning Applications
- Scheme of Delegation: approval of document
- Clerk to consult the nearest Councillor to the Planning Application site as local residents are most likely to contact their nearest Councillor
- Better to share Planning responsibilities among different Councillors
- Scheme of Delegation: approval of document
- Approval proposed by KM, seconded by SC, with all in favour; Chair to sign document
- Lake District National Park Authority
- 7/2023/4108: Saltcoats Caravan Site, Saltcoats, Holmrook, CA19 1YY. Secondary and emergency access
- Secondary access: suggests it will be used all the time
- Constant usage would be unacceptable as it would cause a legal nuisance to local houses: light pollution, more traffic along narrow roads, noise
- Emergency access: suggests it will be used only when the extreme high tides prevent cars from using the main entrance and exit, with barrier to stop routine use
- Emergency access would be acceptable as this should be rarely used
- Access can be either secondary or emergency access, not both
- Plan fails to show the full extent of the caravan park (more caravans approved to use it)
- The house opposite the junction is slightly offset from it but vehicles turning left would cause a light pollution nuisance when their headlights swept around and across the property
- Resolution that the access should be strictly emergency access only – approved by AP, seconded by SB, with all in favour
- Cumberland Council
- 4/24/2008/0F1: New House Farm, Drigg. Demolish house, cattle shed, Dutch barn, piggery, stone barn, outbuilding – no details regarding a replacement
- Application has already been considered
- DCPC remains opposed to the demolition
- DCPC wishes to have the stone retained and used to reface a replacement building
- 4/24/2020/0F1: Shepherd’s Views Holidays, Drigg. Siting of a static caravan for use of Wardens on site
- AP declared an interest as he had discussed this matter with the Planning Dept
- Not a permanent but seasonal residence, not visible from the road
- Not a greenfield site but outside the permitted development area
- Mainly to ensure the safety of guests and security of the site
- DCPC in support of this application with 1 abstention
- 4/24/2008/0F1: New House Farm, Drigg. Demolish house, cattle shed, Dutch barn, piggery, stone barn, outbuilding – no details regarding a replacement
- 4/24/2027/0F1: Hawkrigg, Holmrook. Replacement dwelling
- Dwelling situated behind the Riverside Motor repair garage on a rising plot
- Rebuild of a house on the same plot as previous house
- Garage integrated into the new building – lack of space due to being a narrow plot
- Small windows on the east side to prevent overlooking other properties
- Drainage system is in place
- Overall improvement to the property: DCPC in support, with all in favour
- 4/24/2029/0F1: Hill Farm, Holmrook. Prior notification application for hay and feed storage associated with farm
- Situated at the bottom of a bank, not visible from the road
- Intended for hay/feed storage
- Specifically not for housing livestock (too close to residents’ housing)
- DCPC has no objection if the store is not used for livestock, as agreed
- Occupier has till end of February to apply for retrospective planning permission for buildings to house livestock to amend a previous planning application
- 4/23/2365/0F1: Erection of roof over existing midden area, Hill Green, Holmrook
- Previously discussed application has been updated – arrived too late for this agenda
- No material difference to the application
- Document on Surface Water drainage arrangements added to the application
- No change to the DCPC resolution of January 2024: no objection
- Cumbria Association of Local Councils
- Training: Charitable Trusts and Parish Councils, two webinars on Tuesday 19th and Tuesday 26th March at 7 pm to 8.30 pm via Teams, cost £30 per person
- AP to request slides for reference
- No new matters: next meeting 14th February 2024
- Training: Charitable Trusts and Parish Councils, two webinars on Tuesday 19th and Tuesday 26th March at 7 pm to 8.30 pm via Teams, cost £30 per person
- Reports from Representatives
- GDF Mid Copeland Community Partnership
- Mid Copeland Rep: DCPC gave permission for the Clerk to continue representing it on the Mid Copeland Community Partnership
- Withdrawal sub-group: a sub-committee reviewing the exit strategy applied to the Allerdale Community Partnership exit and how it might be improved, to:
- Develop an exit strategy which leaves a lasting legacy
- Recognise the special status of Mid Copeland as the current site of the nuclear waste, regardless of whether the GDF is finally sited here
- GDF Mid Copeland Community Partnership
- Next meeting: to take place on 6th March 2024 at Calderbridge Village Hall at 7 pm
- GDF South Copeland Community Partnership
- Withdrawal sub-group: similar aims to the Mid Copeland sub-group
- Meetings: reduced to 5 x pa, with Workshops, sub-groups in between
- New Head of Operations sub-group: John Sutton (Rep for Sustainable Duddon)
- Governance: Operations sub-group make plans for governance
- CG a member of the Operations sub-group
- Engagement: changing format, more Community Forums planned
- Next South Copeland meeting: to take place on 22nd February 2024 at Drigg Village Hall at 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm. The public are welcome to ask questions – see Drigg website
- NWS / DCPC Liaison
- Rebranding: LLWR will officially rebrand as Nuclear Waste Services on 1st April 2024
- NWS governs the GDF project as well as the LLWR site
- Proposal to refresh the angled information board outside the Village Hall with new NWS branding and an update of the local information
- Minutes: January 2024 draft minutes to be circulated to attendees; to be approved at the next liaison meeting
- Rebranding: LLWR will officially rebrand as Nuclear Waste Services on 1st April 2024
- November meeting minutes: available on the Drigg community website
- Next NWS / DCPC Liaison meeting: to take place on Tuesday 5th March 2024
- Agenda for next meeting
- Annual Parish Meeting: date agreed 16th May 2024
- Potential speaker: ideas invited
- AGAR: prepare for the end of the financial year
- Co-option of New Councillor
- Annual Parish Meeting: date agreed 16th May 2024
- Date of next meeting
- Close: meeting closed 8.30 pm
- Next meeting: to be held on 12th March 2024 at Drigg Village Hall at 6.30 pm
- Apologies: CG will not be able to attend this meeting and sends apologies
Karen Warmoth
Parish Clerk
Drigg & Carleton Parish Council
19th February 2024
Summary of New Actions
Action 2/1: Clerk to ask Highways to extend the 40 mph speed limit from Stubble Green to Seascale
Action 2/2: Clerk to send materials to a parishioner re eligibility to become a Parish Councillor
Action 2/3: CG to establish if the Eaglesfield loft ladder example might meet our requirements and then liaise with the contractors re physical requirements at Drigg with a view to obtaining a quote
Action 2/4: AP to follow up with LDNP to establish whether and when plans for Greengarth are likely to progress
Action 2/5: AP to liaise with NDA about removing and /or replacing beach bench