Minutes of North Rode Parish Council Meeting
held on Tuesday 10th December 2024
at Daintry Hall, North Rode at 7.30pm
Present:
Councillor Huw Williams – Chairman
Councillor Georgina Bailey – Vice Chairman
Councillor Brian Evans
Councillor Jon Burwood
Councillor Richard Edwards
Councillor Alastair Bayley
Mrs Brenda Lomas – Clerk
1. Welcome by the Chairman
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting
2. Apologies for absence
Councillor Jacqui Lea
3. Public Participation
No members of the public were present
4. Declarations of Interest
None made
5. Minutes of the previous meetings
The minutes of the previous Parish Council Meetings held on 22nd August 2024 were agreed as being a true and accurate record and were signed by the Chairman.
6. Highways Updates
a) A new direction sign has been erected by the CEC Highways Department on the Congleton Link Road to direct traffic through the Congleton town to obtain access to the A54 – in the hope that this would deter traffic from using Bank Lane / Church Lane in North Rode. A further traffic survey will be required in approximately12 months time, to assess the effect on traffic numbers using Bank Lane/Church Lane. As the sign was installed in August 2024 – it might be September 2025 when a revised traffic count is undertaken by CEC. However, if CEC decide not to do the traffic count – the parish council could organise it’s own traffic count at a cost of around £1700.
The Chairman will continue to liaise with the Highways Dept
b) It was generally agreed that the new signs at the end of Bank Lane and Church Lane had been effective in deterring HGV’s from using the lanes. Only a couple of HGV’s had been noted.
c) Bank Lane had been closed for a week by the Highways Department for exploratory works to the road drains in the area of flooding. It had been found that there was a restriction on the main drain and a manhole had been installed. However, following heavy rain – further flooding had occurred – possibly as the rain had washed silt into the drain. Highways are to return to flush out the system.
d) Bramhall Hill flooding – explorations by the Highways Department had revealed that problems with the drains / ditch by Tinker Bells Hollow was the reason that the flood water wouldn’t drain away. Highways plan to meet with the landowners in an attempt to resolve the flooding in this location.
e) A grit box has now been installed by the Highways Dept on the railway bridge (road bend on Station Road / Shellow Lane.) Cllr Williams had inspected the bin following its installation and had noted that there was no shovel in the grit box – so he had purchased one for it – the pc agreed that it should fund the cost of the shovel.
7. Planning Applications – updates
Planning application number 24/2680C for Bank Farm, Bank Lane, North Rode – Prior approval for the change of use to erect a temporary tipi structure on existing farm land for five months of the year. This application was discussed at the last PC meeting. CEC appear not to have made a decision as yet.
Planning Application Numbers 24/2048C (full planning) and 24/2049C (listed building consent) for Daintry Hall – an extension of time for a decision had been agreed with the Planning Department – until the end of December 2024.
8. Planning Enforcement – update
a) Tinker Bells Hollow, Bramhall Hill. It seems that no-one is living on the site at present albeit dogs appear to be permanently on the site. It was agreed that a watching brief will remain as regards whether the site / mobile home becomes occupied.
This matter will remain on future agendas.
b) 20/00120E. Creation of a new access gateway on Church Lane owned by Mr Mark Bullock of The Oaklands. CEC planning enforcement had previously advised that, as engineering works have been involved in the creation of this access i.e. the digging out of the land / soil removal – then that they had referred the matter to the Highways Department for their involvement and that the Parish Council should also make contact with the Highways department if they were concerned that the new vehicular access could result in highway safety concerns. The Clerk had subsequently written to the Highways Department and received a response from John Denwood, Highways Engineer, who considered that this was a planning enforcement issue. He stated that he would notify the planning enforcement Department. It was discussed that the confusion might be due to Church Lane being an unclassified road. Councillors felt that Church Lane was actually a classified road.
Councillor Williams to contact John Denwood, Highways Dept for further clarification.
c) It was raised that a mobile caravan is being lived in – on the field on the corner of Bank Lane/Bramall Hill (signed North Rode Stables)
Clerk to report this matter to CEC Planning Enforcement
d) It was raised that the mobile home on the land behind Daintry Hall – owned by Yew Tree Farm – is being lived in
Clerk to report this matter to CEC Planning Enforcement
9. Poppy Displays – it was acknowledged that the 250 ‘village made’ poppies – which had been placed around the village for Remembrance Day – had been very successful. An article about the displays had appeared in the Congleton Chronicle. The poppies had now been stored in the church loft and will be re-used next year. The Chairman felt that additional poppies would further enhance the display and that more should be made for next year. The Chairman will make an appeal for parishioners to keep plastic bottles and their tops in preparation for another poppy making workshop.
Chairman to ask parishioners to keep plastic bottles and tops.
10. Finance
The Parish Precept for 2025/26 was discussed and it was resolved to request the same precept as last year – of £2255 – due to the fact that the PC still has surplus cash in its bank account . Consideration will be given to increase the precept next year.
Clerk to submit the 2025/26 parish precept application request to CEC.
Councillor Evans offered to undertake a bank reconciliation of the PC accounts in the New Year and also to assist with changing the current PC bank account to a community account.
Clerk & Councillor Evans to review the PC finances and PC bank account in the New Year
The following costs were approved by Councillors –
Poppy making materials – £88.50
Hire of Daintry Hall for this evening’s meeting £30
Maintenance and improvements to the Parish Council Notice Board £23.02
Shovel for the new grit box £8.70
£59.99 per annum for the ‘office’ licence for the pc laptop
£100 per annum for batteries for the defibrillators
11. Parish Council domain & laptop – Councillor Burwood has kindly donated a nearly new laptop to the Parish Council and has offered to set it up for the Clerk.
Councillor Jon Burwood had also researched the possibility of North Rode PC becoming registered as a GOV.UK domain – and had found it to be very expensive – both to set up and also to maintain on an ongoing basis. Given the size of North Rode and the amount of funds held by the Parish Council – it was felt that such a change was not good value for money. It is not a mandatory requirement to become Gov.UK accredited. Councillors concurred with Councillor Burwood’s conclusions and agreed that North Rode PC would not become GOV.UK accredited.
12. Government’s proposal for ‘on-line’ meetings – the Government were inviting consultative feedback to a proposal for remote attendance and proxy voting for parish council (and Council) meetings. The Clerk had sent the consultation documents to the Councillors. The matter was discussed and various opinions and considerations were raised. It was resolved that each Councillor could express their own individual opinions / respond directly to the consultation.
13. NRPC Events for 2025
The Chairman had proposed that a village well dressing event is organized as there are a number of wells around North Rode. It was thought that this event could be combined with a village walk – perhaps round the village boundary – a picnic, and folk music entertainment. It was discussed that Bollington holds an annual well dressing. The Chairman offered to make contact with the organizer at Bollington with a view to learning how to dress the well. Councillors were supportive of the suggestion.
Councillor Williams to research the dressing of the wells.
14. Communications received –
• Thank you letters had been received from the armed services for the donation following the D Day 80 celebrations – it was suggested that these be put in the Church.
• A complaint had been received by e-mail to the PC regarding the Bank Lane and Bramhall Hill floodings. The Chairman had responded directly to the complainant.
• The Parish Council had received communication from CEC regarding a review of future CE elections. It was discussed that the PC were unclear as regards whether North Rode would be joining with the villages of Sutton, Bosley & Wincle in the future. However, Councillors agreed that the CEC communication presented an opportunity for the Parish Council to request that, at election times, Daintry Hall is again used as the polling station for the residents of North Rode as opposed to Eaton Village Hall. This would be much easier to all parties – particularly if the proposed new pavilion and extensions to Daintry Hall were approved and constructed.
Clerk to write to the Elections Department of CEC re consideration of the polling station being brought back to North Rode.
15. Parish & Town Council meeting – the Chairman provided a brief update following his attendance at the meeting.
16. Training – the Chairman expressed an interest in any ‘planning’ training which might become available
17. Litter Picking – Councillor Burwood has agreed to organize a litter picking event
Dates of the next meetings
The proposed dates of the next two pc meetings are Thursday 27th February 2025 and Thursday 8th May 2025 – which will be the Parish Meeting followed by the Annual General Meeting.
The meeting closed at 9.15pm.