Minutes of the Meeting of Coniston Parish Council held in the Library on Monday 8th June 2009.

GUEST SPEAKERS: Jim Loxham, Moira Herring, Jess Worlock and Kevin Fairclough, National Trust: Moira and Jess gave a presentational update on the work they have been involved with at Monk Coniston and Tarn Hows. Both are soon to move to other projects. The Chairman thanked them and wished them success.

Alistair Hudson, Grizedale Arts: Alistair spoke about the renovation of Lawson Park, the open day on 25th June (1pm-5pm – Eric Robson to attend) and the event on 10th July – Arts Glitterati – Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of the Tate, to attend. The Chairman thanked him.

1. Public welcoming and receipt of matters for debate: Chairman welcomed the public. There was no matter for debate. Chairman welcomed and congratulated newly elected County Councillor Mrs Claire Salisbury.

2. Apologies: None

3. Declarations of Interest: of members’ personal and prejudicial interests in respect of items on the Agenda: Cllr Coxon (matters relating to LDNPA). Cllr Mrs Hall (matters relating to planning). All councillors as Trustees of the Coniston Institute and Ruskin Museum.

4. Minutes of the Meeting of 18th May 2009 were approved, and signed by the Chairman.

5. Matters arising from that Meeting with reports of action taken:

5.a. ‘Bluebird’ It was generally agreed that Bill Smith’s presentation at the May Meeting was very informative and the hope was expressed of a recording of the talk could be made into a loop for the Museum. Cllr Mrs Hall reported a further grant of £20,000 from SLDC.

5.b. Annual Report Had been distributed with the June Newsletter to 650 homes in the area. The Chairman thanked Libby Hill and WSOP for the production of the report, and the Rev Mark East and the Newsletter team for the distribution.

5.c. Campbell House entrance protection No progress to report.

5.d. Council tour of inspection RESOLVED: to meet on 7th July at 7pm outside St Andrew’s.

5.e. Locality Working Nothing new to report.

5.f. Coniston Market RESOLVED: to let this drop as no response from the organiser had been forthcoming. The Chairman spoke of 12 market stalls during the Water Festival.

5.g. Commemorative blocks Coniston Stonecrafts is working on the plaques. Confirmation from Highways of the Yewdale Rod site is awaited.

5.h. National Trust Invitation to Monk Coniston 17 June: Cllrs Coxon and Stoddart to attend

5.i. Grizedale Arts Invitation to Lawson Park 25 June: Cllrs Mrs Hall and Ms Hext to attend

5.j. CALC District Association Meeting in Kendal 18 June: the clerk sent apologies as no one is available to attend and had received acknowledgement from Amanda McCleery.

5.k. Audit On going.

5.l. Business Survey Cllr Mrs Hall said the final draft of the Coniston Business Survey was nearing completion.

5.m. Wall above High Hollin Bank Cllr Mrs Kelley said the problem had been reported.

5.n. Housing Association homes in The Garth Still waiting to be painted.

5.o. Conference - Manchester City stadium on 11 June Cllr Mrs Hall will attend but not deliver an address.

5.p. The visit of the people from Illiers-Combray Arrangements are almost complete.

5.q. Playground safety blocks from beneath the swings Cllrs Coxon, Stoddart and Tarr are to tackle the disposal of these.

5.r. Dog problems Councillors welcomed the involvement of the police and the erection of new signs.

5.s. Spread of litter in village centre Reported to SLDC but no developments.

5.t. Insurance in a flood-risk area Acknowledgement by Environment Agency of receipt of letter but nothing more to report.

6. Matters arising since that Meeting:

6.a. The Cumbria Way Kevin Fairclough, NT, to arrange a meeting of all interested parties.

6.b. Old Furness Road units Mr Watson spoke about the stress caused by the unannounced sale of the units by the NWDA to the private sector. Mr Watson had written to Tim Farron MP who is currently investigating what has happened.

6.c. LDF consultation Coniston PC made no submission.

6.d. Community website Following the attack upon the site it has been closed. Cllr Hill said it needed revamping and updating.

6.e. Sports & Social Centre Bob Airey had contacted the clerk to say that he had bunting for distribution to those organisations that wanted it. The Chairman will make contact on behalf of the Water Festival.

6.f. Cadet150 Tree Planting Project RESOLVED: not to pursue the offer.

6.g. X12 revised timetable The 8am service has been removed from the timetable.

6.h. Lake Road litter bin Councillors agreed that a twice-weekly emptying was necessary.

6.i. Great North Swim Correspondence exchanged with Lakes and Skelwith PCs to ensure the next event causes less disruption.

7. Financial transactions:

7.a. 7.a. to issue cheques: To C Sargeant for Clerk’s salary & expenses £300.00

To R J Airey for Bus shelter maintenance £27.00

To E.ON for street lighting £80.00

To Playdale for Playground equipment £17,885.95

7.b. 7.b. to receive accounts: Balances from bank 08.06.09.: Community Acc £484.50; Business Premium Acc. £29,637.09; and Playground Acc. £401.00

8. Planning: Planning Applications: General Observation: councillors are finding it increasingly difficult to make substantive comments to satisfy criteria which grow more elusive with every new piece of legislation; it seems to them that the CALC/LDNPA training sessions and the CALC publication of 2008 are already out-of-date; and, they request greater help from the Planning Authority to make their submissions more meaningful and accurate. Declaration of Interest: Parish/District Councillor Mrs Hall contributed information to the debate about these six applications but did not participate in the decision making.

8.a. 7/2009/5152 Hills Garage, Coniston, LA21 8EN Observations: RESOLVED: to recommend refusal. Councillors were not clear about the relationship between Primesight Ltd and the owners of Hills Garage; were unhappy that neither assistance nor prior advice had been sought from the local authority about; and, were disappointed that there had been no neighbour and community consultation. Councillors were worried about: where the 3 free standing single sided display units would be standing on a forecourt already overcrowded with signs that prevent clear view for walkers and drivers; how long the illumination (static and internal) would be on; the nature of the advertisements that would not always be related to goods or services available on the premises; and, the period of time (5 years) for which the consent is sought. Councillors were uncertain about the answers to Section 10 (Interest in the Land) of the application because they believe the location map (YC1906040001) to be inaccurate: they allege the red border line should not include the public conveniences as part of the land owned by Hills Garage.

8.b. 7/200/5157 2 Newfield, Coniston, LA21 8EE Observations: RESOLVED: to support the application. Councillors acknowledged that they did not submit observations on the original application but are of the opinion that the amended design (still being built up directly in line with the existing ground and first floor of the same outrigger) enhances the appearance of the building.

8.c. 7/200/5179 Coniston Lodge Hotel, Station Road, Coniston LA21 8HH Observations: RESOLVED: to support the application. Councillors ratified the submission that was made on 1st June 2009: Coniston Parish Council, noting a stated deadline for observations of 3rd June, requests your acceptance of an extra submission: We are aware that the Coniston Lodge application contravenes Policy H20 and as such you should, in theory, refuse the application. However we strongly recommend that, in this instance, you continue to work with the applicants to find a solution to the problem, in particular bearing in mind the comments we made in our first submission, even though this may delay a decision.

8.d. 7/2009/5224 Highfield, Haws Bank, Coniston, LA21 8AR Observations: RESOLVED: to support the application. Councillors were satisfied that this small extension is consistent with the present building and had no significant impact on the visual appearance of the property, the site upon which it stands, the access to that site, or to the landscape.

8.e. 7/2009/5225 Sun Hotel, Coniston LA21 8HQ Observations: RESOLVED: to recommend refusal. Councillors were uneasy about this application because it follows several others (including one for a house in the garden) that have received permission within the context of the history of the building as a hotel and not a public house and as a unified whole and not as two separate parts. Councillors were dismissive of the claim for a significant demand for self-catering because that demand has been largely met over recent years by the conversion of a number of bed-and-breakfast establishments in the village. Councillors wished to remind the applicant and the Planning Authority that there is significant historical and celebrity connection other than the Campbells: The Fell & Rock Climbing Club was founded in 1906-07 and the first informal meeting was held at the Sun Inn, Coniston, on the 11th November 1906; it was to the Sun that members returned in 2006 to celebrate the club’s centenary; and, the celebrities connected to the FRCC are numerous. Councillors were of the opinion that the Change of Use could not be justified on economic considerations. They saw the irony in the claim that recently the hotel’s business was severely restricted by building work to replace the kitchen and felt that they could not justify further self-inflicted financial losses by another period of building work to convert the accommodation arrangements.

8.f. 7/2009/5230 Beck Side Cottage, Haws Bank, Coniston, Cumbria, LA21 8AW Observations: RESOLVED: to support the application. [Councillors acknowledged Planning Application 7/2005/5384 New House in Garden at Beckside Cottage, Haws Bank, Coniston LA21 8AW, was the previous proposal.] Councillors resolved to support 7/2009/5230 if all the safeguards of occupancy were placed upon the development. They recognised that the applicant was a contributor to the revised Housing Survey and that his was an identified need. However, they had reservations about the access to the site: knowing the lane off the A593 is a single track road busy with business traffic to Spoonhall (farm, blacksmiths, pony-trekking centre, holiday caravans) and domestic traffic to the High Beck, the Ghyll and the Sacred Heart Presbytery; and, uncertain that there was sufficient land between the beck and the lane to build the new bridge, believing that vehicular access to the new house would be more problematic that the plan suggests.

9. Correspondence: RESOLVED: to note that since the last meeting the clerk had received and informed councillors of the following items. (Items marked ** were taken as read.)

9.a. Tim Farron MP Letter: Industrial Units on Old Furness Road

9.b. Bob Cartwright, LDNPA Copy of letter to Tim Farron MP: Industrial Units on Old Furness Road

9.c. CALC Circular June 2009

9.d. Cumbria CC Letter and document: Cumbria Minerals and Waste Development Framework

9.e. CALC Agenda for Meeting of District Association 18 June

9.f. Cumbria CC Letter and sheet: Cumbria Landscape Guidance and Toolkit - Workshops

9.g. SLDC Letter and posters: European Parliamentary & Cumbria County Council Elections – 4 June

9.h. SLDC Letter and information pack: Parish Council Representative on the Council’s Standards Committee

10. Reports:

10.a. Police Report: PCSO Largue spoke about revitalising Neighbourhood Watch; thefts of bicycles from camp and caravan sites. She confirmed that the police had put signs around the village warning dog owners of prosecution for the misbehaviour of their dogs. There were no incidents of recent crime in the parish. The clerk had received reassurances from Sgts Ganley and Stephens that concerns about personal safety in Little Moss/Little Moss Close were unfounded.

10.b. Highways Report: Cllr Kelly said the recent visit of the Highway Steward had involved some patching and tidying. She confirmed that the temporary traffic lights below the Methodist Church were for work to be done to connect the Church to the gas supply for heating installation.

10.c. Playground Report: Cllr Tarr said there had been some delay but the deposit payable to Playdale should get things moving again.

10.d. Cllr Stoddart: Reported damage to the roadside wall on Dow How. Commented on how lush the verge on Dow How was looking. The Chairman thought an August mow would be appropriate.

10.e. Cllr Mrs Hall: i.Said that following recent tarmac renewals at the junction of the Walna Scar Road/Old Furness Road the white lining had not been repainted. The Chairman said that a similar problem had occurred at the junction of Lake Road/Units entrance. ii.urged restoration of the footpath alongside the B5285 Hawkshead Road outside the Blue Bird Lodge. iii.asked if anything could be done to utilise the £1,000 donated by United Utilites to the repair of the Coppermines Valley Road.

10.f. Co Cllr Mrs Salisbury: Spoke about a pot of money that C Cllrs have to spend on projects in their areas. She said that she represented ten parishes and hoped that she would be able to get to their meetings, not on every occasion but on a frequent basis.

11. Public questions and comments: Nothing.

12. Date of next Meeting: RESOLVED: that the next meeting will be on Monday 20th July 2009 at 7.00pm in the Library.

Meeting closed at 9.40pm.