The next scheduled meeting will take place at Singleton Village Hall on THURSDAY 19 December 2024 at 7.15pm. Members of the public are welcome to attend.
The Agenda and draft Minutes from the previous meetings will be published approximately one week beforehand.
Verena Henderson, Clerk to Singleton Parish Council: Email: Clerk@SingletonParishCouncil.org or Tel: 07530 605 291
Singleton Parish Council
SINGLETON PARISH COUNCIL
A meeting of the Parish Council will be held at
The Village Hall, Singleton on
Thursday 19 December 2024 at 7.15pm
Your presence is requested
A G E N D A
| 1. | Apologies for Absence |
| 2. | Open Forum – The Council will open the meeting for 15 minutes for any questions from the public – |
| 3. | Minutes of previous meeting held on 12 November 2024 and any matters arising- |
| 4. | Police Matters |
| 5. | Declarations of Interest |
| 6. | Planning matters and decisions – |
| 7. | Traffic and Highways Issues |
| 8. | New Bypass |
| 9. | Update from Fylde Borough Council |
| 10. | Village Green update |
| 11. | Correspondence |
| 12. | Proposal for Electric Vehicle Chargers in the Parish |
| 13. | Accounts and any invoices to pay – |
| 14. | Any Other Business – |
| 15. | Date and Time of Next Meeting/s |
Verena Henderson, Clerk to Singleton Parish Council:
Email: Clerk@SingletonParishCouncil.org: Tel: 07530 605 291
DRAFT MINUTES
SINGLETON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council
Held at Singleton Village Hall on 12 November 2024
Present: – Cllrs Lee (Chair), Cllr Bailey, Cholmondeley (Vice-Chair), and Carruthers and the Parish Clerk, Verena Henderson, who took the Minutes. County Councillor Singleton also attended along with 9 members of the public.
| 1. | Apologies for Absence Cllr Clifford. |
| 2. | Open Forum Members of the public expressed concern regarding a planning application for 8 dwellings on adjacent land to their properties. They lived in bungalows and the proposed new properties would be two storeys with the upstairs being all glass with balconies overlooking the bungalows and their gardens. The residents had been given assurances when buying their bungalows that consideration would be given to any future developments, and these would be compatible with their own dwellings. There were also environmental issues about this development as the proposal was to demolish old farm buildings, one of which housed two barn owls. The Chairman pointed out that in determining planning applications, Fylde BC had to adhere to the National Planning Framework and Fylde’s own Local Plan. Their concerns were very logical, and negotiations could be made with Fylde BC and the developers. The Chairman advised everyone to write in with their concerns to the Planners at Fylde. Another concern was voiced about the mess left at Singleton Hall following the construction of the by-pass, particularly regarding the entrance. The new access road created by National Highways is only 8/10 feet away from the new road and residents are concerned this will be used for parking. The landscaping is not what was promised. The grass verges are now a mass of weeds. It had been proposed and agreed by Highways that trees and foliage would be planted to hide the wall. This has not been done yet. The Hall is now very visible from the lay-by and residents fear there will be trespassers. A pylon in the centre is a health and safety matter and Cllr Bailey has taken this up with Kier. The land surrounding the pylon is so overgrown that access to maintain it is extremely difficult. This pylon has a transformer on top which feeds Barnfield Manor and North Lodge and it is essential that this is maintained. There are still a few issues Cllr Bailey is pursuing with Kier before they leave the area, and he agreed that it has certainly been a stressful time. County Cllr Singleton advised that as well as residents writing to Kier and National Highways with their concerns, they should also write to Andrew Snowden, MP for Fylde. Complaints made about speeding motor bikes down Mains Lane at the weekends, seemingly doing a circuit. The speed limit is now 30mph, reduced from 40 but there are no signs indicating this. County Cllr Singleton will chase this up. The Chairman is now on a working group with the new Police and Crime Commissioner, looking at rural crime which includes speeding. |
| 3. | Minutes of previous meeting held on 10 October 2024 and any matters arising The Minutes of the previous meeting, having been already agreed, were signed as a true and correct copy by the Chairman. Matters arising The Clerk had contacted Greenhalgh Parish Council in regard to their request to share the litterbin hired from Fylde BC and for this to be emptied weekly rather than fortnightly at present. The Clerk gave Greenhalgh PC the contact details at Fylde BC for them to look into this and Fylde has agreed to empty the bin weekly rather than fortnightly, but they would need to invoice Singleton PC for all the collections. If this is acceptable to Singleton PC, Greenhalgh will pay annually for its portion of the full amount immediately, in effect reimbursing Singleton PC. In principle the Parish Council had no problem with this although one member would prefer both parishes to have their own bins. A further bin would need the agreement of the local pub, however, where it is currently located. It was agreed for the Clerk to write to Greenhalgh PC to give the go-ahead. |
| 4. | Police Matters Crime figures recorded for the parishes of Elswick, Little Eccleston, Singleton and Greenhalgh for September 2024 are as follows: – Violence and sexual offences – 18; Anti-social behaviour – 13; Vehicle crime – 4; Criminal damage and arson – 3. |
| 5. | Declarations of Interest – None |
| 6. | Planning matters and decisions 24/0085 – Erection of 5 two-storey dwellings on land southwest of Weeton Road. Objection lodged.24/0650 – Briarfield, Lodge Lane, FY6 8LT – Certificate of lawful development for proposed erection of domestic outbuilding incidental to existing dwelling. Noted. The Parish Council had not been asked for comment at this stage.24/0276 – Outline application with all matters reserved for erection of one dwelling, Lever Lea, 112 Mains Lane FY6 7LD. This would be infill but again the problems of increasing housing without improving infrastructure comes into play. There is sufficient housing in Singleton in accordance with the Fylde Local Plan.24/0491 Rycroft Farm, 185 Mains Lane, Singleton FY6 7LB – Residential development of 8 dwellings with associated access etc. Objection. Again, a further strain on local services. Proposed dwellings not in keeping with neighbouring properties – zinc roof, zinc sides. Concern about asbestos on site and there does not seem to have been an adequate risk assessment carried out.Concern expressed about the number of properties in the parish which have not been completed. |
| 7. | Traffic and Highways issues County Cllr Singleton submitted his report, as follows: – Metal plates on Station Road, Singleton. Work to remove these has been scheduled for mid-January by Network Rail.Lodge Lane pathway. Both Cllr Singleton and Cllr Carruthers have tried unsuccessfully to get the encroaching vegetation cleared. They will arrange to meet up and look at the worst affected areas.A586 from the New Poulton junction towards the Shell Garage. This is seen as dangerous for cyclists by Cllr Carruthers and this area will be included in the site visit by himself and Cllr Singleton.Information obtained in respect of a brown tourism sign for Glasform.Average speed camera system has now been installed on the A588, 175 meters north of A588/Mains Lane junction. |
| 8. | New By-Pass Cllr Bailey and the former Chairperson of the Parish Council are still pursuing outstanding items with Kier. County Cllr Singleton will try and arrange a final meeting with Kier before they leave the area to try and clear these outstanding items. |
| 9. | Update from Fylde Borough Council Fylde BC has put in their response in respect to the Morecambe Bay windfarm and objected to the length of the consultation period with not enough information being given or consideration to the alternative route through Stanah being put forward. A further consultation period has been sought. In respect of the Local Plan, the annual figure for houses to be built in the whole of Fylde Borough is 583.A working group with the Police and Crime Commissioner has been set up looking at rural crime and Cllr Lee is a member of this. Rural crime is seriously affecting farms with machinery and equipment being stolen by organised groups. The new group is looking at a way of tackling this. Andrew Snowdon, MP, is supporting.Planning Advisory Service Review of Fylde Planning. Both the Chairman and the Clerk are attending separate meetings at Fylde regarding this review being carried out by the Planning Advisory Service. |
| 10. | Village Green Plans were going well. Drainage of the field has been an issue, however. It had been thought that the drains came from the field to the road, but it seems that it is the other way round with the roads draining into the field. Bore holes have therefore been made with cameras going down to fully check the area. The Village Green project is being run in conjunction with a project in Lytham and some older lamp posts are being replaced in Lytham and Singleton will be able to incorporate these into our plans. |
| 11. | Correspondence A proposal had been received to install two electric vehicle charges in the Village Hall car park. A rental payment would be made by the chargepoint operator who would pay to install, maintain and operate the chargers for the contract term. As the Parish Council leases the car park from the Trust, the Clerk had written to them to ask for their views and a full reply is awaited. In the meantime, the Clerk will forward all details to the Chairman. This will be discussed again.Several emails received from a gentleman on Mains Lane who was very concerned at the number of leaves of the pathways and feared someone slipping on them. This was reported to Fylde BC and their workmen were seen in the parish a few days later. The leaves continue to reappear however on the footpaths, but it was good to see Fylde’s quick response. The gentleman will keep in touch about the situation. |
| 12. | Replacement of older defibrillator As the replacement pads and batteries were getting harder to acquire for the older defibrillator, the Clerk had applied to a London based charity offering new defibrillators on a match-funded basis, making them in effect half-price. The application was successful, and a new defibrillator had arrived, was fitted and is now registered with NHS. A further training programme has been requested and this will be advertised to the community when a date is known. In the meantime, a request had been received from a local Chalet Park to ask if they could purchase the older defibrillator, bearing in mind it would need replacing in 2/3 years’ time. The Parish Council unanimously agreed to donate the older defibrillator to the park, and this was checked, fitted and registered with the NHS and is now fully operational. The park has been put in touch with our representative at NHS who has liaised with them and helped them throughout this process. A letter of thanks had been received from the Chalet Park and was read out at the meeting. |
| 13. | Accounts and Any Invoices to pay First Cut Grounds Maintenance Ltd – £517.68. Proposed Cllr Lee, Seconded Cllr Cholmondeley, Agreed.Handyman – Winter tubs invoice – £640. Proposed Cllr Lee, Seconded Cllr Carruthers. Agreed.Litter-picker – 4 weeks, £427.00. Proposed Cllr Lee, Seconded Cllr Bailey. Agreed.Clerk, Salary + Expenses £466.10. Proposed Cllr Lee, Seconded Cllr Cholmondeley. Agreed. |
| 14. | Any Other Business SpID. One of the SpIDs has been damaged. It had been agreed by email to ask Andy Pawson to take this down and move the other SpID to Station Road. The damaged SpID would then be checked.Christmas cards – The Chairman will ask about photographs and the Clerk was asked to investigate local delivery services. The card would be printed by Forsyth and Steele.Christmas Tree – Cllr Clifford would be asked to investigate this again. |
| 15. | Date and time of next meeting – Thursday 19 December 2024 at 7.15pm. As there was no further business, the meeting closed at 9.30pm. |
Signed ……………………………………………… Dated ………………………………
Verena Henderson, Clerk to Singleton Parish Council,
Tel: 07530 605 291: email: Clerk@SingletonParishCouncil.org