NATLAND PARISH COUNCIL Minutes of the Council Meeting Held in Natland Village Hall At 7.30pm on Monday 25th February 2008 08/14 Present: Cllr Peters in the Chair, Cllrs Dickinson, Jackson, Mansfield, and Outhwaite, two members of the public and the Clerk Mr K M Price. Apologies for absence were accepted from Cllrs Bowley and Parnham.

08/15 Public participation: None 08/16 Minutes: The minutes of the meeting of 28th January 2008 were agreed and signed by the Chair.

08/17 Matters arising: a. 07/48, 07/134 and 08/04. Taxi business operating on Long Meadow Lane. District Councillor B Gray has not yet reported back to the Council. Further reports of a minibus parked partly on the footway and taxi protruding out from the drive were received. Cllr Dickinson agreed to contact Mike Balderson of SLDC.

b. 07/87, 07/92, 07/102, 07/121 and 08/04. CCC Highways. The Council still awaits a reply from Nick Raymond. It was resolved that a letter be sent, pointing out the amount of time the Council has been waiting for the correspondence to be dealt with, to the Chief Executive of CCC, with copies to CALC, County Councillor A Bobbett and Nick Raymond. It was also resolved that the Council emphasises that the Parish Charter is not being adhered to.

c. 08/13 (b). Helm Lane railway bridge. The Clerk reported that he had been informed by Network Rail that their surveyor would be inspecting the structure shortly.

d. 07/124 and 08/04. Dog Fouling. The Chair reported that he had asked SLDC to erect four dog fouling notices.

e. 08/11 (d). Dog-biting incident. The Clerk reported that he had asked the Police what action was being taken following this incident and awaits a reply from them.

f. 08/13 (a). Welcome to Natland' leaflet. The Chair reported a response he had received from Don Shore, expressing his view that the information on the leaflet is now included on the website. It was resolved to make this an Agenda item when the new Council is formed in May.

2 08/18 Bus shelter on the A65: Cllr Outhwaite reported on her recent visits to some of the parents of the 10-12 children who use the bus stop regularly. The general feeling was that the preferred site is at Oxenholme Lane and two letters were read in support of this. It was resolved the Council applies for a bus shelter to be erected at the top of Oxenholme Lane, opposite the present one. A three-bay, flat roof, glazed as the present one, front left entry Carleton' shelter by Glasdon will be requested. The Chair and the Clerk will liaise on the completion of the application form.

(It was noted that there is no layby at this junction and that parked vehicles there can obstruct visibility to the right from Oxenholme Lane).

08/19 Natland Spring Litter Hunt 2008: The remaining publicity for this event, to be held on 29th March, was arranged. Several volunteers have come forward to deliver the slips advertising the day.

08/20 Parking on the Village Green: The Chair gave a report of actions taken since the last meeting. The problem of vehicles parking on the Village Green has been publicised via the website and on the notice board. Notices have been produced to place on the windscreens of offending vehicles. Those using the Church have been reminded of the need to use the A' boards when events take place, and the school and the Bowling Club have been informed.

Comment was made on the lack of a village car park and the unavailability of suitable land for such. A previous group set up to investigate this had been disbanded.

The problem of dog fouling on the Village Green was discussed but the exclusion of all dogs from the Green would be difficult to enforce. The Council felt that such use of the area by dogs is unacceptable. It was agreed to make this an Agenda item for the next meeting.

08/21 Allotments in Natland: Cllr Jackson had produced a flier in order to gauge interest in the possible provision of allotments in the parish and it was agreed that this should be distributed with the Spring Litter Hunt publicity. The Chair and Cllr Jackson will liaise.

08/22 Annual Parish Meeting: This is to be held on Tuesday 29th April. The Clerk agreed to invite all those on the regular mailing list, including the School, Church and Village Hall. Other village organisations would receive a general invitation through the distribution of the Annual Report, as in previous years, encouraging them to give a report on the activities of their group. It was agreed to ask Judith Derbyshire for any feedback from the Housing Survey.

3 Cllr Mansfield agreed to photocopy the Annual Report, using the facilities at the Vicarage; Cllr Outhwaite would enquire about the possibility of alternative arrangements with the School.

08/23 Planning: a The following decisions notified to the Council by SLDC were noted: SL/2007/1358 Stone Gables, Newlands. Change of use of land to garden and erection of double garage. Granted.

SL/2007/1065 Cracalt Farm, Natland. Change of use of barn to agricultural workers dwelling. Granted.

SL/2007/1427 Natland Park Farm, Natland. Extension to the opening season of the existing caravan site (26th February - 7th January annually). Granted.

b. No new applications had been received.

c. No objection had been made to the following application, although the Council have concerns about sewage, landscaping and increased traffic: SL/2007/1431 Natland Park Farm, Natland. Change of use of land to form sites for caravans, motor homes and camping for period 1st March to 25th January.

d. It was resolved to request guidance from SLDC as to whether planning permission is required for a conservatory which is built in front of the building line.

08/24: Financial business: a. The monthly cash and budget statements were received.

b. It was resolved to pay the following account: K M Price £52.70 for Clerk's quarterly expenses.

CALC £178.50 for subscriptions (to be paid after 1st April) 08/25 Reports: a. Church. Cllr Mansfield mentioned the forthcoming Jumble Sale on 5th April and the Parish Walk on 19th April.

b. School. Cllr Outhwaite passed on the apologies of the school for vehicles being parked on the Village Green following a recent school function.

c. Village Hall. The Chair reported that the recent Quiz Night was a success and £465 was raised. There is an Art Exhibition on 8th to 9th March.

d. Footpaths. Cllr Dickinson reported that the work on the footpath by the Railway line was complete. He said the wire fence is not substantial.

4 e. Highways. Cllr Mansfield expressed frustration at the difficulty in getting work done, following her recent report. Several potholes have not been attended to, despite being given incident numbers. Concern was expressed at the amount of mud and dirt on the road at the top of Helm Lane, where construction work at Yew Lodge is taking place. It was resolved to report this to the Highways authority. It was also resolved to request that the advisory parking lines around the Village Green are renewed and Cllr Mansfield agreed to place this upon her list.

08/26 Correspondence: a. The Clerk notified the Council of the launch of the Parish Charter at the Bindloss Room, Kendal Town Hall, on Monday 3rd March from 12 noon to 1.30pm.

b. Notice was given of the closure of the road for one day, on Tuesday 4th March, of the U5627 Helm Lane in order to carry out BT poling works.

c. Letters of thanks had been received from North West Air Ambulance and Great North Air Ambulance Service for the Council's recent donations.

08/27 Any other business: a. The Chair reported that the Sustainable Communities Bill had now become law.

b. The Chair reported that the Helm Sink' is close to achieving the status of County Wildlife site'.

The meeting closed at 9.50pm.

The next meeting will be at 7.30pm on Monday 17th March 2008 in the Village Hall.