MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE PLAYING FIELDS AND OPEN SPACES COMMITTEE

 

HELD ON 30th July 2007 AT 7.30 p.m. IN THE BUSH ROOM

 

PRESENT: -       Councillor A Wilkins (Chairman), Councillor J Head, Councillor J Cutland,  Councillor M Webb, Councillor John Veasey, Bernard Willcox

                                    Mr R Fergyson (Clerk)

                                                                                                                                        

1     Acceptance of apologies for absence:

 

2        Evacuation procedures

    The clerk will be the responsible person in the case of a fire and evacuation.

The fire exits are:-

Through the street entrance to the Bush room.

Through the side door into the main hall then the fire doors on the back wall and the main entrance.

The assembly point is on the car park at the front of the building.

The nearest public telephone is at the parade of shops.

 

3        Declaration of interests.

         None

 

4       Minutes of previous meeting

 

        The Minutes of the meeting held on 4th June 2007 were approved and signed by the Chairman.

 

5  Matters arising.

              

               Dealt with in the main body of the meeting.

 

5           Play area Work

 

Lime Kiln Field

               Teen Shelter

 The family has been contacted and would like a private ceremony of handing the shelter over to the parish council on 20th August at 7pm ,

Repeated efforts to contact Mr Lewy in France results in no reply.

 

Fence by the cricket nets.

The last section is to be completed. The hedge can then be planted in the autumn, the clerk will contact Mr and Mrs Attwood to arrange for the pine trees to be cut down before the planting hawthorn and blackthorn at the bare parts of the hedge.

Currently the fence is used  as a stop net for balls with an annoying ping as the ball hits the fence, however this should disappear when the hedge grows through. Cutting the hedge top was discussed with Garden Manicures and was productive in so much that the hedge can be cut at a slope downwards towards the gardens to enable the house owners to cut their side.

 

The council has received a letter from Mr & Mrs Rees’s solicitors requesting the “right of way” from the garden onto the field is un blocked. Research has shown that in 1989 the whole subject of the cutting accesses on to the Jubilee Hall field was investigated.

The outcome was the council wrote the attached letter to all residents who’s property bounded the playing fields. Replies were obtained from all but one. The owners of 31 Davids Close replied that they had noted the points raised in the letter. A copy of all the correspondence will be forwarded to Mr Rees’s solicitors.

The council consider that a formal letter is again sent to all residents to just clarify the position.

 

Youth Centre Car Park/ Jubilee Hall

Garden Manicures provided an estimate to plant the bank. The proposed plan is to “carpet” the ground so weeds will not grow through and secure the soil from erosion while the bank is established the cost is £ 665.00. The work required must include ensuring that the bank is suitably cleared of stones etc to give the plants a good starting point.

The committee recommend that the quotation from Garden Manicures of £665 is accepted.

 

Cross Hands Play Area

The depression in the swing safety surface is being monitored for movement. To date there has been none, but this needs to continue, particularly considering the rain.

The spring for the springy has been ordered, but as this has to come from the USA this will take a little time.

 

Cricket Square

An estimate has been requested from GB Sport and leisure for repair, and for removal this is not urgently required.

 

Weed/ Feed and Seed the Limekiln field.

Suggested schedule between the end of cricket and the start of the football season. The junior goal mouths need either seeding or turffing.

 

Trees.

The trees offered by the Scouting Association will be required in November.

There are two trees causing concern one, a lime on Greenhill and the other a horse chestnut on the main part of the field, both are dying and need to be removed.

 

Recommendation the clerk will obtain quotes for the removal of the trees and making good the area.

 

Hedges.

The hedges in Greenhill and the car park need to be cut. This would usually be done now in October, but the amount of growth this year requires another cut. The nettles and weeds growing at the base need to be sprayed, both on the road and the field side. Mike Webb will attend to these along with weed killing on the playgrounds.

 

        Cemetery

 

               The shrubs have been cut and shaped.

A quote from Garden Manicures for rose garden re-designed and planting has been received. The proposed scheme will be a lavender hedge around the area,(Old English lavender suggested as this can be cut and shaped for many years before needing to be re-newed), The bush roses (which are currently being eaten by the rabbits) will be replaced by 8 standard roses. The cost £580.

      

The committee recommend that the quote of £580 from Garden Manicures is accepted.

 

               Councillor Webb to be requested to plant the trees destroyed by vandalism earlier on this year.

 

               A date will be set to burn rubbish and tidy the cemetery will be set at the next council meeting.

 

8     Millennium Stone area

 

        The plants have been cut around the stone.

 

9     Field Users Meting October 8th.

 

               Requested bookings         Essilor Saturday Pm

                                                                        Falcons Sunday Am and Pm

 

                                                                        Anticipate Thornbury Methodist Church Football

 

  With these booking for the adult pitch, there is a need to be careful the pitch does not become over played. The Falcons have been advised that if this should be the case then they will be offered the junior pitch for their game. Other requests for bookings will be declined on the basis that the pitch become overplayed.

 

10 Any other business

       A request in Helmet for hedges which overhang paths to be cut back.

 

        The meeting closed at 8.25 pm.