Meeting opened 7.33 pm
Present: Mike Dean (Chair), Roger Wales (Clerk), Shirley Wales, Harry & Yvonne Marley, Ian Askew, Brian Newhouse, Angela Dinsdale, Barbara Houghton, Steve & Sue Amphlett, David Clarke, Philip & Anne Raper, Geoffrey & Virginia Owen.
In Attendance: James Hemingway
Apologies: Adrian Shepherd, Diane Dean, Eleanor Dean, Rev William Lister, Brian Procter
1. A minute’s silence was observed in respect of Betty Hanson.
2. The minutes of the last meeting, January 24th 2005, were read, approved and duly signed.
3. Matters arising: Ian Askew’s outline planning application had today received approval at a Planning Committee meeting.
Mike Dean reported that the website was currently receiving a high number of hits from all parts of the world.
4. Election of officers: Mike Dean was proposed to continue as Chair by Yvonne Marley and seconded by Harry Marley. Roger Wales was proposed to continue as Clerk by Brian Newhouse and seconded by Angela Dinsdale. There being no other nominations they were duly elected.
5. Planning Applications: Sue Amphlett informed the meeting that The Plough would be resubmitting their plans to convert the Barn and refurbish the kitchens.
6. Correspondence: A letter had been received from NYCC highways concerning the winter gritting service. They asked for feedback on the service and the meeting felt that their attention should be drawn to Hesley Lane in Rathmell and Wigglesworth as it was used regularly by the School Bus. The clerk agreed to reply to the letter.
A letter regarding the revocation of the By-pass plans had been received by Mike Dean and he intended to reply as previously.
There are still some taxi vouchers available for residents without transport.
7. Roads: Barbara Houghton told the meeting that work on the Paythorne Lane end should commence within two months.
It was felt that the clerk should write to the Highways Department about the road in front of Mount Pleasant, the wall close to Bogart Barn, the potholes on Hesley Lane and the possibility of a white line and Stop sign at the junction of the road from Rathmell at the bottom of the village. It was pointed out that this was becoming increasingly dangerous as motorcyclists and car overtake slower vehicles as they slow.
8. Willowbeck Farm: James Hemingway, the owner of Willowbeck had asked to address the meeting regarding his plans for development of the site. He informed the meeting of his regrets over the housing of pigs there at the end of 2004. He agreed that it had been a mistake and apologised for any inconvenience to the village. He went on to outline the need for a full time manager to deal with the holiday lodges, caravan site and the mushroom tunnels. This would necessitate, he said, the building of residential accommodation. He hoped the village would support these plans. There followed a lively debate of the advantages and disadvantages of Mr Hemingway’s plans. During this Mr Hemingway outlined his proposal to allocate a piece of the land to provide a childrens play area (which would be available to the village) and the fact that the site would be greatly enhanced and made to look very attractive. Whilst there were a number of supporters of some of the proposed ideas, including employment opportunities for local workers, business generated for the local pub, shop and Post Office, there were genuine concerns about residential accommodation. This has been opposed in the past, along with similar applications at either end of the village, because the development is outside the designated area of the linear village as stated in the Local Plan from Craven District Council. David Clarke suggested that there should be an open day when villagers would be able to view Willowbeck and the proposals. Mike Dean thanked Mr Hemingway for attending and making his presentation and outlined how observations and views from the Parish Meeting are passed to bodies like the Planning Committee when applications are received. The Parish Meeting could not do anything until an application was actually received.
9. Any other business: The Clerk presented the Annual Summary of the Parish Meeting Accounts.
Shirley Wales proposed that a letter be sent to the Le Coq family thanking them for maintaining the village green which is looking very attractive.
The lengthsman scheme is currently being revised due to funding problems.
Philip Raper suggested that a large mirror by Town End would improve the sight lines on the bend which had recently been the scene of several accidents. The clerk was asked to investigate this.
There being no further business the meeting was closed at 9.00 pm