CONTENTS

• Vacancy for a Parish Councillor
• West Berkshire's Core Stategy
• Annual Parish Meeting
• Parish Council Meeting Timetable
• Parish Council Meeting Agenda
• Parish Council Meeting Minutes
• Planning Matters
• West Berkshire Mobile Library Visits
• Information available from the Parish Council

VACANCY FOR A COUNCILLOR
(COLD ASH WARD)

1. There is a vacancy on the above Council caused by

A Councillor's Resignation

2. A by-election to fill the vacancy will be held if within 14 days (not counting a Saturday or Sunday) from the date below ten electors for the Ward/Parish give notice in writing claiming such an election to the Returning Officer.

3. The address of the Returning Officer is West Berkshire Council, Council Offices, Market Street, Newbury RG14 5LD.

4. If no such notice is given the Parish Council will fill the vacancy by co-option.

Signed: D Hudspith (Clerk) Dated: 14 April 2010

Address: Cold Ash Parish Council
Parish Office
Hermitage Road
Cold Ash
Thatcham RG18 9JH

THE BULLETIN

Find the latest copy of the Cold Ash Bulletin here:

Issue 3 July 2009.

WEST BERKSHIRE'S CORE STRATEGY

From West Berkshire Council:

"WEST BERKSHIRE INTO THE FUTURE

Let us have your comments on West Berkshire’s Core Strategy

Public Consultation 26th February – 9th April 2010

West Berkshire Council is asking for your views on a planning document which will shape the future of the District. This document, known as the Core Strategy, sets out how and where development will take place and tackles some of the big issues facing all of us now and in the future.

The Core Strategy sets out a framework to ensure the District continues to be economically successful and that demand for new housing and jobs is met in a sustainable way that meets the needs of our communities. It also seeks to relieve the impacts of climate change and to protect and improve the District’s high quality environment for future generations to enjoy.

There has already been an opportunity to comment on some of the earlier drafts, including ‘Options for the Future’ which asked for views on where housing should go and on policies to future developments. These views have been combined with the findings of technical studies to develop the latest version of the Core Strategy.

There is now a final chance to make comments on the document before 9th April 2010. All of the consultation material is available from all libraries throughout the District, as well as the Council Offices in Market Street, Newbury and at Sainsbury’s, Calcot. There will be two drop-in sessions taking place, one in Newbury and the other in Pangbourne, where staff will be available to answer questions. All details can be found on the Council’s website.

More information about the strategy and how to comment can be found online at www.westberks.gov.uk/ldf. Alternatively, contact the Planning Policy team at planningpolicy@westberks.gov.uk or telephone 01635 519111."

COLD ASH ANNUAL MEETING

D R A F T MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF COLD ASH PARISH
HELD ON THURSDAY 22 APRIL 2010

Apologies for non-attendance had been received from Cllrs Crumly, McGrath, McGilp & Rust

1. Welcome
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Parish Assembly, and thanked them for attending. The Chairman thanked the Ashmore Green W.I. for the excellent pre-meeting refreshments.

2. Minutes
The Minutes of the Meeting held on 23 April 2009 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

3. Matters Arising from Minutes
Item 4: Reports by District Councillors
Cllr Findlay was pleased to report that, following Mr Pattison raising the matter of the potential for the disposal of bicycles for re-use, this idea had now been adopted and was standard practice through the Newbury Furniture Project.
Item 11: Open Forum
In response to Mrs Sue Thompson's concerns about run-off into Gladstone Lane from the pub car parks, the Chairman reported it had been ascertained the run-off was actually from Johnson's Lane and could not easily be remedied.

4. Chairman's Report for the Year 2009/10
The Chairman presented her report. She thanked the Councillors and the Clerk for their support over the past twelve months. - A full copy of the Report is attached as Appendix 1

5. Report by District Councillors for the Year 2009/10
Cllr Findlay reported on District Council activities over the past twelve months. A full copy of Cllr Findlay's report is available on request.
Cllr Beck was not present at the meeting.

6. Cold Ash Greening Campaign
Mr Robert Pattison gave a talk on the progress of the Greening Campaign in Cold Ash, why we are doing this and where do we go from here? Phase 1 in the campaign - The Challenge Cards - had been completed and Phase 2 would be focussing on local food production and sale and insulation for home owners (free to people over 70 years of age). The Phase 1 Campaign was funded by the Cold Ash Community Partnership, West Berkshire Council and Greenham Common Trust. The Greening Group has a committee of 19 members who are working well together. The Group also maintains a larger list of parishioners who are known supporters. Cold Ash is the first community in West Berkshire pursuing this campaign although others, such as Thatcham, are following closely behind.

7. Thatcham Surface Water Management Plan/West Berkshire Council's Core Strategy Development Plan
Mr Brian Woodham, in his joint capacity as an Advisor to the Parish Council's planning committee and Community Partnership representative at the Thatcham Flood Forum, gave an update on West Berkshire Council's efforts to alleviate the flooding problems and a report on the Parish Council's and Community Partnership's responses to the final Core Strategy Document in regard to housing.

WBC Core Strategy
Mr Woodham was pleased to report that, broadly speaking, it was good news for Cold Ash parish in that it is not facing any large developments for the foreseeable future. The Development Plan had been in process for the past two years and during that time, much input had been made from various sources within the parish. Mr Woodham explained the background to the proposals and the constraints on West Berkshire Council that meant hard evidence was required if the proposals for the sites affecting the parish were to be fought off. A survey distributed in 2008 elicited a 42% response and this helped formulate the Council's response. In 2009 a consultation document on Urban Extensions in the Countryside came out and the Parish put in a very strong argument as to why we should not be picked for any sites. As a result, none of the sites is mentioned, either in the main Core Strategy document or on the Reserve List.

Surface Water Management Plan
Thatcham Town Council took the lead on this through the Thatcham Flood Forum. Thatcham had been selected as one of six sites in England for a DEFRA study into flooding prevention. The Report on the study came out in February 2010 and has been accepted by both DEFRA and West Berkshire Council. It was worth noting that the flooding in July 2007 was recorded as a "1 in 237 years event". Recommendations from this model study fitted into the Core Strategy Document and helped reinforce the argument against development of the selected areas in Cold Ash parish.
WBC now intends to instal 7 'detention basins' on vulnerable sites in and around the parish and the aim of these is to capture the majority of surface water run-off. Cold Ash will also be included in plans to supply funds to fit flood prevention measures to 'at risk' properties.
In closing, Mr Woodham thanked colleagues Garth Simpson and Ted May (Stoney Lane Residents' Association), Jim White and Len Whitehead (CACP) and Sue Everett/Thatcham Town Council for all their help.

Comments/Questions:
Mr Ian Goodwin of Ashmore Green wished to thank the Parish Council and West Berkshire Council for all the work that has been and continues to go on in the parish to help alleviate surface water problems.

The Chairman thanked Mr Woodham for his contribution and also the various working parties that had helped with the above projects.
The Chairman then welcomed PCs Simon Easton and Kevin Bettridge from the Neighbourhood Police Team to the meeting.

8. Open Forum
Mr Len Whitehead of Fishers Lane made reference to the spate of burglaries that had taken place from outhouses etc. in the last few months and said it appeared the village was being targeted. PC Simon Easton responded that much is being done at the moment to tackle rural crime but the police are still keen to improve communication and awareness. The police offer a Crime Reduction Survey on people's homes to help with improving security, particularly on key targets for criminals. PC Easton said it was important always to report a crime as this is logged and a pattern can be established on criminal activity in an area.
Mr Jim White (CACP) asked if the parish email database should be used to put a message out and PC Easton agreed to draft something.
Mr Whitehead & Mr Robert Pattison also mentioned that the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme does not appear to be working as effectively as it could in that warnings of criminal activity are not being disseminated. Could this be looked into?
Mr Jim White said that as far as he was aware, all recent incidents had been reported to the police.
Mr Ian Goodwin commented that follow-up from the police had been excellent on three occasions when he has needed them.
Mr Ian Cummings of The Ridge asked Cllr Findlay if anything was being planned by WBC to deal with the holes in the road. Cllr Findlay acknowledged that there were some bad areas and said this was caused after roads had been patched over a period of time and bad weather has caused the patches to break up. The District Council was working to fill all holes as quickly as possible.
Mr Don Gibbs of Ashmore Green said he was disappointed with WBC's Highways actions during the bad weather in treating road surfaces and clearing roads etc. Cllr Findlay responded that cost was a factor in determining which roads would be treated.
Cllr Hall said that more information and advice was needed on how to clear public areas safely without fear of retribution. Mr Goodwin said he had sent an email to WBC suggesting they put guidance on their website on how to drive safely in bad weather.
Cllr Jim Mowat said the main problem in Manor Park had been that Waller Drive had not been gritted or cleared despite it being a bus route. On enquiry, the Parish Council had also been informed that this road did not qualify for the installation of a grit bin.
Cllr Jon Rosier said there are farmers in the area able to use snow ploughs if the right guidance could be obtained from WBC on the clearing of public areas.
Mr Gibbs asked the Chairman when the Council would be commencing the restoration of the green at Ashmore Green. The Chairman responded that this had been earmarked for later in the year as there was a lot of work required and various departments to liaise with at WBC.
Mr Pattison complained about poor communication within the Parish and believed that much could be done to improve this. A good example was this meeting, which had not been advertised in the parish magazine nor on the CACP mailing list which, in his opinion, probably explained the very low attendance.
Mr Rosier mentioned the Crafty Craft Race on Monday 3 May when Cold Ash would be entering two boats crewed by youngsters and asked that as many people as possible go along and support the children.

The Chairman closed the meeting by thanking everyone who had attended the event.

The Meeting closed at 8.50
Date of next Meeting - Thursday 21 April 2010

Annual Parish Meeting for the Parish of Cold Ash 22 April 2010
Chairman's Report

The Council has had another very active year. West Berkshire Council extensive investigation into the sites for 10,500 houses up to 2026, which caused considerable worry to the parish, has resulted in the completion of the Local Development Framework which now goes to the Secretary of State for consideration. Brian Woodhams will report on this shortly. The Parish Council was very grateful for all the work done by the planning advisory group
on the possible threat to the parish from large development.

The Thatcham Flood Forum has completed its investigative work and a significant amount of work has been done to open up the drainage system to prevent future flooding, because it has been realised that the parish has a serious impact on flooding in Thatcham. Again, Brian Woodhams will report on this in more detail. As a result of these two groups, Cold Ash Parish has been saved from significant development.

A large project which we have continued this year is the improvement of the WAG and the development of the community orchard. This is the area of land, previously used for grazing, on the south side of The Ridge which now has 12 new allotments and 20 young fruit trees. Those of you who have not walked through the area should do so as it makes a very pleasant stroll in the centre of the village. There are already bird boxes and bee posts in place.

In 2009/10 we avoided any increase in the Precept but have been successful in various grant applications, i.e: £2000 was received from WBC Capital Bids and £500 from WBC Countryside Dept, which sums went towards paying for the installation of mains water and the purchase of the fruit trees respectively. We have been granted a further sum this year for continued work on this project.

The shrubs were moved from the edge of the Acland Hall car park to the pre-school garden fence and 5 attractive trees planted in their place.

When development takes place in the parish, S106 contributions are collected by WBC and we have successfully bid for significant sums from this source, predominantly for Open Spaces. Some of this has been used for the restoration of the recreation ground hedge and some for the new seesaw in the Hermitage Road play area, for which we also received a grant for £2467.50 from the Greenham Common Vibrant Villages Scheme.

We are aware there was some concern about the removal of the recreation hedge but it was being seriously damaged by ivy, with large gaps appearing. Whips have been planted which will eventually, with proper management, grow into a strong mixed native hedgerow and meanwhile the fence will remain in place for safety reasons. The recreation ground will receive further attention this year (using S106 monies) to continue with the improvements to the drainage and quality of the surface. A policy has been agreed by the Council that parking on the recreation ground should only be allowed for the Cold Ash Fete, St Mark's School Fete and the Fair with the possibility of other community-based events, depending on the weather but none between October and March.

The area of Manor Park which is part of this parish, had significant flooding in 2007 and has been granted £5000 in flood relief.

The Parish Council has a good relationship with the Police through the NAG; there has been no significant vandalism this year and monitoring of the traffic speeds has been carried out quite frequently. Some councillors are waiting to be trained on the use of the Speed Indicator Device (SID).

Security lights have been installed to the front and rear of the parish office.

Planning applications of note during the year have been: St Finian's School, St Gabriel's Convent redevelopment, Westrop Farm and Thatched Cottage.

For most of the year we have had a full complement of Councllors with Jill McGilp replacing Liz Oliver but sadly Will Darby has recently resigned due to pressure of work so we will shortly be seeking to co-opt. I would like to thank both Liz and Will for all their work as Councillors and my gratitude goes to all other Councillors for their hard work.

Recently, Denise Hudspith has been away from the office for a period of several weeks and this made me realise how much background work she does as I struggled to cope. My most sincere thanks go to her for her efforts.

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PARISH COUNCIL MEETING TIMETABLE 2009/10

PARISH COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA for Tuesday 27th July at 7:00pm

Public Participation - to take note of any items raised by members of the public

AGENDA

035816 Apologies for Absence

035817 Declarations of Interest
Members will be asked to state if he/she has an interest in any item on the agenda.

035818 Minutes
To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the Meeting held on 13 July 2010 Attached.

035819 Planning Matters
a) New Applications
10/01549/HOUSE Wychwood, Spring Lane - Extension to first floor and single storey extension.
10/01624/HOUSE Meadow View, Bucklebury Alley - Loft conversion with velux roof lights and small single storey front extension.
10/01591/HOUSE (Adj Parish) 45 Northway, Thatcham - Single storey front extension to provide third bedroom.
b) Decision Notices
10/00929/LBC Westrop Farm, The Ridge - Conversion/Change of Use of outbuildings and annexe to respite care rooms for Down's Syndrome Adults - Threshing barn which forms part of the courtyard Grade II listed.
Approval. The Parish Council raised no objections.
10/00959/XFUL Land at Red Shute Hill - Renewal of planning permission application ref 05/00493/fUL Construction of new car park
Approval. The Parish Council raised no objections.
10/00968/HOUSE Friars Cottage, Long Lane - Retrospective Erection of flue/vent to the north side of the property for an indoor BBQ.
Approval. The Parish Council's concerns for noise and odour were not shared by neighbouring property, therefore no objections.
10/01349/HOUSE Cherwell Cottage, Cold Ash Hill - Single storey extension to the east of the existing property.
Approval. The Parish Council raised no objections.

035820 Highway Improvements - Cold Ash
Further to discussions in October 2009 (Min no. 035626 13 October refers), WBC's Highways has put forward a proposal to facilitate pedestrians crossing Heath Lane - see attached. Members are asked to consider the proposal and Resolve appropriately.

035821 Cold Ash Fete - Request for Electricity Supply
Members are asked to consider a request from the Cold Ash Fete Committee for a temporary source of electricity to be supplied from the parish office to the picnic area on the day of the Fete and Resolve appropriately.

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COLD ASH PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON
TUESDAY 22nd June 2010

Present:
Cllrs. Hall (Chair) Crumly, Hudspith, McGilp, McGrath & Rosier

In Attendance
Mr Jim White - Cold Ash Community Partnership
Mr Ian Cummings

Public Participation
None

035792Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence had been received from Cllrs Helen Mowat, Jim Mowat & Rust

035793 Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.

035794 Minutes
The Minutes of the meeting held on 8 June were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

035795 Communications - A Report by Cold Ash Community Partnership
It was agreed to suspend Standing Orders and adjourn the meeting to allow Mr Jim White to present the CACP's report and recommendations on the various forms of communications currently employed in the parish. This report had been carried out at the request of the Parish Council and copies had been circulated to all Members.

The meeting was adjourned at 7.03pm
Cllr McGrath arrived at 7.08pm
A discussion ensued on the content of the report - attached as Appendix 1
The Chairman thanked Jim White and Ian Cummings for their valuable input and Cllr Read for his contribution to the Website discussion.
Messrs White and Cummings left at 7.42pm and the meeting reconvened.

It was agreed that Cllr Read and his working group of Cllr Rust and Cllr Jim Mowat would produce a report which would be an agenda item for further discussion.

035796 Planning Matters
a) New Applications
10/01132/HOUSE Ash Cottage, Ashmore Green Road - Demolition of existing extension and construction of two-storey extension.
Objections raised: Insufficient provision for parking on site. On road parking would be hazardous on this part of Ashmore Green Road.
10/ 01349/HOUSE Cherwell Cottage, Cold Ash Hill - Single storey extension to the east of the existing property.
No objections were raised.
b) Decision Notices
10/00648/FUL St Mark's Primary School - Single storey extension to provide toilet accommodation.
Approval. The Council raised no objections to this application.
10/00731/HOUSE 2 Bakery Cottages, Cold Ash Hill - Single storey conservatory to rear.
Approval. The Council did not submit a comment on this application.
10/00808/HOUSE The Sycamores, The Ridge - Construction of conservatory to rear of property.
Approval. The Council maintained objections.
10/00820/HOUSE Thirtover Lodge, Thirtover - Porch and two-storey extension.
Approval. The Council supported this application.
10/00903//FUL Northcroft Farm, Stoney Lane, Ashmore Green - Section 73 Variation of Condition 1 (occupation restriction) of planning permission 144624.
Approval. The Council objected to this application.

c) Planning Rota
Following the absorption of the planning committee into full Council, a revised rota for the presentation of planning applications was circulated to Members.
Cllr Crumly (13 July) and the Chairman (27 July) agreed to swap dates as Cllr Crumly would be away w/c 12 July.

035797 District Parish Conference - July
Members were informed that the next District Parish Conference was to be held on Monday 19 July when the theme would be the future of local government, including discussion around "The Big Society" and the financial situation for the future. Cllrs Hall, McGilp and Hudspith said they would like to attend. It was also noted that attendees had been invited to submit questions to Members of the District Council. These should be submitted to WBC by Monday 5 July.

Resolution to Exclude the Press and Public
Pursuant to Section 1(2) of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, it was Resolved that, because of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted under Part 2, the public and press be asked to leave the meeting.

PART TWO

035798 Procedure & Protocol of Council Meetings
The Chairman led a discussion on the correct procedure for transacting business at Council meetings and the protocols to be observed therein. Confidential Minute 22 refers.

There being no other business the meeting closed at 8.03pm

PLANNING MATTERS

St Gabriel's Convent

"Dear Resident,

You may already aware of the plans to demolish the convent and church and to build a block of flats and eight houses on the site.

For such a major development we need to encourage as much public participation as possible to make sure any development of the site enhances rather than detracts from our village scene.

Please take a look at the plans on the west berks web site Application Number: 09/02014/FULEXT, or at the Parish Council office or at West Berks.

If you want advice as to how the proposed plan contravenes our village plan then I’m sure our parish council clerk, Denise Hudspith can advise you. - coldash.pc@btinternet.com

To register your comments you can email West Berks at planapps@westberks.gov.uk

and we suggest you copy your comments to any or all of the following:

Ward Councillor Geoff Findlay - GFindlay@westberks.gov.uk

Parish Council Chairman Gill Hall - gillian.hall2@ukonline.co.uk

Newbury Weekly News - tanya.haji@newburynews.co.uk

The Proposal is due to be determined by the District Council soon so the earlier comments are sent the better.
Please participate actively in preserving our village.

Cold Ash Parish Council"

Letter of objection from the Parish Council

13 January 2010

West Berkshire Council
Dept of Planning & Trading Standards
Council Offices
Market Street
Newbury RG14 5LD
Berks

Via email

Dear Sirs

Planning Application 09/02014/FULEXT St Gabriel's Convent, The Ridge

Cold Ash Parish Council objects to this application for the following reasons:

The Site/Buildings
The proposed site layout (drawing no.26) shows the gardens of six of the proposed houses to be entirely outside the settlement boundary. This is of great concern as gardens are now classed as "Brownfield" sites which may leave them open to further development in the future.

The layout of these six properties, which we understand have been arranged to maximize south facing views, is an unimaginative use of the space and is very unappealing.

We object to the proposal for apartment blocks. We believe this would set an unwelcome precedent and would further urbanize a rural village. This part of the parish has already been subjected to significant development in recent years and we have, in recent years, objected to an application for ten flats on a nearby site, which was refused and eventually dismissed on Appeal.

Notwithstanding the above comments, we believe the siting of these units, particularly the lower ones, is poor as they will receive little natural light due to being overshadowed by other buildings and trees already on the site.

We strongly object to the appearance of the proposed houses, excepting the two cottages. In the applicant's "Design & access Statement" reference is made to 'no overriding prevalent style of architecture in the locality'. Whilst we do not disagree with this statement, we do not think that the style proposed blends with anything in the vicinity. They are totally unsympathetic and unimaginative and the result is more 'Colditz' than Cold Ash!

Parking/Access
There are insufficient parking spaces allocated on the plan to allow for residents, visitors, deliveries etc. and this must be considered in conjunction with the adjacent development at St Finian's School where there are already significant problems of overspill of vehicles on to The Ridge which we believe will not be addressed by the amount of spaces allocated in the redevelopment of that site.
The Transport Statement supplied by the applicant makes reference to 'walking to schools, shops and a doctors' surgery (we would like to know where this surgery is to be built as currently the nearest one is approximately two miles away!) yet there appears to be no provision for footways within the site.
In the same document, under '2.5 Cycling', reference is made to The Ridge and Lawrence's Lane as being identified as "Quiet Routes". We assume this should read "Quiet Lanes" and neither road has been so classified. There has been a significant increase in traffic on The Ridge in recent years and the absence of available public transport will necessitate the use of cars for most journeys.

Village Design Statement
We are constantly being reassured by the District Authority that Village Design Statements are still considered as an important contributor to decision-making processes and that Parish Councils should continue to refer to them when making comments. We believe that the following guidelines have not been taken into consideration:

HOU1: New housing development should maintain and enhance the present character of the villages.
HOU2: Sympathetic infilling within settlement boundaries is supported where the houses are well matched with neighbouring properties in terms of design and scale.
SPGR2: Large extensive uninteresting features, such as blank walls, should be relieved with creative design in keeping with the overall situation.
FT1: New housing development should include an appropriate mix of building sizes and styles which conserve and enhance the character of the villages.

Yours faithfully

D Hudspith
Clerk to the Council

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