FARRINGDON
PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
7th January 2004
The meeting considered minutes of the last official meeting of the Parish Council (5/11/03) and the consultative meeting with the village (26/11/03).
Massey's Folly/Nursery School
The meeting was told that the opening of the proposed Nursery in the Village Hall had been postponed till 5 April, for a variety of reasons. The re-division of the Folly still awaited a decision from the Trustees (owners of the other half of the property) on expenditure involved in the project. However, the postponement of the Nursery opening allowed a window which might allow planning permission and execution of the re-division work.Chase Field/Maplecombe
The meeting learned that the Public Enquiry into the first proposal for the Chase Field/Maplecombe would be held at Four Marks Village Hall in April. Regarding the two new proposals for the site tabled at the end of last year, the meeting was told that the larger (34 houses) had been turned down by EHDC and that the smaller (25 houses) would be discussed at the next meeting of the North West Planning Committee on 22 January. This would be attended by representatives of the Parish Council.Rural Safety Initiative
It was agreed that Farringdon should participate in the pilot trial of the Rural Safety Initiative with EHDC. Cllr. Nadya Wagland would chair the group, and Parish Clerk, Mike Findlay, would act as Minutes Secretary. Further details will follow.Village Design Statement
Ian Dussek reported that the Village Design Statement had been approved by EHDC and that its adoption had been recommended to the NW Area Planning Committee for consideration at its January meeting; the final draft was currently being printed. The VDS was adopted formally by the PC. Copies would soon be available for perusal from the Parish Clerk and every village household would receive a copy.Roads
The poor state of the roads and pavements, due largely to leaves, was discussed, and the Clerk would raise this with the appropriate authorities.Village Shop
There was no positive news about the possible future village shop and post office at the Royal Oak, but interest in opening a retail outlet in the other half of the Folly had been expressed.Finance
Farringdon would claim no increase in its annual precept from EHDC for the third year running; it would remain at £5,500.00 and Cllr Tim Charrington would examine possibilities for higher yield investments during the next months.Planning
Several planning applications received since the last meeting were discussed, including one predominantly relevant to Four Marks, though technically within the Farringdon parish.Litter Pick
Farringdon residents would be asked to assist with the annual litter-pick around the lanes of the village on 4 April.Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Parish Council would be on 3 March 2004. Remember the Village Meeting (21 April 2004) and the FPC AGM on 12 May 2004.Mike Findlay
Clerk to the Council