ILAM PARISH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES

24 September 2019 @ 8 pm Ilam School

Present C Sellers, V Nottage, R Wain, N Taylor, K Warrington, L Oulsnam

                                E Wain (SMDC), A Johnson (NT), S Chapman (YHA), P Watson (Clerk)                    

Apologies           C Hibbert-Foy

Minutes

● Minutes of the meeting held on 16 July were read and signed as true and correct.

National Trust

● Planning permission has been granted to create 12 parking spaces in the Croft.  NT’s building surveyor will see what can be done to improve drainage there so that the work can be planned in during the car park construction work.

● The possibility of a gating order for Dovedale will be discussed with Staffordshire Highways.

● Felling of the 120 ash trees in Dovedale suffering from die-back will start on 07 October and NT hope that it will be completed within a couple of weeks.  The main path up Dovedale will have to be closed during the work so an alternative route will be sign posted.

● There are plans for garden development, a new footbridge next year to replace the ill-fated rope bridge, new surfaced paths and a “changing places” room for disabled visitors.

YHA

● S Chapman reported that Ilam Hall Youth Hostel has had a successful summer season and operations are running smoothly.

Peak Park

● The Clerk informed the meeting of correspondence between Peak Park, Izaak Walton hotel and the Parish Council regarding the hotel’s signage.  Despite their protestations, the Council felt that Peak Park had dealt with the issue in an unnecessarily abrupt manner.

● It had been thought that a “Coaches Only” banner sign, similar to the Izaak Walton’s sign, would be suitable for the coach lay-by.  However, in view of Peak Park’s disapproval of Izaak Walton’s banner sign, the Clerk will contact Peak Park again for other suggestions from them.

● CS will again raise the poor state of the Church Path with Peak Park.  Meanwhile District Councillor Wain has made £150 available to the church for repairs to it and the Parish Council will consider ways of raising further funds to get the path properly surfaced.

Improving Village Environment

● In response to a comment from a parishioner that the tractor tyre was not level, the Council noted that this was intentional to match the contours of the land.  There are plans to plant bushes around the tyre eventually.

● A few more limestone chippings are needed on the path opposite Town End Cottage.  RW will procure them and councillors will help to spread them where required.

Highways

● The new sign at Blore crossroads seems to be effective in discouraging coaches approaching Ilam Bridge.

● District Councillor Wain reported that Gill Heath had said the new bollards to replace the broken ones by the bridge have been ordered. 

● The Clerk will report the extensive damage to the kerbstones by the bridge and the remedial welding needed on the cattle grid at the foot of Blore Pastures. 

● RW will remind Charles Hurt about collecting the Casterne Spur “No Through Road” sign from Leek.

SMDC

● Timesheets have been received from the lengthsman so the Clerk will put in a claim for his services.

Finance

● There is £609 in the account. Expected expenditure for the rest of the financial year is £395 while income of £411 will be received. So the year-end balance should be £626.

● The Children’s Air Ambulance service did not respond to the Council’s offer of a donation so this has been removed from the budget.

● The Clerk will remind Ian Frith to submit an invoice for relocating the defibrillator.

Date of next meeting    The next meeting will be on 12 November.