2 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST  There were none.

3 APPROVAL OF LAST MONTH’S MINUTES  
The Minutes were approved and signed by the Chairman as a true and accurate record of last month’s meeting.

4 QUESTIONS/COMMENTS FROM PARISHIONERS  There were none.

5 COUNTY/DISTRICT COUNCILLOR   Nothing to report.

6 HIGHWAYS  
The Clerk confirmed she had emailed the Environmental Maintenance Information Sheet to all Councillors.
The Clerk reported she had received an email from an employee of Haynes complaining of blocked drains and a broken drain cover outside Home Farm. This had been forwarded to Highways and she was awaiting a response.

Mrs Goodland said the problem in the High Street of standing water still hadn’t been dealt with. The Clerk confirmed she was still awaiting a response from Highways.
Mr Tuck said that when Church Road was surfaced dressed in 2007 the had missed a section of approximately 6’ at the junction of the old A303 and when the old A303 was surfaced dressed recently they still didn’t dress this area. The Clerk agreed to contact Highways.

7 LOCAL PLAN/VILLAGE DESIGN   Nothing to report.

8 CRIME/NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH  
PC Pepper gave the crime figures for April of 5 calls; 4 were information reports and one crime report of a theft from a motor vehicle in McDonalds’ car park. There were 8 calls in the same period last year. PC Pepper reported that Operation Relentless took place every 3 months directing different crimes within the area. The 14^th May is Environmental Awareness Day with locals being invited to collect litter from the area and taking it to Sparkford Services between 3 and 5 pm. Anyone bringing a carrier bag of litter can claim a meal voucher provided by McDonalds. Currently McDonalds are only obliged to clear litter within 100 metres of their site. Unfortunately McDonalds only agreed to be involved last Friday hence the late information on this event. However they are looking at another day sometime during the summer as they realise they have a responsibility to the community. PC Pepper said they had targeted all local schools with the hope they will take part. Environmental services will be on site to remove the rubbish.

Mr Crawford said that in the last week two quad bikes have been driving very fast through Weston Bampfylde and asked if there is a regulation on wearing helmets and registration plates on the vehicles. PC Pepper will look into this.
Mr Crawford asked how the Open Day went and PC Pepper said it was a great success. They raised nearly £400 for Dorset Air Ambulance with 400 people turning up. Lots of people had their photographs taken in the cells. There is a good chance of this happening again next year.

9 PLANNING DECISIONS  

Three planning decisions have been received:
09/01013/FULThe erection of a dwelling and 2 garages one to serve Lone Pine and one to serve new dwelling. Lone Pine, Church Road, Sparkford. Mr & Mrs G Tate APPROVED
09/00494/FUL Rerouting of private driveway, acoustic mound remodelling works and additional structural landscape planting. Sparkford Hall, Sparkford Road. Mr J Harman. APPROVED
08/04932/FUL Erection of single storey rear extension to dwelling. 51 Church Road, Sparkford. Mr Nelson James. APPROVED

10 PLANNING APPLICATIONS  
One Planning Application had been received:
09/01523/FUL - Erection of a boundary fence, retrospective application. Willow Lodge, Brains Lane, Sparkford. Mr Martin Cole

Mr Crawford reported that there was a team of 3 from the EA, Roger Meecham on behalf of the District Council, Mike Lewis, Tony Bourke and himself. They looked at clearing the River Cam north and south of the road bridge. The EA said that clearing the river course is not the best thing to do as to stop flooding you should slow water down and flood the fields. The priority was to clear under bridges. The District Council has a contract with the EA to inspect and maintain the bridges and Roger Meecham has taken this on board and will undertake an inspection. Mr Holbrook of The Mill also attended the meeting and the EA gave him contact numbers and said he could be given various information and if he was ever ill or going on holiday he could let them know and if there was an emergency they can come out to operate the weir on his behalf.

Regarding attenuation measures on the A303 this has already been looked at by the EA sometime ago but in order to do what they wanted to do the whole A303 would have to have a bund and it would be so large that it would be classed as a reservoir and cost £18-20 million.
Roger Meecham has the responsibility for the water course from the High Street, under the railway line, down to Ainstey Drive, Church Road, the mill leat and onwards. He will look at this again and contact us with some suggestions.

Mr Bourke said the EA is looking again at solar powered telemetry north of the old A303 but weren’t very hopeful that this would go ahead.

Mr Lewis said that the River Cam from London Road up to the Mill was trying to get to the course of the old River Cam and it tries to flow towards the hedge to the east. Possibly we could persuade the riparian owners to increase the height of the land at the base of the hedge to form a bund on the Sparkford side which would help alleviate this situation. He also said that Alan Rankin now acknowledged that he did indeed have a piped ditch and was now clearing this out.

Mr Tuck said if we were to pursue the idea of forming a bund on this side of the river bridge then we also need to do it on the other side.

b) Enhanced Street Cleaning
The Clerk had sent a copy of this information to all Councillors. Mr Tuck asked what "deep cleaning" of rural roads meant. Mr Lewis promised to look into this.
Mr Tuck also asked who owned the lay-by in Church Road as it badly needed resurfacing. Mr Lewis thought it was owned by Highways. The Clerk will look into this.

c) Environment Day 14^th May  
This item was covered in item 8 above.

d) Area East – follow up flooding workshop    Councillors had received this information. The Clerk is awaiting confirmation of the date.

e) Area East Community Forum  
The next meeting is to be held on Tuesday 30^th June at 6.15pm in Caryford Hall. The Clerk had given the information to both Mr Crawford and Mr Bourke as they normally attended these meetings. They are to confirm if they are able to attend and give the information requested in the letter.

f) Opportunity for a Youth Worker  
All Councillors had received this information and had no comments to make.

g) Sparkford Cricket field 
The Clerk reported that she had received information from Dyne Drewett that they were holding documents on behalf of the Parish Council and when she enquired as to the nature of these she has found out they are the deeds for the cricket field. These deeds confirm the land was willed to the Parish Council to be held upon trust for the perpetual use by the public for the purposes of exercise and recreation and in particular that the Sparkford Cricket Club shall be allowed to utilise the said land rent free during the cricket season in each year and to maintain a pavilion there free of charge for so long as the said land is required by the club as a cricket ground.

12 PAYMENT OF ACCOUNTS
a) Clerk’s Salary & Expenses  
The Clerk’s salary of £132.55 and expenses of £20.73 were approved.

b) Payment of Parish Insurance  
It was agreed that we would continue with our present insurers and to pay this year’s premium of £269.70.

13 CORRESPONDENCE
a) National Cycle Network : Signing  
All Councillors agreed for these signs to be erected on the same posts as the National Byway signs. The Clerk will inform Sustrans.

14 ANY OTHER BUSINESS   
Mr Lewis reported that he was at a presentation last week of the East Coker Rope & Twine Works which have been compulsory purchased by SSDC as it is one of the few remaining rope and twine works with the original machinery. It is most famous for two people – Hardy of "Kiss me Hardy" fame and William Dampier who is thought to have been a pirate and founded Australia. Two people in Sparkford are direct descendants of William Dampier – Anne Aldworth and Tony Hill.

15 QUESTIONS/COMMENTS FROM PARISHIONERS  
There were none.

16 QUESTIONS/COMMENTS FROM COUNCILLORS 
Mr Tuck asked if we could have an update on the affordable housing next month as the deadline was getting very close. Mr Lewis said that the only building work being done at the moment was affordable housing and he thought the deadline might be extended. Mr Crawford confirmed he had emailed Mark Dillon and was awaiting a response.

Mr Piper gave his apologies for the next meeting.

17 ITEMS FOR FUTURE AGENDA   There were none.

18 DATE OF NEXT MEETING    Monday, 1^st June 2009.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.10 pm.