8th An early start to take my car for its annual service and MOT for 8.30 a.m. All completed and back home for coffee at 11.30.
9th Two meetings this evening the first in the Club House, Wetheral for a meeting of the Wetheral Playing Field Committee of which I am a member. An update was given regarding the replacement render which is much improved, the showers which have had improved drainage, the general field maintenance which needs occasional grass cutting and further work on drainage at the bottom corner and finally the maintenance of the roller. A field Health and Safety risk assessment has been carried out and signage regarding this will be actioned. Public Liability involving events not organised by the WPFA will need to produce their own insurance certificates. We then discussed the fees and charges for the current year and also the increases for future years before considering quotes for the tarmac of the car park but decided to leave this in abeyance to allow it to settle before the work is carried out. The AGM will be held at the end of September on a date to be announced. I left the meeting with just enough time to be present at a joint City Councillor Ward Surgery with my fellow Ward Councillor, Stephen Higgs, and Councillor Doreen Parsons, Councillor for Great Corby Ward, at the Village Hall, Warwick-on-Eden. Also present was an officer from the Environment Agency and an officer from the County Council in order to discuss the formation of a Flood Forum for Warwick Bridge/ Wetheral. The main points being both Community and Personal Resilience but also there was the chance of a question and answer session by members of the public who also put forward their views regarding ideas for further prevention of flooding in the future.
10th The monthly Site Visits of the Development Control Committee took place, with only two sites to visit one in Burgh-by-Sands and the other in Boustead Hill both being contentious. After the visits we returned to The Civic Centre where we had a “Question and Answer” session in order to ascertain the need for further training of the Committee. In the evening I was present at the monthly meeting of Wetheral Parish Council which started early due to a presentation by Zoe Sutton and Richard Wood from Carlisle City Council and Bryan Craig of Dalston Parish Council regarding the potential of a Neighbourhood Plan for Wetheral Parish. This was followed by the usual agenda items of the monthly meeting including some six planning applications that had been received since the last planning committee. There were concerns regarding access to proposed development adjacent to the Methodist Church, Wetheral as well as adequate drainage. Reports were received regarding speeding vehicles through many of the villages and I have had and am also having meetings with the police regarding speeding and a group of villagers from Cumwhinton are still awaiting training in the use of the lazar speed gun. A tree on Scotby Green has died and been removed but a local resident has offered to pay for a replacement tree and this should be approved by the Parish Council at its next meeting. 35 residents attended the Defibrillator Awareness Course at Scotby. Great Corby, Cumwhinton and Cotehill are to organise their sessions.
11th I had to call in to the offices of the Carlisle and Eden Districts CAB to sign the monthly cheques, although no longer a Trustee Director I am still on the mandate as a signature of cheques. At 1 p.m. I attended the Conservative Policy Group meeting at the Civic Centre. What type of City do we propose for the future? Retail Centre, Leisure Centre, Tourist Centre, Academic Centre, Industrial Centre etc. What is the vision? We then discussed the New Local Plan and the % of new homes needed over the next 14 years dependant on the economy and the potential of the new Commercial/Industrial Site at Junction 42 of the Motorway.
12th Development Control Committee day, so back to the Civic Centre for 9 A.M. for a pre-meeting. We had twelve contentious planning applications to determine and agreed the planning officers recommendation on eleven but refused the application for the erection of 2 Holiday units together with single storey store, associated landscaping and 2 seasonal camping pitches at Boustead Hill. We also approved to amend the Scheme of Delegation so as to authorise the revocation of Tree Preservation Orders in certain circumstances. The meeting did not finish until 3 p.m. so it has been back to a full and busy week.