ECCLESHALL PARISH COUNCIL – ENHANCEMENTS AND PRESERVATION COMMITTEE – Wednesday, April 5^th 2023

A meeting of the Enhancements and Preservation Committee was held on Wednesday, 5^th April 2023 at Eccleshall Community Centre, at 8.10pm.

  Present were:-

Councillor L. Dale (Chair)                   Councillor R. Langford

Councillor G. Dale                             Councillor S. Perren

Councillor D. Hill                               Councillor R. Taylor

Mrs S. J. Worden (Clerk)

1).    Apologies:- Apologies were received from Cllrs. J. Jones, P. Jones and Wilkins.

2).    Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday February 1^st 2023:-

The minutes, which had previously been noted by the Council, were agreed and signed.

3).   Asset inspections:

• Members noted receipt of the circulated assets inspection sheet for 2023/24 and were asked to commence the inspections at their earliest convenience.
• Outstanding remedial works are ongoing, and include bench repairs at Linacre Road and near Byanna, as well as work to support the central posts on the benches located at Elford Heath.

4).   Ecclian bench seat on the Eyeswells  – feedback from the Ecclian meeting on the broken bench

The Ecclian society have agreed to replace the broken bench seat and to upgrade it with a steel galvanized seat that is powder coated in light moss green colour. It is to be owned and maintained by the Ecclians. It was agreed to write and thank them for their support.

5).   Refurbished BT boxes:

• To consider plans for repurposing the BT box on the Washpits and any responses from volunteers. No community groups have shown an interest in taking on repurposing of the BT box. One suggestion provided has been for use as a food bank. Members discussed options and liked the idea of creating an information point, with a display of historical information about Eccleshall that could be changed when required, plus a leaflet rack which could contain copies of the parish walks booklets. The Clerk was asked to contact the Historical Society to see if they would provide a display.
• To advise any updates to the work at Croxton and Fair Oak. The contractor has the keys and the paint but is having to wait for suitable weather to start the outside works. Some work has commenced to the interior of the Fair Oak box.

6).   To consider quotations and recommend the contractor to undertake the watering contract for 2023/24

Quotations were received from Stafford Borough Council and Perry’s of Eccleshall. The Clerk was unable to find a third contractor to quote due to the specialist nature of the work. It was resolved to recommend Perry’s of Eccleshall to undertake the watering, at a cost of £5900, with the option to extend the contract duration for further weeks at a cost of £7700 if the displays are in good condition.

Cllr. Hill abstained from the discussion and vote on this item.

7).   To provide an update on planned pavement clearance works and consider any alternative quotations

TGM has advised it is no longer able to undertake works to the Newport Road and Stafford Road due to resource limitations. A further quotation was received from G-Tec to undertake the Stafford Road works. It was resolved to recommend acceptance of the quote at a cost of £600 plus VAT. It is hoped they will also quote for Newport Road, but this will require traffic management for safety of the workforce and this is awaiting costings.

8).   Lengthsman contract – to put together an initial list of priority activities to be undertaken during the period April-end May and consider delegation options to reduce delays in arranging works

Initial works to request include:

• Tidying of the area around the Rotary Bench on the Stone Road
• Removal of debris on pavement along the Stone Road near to the toilets and adjacent road edge.
• Tidy of Castle Street prior to the Coronation weekend, details to be agreed with contractor on site visit
• Tidy of Croxton in area near to well dressing, in the last week of June.

It was resolved to recommend that the Clerk has delegated powers to liaise with G-Tec to authorise works as required, in consultation with the Enhancements chairman, and within the scope of the approved budget. Members are asked to submit any areas for consideration. Updates will be reported back to the committee.

9).  Littering in Croxton – to consider a request to write to local fast food outlets to promote ant-littering or undertake a litter pick

Cllr. Langford raised concerns about excessive littering on the B5026 from Loggerheads on the approach to Broughton Church and the abundance of fast food rubbish. Members considered the ongoing issues but felt that writing to fast food outlets and displaying posters would have little impact on those that do litter.

10).  Elford Heath – to consider a request to look at opportunities for habitat creation to support butterfly conservation

The committee agreed for the Clerk to approach Staffordshire Wildlife Trust to explore this possibility and report back to the committee for consideration of any resulting proposals.

11).  To discuss concerns with regards to a slippery area of pavement along Castle Street

Certain weather conditions result in a slippy residue on the pavement area which can be hazardous to pedestrians. When the Clerk is made aware that the residue has built up Streetscene is requested to sweep the area.

12).  To feedback on a recent playground inspection course attended by the Clerk and consider any recommendations arising

The clerk provided a summary of the main points from the course, which was very helpful in clarifying roles and responsibilities for playground management and inspections. Whilst the Parish Council undertakes regular visual inspections and an annual inspection, it was recommended that good practice also includes intermediate ‘operational’ inspections by an accredited inspector. Based on the size and use of Croxton play area, it was resolved to recommend that 3 additional operational inspections be undertaken, in addition to the current annual inspection and regular visual inspections. Quotes were considered and it was resolved to recommend HAGS to undertake the work, at a cost of £70 per visit.

 13). Beech Road play area – to consider whether interest is ongoing and to continue to request the opportunity to take over the area.

The poor provision within the play area was noted. The committee were keen to continue with the request to take over the play area and make improvements. It was resolved to recommend the Borough Council were approached to request an update on the proposal by the Parish Council to take over this area.

14). Correspondence:-

• A resident has advised that they will be undertaking repairs to a wall that backs onto the Jubilee playing field and that temporary fencing will be in place during the works.

15).  Items for next meeting

To review any feedback regarding usage of the outdoor gym equipment.

Any further items for consideration to be sent to the Clerk.

16).  Date of Next Meeting:-  June 7^th, 2023, following the planning meeting.

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 8.50pm.