ECCLESHALL PARISH COUNCIL – ENHANCEMENTS AND PRESERVATION COMMITTEE – Wednesday, December 4^th 2024

 Draft

A meeting of the Enhancements and Preservation Committee was held on Wednesday, 4^th December 2024 at Eccleshall Community Centre, after the Planning Committee meeting, at 7.40 pm.

  Present were:-

Councillor R. Langford (Chairman)     Councillor G. Dale

Councillor D. Hall                                   Councillor C. Wilkins

Councillor R. Taylor                                Councillor D. Hill

Mrs S. J. Worden (Clerk)

No members of the public

 1).    Apologies:-

Apologies were received from Cllrs. Perren, Jones and Ryan-Bloor.

2).    Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 2^nd October 2024:-

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

3).   Asset inspections:-

• Members were circulated the latest 2024 asset inspection sheets for information. There are two areas pending checks. Hall volunteered to check Copmere picnic area.

4).   Refurbished BT boxes:-

• Quotation for repainting BT box on the Washpits

It was resolved to recommend approval of the repainting of the phone box. The current cost is quoted at £600 but as the work will be scheduled for the next financial year, there will be a small inflationary increase which the committee were happy to accommodate.

5).   Croxton Play area and Outdoor Gyms:

• Inspection Reports:

Members received the annual inspection reports for the play area and two outdoor gyms. The only area of concern raised was in relation to the outdoor gym at the Community Centre. At the time of the inspection, cars were overhanging the rear of the car park, putting them too close to the equipment. Cllr. Dale will look to see which groups were in attendance at the time and date of the inspection and could speak to attendees if needed. The situation will be monitored.

• Croxton play area trim trail:

The Clerk obtained two initial quotes so that the committee could get an idea of the price for replacing the trim trail, to consider if it proves more cost-effective long term than the ongoing replacement of individual posts. The pricing is flexible depending on the elements for inclusion. The quotes provided were in the 10-12k range, but a more ‘like for like’ replacement could reduce the cost. All pieces would need metal feet and best aimed at a younger audience. The committee resolved to recommend allocating a budget of £8,000 for the Clerk to obtain 3 formal quotes for consideration.

6).   Elford Heath:

• Issues with moles and damage to contractor equipment: There are a large number of molehills on the open space, causing problems with grass cutting, and the contractor has broken a winder when recently cutting the area. As a wildlife area, the committee is not in favour of trapping moles but instead suggested the molehills are levelled before mowing. The clerk will advise the contractor accordingly.

7).   To award the tenders for the grass cutting contract 2025-2027

• The Clerk provided members with a copy of the tenders submitted for their consideration. Three contractors had submitted tenders.

After due consideration the committee resolved to recommend allocation of works as follows:-

Jacksons of Eccleshall:

o            Elford Heath, triangle near Kerry Lane – x 10

o            Offley Hay Village Hall – x 8

o            Rose Bay Willow Herb (cutting back) – x 3

Trent Grounds Maintenance:

o            Kerry Lane verge (bench site) x 10

o            Washpits, Eyeswells footpath, Croxton Play area, Bishops Court mowing-  fortnightly

o            Picnic Site, Pump Site, Eyeswells strimming/hedge, 2 verges opposite Croxton play area –  monthly

o            Eyeswells and Bishops Court Hedge – annual cuts

o            Footpath 13, Hartlands Rd alley –  x 3

o            Church St and Castle St. Verges – x 4

o            Strimming of vegetation on wall, Stafford Road- x 3

8).   Beech Road:

• The lease has been reviewed by the solicitor and one minor change referred back to the Borough Council for review. In addition, clarification has been requested on permission to remove and scrap the existing play equipment owned by the Borough. The clerk will also be meeting with Borough council representatives to request repairs to the perimeter fencing prior to handover.
• The working group met and proposed some minor tweaks to the play design. Unfortunately, accommodating all amendments took the proposal too far over budget. A revised option was then produced which retains the original size of trampoline. Some concerns were raised about the potential misuse of the trampoline, but this will be monitored. This revision brought the new proposal down to £99,500, increased from the original budget of £95,000. It was resolved to recommend approval of the revised quotation.

9).   Lengthsman Scheme

Members were asked to forward any areas of work to the Clerk for consideration. Planned works include clearance of Stafford Road pavement where there is encroaching vegetation. The Clerk was asked to extend this work to the stretch of pavement on the corner of Blurtons Lane. The Clerk will also contact County Highways to follow up on the request to clear the pavement at Slindon. It was noted that Streetscene has sent out the small sweeper to clear roadside gutters – the larger sweeper is awaiting repairs at present.

10). Correspondence:

• Correspondence was received from the SPCA with regards to the Sakura Cherry Tree Project, whereby the council can request cherry trees for planting in November 2026. The committee agreed to express an interest to receive three cherry trees. Locations for consideration included the Jubilee Field, Beech Road and the rear of the library.

11).  Items for next meeting:-

Any items for consideration to be sent to the Clerk.

12).  Date of Next Meeting:-

February 5^th 2025, following the Planning Committee meeting.

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 8.30pm.