Rolleston-on-Dove Parish Council
News 2012

NEWSLETTER - WINTER 2012

Chairman’s Christmas Message

Christmas is always a good time to reflect on the past year’s events and during 2012 there has certainly been a lot happening in the village with the highlight being the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The Parish Council have commemorated this historic event by the creation of a community orchard on the old bottle tip.

It is worth noting that all of the events that take place in Rolleston are organised by various voluntary groups and I thank each and every one of them for making village life so much richer. My thanks also go to members of the Parish Council for their commitment to the village with special thanks to Heidi the Parish Clerk for all her help and support.

2012 was also a year when Rolleston was subjected to a much larger than normal number of developers expressing an interest in building in the village, the Parish Council has had presentations from 4 such developers. A common theme with the developers is the desire to beat the adoption of East Staffordshire Borough Council’s Local Plan.

Christmas is a special time for many people, personally it is one of my favourite times as I love to see the bright lights and decorations adorning many houses but I also think of those less fortunate than myself not forgetting the wildlife that contributes so much to village life. To them and all of you I wish a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Best Regards
Barry J Edwards

COMPLETION OF THE ANNUAL AUDIT 2011/2012
The External Auditor has now completed work on the 2011/12 Annual Return for the year ending on 31st March 2012. The External Auditor has confirmed that on the basis of their review the information contained in the annual return is in accordance with the Audit Commissions requirements and no matters have come to their attention giving cause for concern that relevant legislation and regulatory requirements have not been met.

Statement of Accounts

PRECEPT
The activities of the Parish Council are made possible by the precept charged to Council tax payers. As always this remains a tiny part of the total council tax bill. This year’s precept was set at £43,450.00 which remained the same as the previous financial year. Some examples of where the precept is spent are grass cutting of some of the verges within the village, mowing and maintenance of public open spaces, maintenance of play areas, plants, bin emptying, installation of signs, the upkeep of the bus shelters and some environmental work. Careful budgeting and procurement of contracts, also allows for donations to be made throughout the year to support the various village organisations and donations made this year include those to FOJORPS, School Community Day, Rolleston Scout Carnival, Rolleston Scout Group Kenya Project, St Marys Church Fabric Fund, the purchase of a bench to commemorate the centenary of the Almshouses and a donation towards the purchase of the Diamond Jubilee Medallions.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD STUDENTS
The Parish Council are aware of a group of De Ferrers Students that are regularly picking litter in Craythorne Woods and Tafflands Play Area as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award Certificates. We would like to convey our thanks to these young people for the work that they are carrying out.

PARISH COUNCIL CLERK REPORTS & MINUTES
Copies of the Clerks Reports, Agendas and Minutes can be downloaded from the village website: www.rolleston.org.uk  Regular updates on the Parish Councils activities can be found on the Parish Councils Facebook page and notices of forthcoming meetings and activities are displayed on the noticeboard outside Starbucks News and on the noticeboard on the jitty between Westbury Homes and Meadow View.

PLANNING NEWS
Planning once again remains at the forefront of the Parish Council’s agenda with the planning applications for the development off Meadow View and on the College Playing Fields still to be determined. The Parish Council has also now received a presentation from a developer for a development off Craythorne Road. It is understood that a full planning application for the development of four detached houses will be submitted to the Local Authority in the near future. As and when an application is submitted there will be a 21 day consultation period in which the Parish Council will consider the full details of the application. Villagers will also have an opportunity to submit comments to the Local Planning Authority during the consultation period. The Parish Council continues to challenge ESBC with regards to its “Strategic Village” status and has also submitted a detailed challenge to ESBC Local Plan Preferred Option.

SPREAD EAGLE ISLAND
A contractor has now been appointed to undertake the landscaping works to the Spread Eagle Island and a planting scheme has now also been approved. As part of the works, the railings will be refurbished and repainted.

THE CROFT
A proposal has been agreed in principle to replace the rotten posts on the boundary of The Croft, along with some tidying up of the boundaries and the purchase of a new sign recognising the registration of the Croft as a Village Green. It is hoped that the majority of the funding will be secured through ESBC Neighbourhood Priorities grant.

-----

Comments or views on these or other matters may be addressed to
Mrs. H. Light, Clerk of the Council
8, Beacon Drive, Rolleston on Dove DE13 9EL, 01283 812538 (office hours), hlight@btinternet.com

NEWSLETTER - AUTUMN 2012

“SPRING CLEAN FOR THE QUEEN” COMPETITION
In the last issue of the Rollestonian, I reported on the proposed replacement of the three rotten weirs along Burnside. The weirs were replaced on village clean up day, when an army of volunteers turned out to help with the replacement of the weirs and also to carry out clearance work on the boundary of The Croft and The Spread Eagle Island. Sincere thanks to all of those who turned out to support the event and also to the Spread Eagle Public House who provided complimentary refreshments to the volunteers. I am delighted to say that our efforts and the work we put in as a Community did not go unnoticed. I submitted an entry detailing our Clean up into the Daily Mail’s “Spring Clean for the Queen” competition and I was over the moon when I received a telephone call from the Daily Mail advising that we had been awarded 2nd place prize of £5,000 to be spent on a Community Project. The Parish Council has committed to put £2,000 towards the Jubilee Orchard and it is still to be determined where the remainder of the money is to be allocated.

JUBILEE ORCHARD
Ground works have now commenced on the Jubilee Orchard. A total of 40 fruit trees, including Braeburns, Bramley Apples, Victoria Plum and Conference Pears have now been received and have been sponsored at £10.00 per tree by various families and organisations within the village. £2,000 from the prize money from the Spring Clean for the Queen competition has been committed to the Orchard, which will finance the ground works, removal of some existing trees and shrubbery, installation of fencing, gate and signage for the Orchard. It is anticipated that the works will be completed ready for planting in the Autumn and once established villager’s will have free access to pick and enjoy the fruit.

PLANNING NEWS
Once again, planning has featured heavily on the Parish Council’s agenda. The planning application to build 23 houses on Meadow View is still to be determined by ESBC and a planning application has now been submitted and is also to be determined to build 120 new houses on the College Playing Fields. The Parish Council has objected to both applications.

PARISH COUNCILLOR DEPARTURES
At the August Parish Council meeting we bid farewell to Andrew Fitton who has stood down after 5 years on the Parish Council, with the past 3 years in the role of Vice Chair. During his time on the Parish Council Andrew was instrumental in getting the scheme to supply dog waste bag dispensers round the village. Andrew also worked with CPRE to try and help to protect the village from development and has represented the Parish Council at the ESBC Neighbourhood Forum meetings.

Sadly, the August meeting also saw the departure of John Morris from the Parish Council, after a period of 21 years. During his time on the Parish Council John has served two, two year terms as Vice Chairman, two, two year terms of Chairman and from 2007-2011 a four year term as Borough Councillor.

During his term as Borough Councillor John always managed to obtain more than the grant shares allocated to Rolleston, by always having a project ready for when bids were to be submitted for unspent Councillors Grant. This meant that John was able to offer financial support to various Village Organisations with the projects below examples of just a few:-

Rolleston Scout Group with a number of grants, including making the vegetable garden, projector equipment. A Coach for the Brownies 100 years of Guiding celebration. John of Rolleston School garden, Rolleston Pre School with grants for furniture for the new building and for high Visibility jackets for when the children are out and about in the village.

We must not forget that Parish Councillor’s commit their time on a voluntary basis for which is a difficult and sometimes thankless task. John’s knowledge and experience will be greatly missed and I will personally miss his presence on the Parish Council.

FAREWELL TO AMEE JOHNS - YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE
At the July Parish Council meeting, we said goodbye to Amee Johns who has served as a Youth Representative on the Parish Council for the last two years. Amee is now off to University and members of the Parish Council wish her every success with her continued studies and would like to convey their thanks for the contributions she has made to the Parish Council over the last two years.

ESBC LOCAL PLAN - PREFERRED OPTION
ESBC have now published their Local Plan preferred option which is out for consultation from 25th July until 21st September. The local plan is the blueprint for how East Staffordshire will develop over the next 19 years, with the plan to determine how the Borough develops until 2031. ESBC believe that between 2012 and 2031 a total of 8935 additional houses should be built within the Borough. There is already a stock of 2223, leaving a need to build 6712 new houses.

The preferred Option seeks to deliver some growth in rural areas and the preferred strategy is to direct most village development to what ESBC believes are the four most sustainable villages: Tutbury, Rolleston on Dove, Barton under Needwood and Rocester.

ESBC Preferred Option is for the development of 100 new houses on the College playing fields, in the short to medium term and anticipate that an additional 25 houses will come forward under “Windfall”.

The Parish Council believe that the publication of the preferred option has undermined the villager’s right to determine the number of houses and where they should be located and has put this argument forward to ESBC. It has been suggested by ESBC that if alternative sites could be found, then they may re consider their “preferred option”.

The policies and proposals of the local plan will affect everyone that lives, works or visits East Staffordshire so please get involved and have your say.

An electronic version of the document is available to view on the Borough Councils website at http://www.eaststaffsbc.gov.uk. Copies of the document are available for inspection at the following locations, during normal office hours:- Burton upon Trent Library, Burton upon Trent Customer Service Centre, Uttoxeter Customer Service Centre, Barton under Needwood Library.

Comments can be submitted as follows:-
Online: http://eaststaffsbc-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal.
Via email: planningpolicy@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk
By post: Planning Policy Team, The Maltsters, Wetmore Road, Burton upon Trent, DE14 1LS.

Following consideration of all the comments received on the Preferred Options the Council will publish its draft Local Plan and then submit it to the Secretary of State for examination.

FLOODING
July 6th saw flooding in various village locations, including Chapel Lane, School Lane, Beacon Road, Knowles Hill, Anslow Lane, Burnside, Station Road, Brookside and garden flooding to some properties on Alderbrook Close.
As a result, the Parish Council will be meeting to review the flood action plan that is currently in place for the village and to try and ascertain the support that is available in the event of flooding from ESBC, SCC and the Police. Ultimately householders are responsible for ensuring the protection of their properties. Anyone can register for the Flood Warnings Direct Scheme by telephoning 0845 988 1188 or via the Environment Agency’s website. Warnings will be sent out by telephone, mobile telephone, fax, SMS message or e-mail.

There are areas within the village that are currently without “Flood Warden” Support and we are therefore appealing to anyone who can offer help in the event of flooding to come forward. The role includes giving support to those that have been identified as needing help in the event of flooding, help to put out road signs/support with road closures etc.

Whilst the Borough Council supplies the village annually with some sand and empty sand bags, it is up to householders to ensure that they have adequate provisions to protect their properties in the event of heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding. The Parish Council have recently come across some sand less sand bags, which take minimum amount of space to store and are available from £3.00 per bag. A Google search of sand less sandbags will show the various options available. If there are enough households interested in purchasing some bags for their personal property then the Parish Council would be willing to make a bulk purchase in order to obtain best value. To register your interest in either providing support in an emergency or to purchase some sand less sandbags, please contact me on the details below.

-----

HAVE YOUR SAY

Comments or views on these or other matters may be addressed to
Mrs. H. Light, Clerk of the Council
8, Beacon Drive, Rolleston on Dove DE13 9EL, 01283 812538 (office hours), hlight@btinternet.com

For regular updates on the Parish Councils activities, join us on Facebook: Rolleston on Dove Parish Council or visit the village website: www.rolleston.org.uk

NEWSLETTER - SUMMER 2012

ROLLESTONIAN OF THE YEAR
Massive congratulations to Tom Starbuck who was voted Rollestonian of the Year for 2011. Tom was presented with his award at the Annual Parish Meeting held on Monday 23rd April. Tom has been nominated for the award the past few years and it was therefore no surprise when his name was once again on the list of nominees this year. This year has seen Tom compete in his third London Marathon raising funds for Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

John Underhill was also once again nominated for the award, namely for the creation of the unique carved signs around the Tafflands play and picnic area. John has also taken on the task of creating the Water Pageant for this year’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.

I am slightly embarrassed to say that I also received two nominations for this year’s Rollestonian of the Year Award. Whilst it is true to say that my workload has doubled in the last twelve months, my incentive to work is to keep the village lovely and enjoyable place to live in!

PLANTERS
The Parish Council has just agreed to purchase an additional five planters to be installed along Burnside. It is hoped that these will be installed and planted up with Red, White & Blue Blooms ready for the Queens Jubilee Celebrations.

BURNSIDE WEIRS
The Parish Council has been awarded a grant for £1,300 from ESBC to replace the Weirs and install a fish pass along the Brook at Burnside. The necessary Environment Agency consent has been obtained ant it is hoped that these works will take place during May.

JUBILEE ORCHARD
The Parish Council will be creating a Jubilee Orchard within the village to mark the Queens Diamond Jubilee. Look out in future editions of the Rollestonian as to how you can get involved or follow us on Facebook:-

EXEMPLAR HOUSING PROJECT
During February the Parish Council made a visit to the Anglesey Exemplar housing project located at 369 Anglesey Road to experience first-hand an innovate project by the Borough Council

The project has used the latest thermal efficiency and energy monitoring technology to optimize energy use in a Victorian terrace house. The project is part of the Borough Councils Carbon Challenge which sets out to challenge us all to look at ways we can reduce energy use in our daily lives, which will ultimately save us money too. The exemplar house demonstrates that energy efficiency can start with simple choices that can be taken in ordinary homes to help reduce the impact of rising energy costs.

Light bulbs – LED vs. Halogen Many homes now use halogen spot lights bulbs costing around £3, but could be replaced with LED bulbs which cost 5 times as much but last 5 times longer and save energy consumption by up to 95%

Loft insulation Many homes lose a vast amount of heat through the roof space due to poor insulation, there are several projects offering free installation British Gas is one of the latest to focus on free loft insulation. Loft and cavity wall insulation is free for qualifying customers (see British Gas web site for details)

Electricity monitoring and stand by plugs The exemplar house used stand by plugs that turn off power supply when an appliance plugged in to it goes on standby, and used energy monitoring equipment to provide real time energy consumption in £’s keep a watch on energy being consumed by appliances left on in the house. These devices are available at a low cost from DIY shops and give a perspective of real time cost which research has shown focuses home owners on reducing bills by switching off unused equipment.

The house is also packed with many more features that could be integrated in to a renovation project including floor insulation and fire extinguishing equipment built in to the ceiling.

The exemplar property is open to the public. To check opening times please refer to ESBC website. www.eaststaffsbc.gov.uk

COMMUNITY ICE BUSTERS
Each year following the poor weather the Parish Council are approached with appeals to have additional grit bins in the village. Last year we were successful with our request to SCC to supply additional grit bins at the Shotwood Close/Church Road junction, The Lawns Bridge junction with Burnside and the Marston Lane/Church Road junction. Unfortunately our request the previous two years for a grit bin on Dodslow Avenue has been refused. Namely, because the grit is needed for the footway and not the highway. We have therefore been advised of the Ice Busters Initiative and have outlined some details below:-

• Ice Busters is a County Council highways initiative supporting self-help groups by providing them with advice and grit/brine to treat locally important footways and pedestrian routes during the winter months keeping them clear of snow and ice.
• The initiative is aimed at Parish Councils and residents associations who are able to mobilise dedicated volunteers to treat the footways during periods of prolonged cold weather and clear snow over the winter.
• The treatment options include the application of grit or a brine solution which will be provided by Staffordshire’s Highway Teams.
• The amount of grit or brine provided should reflect the extent of the areas being treated. Depending on the severity of the winter, stocks may need to be replenished.
• The initiative also offers a structure for the groups to extend the self-help to other, non-highway areas by supplementing the highway resources. Highway Teams may be able to assist with this.

Good Samaritan clause one of the great misconceptions, often perpetuated by the media, is that we can be liable for the consequences of any voluntary acts on our part. During winter 2009/10, advice was given on television and radio to householders not to clear the snow in front of their properties in case any passerby would fall and then sue. This is another manifestation of the fear of litigation. In fact there is no liability in the normal way, and the Lord Chief Justice himself is reported as saying that he had never come across a case where someone was sued in these circumstances. If you would like to get involved then please contact the clerk for further details, hlight@btinternet.com

PLANNING NEWS
As reported in the previous issues of the Rollestonian, Planning has remained at the forefront of the Parish Council’s agenda, with developers coming forward with proposed plans for the village.

Proposed New School: Despite a very big fight put up by the Parish Council, ESBC, residents and neighbouring Parish Councils the outline planning application has been approved by SCC.

College Playing Field: A Public Meeting was held on 16th April with regards to Burton College’s proposals for the development of the college playing field. They have advised that they will be submitting an outline planning application to ESBC during May, which will be for the development of 120 new houses. A 21 day consultation period, will follow the submission and registration of the application. The Parish Council will endeavor to keep the village updated with the proposals and it is essential that any objections to the development are formally submitted to ESBC during the consultation period.

Meadow View: An application has now been submitted and due to be determined by ESBC. The Parish Council has objected to this application.

JUBILEE MEDALLIONS
As reported in the last issue of the Rollestonian, Jubilee Medallions will be presented to pupils of John of Rolleston Schools and children who attend Rolleston Pre School and Rolleston Kindergarten to commemorate the Queens Jubilee. The medallions have been purchased by Rolleston on Dove Parish Council, RODSEC, Rolleston Civic Trust and a grant from ESBC. Medallions will also be available to purchase during the Jubilee Weekend or via the clerk at £2.00 per medallion.

CRAYTHORNE CAR PARK
Works have now been completed on a further extension to the tarmac area on Craythorne Car Park. A grant of £5,500 was secured from ESBC towards the works. It should be noted that the Parish Council are not responsible for the roads and the money awarded could not have been used on the pot holes on the highway.

-----

HAVE YOUR SAY

Comments or views on these or other matters may be addressed to
Mrs. H. Light, Clerk of the Council
8, Beacon Drive, Rolleston on Dove DE13 9EL, 01283 812538 (office hours), hlight@btinternet.com

NEWSLETTER - SPRING 2012

ROLLESTONIAN OF THE YEAR – NOMINATIONS PLEASE
The Parish Council will make an award “Rollestonian of the year” each year to a villager who in their opinion has served the community above and beyond that which could be considered normal or to a villager who has achieved exceptional heights in their particular field. (Sport, arts etc). The award to be presented at the Annual Parish Meeting by the Chairman of the Parish Council, or in his absence the Vice-Chairman of the Parish Council. Nominations are to be sent to the Clerk of the Parish Council by 26th March 2012 and should include a brief note supporting the nomination. A nomination box will also be sited in Starbucks News for the duration of March.

At the April Parish Council meeting 2nd April 2012 all Councillors will be given a voting paper listing all nominations. During part 2 of the meeting brief details of all nominations will be read out by the Clerk after which Councillors will vote for their top 3 nominations giving 3 points for their first choice, 2 points for their second choice and one point for their third choice. The nomination with the highest number of points will be given the award. In the event of a tie new voting papers will be issued and Councillors will vote again between the tied nominees giving one point to their first choice nominee. The nominee with the highest number of points will be given the award. In the event of another tie the Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote.

For the purpose of this award any person living in Rolleston on Dove is considered to be a “Rollestonian”. Serving Parish Councillors are not eligible for this award.

PLANNING NEWS
As reported in the previous issue of the Rollestonian, Planning has remained at the forefront of the Parish Council’s agenda, with developers coming forward with proposed plans for the village.

Proposed New School
Towards the end of last year, a public exhibition was held by a Consultant acting on behalf of Staffordshire County Council where development plans were displayed for the proposal of at least 325 houses and a primary school on land between Tutbury Road, Harehedge Lane and Rolleston Road.

Rolleston Parish Council strongly objected to the proposals and actively encouraged villagers to do the same. The main points of concern for the Parish Council being:

It will virtually join Rolleston to Horninglow and Outwoods making us part of Burton, which is against the Borough Councils policy.

Current demand for school places is already met. The application claims there is a shortage of school places. Information received shows this is not the case, and that demand for places is in fact generated from Burton town Centre population growth. The location of this school is in completely the wrong place and, being on the fringe of the village, threatens the future of our village school.

Increased traffic congestion: Traffic around school times is already horrendous in this area. Access to the school is limited, and traffic worsened by its location away from the where the pupils live. In fact the traffic will be doubled, as parents will travel from Burton to Rolleston and then back to Burton to work, making the reverse return trip to collect children after school. This is in addition to the 325 families leaving for and returning from work.

As I write this, Staffordshire County Council have submitted an application to build a new Primary School on the proposed land. There is no active planning application for the building of the proposed 325 new houses, but the Parish Council is under no illusion that the planning application for the School is part of a wider strategy and that an application for a residential development will follow.

College Field
The Parish Council has recently been shown proposals for the development of the college field at the rear of Forest School Street. The proposed application was for 120 new dwellings. At this stage there is no active planning application under consultation, but the Parish Council has voiced various concerns about the proposed development to both the developer and the Chief Executive of Burton College, these concerns include the proposed number of houses, the style of the proposed houses, the lack of public open space within the development and the loss of the Sports Field. We have also suggested that this application when submitted should be refused by ESBC on the grounds of prematurity. The community of Rolleston on Dove is currently preparing a Neighbourhood Development Plan which will be completed in the summer of 2012 and in line with the recently enacted Localism Bill. We believe that this plan should determine how much development takes place in the village, what form that development should take, and where it is located.

Meadow View
As reported in the last edition of the Rollestonian the Parish Council have been shown plans for the proposed development of 23 houses off Meadow View. The Parish Council raised several concerns with the developer. Despite the points raised, the developer seems determined to proceed with the submission of a planning application to ESBC. It is understood that the application has been lodged with ESBC but at the time of writing, has not yet been registered by the Council.

APRIL PARISH COUNCIL & ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
Due to the Bank Holiday, the April Parish Council meeting will take place on Monday 2nd April and The Annual Parish Meeting will take place on Monday 16th April commencing 7.30pm. The Annual Parish Council meeting will take place on Monday 14th May, commencing 7.30pm.

VILLAGE CLEAN UP
This year’s Village Clean up Day will take place on Saturday 26th May, commencing at 9.30am. The meeting place will be the Spread Eagle Car Park and everyone is welcome to come along and help. It is recommended that you come in wellies and where possible bring your own tools and gloves.

ANNUAL PARISH FOOTPATH WALKS
This year’s Annual Footpath Walks are to take place on Tuesday 12th and 19th June, departing from outside the Spread Eagle Public House at 6.30pm. A map of the various footpath walks is also available free of charge from Starbucks News.

PRECEPT
The activities of the Parish Council are made possible by the precept charged to Council tax payers. As always this remains a tiny part of the total council tax bill. This year’s precept has been set at £43,450.00 which remains the same as the previous financial year.

-----

HAVE YOUR SAY

Comments or views on these or other matters may be addressed to
Mrs. H. Light, Clerk of the Council
8, Beacon Drive, Rolleston on Dove DE13 9EL, 01283 812538 (office hours), hlight@btinternet.com

Last updated: 27 December 2012