COOKHAM PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of a Meeting of the

 FOOTPATHS & OPEN SPACES COMMITTEE

PRESENT:            Cllr G. Harris (Chairman) 

Cllrs: M. Barnes, A. Prichard, A. Hay, M. Wellman and H. J. Woodbridge.

In attendance: Cllr D. Ricardo (RBWM) and Andrew Streat (Maidenhead Advertiser).

1.                  APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND DECLARATIONS: Apologies were received from Cllrs Prichard and Saintclair-Abbott. There were no Declarations of Interest.

2.      ALFRED MAJOR GROUND:

a):        To review on-going care and upkeep of recreation field: Comments were passed that Peter Taylor had mowed the Alfred Major too early in the year. After much debate about controlling the work of our contractor, it was AGREED to review the mowing over the past two years, last year being a poor summer and the previous year being a hot summer. The Clerk was asked to prepare the statistics for the next meeting. The Chairman said that he would like to be able to talk to the contractor directly but the Clerk felt that there was less margin for error if every instruction came from the Parish Office. The Chairman was also concerned about the state of the training pitch outside the Cookham Dean Football Club pavilion. Cllr Woodbridge said that it was almost the end of the season and they had agreed to carry out some repair of the worn areas in the summer. The Chairman felt that the short summer season was not long enough for the training area to recover. The Clerk was asked to write to the Football Club to remind them of their responsibilities.

b):        To consider the use of The Royal Society of Prevention of Accidents (Ropsa) to inspect the Alfred Major and the play area: It was AGREED that the inspection of both the play area and the Recreation Field would be a valuable step to protect the Parish Council from any future claims as a result of accidental injury. The inspection would also aid the annual Risk Assessment register that the Clerk has to submit to the Auditors.

c): To approve the use of the Alfred Major for the Summer Parish Tour: It was unanimously APPROVED to allow the RBWM Parish Tour to use the Alfred Major once again for a week of youth activities in the Summer Holidays. The week commencing 22^nd August had been reserved for the Parish Tour bus and associated activities including the mobile skate park. The cost was again £2,000 funded by the £1,000 “Grand in the Hand” grant, £500 from the Cookham Youth Project and £500 from this Committee.

3.      FOOTPATHS:

a):        To review any footpaths or stiles in need of urgent maintenance: The various emails from Margaret Bowdery of the Ramblers Association had been circulated with the agenda for review. The Committee noted that the footpath around the ARMCO barrier was not wide enough. FP 60 had been closed without permission but was now open. A replacement barrier was still awaited for FP6 Weesons Hill with mesh at the bottom to stop anything running out on to Popes Lane. FP 32 Lesters Road to Long Lane could do with clearance, better signposting and a barrier at the Long Lane end. The stiles at each end of FP 33/27, Alleyns Lane to Terrys Lane, are dangerous and could be changed to a swing gate. The Clerk will try to find out who owns the land.

b):        Up-date on Cookham Bridleway: The Clerk was still awaiting further information from Sharon Winfield at RBWM.

4.      GARDENS IN BLOOM 2005:

a)                  To approve entry into the Thames and Chilterns in Bloom competition for 2005: It was APPROVED unanimously that the Parish Council would enter the three villages in the same categories as last year: Cookham Village – Small Village; Cookham Dean – Large Village and Cookham Rise – Small Town.

b)                  To consider entry into the Calor Village of the Year: Cllr Woodbridge proposed that Cookham does NOT enter this competition. This was seconded by the Chairman and AGREED unanimously.

c)                  To appoint supplier of hanging baskets in Cookham and charges: The Chairman said that he had already been given permission at the last meeting to give our order to a new supplier for £10 per basket. Next year the fee would be just £8.50 as the baskets would be re-used. It was also AGREED that maintenance would not be offered for these baskets.

5.      CORRESPONDENCE:

a)                  Notice of Seminar “Raising the Standards of Children’s Play on 28^th April 2005: The Clerk had forgotten to attach the notice for this one day seminar but would bring to the next Council Meeting.

The Clerk was due to write a report immediately after this meeting to incorporate all the Councillors comments on the Public Rights of Way Improvement Plan. Cllr Ricardo mentioned asking for Kennel Lane to be up-graded to a bridleway; he also did not like the idea of a tarmac cycleway along the Green Way and felt that the footpath and cycleway should take different routes. Cllr Woodbridge had just one comment to make Improvement Plan concerning the improvement of footpaths linking the Cookham primary schools. Cllr Woodbridge felt that the footpaths were comprehensive enough.

The Meeting closed at 9.50pm.