Council Meeting – 9th July 2025

Minutes of the Meeting of Great Longstone Parish Council
held at 7.00pm on Wednesday 9^th July 2025
in Great Longstone Village Hall DE45 1TB

Present: Cllr Jane Rigby (Chair), Cllr Andy Douglass, Cllr Stevie Hornsey.

In attendance: Simon Headington (Clerk)

135/25 Apologies for absence from members.
Cllr Phil Barrett and Cllr James Cox, County Cllr Alastair Sutton and District Cllr Helen Froggatt.

136/25 Declarations of disclosable pecuniary interest relating to items on the agenda.
None

137/25 To Approve Minutes of the meetings of 11^th June 2025
These were approved and then signed by the Chair.

138/25 Suspension of Standing Orders for no more than 15 minutes to allow for public comments
There were no members of the public present, so standing orders were not suspended.

139/25 Discussion of Confidential Matters: (Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 S1(2)) – To determine which items, if any, from the agenda should be taken with the public excluded.

No items of a confidential nature were scheduled for discussion.

140/25 Report from Proper Officer to the Council

1. Setting up a meeting with the new owner of the Old Infant School building – See agenda item 145/25
2. Resurfacing of the MUGA – See agenda item 143/25
3. Preparations for Village Week – See agenda item 144/25
4. Potential sale of the Vicarage – The clerk reported that he has not yet sent the letter discussed at the June meeting to the Bishop. The Council felt that it was still worth sending the letter to help show the strength of feeling about this matter, within the community.

141/25 Allotments: At the June meeting the Clerk had been instructed to clarify if the recommendation to close the allotments, made by Environmental Health in April, remains and to follow-up with DCC Public Health Department, for their advice.

The clerk reported that the response from Environmental Health restated that they did not consider that the allotments were, according to the legislation, contaminated land. The email recommended that if the Council decides to reopen the allotments that allotment holders should be made aware of recommendations to help to reduce risks from heavy metal contaminations.

The council decided that:

1. The issues associated with managing allotments in the Peak District, with the area wide potential for risk from heavy metal contamination, were greater than the capacity of a small Parish Council. The Clerk was instructed to draft a letter to our local MP to see if they were able to encourage District and County Councils to take a more proactive stance.
2. Clerk to write to allotment holders to pass on the advice from the Environmental Health Officer. The allotments are to continue to remain closed whilst further advice is sought.
3. Clerk to follow-up with Public Health Department at Derbyshire County Council, who have not yet responded to the enquiries made earlier in the year.
4. Clerk and Councillors to investigate to see if there is any interest from a University department to study an issue that most likely covers the whole of the Peak District.

142/25 Neighbourhood Plan Steering Committee
Cllr Douglass reported that monthly meetings of the Steering Committee have continued, with the next scheduled for 21^st July. Specific actions/plans include:

1. Six work streams have been identified, including Housing, Conservation & Environment, Farming, Business & Tourism, Creating Community and Transport.
2. A formal application has been submitted to the Peak District National Park Planning Authority to notify them of the intention to start work on a Neighbourhood Plan across the Civil parishes of Great Longstone and Little Longstone.
3. Members of the Steering Committee will have a stall at the LASRA Sports day to share information and engage with the community.

143/25 Recreation Ground

1. Tennis Court Resurfacing Project:
   1. Sports England have awarded a grant of £10,900 towards the project and for equipment.
   2. The resurfacing has been completed but the area has been kept locked to allow the tarmac to set.
   3. The dry weather has meant that the contractor did not need to instal a trackway to protect the recreation ground whilst the tarmac was being delivered. The cost saving from not needing a trackway will allow for maintenance visits at the end of Year 1 and Year 3, for no additional cost. The Council instructed the Clerk to pay the invoice for £15,355 (+VAT).
   4. The painting of the court, at a cost of £1,995 + VAT is scheduled for the week commencing 21^st It was agreed that once this work has been completed, to the required standard, that the Clerk was authorised to go ahead and arrange the payment of the invoice.
   5. The Sports England grant includes 50% of the cost of new Tennis posts and nets (£250 of £500) and 50% of the cost of free standing pickleball nets (£650 of £1,300). Councillors agreed in principle that money allocated to the project from Council funds could be used towards the balance of the equipment costs. Clerk to discuss with Chair of Little Longstone Parish Meeting and to arrange the purchase of the equipment, in consultation with LASRA.
   6. It was agreed to invite Wendy Long, former chair of the Parish Council, to perform the reopening of the Court.
2. Rules for safe use of the Recreation Ground: These are still with the Clerk who needs to discuss the potential by-laws with LASRA.

144/25 Longstone Village Week Update (12^th to 20^th July 2025)

1. The bunting has gone up and the preparation of the Well Dressing is going well.
2. It was proposed that a small grant be made to the owner of the “Cherry Picker” for costs incurred putting up and taking down the bunting. Agreed with all in favour.

145/25 Old Infant School Building
A meeting has been arranged with the new owner of the building.

146/25 Planning Applications

1. Recent – NP/DDD/0325/0194 – 73 application for the removal of condition 2 on NP/DDD/0197/002 – 1 Glebe Court, Glebe Road, Great Longstone. Awaiting Decision
2. New, for consideration in meeting
   1. NP/DDD/0525/0463 – The Cross, Anrek, Main Street (retrospective permission for new fencing in a conservation area). – NO COMMENT
   2. NP/DDD/0625/0601 & NP/DDD/0625/0606 – Shakerley House, Main Street (installation of EV charging point in a listed building) – NO COMMENT
   3. NP/DDD/0625/0628 at Lismore, Grisedale Road West (rear extension) – NO COMMENT
3. Late Submissions
   1. NP/DDD/0725/0625– Old builders yard – S73 application for variation of condition 2 of application NP/DD/0720/0682
      The Council objected to this application on the grounds that the non-compliance of conditions 9 and 12, specifically:
      Condition 9 – that the dividing of the yard into 2 distinct areas, and the construction of an additional building, harm the historic interest character of the site and undermine the reason for the approval of this conversion in the first place
      Condition 12 – that by dividing up the “open yard” the area that was for the “parking and manoeuvring” is no longer sufficient to meet Condition 12.
   2. NP/DDD/0725/0657 (&0658) – Longstone Hall – Replacement of existing single storey kitchen extension, glazing over existing service well, addition of new garages and stabling, replacement of existing outdoor pool changing rooms, addition of outdoor pool retractable canopy, up-grade of existing outbuilding to visitor accommodation, various repairs and alterations to existing house and grounds including replacement of main southern entrance gates. – NO COMMENT
4. Enforcement Notices ENF: 24/0143 – “Breach of Condition” of Condition 20 of planning permission NP/DDD/0805/0818. PDNPA have reported that they have extended the deadline for compliance to the end of August 2025.

147/25 Community Right to Bid (Localism Act 2011 Ch3 S87)
It was agreed to take no further action on this matter, for the time being.

148/25 Finance

1. Bank reconciliations – as at 30^th June 2025.

Total cash available £47,014.59 (includes estimate of bank interest for June). Balances checked by a councillor against bank statements.

2. Review of Budget DocumentsSpending was found to be well within projected levels and no concerns were raised.
3. Payments made since last meeting

NOTED

4. To accept and approve new payments:

All Approved

149/25 Items of Correspondence

1. 25 Jun – PKF Littlejohn LLP: Acknowledging receipt of AGAR form – Noted
2. 25 Jun – Sports England: Notification of grant award of £10,900 – See Item 143.5/25
3. 26 Jun – DDDC: Police and Crime Commissioners Grant Programme – Noted
4. 26 Jun – Request from resident to buy a track that is owned by the Council – The Council considered this request and concluded that its position has not changed since the resident last made the request, in 2018, and it did not wish to sell the access track to Field 7340 (Gildlow Quarry).
5. 30 Jun – DDDC: Local Government Reorganisation consultation – Noted
6. 30 Jun – DDDC: Play equipment inspection course (@£450 / person) – Noted

150/25 Items of late Correspondence

1. 03 Jul – Bakewell Safer Neighbourhood Team – Noted
2. 04 Jul – DDDC: Environmental Health about the allotments – See Item 141/25
3. 04 Jul – Sports Surfacing Solutions about the invoice – See Item 143.1.3/25
4. 07 Jul – DDDC: Public Spaces Protection Order consultation – Noted

151/25 Items from Councillors for information: (Note that anything that requires a decision to be made must go onto the agenda of a future meeting for discussion and agreement)

1. It was requested that an update on use of the mining assets, in particular Deep Rake, the Watersaw Mine Compound and the Blakedown Hollow Tailings Lagoon, all on Longstone Moor, be added to the agenda to the September meeting.
2. It was requested that an update on unauthorised overnight parking on Moor Road be added to the agenda for the September meeting.

152/25 To note forthcoming meetings

1. Dates of future Parish Council meetings:

• Wed 10^th Sep 2025
• Wed 12^th Nov 2025
• Wed 14^th Jan 2026
• Wed 11^th Mar 2026
• Wed 13^th May 2026

2. Date of 2026 Annual Parish Meeting – 29^th April 2026
3. Date of next Neighbourhood Plan Steering Committee Meeting – 21^st July 2025The Chair closed the meeting at 9:00pm