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CYNGOR TREF ABERYSTWYTH TOWN COUNCIL

 

J O GRIFFITHS   11 BAKER STREET

TOWN CLERK   ABERYSTWYTH

  

MINUTES OF A MEETING OF FULL COUNCIL HELD IN THE MEETING ROOM, 11 BAKER STREET ABERYSTWYTH ON MONDAY 22ND APRIL  2013  AT 6.30PM

 

Present:

Councillor Dylan Lewis

Councillor J Aled Davies

Councillor Jeff Smith

Councillor Endaf Edwards

Councillor Brenda Haines

Councillor Sarah Bowen

Councillor Steve Davies

Councillor Ceredig Wyn Davies

Councillor Mererid Jones

Councillor Brian Davies

Councillor Wendy Morris-Twiddy

Councillor Kevin Price

Councillor Alun Williams

Councillor Carys Morgan

 

Apologies:

Councillor Mair Benjamin

Councillor Mark Strong

Councillor Sue Jones-Davies

 

Minute 217

Declarations of Interest for matters arising from agenda items

There were none recorded.

 

Minute 218

Personal References

A member asked what exactly this juncture was for- The Town Clerk replied that it was for announcements of Births, Deaths and Marriages and other similar items of information pertinent to the knowledge of Councillors.

 

Minute 219

Mayoral Activity Report 

The Mayor had circulated a resume of his activities on behalf of Aberystwyth Town Council.

 

Minute 220

Minutes of a meeting of Council held on 25th March 2013 

Following reading for clarity and accuracy the minutes of a meeting held on 25th March 2013 were RESOLVED to be accepted and adopted.

Councillor Davies asked if a minute book was available for inspection by members of the public.

The Town Clerk replied that a minute book was always available for public inspection in the office.

 

 

Minute 221

Minutes of a Planning Committee held on 2nd April 2013 

CYNGOR TREF ABERYSTWYTH TOWN COUNCIL

 

J O GRIFFITHS   11 BAKER STREET

TOWN CLERK   ABERYSTWYTH

  

MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMITTEE HELD IN THE MEETING ROOM, 11 BAKER STREET ABERYSTWYTH ON MONDAY 2nd APRIL 2013 AT 6.30PM

 

Present:

Councillor Ceredig Wyn Davies

Councillor Steve Davies

Councillor Kevin Price

Councillor Brenda Haines

Councillor Dylan Lewis

Councillor Endaf Edwards

Councillor Jeff Smith

Councillor Alun Williams

Councillor Aled Davies

Councillor Wendy Morris-Twiddy

 

Apologies:

Councillor Mark Strong

Councillor Sarah Bowen

Councillor Sue Jones-Davies

Councillor Brian Davies

 

 

 

  1. Declarations of Interest

Councillor C Davies-  Planning Application A13 0174

 

  1. Planning Issues and Economic Development in Aberystwyth
  1. Discussion took place regarding the consistency in planning application grated regarding signage and lights on same in the same areas of the town. It was noted that the recently released guidance on shop front development would hopefully provide consistency for the future.
  2. The Town Clerk was asked to investigate the possibility of raising an issue with the possibility of a vacant premises becoming a licenced bookies and containing large price gambling machines.

 

  1. Correspondence

The Town Clerk was in receipt of the new Cadw publication- Aberystwyth: Understanding Urban Character

 

  1. Planning Applications

It was RESOLVED to make the following observations to Ceredigion County Council 

A13 0142

Development of 1,000-unit student accommodation and ancillary development including car parking, hard enclosed play areas, all-weather play area and supporting social facilities, together with associated works and the demolition of existing buildings at Penglais Farm and Bryn Awelon.

Penglais Farm, Bryn Awelon, Aberystwyth.

No objection.  However, Aberystwyth Town Council has concerns that the proposed communal amenities do not reflect what students currently enjoy at Pantycelyn and would welcome a re-consideration of what is proposed in the plans.  Aberystwyth Town Council fully welcomes the extensive greening and planting of native trees within this project and would welcome a Welsh name for the development.

 

A13 0176 & A13 0177LB

Alterations and extension to existing structure to the rear of the main building to provide additional student accommodation.

10 Marine Terrace, Aberystwyth.

Strong Objection.  Over-development of the area, concerns from local residents, lack of parking provision, lack of DDA compliance, the loss of amenities to ground floor residents of No. 10, a concern re fire, and ‘escape from fire’, regulations as access is only through the front block, concerns re access for building materials and plant should this proposal be allowed.

 

A13 0202LB

Retention of the change of use of the second floor from offices to residential (managed student accommodation).

Cambria House Ltd, The Cambria, Aberystwyth.

No objection.  However, there are concerns re the lack of parking provision and the current lack of management of waste and bin usage which desperately needs addressing, and Aberystwyth Town Council asks that a clause, should planning permission be granted, be added to ensure proper management of the same.

 

A13 0174

Change of use from a building society to an open A2 use.  This to formalise the use to Santander UK Plc trading as a bank (A2) at the application property since April 2009 (or before by previous operator).

16 Great Darkgate St, Aberystwyth.

No objection.  Please note a Declaration of Interest in this matter was received from Cllr Ceredig Davies who left the meeting.

 

A13 0181LB

Removal and replacement of internal and external signs.

New Look, 40 Great Darkgate Street, Aberystwyth.

Response on 7.1.13 and 4.2.13:   OBJECTION – This plan does not fit in with the new guidelines for “traditional” shop fronts, is not sustainable.  There is no precedent and does not fit into the overall character of the area.  PREVIOUS RESPONSES STAND.

It should be noted that Aberystwyth Town Council fully supports the guidance issued on commercial premises renovation.

 

A13 0154

Erection of 2 new dwellings.

St Mary’s Hall, Castell Brychan, Aberystwyth.

Objection.  The development is not in keeping with any of the surrounding properties.  Concerns have been raised regarding the unadopted approach road and the increase in traffic if this proposal is allowed to go ahead.

 

 

 

 

Members were reminded about the protocols of licencing applications and the avenues open to them regarding such applications.

Members were also advised that a recent application for retrospective accommodation planning the Boars Head had been refused.

 

Minute 222

Minutes of the General Management Committee held on 8th April  2013 

MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT COMMITEE HELD IN THE MEETING ROOM, 11 BAKER STREET, ABERYSTWYTH ON MONDAY 8th APRIL  2013 AT 6.30PM

 

Present:

Councillor Ceredig Wyn Davies

Councillor Dylan Lewis

Councillor Wendy Morris-Twiddy

Councillor J Aled Davies

Councillor Sue Jones-Davies

Councillor Steve Davies

Councillor Endaf Edwards

Councillor Mererid Jones

Councillor Mark Strong

Councillor Jeff Smith

 

Apologies:               

Councillor Mair Benjamin

 

 

 

  1. Declarations of Interest

The chairman took this opportunity to inform members that Councillor Mair Benjamin had fallen and broken her hip and was an inpatient at Bronglais General Hospital. It was agreed that the office send a card and fruit on behalf of staff and members wishing her a speedy recovery.

 

  1. Correspondence
  1. RNLI Parking

The Aberystwyth Branch of the RNLI asked for support in getting a dispensation to park outside the lifeboat station to enable crew to carry out essential maintenance on the lifeboat. Ceredigion County Council had to date turned down all applications for such dispensation.

Following discussion it was decided to write to Ceredigion County Council and ask that they allocate two free parking spaces for use by RNLI crew.

 

  1. Castle CCTV

The Town Clerk reported that St Michaels and all Angels’ church would contribute £100 towards the cost of the new proposed CCTV system near the Castle Playground.

 

  1. Catenary removal.

An application was received to remove the catenary fittings from the Dolphin Restaurant in Upper Gt Darkgate Street to facilitate repairs to the fabric of the building.

Members agreed to this as long as the fittings were replaced on completion of the work.

 

  1. Natural Resources Wales.

Members were advised of a new body assuming the roles and responsibilities previously carried out by the Forestry Commission, CCW and Environment Agency.

 

  1. Reports on Council premises.

The Town Clerk was still awaiting the draft lease. It was agreed to hold a meeting of the steering group following its arrival.

The question of accessibility arose due to the retirement of the ground floor receptionist. It was agreed that it would be wrong to rely on HMRC staff to allow continual access to the premises. It was agreed to cost a CCTV intercom access control system and report back.

 

  1. Updates on Resolutions

The new database being prepared by Councillors Strong and Price had not been finished.  The Town Clerk reported that the software had been given out following the last meeting.

The existing list of resolutions was checked and edited and the chairman asked that a new updated list on the new database was expected for the next meeting.

 

  1. Renting out room space

The Town Clerk had indicated that One Voice Wales was keen to use the meeting room for a training session in late May.

Following discussion it was agreed that this would be allowable should the owner give permission and the insurance cover the event. A charge of £10 per hour should be levied.

 

  1. Trashing footpaths

The Town Clerk advised that the tender notice for the trashing of footpaths under the control of Aberystwyth Town Council was due to be circulated and published. Members agreed to this annual requirement.

 

  1. North Road Trees

The Chairman allowed Councillor Mark Strong to raise an issue due to pressing deadlines with officers from Ceredigion County Council the following day.

Councillor Strong outlined a plan to plant trees along North Road in order to green the area and to act as a traffic calming measure.

He stated that every house along the route had been canvassed and that all were in broad support of the idea.

Following discussion it was decided to confirm that members were generally supportive in principle of the motion to plant trees in North Road.

Emphasis was also made for the need to have a more comprehensive plan of the proposal before any final commitment was made

It was also confirmed that whilst supporting this motion in principle the level of financial investment by Aberystwyth Town Council was not discussed and will be subject to a separate meeting of the Finance committee at a later date and after further information is available. 

It was further confirmed that this information could be put in a letter for Councillor Strong to present to Ceredigion County Council officers at his meeting.

The Town Clerk read a letter from Ceredigion County Council stating that they would assume responsibility for the trashing all footpaths in the Aberystwyth area due to a number of historical issues.

Members agreed that this would be acceptable as long as all the paths historically done by Aberystwyth Town Council would be done by Ceredigion County Council.

Councillor Mererid Jones asked if Councillor Alun Williams had any observations. He had no objections to this suggestion.

It was RESOLVED to hand responsibility for all footpath trashing in Aberystwyth to Ceredigion County Council communicate this to them..

 

Minute 223

Minutes of a Finance Committee meeting held on 15th April 2013 

MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE FINANCE AND ESTABLISHMENT COMMITTEE HELD IN THE MEETING ROOM, 11 BAKER STREET, ABERYSTWYTH ON MONDAY 15th APRIL 2013 AT 6.30PM

 

Present:

Councillor M Jones

Councillor W Morris-Twiddy

Councillor S Jones-Davies

Councillor J A Davies

Councillor E Edwards

Councillor C Davies

Councillor B Davies

Councillor  A Williams 

Councillor D Lewis

Councillor B Haines

 

Apologies:         

Councillor M Benjamin

Councillor M Strong

Councillor C Morgan

 

  1. Declarations of Interest

Councillor M Jones- Grants

Councillor W Morris- Twiddy- Grants

Councillor B Haines- Grants

Councillor D Lewis - Grants

 

  1. Correspondence

The Town Clerk had circulated guidance from the Welsh Government regarding Power of wellbeing.

 

  1. Questions relating to financial matters
  1. An update was given on the recycling project. This matter was passed to GM committee for further updates.
  2. The chairman gave an update on payments relating to beach cleaning payments. The Clerk clarified the terms of the work done.
  3. The Castle CCTV project was discussed and an update give regarding the progress of the project.
  4. The North road maze project had met with logistical and physical difficulties. It was agreed to engage a contractor to deal with these issues as long as the agreed budget was not exceeded.

 

  1. To receive and adopt the accounts for March 2013

Following discussion it was RESOLVED to accept and adopt the accounts for March 2013.

 

  1. To receive and adopt the unqualified accounts for the year ended 31st March 2013

The Town Clerk indicated that these accounts as such were unaudited but represented the financial picture at the end of the last financial year and were subject to internal and external audit before qualification.. A number of questions regarding clarification were answered. It was also suggested that a more detailed description be added to some expenditure headings for clarity.

It was also suggested that the Clerk contact and invite the clerk and chairman of Llanbadarn Fawr CC to meet at the secure lights lock up and to discuss the level of payments to be made as their part of the share of shared costs. This amount would be reported back to Aberystwyth Town Council FEC committee for acceptance

Following discussion it was RESOLVED to accept the annual accounts for the end March 2013 of the  as presented.

 

  1. To receive a report on internal audit

The Town Clerk reported that Mr Bryn Smith had accepted the role of the Council’s auditor.

 

  1. Council accommodation 

The Town Clerk had circulated a copy of the draft lease to the steering group members. It was decided to take legal advice and allow discussion on a number of issues in full council.

Clarity was sought regarding the interim period and the Town Clerk was asked to ascertain the possibility that back rent may be charged.

 

  1. Consideration of contract with Specialist Employment and H&S Advisors Ellis Whittam.

Following discussion of the matter it was RESOLVED to invite both Ellis Whittam and Peninsula to come to the next meeting of the Finance and Establishment committee to give a presentation regarding their services before a decision was made as to where to procure legal and H&S services for the council..

 

  1. To receive and consider grant applications for 2013.

Following a discussion it was RESOLVED to make the following Grants:

£

Penparcau Forum-5000

Citizens Advice Bureau2000

Aberystwyth Carnival5000

3rd Aberystwyth Scouts250

Aberystwyth Bowling Club250

Aberystwyth Choral Society*100

Aberystwyth Silver Band*1000

Cor Gobaith*1000

St David’s Parade 500

Eisteddfod Genedlaethol*100

Photo Aber*500

Sea to Shore Festival1850

Llangollen Intl Eisteddfod*50

Penparcau Senior Citizens Club400

Rheidol Amenity Centre500

Rhedadeg- Rasa r iaith500

 

TOTAL£19,000

*- Support for arts funding.

 

Minute 224

Planning applications- to consider those applications not covered in the monthly planning meeting and are time sensitive.

There were none that couldn’t wait for the next planning meeting.

        

Minute 225

Clerks Report

The Town Clerk circulated a report pertaining to a recent conference he had attended. Councillor Ceredig Davies asked if this conference was “Welsh centric” enough to warrant attending. The Town Clerk replied that the majority of the presentations were relevant as most legislation was primary and of national relevance and the conference was well worth attending. It was also a valuable opportunity to network and share experiences with other practitioners.

There was a Welsh conference which he attended in his own time.

 

Minute 226

Correspondence.

  1. OVW Area committee

Notice of a meeting was advised on 24th April and it was unsure whether the rep would attend and the second rep, Councillor Mair Benjamin was absent through ill health.. There were no volunteers to cover if he could not attend.

 

  1. Pro Vice Chancellor’s reply

Professor April McMahon sent a reply to a letter asking for clarification regarding the Arts Centre. The reply was read in full.

 

  1. Ceredigion County Council LDP

A copy of the inspectors report was available in the office if needed.

 

  1. Questionaire

A questionnaire was received and the clerk saught permission to fill and submit. It was agreed that this be done.

 

  1. Beach Cleaning

A letter was received from Ceredigion County Council asking for funding of an enhanced beach cleaning programme. This had been done in recent years.

Councillor Mererid Jones gave a historical overview of the situation.

Following discussion it was RESOLVED to enquire what exactly the “extras” were and to get Ceredigion County Council to explain the project and methodology more fully. If there was no beach clean then members asked for enhanced cleaning in the castle area instead. Members were in principle supportive of the idea.

 

  1. St Brieuc 40th Anniversary programme.

This would be circulated.

 

  1. Castle Grounds lease

This would be registered with the land registry.

 

It was agreed to invite senior members of the Night time Economy Team to the next meeting of Aberystwyth Town Council to explain what was happening.

 

Minute 227

Questions relating only to matters in this Councils remit

There were none recorded.

 

Minute 228

To consider expenditure  

Following discussion it was RESOLVED to make the following payments ion the sum of £19,893.75

NAME

DESCRIPTION

Amount £

 

 

 

Tree Swings UK

Rope for Maze Project

£1,475.00

Viking

Office supplies

£159.78

Cambrian News

Advert for Trashing

£145.20

Heledd Davies

Translation charges

£160.05

Ceredigion County Council

Parks and Gardens bill Trees and Play area

£5,827.36

Carmarthenshire CC

Salaries March 13

£5,243.11

One Voice Wales

Subscription 2013/14

£1,355.00

Ceredigion County Council

Beach Cleaning 2012 / 13

£4,200.00

Rialtas (RBS)

Year end on site close down

£710.76

Konica Minolta

Hire of copier

£444.02

Konica Minolta

Copy Charges

£101.93

Purchase Power

Rental of franking machine

£21.54

Walkers are Welcome 

Town renewal fee 2013

£50.00

 

 

£19,893.75

 

Minute 229

Verbal Reports from Ceredigion County Councillors only on matters pertaining to this Council.

Councillor Alun Williams gave details of the changes to Traffic Orders. He encouraged members to respond to any consultations that were due.

He gave an update on the re-greening of the new Aberystwyth approach road and the efforts of the planting team to get over a hundred trees planted as a first phase of this project.

He also asked for ideas regarding the placing of cycle racks in Aberystwyth.

Councillor Ceredig Davies reiterated the need to respond to any parking consultation. And then went on to give information regarding Local Service Boards. He talked about the Ceredigion Single Integrated plan and its relationship to the effects this could have on local service delivery with special emphasis on health. He suggested that Aberystwyth Town Council contacts the LSB and express concern regarding delivery of services and informing the public as to what those services are.

 

 

Minute 230

Written reports from representatives to outside bodies 

Information relating to Fairtrade were circulated.

 

Minute 231

RA Board Report- Councillor Alun Williams

Councillor Alun Williams reported that there was a meeting soon of the board and that he would give report on progress soon.

 

Minute 232

Council Accommodation- An update.

Councillor Mererid Jones gave details of a meeting recently held between members of the steering group and a local solicitor to seek clarification on a number of points.

Following that meeting a number of points had been sent to the landlords solicitors for clarification and an answer was awaited.

Clarification was sought regarding the rent liability whilst this matter was sorted out.

 

Minute 233

Request Policy at the request of Councillor Aled Davies

Councillor Davies had circulated a copy of an updated policy he had written for consideration.

Following discussion and a request from the Mayor for the motion to be risk assessed it was RESOLVED to get the draft policies checked for legality before consideration of application and adoption.

It was agreed to send the policies to One Voice Wales for a legal check.

 

 

Minute 234

Correspondence Policy at the request of Councillor Aled Davies 

Councillor Davies had circulated a copy of an updated policy he had written for consideration.

Following discussion and a request from the Mayor for the motion to be risk assessed it was RESOLVED to get the draft policies checked for legality before consideration of application and adoption.

It was agreed to send the policies to One Voice Wales for a legal check.

 

Minute 235

Internet and E mail Policy at the request Of Councillor Aled Davies 

Councillor Davies had circulated a copy of an updated policy he had written for consideration.

Following discussion and a request from the Mayor for the motion to be risk assessed it was RESOLVED to get the draft policies checked for legality before consideration of application and adoption.

It was agreed to send the policies to One Voice Wales for a legal check.