2   Chairman’s welcome and introduction.

Bruce Speed welcomed all present – residents (90) and visitors:

Phil Sawley, Traffic Engineer to speak on  Safer Routes to School;

Jean Brockbank and Carol Bridges from the Aire-Wharfe Community Housing Trust;

Ian Day, Principal Technical and Development Manager, from the Parks and Landscape Service;

Chris Flecknoe, our Area Coordinator who would chair several items on the agenda;

Annette Wright reporting for the Ilkley Gazette;

District Cllrs Dale Smith and Matt Palmer and PCllrs Caroline Jones, John Sparshatt, Tony Thompson and Sylvia Tilford;

PC Stuart Hudson.

He was particularly pleased to welcome those residents (6) who had not previously attended a Forum meeting. 

BS didn’t want to duplicate news and information already received through the Burley Bulletin, or speak about items  on the agenda so commented on two matters only.

• The first was the ‘superloo’ to replace the facilities at the bottom of Station Road which  appears to be caught up in administrative  problems. Ward and parish councillors are doing their best to progress the project but his hope that the facility will be open for the Christmas Lights switch on was looking very unlikely.
• The second was the Christmas street market. James Richards has asked that we mention that village charitable groups can have a stall for half price if they wish, but national charities must pay the standard charge.

3 Minutes of the  April Neighbourhood Forum held on April 1^st 2004.

These were accepted and signed as a correct record. 

Before proceeding with the Agenda PC Stuart Hudson was given a brief slot to explain the changes in Neighbourhood Policing in Wharfedale, as noted earlier in the BCC Minutes. There will now be two officers for the Wharfedale area – PC Stuart Hudson and PC Mark Newton. Tasking meetings will be held every three weeks to which the public can bring  problems and priorities will be identified. In the last quarter  crime figures were down from 68 to 61.  The telephone number for PC Hudson is 01274 537441. 

4.   AGM of Burley-in-Wharfedale Community Trust.  Chaired by Mike Harris. 

4.1 Presentation and approval of the Accounts for the year to September 2004

MH presented  and talked through the Accounts for the year (Copy attached). In particular he explained the transfers of money from the BCC to BWCT  for the purchase of the Scalebor Pavilion. The building cost  of this was £65,000 and we have paid £10,000.  We had expected to pay £11,750 but  VAT has not been levied. Income for the use of the building will come in from the sports clubs in the next financial year. 

The proposal to accept the Accounts was made by Dorrit Southon and seconded by Caroline Jones and accepted by the meeting.  Julia  Bateson  was thanked for the auditing of the  accounts.

Thanks were extended to all those who had made  donations towards the village green water feature project  and to Christmas lights for this year.  More was still needed, of course.

4.2 Renewal of approval for the  BWCT Trust – BCC  working arrangements.

The  policy of the Trust is to work closely with the BCC Committee for the benefit of the village community. At the last AGM the meeting gave approval for the BCC Committee members to be the Trustees of the Trust .  Renewal of the approval was needed together with Bruce Speed, Sylvia Tilford, Clive Myatt and Mike Harris being given joint delegation of authority to act for the Trust when required.  This was proposed by Dennis Warwick and seconded by P Cllr John Sparshatt and accepted on a show of hands.

4.3. Summary of Trust activities.

Scalebor Pavilion: the field will be owned by the Greenbelt Company  with the Trust having a license to use it.  Because the cricket square and  football field are near to houses only  junior sport will be permitted.  The two sports clubs are tenants of BWCT and will pay for the use of the amenities. We were very pleased to have such excellent facilities available to the young people of the village.

Cornmill Pond:  this had been owned by the Clapham family who run the Cornmill. On Mr Clapham’s death the Cornmill Pond was left to the village.  The pond will be owned by the BWCT  with  Mr and Mrs Carruthers  continuing their current tenancy. The pond came with a £10.000 endowment  for maintenance.  BWCT will have responsibilities  associated with insurance and  warning signs are in place.

4.4 Membership of Trust. CM reported that there was currently 164 BWCT members. This was 15% down on last year. He would be pleased to receive further renewals and any new members. 

5. Safer Routes to School. Item chaired by Chris Flecknoe (CF)

CF welcomed Phil Sawley (PS), BMDC Traffic Engineer to speak about the Safer Routes to School and respond to any other issues raised by the meeting.

Safer Routes to School: £20,000 was available  for a scheme to improve access to Burley Oaks School.  This would address road safety, car parking, reduction of car use and encouragement of walking to school. PS emphasized that  the monies available could not buy a great deal so it was important that the right things were done. The problems in Langford Lane were primarily  at the beginning and end of the school day so any changes ought not to impact too negatively on other times in the day.  There would be consultation with those people in Langford Lane and Station Road who would be affected by any changes. Plans have been drawn up and copies were available at the meeting. There are  proposals for consideration for Langford Lane and Station Road.:

Langford Lane: 20mph speed controls. Whether or not there should also be traffic calming speed bumps was an issue. This road could also be one way. It already  operated rather as if one-way at school delivery and collection times. A balance was needed between the safety of the school and local activities.  PS was of the view that a formal one way could be more than needed. Caroline Jones explained that the school already  encouraged parents to adopt a  voluntary one way system.

Station  Road:  a zebra crossing in the area of the Station Road/Langford Lane junction plus traffic claming in Station Road.  A zebra crossing  would affect frontage parking and the precise location would have to be decided. 

The following points were made from the floor:

Langford Lane: A resident from this road said that she  had spoken to about 20 residents  and their views were that the speed  of traffic in Langford Lane isn’t an issue. Parking on both sides of the road is the main problem. Another resident also noted that the school car park did not seem to be large enough  for  the school staff and there was, as a result,  all day parking in the road.  Residents would like some reassurance that the residents will be part of the consultation. PS replied that he was  aware of some parking that was obstructing driveways  and some waiting restrictions may need to be added. It was hoped that the current amount of yellow lines could be sufficient and that the situation could be eased through education.  The aim would be to try and maintain as much parking as possible and also to encourage parents to park a little farther from the school – possibly in Grange Road -  and walk the last bit.   Dennis Warwick  pointed out  that  parking in Grange Road  was already heavy especially when the classes at the Grange were taking place and there weren’t any other wider roads  in the vicinity of the school.

A request was made that the consultation process and any decision about a speed limit should take into account the accident figures in Langford Lane. PS said that figures for the last 5 years would normally be taken into account.  He was aware that this road wasn’t being used as a through route. At this point he was trying to get a feel of the meeting  prior to undertaking the consultation.

Station Road: this road was seen to be very dangerous. The need for a lollipop crossing was emphasized. PS replied that  BMDC would pay for a lollipop crossing but  all efforts to find someone to take on the job had failed.

The lack of enforcement of the existing yellow lines  in this road was stressed. PS noted that this was a police issue and PC Hudson was no longer at the meeting.

Brian Sayer read out the text of his letter which had been published in the Ilkley Gazette expressing concern about the  safety of Station Road, not only in the vicinity of Langford Lane but also at the Station Rd/Prospect Road intersection.  The traffic calming on Moor Lane was failing to adequately slow down the traffic coming down the hill. The only effective bit was the full width strip at the top of Moor Lane.  20 mph calming was needed on Moor Lane  as it approached Station Road.  In a quick exercise on that evening he had collected 12 signatures from  concerned residents in the station vicinity. Cllr Matt Palmer also endorsed the point about the unsatisfactory   bumps on Moor Lane. As a short term measure  it would help to have the  white road lines repainted in the vicinity of the station/ Station Road  junction.  ST also noted the increasing levels of all day parking in Prospect Road and the associated hazards.  PS replied that  speeding  enforcement in this area was a police issue. He was interested in the history of the installation of the Moor Lane speed bumps. They didn’t seem to meet the specifications he would expect.  Cll Matt Palmer reported that he was trying to find the original plans. John Gundry could provide some helpful background. 

Other traffic issues

• Road between Otley and  Burley .Following a tragic fatality to a Burley resident earlier in the week  on the stretch of road between Otley and Burley – and the history of earlier accidents - serious concerns about the danger of this section of road between the  Otley and the Burley by passes was stressed by John Sparshatt.  This road falls within Leeds  and Leeds City Council  would normally examine any issues. It could be one where Leeds and Bradford examine it jointly. The BCC was advised to write to Leeds City Council to report concerns.
• Main Street .Elaine Thompson asked about progress on improving safety at the exit of Long Meadows into Main Street. This matter had earlier  been raised by BCC.  The current min-roundabout was not satisfactory and the previous T junction could be safer. PS replied that this would be reviewed.

6 Housing Advice Service presentation (Jean Brockbank) and Questions of the Lawn (Carol Bridges). Item chaired by Chris Flecknoe. 

Housing advice service: Jean Brockbank explained that she worked for the Bradford Community Housing Trust – the Aire-Wharfe Community Housing Trust was one of its 6 constituent Trusts. She herself managed the team that served the Aire-Wharfe and Shipley Trusts with offices  in Bradford, Shipley and Keighley. Currently there was no office in Ilkley.  Advice on general housing problems  and advice to people who are homeless was provided. Under the 1996 Act and the 2002 Homeless Act  there was a duty to respond to anyone with a housing priority arising from health problems, age, vulnerability etc   and  to decide if someone is homeless and needs priority housing. The local authority has a statutory duty  to house people who are homeless.  JB was interested to know if any such problems were being picked up and responded to adequately in  the more rural areas such as Burley and Ilkley. If there were any such needs, consideration  could be given to providing a  more accessible service.  It was suggested that if the resources could be available a service in Ilkley would be welcomed.

A contact telephone number was provided: 01535 618092 

The Lawn: Carol Bridges – Chief Executive of the Aire-Wharfe Housing Trust had been asked to provide a note to the meeting on progress concerning The Lawn but had felt it was better to come to the meeting.  When the decision was taken in April  to discontinue tenancies in The Lawn in its current state it was expected that the process of finding satisfactory alternatives for residents would take about six months. In the event satisfactory placements were found quickly. Since the building  has been emptied there has been extra security put on the building. The warden for Menston Hall also goes into the building on a daily basis.  The additional security  had not been put in place fast enough  to prevent  the stripping of the  garage roofs.  The garages have become dangerous and application has been made to demolish them – their demolition would, in any case, have been a part of renovation of the building.  With reference to the future of the building several meetings have been held with E C Harris Consultancy to look at three possible sheltered housing schemes for the Lawn area and  to put forward its preferred option. The Aire  and Wharfe Housing Trust also has to look at its Business Plan and what  it can do.  There will be consultation on proposed plans –either at the Forum or at a special meeting.  The next Aire-Wharfe Housing Trust meeting is on the 4^th November.  

7.    Parish Plan for Burley.

Caroline Jones (CJ) said that everyone should now have a received a Parish Plan questionnaire which accompanied the recent Burley Bulletin.  There was also a copy on the Burley website and  responses could be sent in on the paper form or  electronically. She hoped that everyone would send in responses since the findings would form the basis for the  future Parish Council  activities.  Consultation of the Parish Plan was 3 fold:

• The questionnaire;
• An event of January 15^th in the Queen’s Hall where all local groups are invited to take stalls and give their  views   on the Parish Plan.
• Production of a final document by April for Ilkley Parish Council – or, depending on the decision of the Secretary of State, the Burley Parish Council.

The availability of support  from the Yorkshire Rural Community Council in the process of developing  parish plans was brought to the attention of the meeting. 

8.  April Forum feedback and Open Forum  plus consultation on proposed skateboard facility.

Skateboard facility: CF welcomed Ian Day, Parks and Landscapes to speak.  He was here on behalf of Burley Youth Forum to ask for support for the proposed skateboard park in the Recreation ground. The project would cost £33,000. The Forum has raised £20,000 through a successful bid to Ilkley Parish Council and its own  fund raising activities. BMDC was able to fund the balance and deliver the facility.  Plans were distributed. The skateboarding would be grouped with the existing basketball facility. Mike Walker explained that the scheme had been under discussion for a number of years in response to the demand from young people in the village. The park would be geared towards younger people not yet old enough to use the Ilkley facility. It was hoped that it would not inconvenience those residents  nearest to it. They had received individual communications about the proposed development.  He hoped that the meeting would give support.  Some residents expressed concerns  about the likely  increase of people going to and from the Recreation Ground with associated noise and nuisance. There was already some problems of vandalism.  In reply it was said that  existing problems tended to  occur in the later evening. The skateboard park would not be lit in the evening so was unlikely to add to the existing problems. It was also suggested that the recreation ground as a whole should  be improved  as a   facility for the whole village before adding specific skateboard facilities. In reply it was stated that  if this was a wider view it could be addressed through the Parish Plan. Ian Day invited people to write in with any views. CF asked for a show of hands to indicate the level of support for the proposed scheme and a very sizeable majority of those present supported the proposal with some concerns from residents in the immediate vicinity that every care should be taken to minimise any nuisance in the area. 

Cllr Palmer reminded the meeting of the good work of the Youth Forum in the renovation of the Queen’s Hall. As noted in the feedback sheet monthly bookings  have increased when compared with the  pre-renovation period. 

Report Back and Information Sheet.  CF referred  people to the sheets  for information. The following were raised in Open Forum slot:

• Rev. Michael Burley  described the St Mary’s review of space in its three facilities – the church, parish room and  open door/parish office. It was  being helped by eight architecture students  from Sheffield University who have been working in the village during the last 8 weeks. They will be in church next Friday morning to report back. Everyone with an  interest is invited along to listen and to make comments.
• Cllr Matt Palmer introduced his petition  to the Secretary of State at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to secure digital television in the Wharfe  valley prior to the switch off of analogue broadcasting.  This will require upgrading of the Wharfedale Relay Station in Otley. Residents were  encouraged to sign the petition.  Copies are available in a number of venues in the village. 
• Potholes in St Philips Drive. These had been marked up but  nothing else had happened (also in Rose Bank) CF replied that these would be repaired.. It was also reported that there were potholes  near to the Langford Lane flats.
• The drain in Main Street opposite the butcher’s was blocked. CF replied that Highways were aware of this and had looked at it the previous day. 
• There was also a blocked drain near to the  Mantra restaurant in main Street.
• One  person’s estimate was that 75% of the drains in Moor Lane are blocked. Cllr Palmer has taken up this matter. It is reported that cleaning has taken place in accordance with the schedule. More frequent cleaning needs to be considered.

9.   ’Getting it sorted for a cleaner, greener district’. Presentation by Chris Flecknoe.

CF gave the presentation which had to be postponed from the April Forum.  There was a big campaign by BMDC  to increase recycling in the district. Potentially 90% of refuse could be recycled  while the figure was currently at 13%.  Refuse was going into landfill sites and the costs of this were huge. There are various initiatives:

• Second wheelie bins  for paper. 100.000 properties have accepted these. In areas, such as Saltaire, where there  is limited space for additional bins  there is a pilot scheme of using bags.
• A trial in the Wharfe area of glass and cans collection. 15,000 have accepted the third bins needed.
• Composting: green waste takes a lot of space. BMDC is offering cheap, high quality bins.
• The setting up of a Visible Service Team – in response  to rubbish issues and unauthorised fly tipping. It is aimed at securing improvement of the physical environment and encouraging relevant investment.  The Team was focusing particularly on gateways and corridors.
• £50 penalty notices can be given for throwing material from cars. If  acts are seen the  car number, time and where observed  can be reported to 01274:431000
• Trade waste: businesses have to have arrangements and these can be checked and enforced.
• Street litter: fast food shops are responsible  for litter associated with their shops within 100 metres of their premises.

DW asked if  agricultural waste was covered?. CF replied that it could be and details  of concerns should be forwarded.

The sharing of bins between houses was suggested.  CJ reminded the meeting that this had been proposed  earlier as a sensible response to space issues. A number of Burley residents had chosen to share. 

10   Projects report.

Water feature. JS reported in the absence of Tom Sumner.  Most of the groundwork has been completed and the drainage connected.  The area around the feature has been widened so that it doesn’t get blocked by leaves. Yorkshire Electricity is  starting its work on the feature on the 29^th October. Once completed the feature will be maintained  by volunteers.

• JG reported that the 2^nd public inquiry will take place in Ilkley on January 25^th and 26^th 2005.  Cross questioning of witnesses from both sides will take place. JG also reminded the meeting of the positive finding from the 2^nd UDP Inquiry  which has declared the whole field as recreational space. This was not a permanent situation but would give a breathing space for the next 10 years or so. Once the Inquiry was out of the way  we need to ensure that the Field comes under Ian Day and we begin consultation of what we want to see from it as recreational space.
• While we very pleased about the UDP finding on the Burley House field we were concerned that the area behind Endor Crescent  has been taken out of green belt. While our chances of getting this decision reversed  were not high it was important that we make our views known in the 6 weeks specified after the receipt of the UDP report by BMDC in November.

11.Any other business.

Burley Handbook: the next issue is being prepared  for publication in April/May 2005. We were currently seeking advertisements, checking on existing information and identifying any missing information. Any information can be passed on to any BCC Committee member.

History DW gave information on the exhibition in the library on  the history of the Lawn and the Grange.  

12.   Date of the next meeting:  Thursday, 20^th January. 

The Chair thanked everyone for coming along to what had been a very good meeting.

The meeting closed at 9.35pm. 

Sylvia Tilford,  Hon Secretary