Present: John Gundry(JG); Mike Harris(MH); John Horton(JH); Caroline Jones(CJ); Peter Jenkins(PJ); John Sparshatt(JS); Tom Sumner(TS); Sylvia Tilford(ST); Tony Thompson(TT); Mike Walker(MW). 

In the chair: Bruce Speed (BS). 

1.   Apologies for absence: Mark Griffiths(MG); Clive Myatt(CM); Ian Padley(IP); John Sparshatt(JS);  Tom Sumner (TS). 

2.   Minutes of the last meeting.

These were accepted and were signed as a correct record. 

3.   Matters arising, not covered elsewhere on the agenda

• PC Stuart Hudson’s suggestion of a white line at York Road is on the list of work with the Highways department.
• Andrew Houldsworth, Head of Housing, has replied to BS’s letter which urged him to use the commuted sum from the Scalebor development to support the development  at the Lawn in order to enable some affordable housing to be incorporated. No commitment has been given and it is unlikely that the £375,000 will come to any Burley project. All that is offered is ‘the willingness  to work with the BCC and the Aire-Wharfe Community  Housing Trust for funding  to meet housing need in Burley’. BS has copied this reply to the Housing Enablers, to Carol Bridges and to Cll Matt Palmer but has not yet received any replies. Concern was expressed in the meeting that funds generated through a development in Burley  are not  spent in the village in response to well documented needs. It was agreed that we should make contact with our District Councillors  and also make responses on  affordable housing needs when the plans for the Lawn come up for Planning approval. Two Burley  parish councillors  are on the Ilkley Planning Committee
• BS has put David Crane of Burley Trojans in direct contact with a representative from the Business in the Community  for project management assistance with the Recreation Ground changing rooms project.

CJ reported:

• Queen’s Hall clock;  she had received an e mail from Nathan Darlington  in BMDC. They were fully involved in other projects for the next 10 days but after that would give priority to dealing with the striking mechanism on the Queen’s Hall clock. He  will need to be given appropriate access and indicated that no charge will be made.
• Superloo:  A provisional date for installation was the week beginning the 4^th July.  Preparatory work will take place in the week beginning June 26^th.  BS will contact Brian Dobson to remind him of the agreement to take down the dividing wall in the existing toilets as part of this preparatory work.

4. Correspondence

BS reported:

• Cllr Dale Smith has asked BCC to consider a request from the parents of Flight Lieutenant David Stead to consider allowing his name to be added to the War Memorial following his death in Iraq. BS has spoken to Jim Shelton (British

      Legion) who has been in touch with the family and he does not consider  that

      adding the name would be a problem. There have been no village residents

      recorded as being killed in any conflicts since World War II. The Memorials

      Section of BMDC are looking into  the protocols for additions to war memorials

      but don’t appear to have any objection. Mr and Mrs Stead will fund the alteration

      if it can be done.  The Committee were in full agreement with the request  if the

      protocols are satisfied.

• Invitation to the Vision Awards for volunteers on 26^th May.
• Updating from Building Communities Partnership containing little detail. There will be  a Forum in September.
• Notification on seminars of health and safety during 2005 for local councils. MH recommends that we should include Health and Safety on the BCC Agenda. Clive Myatt has completed some Risk Assessments for BCC activities and BS proposed that he be asked to chair a Health and Safety sub-committee.

5.  Treasurer’s business

MH circulated the balance sheet for the year 2004-2005 and the comparison figures for 2003-4  to be presented at the AGM. He pointed out that the difference between the  income available at the end of the two years was  because of Mrs Daphne Sharpe’s £25,000 legacy in 2004. Our revenue balance at the end of this year was £25,598.46 and  comparable with two years ago and was a satisfactory position.  He pointed out major items of income and expenditure in the last year. The  acquisition of the Scalebor sports pavilion and  water feature were major items of expenditure. The water feature had cost £18,500 with an additional £2500 committed in the next financial year  for finishing off the project.  Two grants amounting to £6000  from Ilkley Parish Council and £500 from the Area Panel  had been received towards the cost of the water feature.   

6.Anti-crime partnership

No report this month.

CJ reported the theft of a car from outside Burley Oaks School following a momentary lapse in vigilance. A reminder was given of the importance to secure property adequately at all times. 

7. Current issues

7.1 BCC AGM on Thursday June 16^th. The Burley Bulletins are being delivered over the next few days. MH circulated a draft Agenda for the AGM and minor amendments were incorporated. BS had communicated with all members of the existing Committee to check their willingness to continue in post.  Richard Thompson wishes to stand down. He was thanked warmly for his contribution and BS expressed the wish that we would continue to be able to co-opt  a young person to report on youth issues.  An invitation for further nominations is included in the Burley Bulletin and it is hoped that there will be a positive response. For anyone who has an interest in standing for election to the proposed Burley Parish Council participation in BCC offers a good experience in familiarisation with Burley matters. The deadline for nominations is Wednesday June 15^th to allow time to arrange an election, if required.

7.2 Burley House Field.

JG reported on the Inspector’s findings following our second application for registration of the field as village green.  We had amply proved that the field has been used by a significant number of inhabitants of  Burley for lawful sports and pastimes since 1974.   We had not, however, established  use of  the field ‘as of right’ for 20 years up to the day of application  because the usage had been interrupted by haymaking in the early 1980s and the right had been challenged in late 2003.  Although we may not be happy with this result there is no practicable way to mount a challenge   because of  the costs  that would be entailed and  because of  a recent Court of Appeal decision that unchallenged usage has to be proved up to the date of registration, not of application,  effectively a means for defeating any application. This decision may be overruled but it will be too late for us. We must now focus on the on the 2^nd UDP which recommended (see earlier minutes) that housing allocation for the southern part of the field should be deleted and the whole field should be allocated as village greenspace and recreation open space. The recommendations have been accepted by Bradford planners but the UDP has not yet been formally adopted. Currently we do not know how long the UDP will last  and the current planning allocations are not permanent.  Bradford Property Services have indicated that positive planning allocations are not binding on them and they do not support usage as recreation open space. It is now necessary to persuade Property Services that the land, though bought at residential land values in 1974 was not bought as potential building land but for the purposes of amenity and open space’. Approaches will be made to our District Councillors for support in securing the usage of the field as recreation space  and letters will be sent to the Executive Committee. As previously noted we now need ideas from across the community of how the field should be used for recreation. JG provided a list of items already generated  for consideration, to be available at the AGM, and  further suggestions are invited.

Mobile phone masts. BS wrote to the Planning Office regarding BCC’s preference for the mast on Otley Old Road, and also pointing out that if it is to be installed on the staithe it should be on the northern end  and as far from the junction of Sandholme Drive as possible for traffic safety reasons.  The proposal for the  staithe  has been brought widely to the attention of the village. A number of letters opposing the application have been received by the Council and the  date for sending letters has been extended to June 23^rd. TT reported  that at the recent IPC Planning Committee the proposal was not supported because of  the proximity of houses and because it would obscure views of the Chevin.                .    

7.3  Recreation Ground.  See matters arising.

7.4  Footpath on the disused railway line. The Burley Wildlife Group has communicated that any significant action would make the situation worse for wildlife. 

8.Reports from sub-committees 

Because of the time taken by earlier agenda items only urgent matters were raised.

8.1Local Government.  The Parish Plan has been completed and a summary is going to all residents in the next few days, together with the Burley Bulletin. PJ will bring all data  drawn on for  the Parish Plan to the  AGM. He can respond to any requests for further details at the end of the meeting.

8.2 Planning. JH had produced a list of current applications from the village.

8.2 SCAPAG. No meeting this month.

8.4 Projects. No report. The water feature stones were in place earlier in the day and the water flow has been tested.

8.5 Ilkley Parish Council Minutes. No meeting at the start of this month

8.6 Website. The Committee had received a presentation from a member of staff from Bradford University on making the website more accessible. This modification will entail a significant amount of work  and  Malcolm Fisher  has made a start on this. BCC will need to make a small amount of money available for necessary software to support the changes.

8.7. Road Safety. Nothing to report other than the installation of  a white line at York Road, noted under Item 3.

8.8  Round Table. No report this month.

8.9. WRUG  No report this month. 

9. Any other business.

• All BCC Committee members reminded to sell duck tickets by 19^th June.
• Highways Department has asked for areas where dropped kerbs and tactile paving are needed in the village, so that they can be included in their list.
• BCC Coffee Morning is on 18^th June.

10.  Date of the next meeting. Thursday, July 14^th 2005 

The meeting closed at 9.40pm

Sylvia Tilford, Hon Secretary. s.tilford@btinternet.com