News

January 2010

Austwick Parish Councillors have agreed to keep the 2010-11 precept unchanged at £3500, or £14.58 per Band D household. The matter was given careful consideration at the December meeting because the draft budget for next year includes additional expenditure of nearly £800 to cover local election costs in May. The Clerk informed the meeting that the additional expenditure could be absorbed without increasing the current annual precept to leave a reduced, but acceptable current account balance at the end of March 2011.

The new domestic refuse collection arrangements proposed by Craven District Council were explained to Councillors and residents in December by Waste Minimisation Officer John Sutcliffe. Mr Sutcliffe gave details of the reasons for the new domestic refuse collection regime that would come into effect on February 15th 2010, after which time normal domestic refuse and recycled material will be collected on an alternate weekly basis. It is essential that the amount of recycled material is increased, not only to meet national and European targets, but because land fill costs are increasing every year and there may be future bans on food and any reusable materials being dumped in land fill sites. Craven District currently has 35.5% of material recycled, but is aiming at 40% for 2010, 45% by 2013 and at least 50% by 2020. Under the new regime, glass, cans and plastic will be collected fortnightly from every household in the blue wheelie bins and paper and card will be collected in sacks, supplied by Craven. The collection of compostable material remains unchanged. Mr Sutcliffe told the meeting that there were future plans for all recyclable materials to go into one bin on an alternate weekly basis. The recycling bins in the old road section on Graystonber Lane will remain for the time being but, despite requests from the Parish Council, there are no plans to have plastic collection bins at this location in the foreseeable future.

An information pack on the new arrangements, including a collection calendar, will be sent out to all households in January.

The condition of all the public benches within the Parish is currently being reviewed and an up to date record of who is responsible for the maintenance of each bench is being compiled. Historically, each bench has been ‘adopted' by a resident and they have been responsible for looking after it. Over the passage of time this system has in some instances broken down and a review is now required to make sure that all benches are maintained and are fit for purpose.

A letter has been sent to each resident who is listed as looking after a bench to ascertain whether or not they are willing to continue. In the event that anyone is unwilling or unable to continue then a new ‘owner' will be sought and if no one is willing to do the work then the Community Warden will assume responsibility for an annual maintenance regime.

At the beginning of 2009 the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, as part of its Housing Development Plan, launched a Call for Housing Sites within the National Park, aimed at identifying locations suitable for developments of affordable and local needs housing which were not necessarily within the current building line. Two sites outside the current building line were put forward by landowners in Austwick, one opposite Tommy Bank Barn below Town Head Farm and one off Pant Lane, below Pant Head House. In the course of its deliberations, the Housing Working Group has eliminated the Town Head site, but is still considering the Pant Lane option and is now seeking comments from technical consultees such as Highways, Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency. The Parish Council does not feature among these consultees and our dissatisfaction with exclusion at this stage has been recorded. A final shortlist of sites will be produced which will go into a draft Housing Development Plan and be presented to the National Park Authority. This draft plan will then be put forward for public consultation, early in 2010.

The Parish Council have been keeping up with the actions of the National Park throughout this process, but will be unable to comment fully until the proposals are open to public consultation in February or March. While Austwick Councillors are in favour of any development of affordable housing in the village that would allow young people with families to live here, thereby supporting the school, the shop and the general village infrastructure, there is considerable resistance to any development that also includes additional local needs housing, which is not necessarily ‘affordable'! There are already numerous ‘local needs' approvals in the village, the last 5 of which are in the grounds of Pant Head House and any further developments of this type, particularly in the Pant Lane area, are considered to be inappropriate in both scale and position.

Full details of the public consultation process will be advertised on the Parish notice board so that you can take part in discussions about this very important issue if you wish.

Craven District Council has decided to carry out a Community Governance Review of all 73 Parishes in the District in 2010, in which issues such as boundary changes, electoral arrangements and grouping of parishes will be considered. There has not been such a review for at least 30 years, so in the light of this and the fact that are several known anomalies, a full review, including the publication of draft proposals, will be completed in 2011.

After several years of discussions it appears that the proposed bridleway link adjacent to the A65 between Austwick and Clapham may soon become a reality. North Yorkshire County Council are funding the project and the route will form part of a proposed ‘Coast to Coast' cycle route called ‘The Way of the Roses', which it is hoped will be completed some time in 2010.

Following a visit last autumn from James Ferguson of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Austwick Field & Local History Society approached the Parish Council to suggest including some of the grass verges in the Parish in the Yorkshire Dales Roadside Verges Scheme. The scheme involves clearing sections of grass verge of long grass and vegetation to encourage the growth of wild flower species, then managing them according to a specific cutting programme to maintain the flower rich sward. In October a group of volunteers cleared a long section of verge on Graystonber Lane beyond Austwick Bridge and we look forward to seeing the wild flowers increasing in this area over the next few years. We plan to include more verges in the scheme this year to provide a natural, colourful approach to the village.

Finally, the dog waste bins on Flascoe and Wood Lane are being very well used by local and visiting dog owners and this popular walking circuit is relatively clean. We do still have a problem with one particular gentleman and his 5 dogs, who has already been fined twice for allowing his dogs to foul the bridleway, but we are liaising with the dog warden and the police to try and resolve the situation. Remember that dog bags are available free from Crossleigh Stores, but please dispose of the used bags sensibly in either the dog bins or your own domestic refuse bin, NOT in the litter bin outside the shop.

The minutes of all Parish Council meetings can be found on the Parish Council website at www.austwickparishcouncil.org.uk or copies can be obtained from the Parish Clerk.

The contact details for your Parish Councillors are as follows:

Ian Smith Chairman 015242 51318

Kate Smith Vice-Chairman 01729 860225

Ian Shaw 015242 51850

Robert Cooksley 015242 51235

Andrew Lewis 015242 51766

David Dewhirst, Parish Clerk 015242 51190 woodview@austwick.org

September 2009

We must first express our sadness at the death of Bryan Braithwaite-Exley. Bryan was a very active member of Austwick Parish Council and served as both Chairman and Councillor for over 50 years. His wide experience and knowledge of all matters relating to Council business were an invaluable asset to us all and he will be sorely missed. As an unhappy consequence, it became necessary to elect or co-opt a new Parish Councillor. Andy Lewis had expressed an interest in the position and in the absence of any other candidates there was no need for an election. He was therefore duly co-opted as a Parish Councillor, to stand until the local elections in 2010.

Following recent discussions with the National Park Authority about the poor surface on Flascoe Lane near the clapper bridge, our Community Warden, Martin Holroyd and National Park rangers recently laid a new stone surface along the affected area which will make it much easier and safer to use. Martin has also built a robust new stone and wooden slatted bench to replace the one that has been vandalised as well as tidying up the area around the bridge. In addition, as part of the YDNPA and Natural England on-going maintenance of the Pennine Bridleway, work will be carried out further along Hale Lane at Meldings Barn.This involves installing a traditional stone-pitched ford in the stream bed and improving the access to the slate bridge. The pitched ford will provide a safe and stable surface in the stream bed for cyclists and horse riders to cross. Users in mobility chairs will also be able to cross the stream once the pitched ford is installed as at present the stream bed is too loose to cross.

As a result of a prosecution following an attack on a resident and his dog, the owner of the Rottweiler at Pant Head House was recently convicted of having a dog dangerously out of control in a public place and fined a total of £801.16. She was told that the dog must be on a lead and muzzled in any public place and that any further breach might result in the animal being destroyed. Also, the dog owner previously fined for allowing his 5 dogs to foul the Pennine Bridleway has been convicted again for a similar offence and fined £200 with £100 costs. In a bid to reduce costs, Craven District Council now charge for dog waste bags, which until now have been available free from Crossleigh Stores. Austwick Councillors were of the opinion that this would discourage residents from using them and so the Parish Council now buys them from the District Council and they are still available free of charge from the shop.

A copy of Austwick Parish Plan 2 was distributed to every household in May and the general reaction from residents has been very favourable, with numerous comments about the excellent quality and easy to follow layout. The Plan will be reviewed annually and progress with the key issues assessed and reported on.

Following lengthy discussions with North Yorkshire Highways we now seem to have sorted out the annual grass cutting programme in the village. We are fortunate that this year's contractors are making such a good job, but the problem of long grass at Cross Streets has been resolved by including the area in the urban cut cycle, which means it gets cut 6 times a year and greatly improves the visibility at this dangerous junction. Some other areas of grass within the village boundary are also being regularly cut now and look rather more cared for than they have in the past. There is also a new initiative starting this autumn as part of the Yorkshire Dales Road Verges Scheme. More information about this can be found on the Field & Local History Society page or by contacting the Clerk.

The minutes of all Parish Council meetings can be found on the Parish Council website at http://www.austwickparishcouncil.org.uk/ or copies can be obtained from the Parish Clerk.

The contact details for your Parish Councillors are as follows:

Ian Smith Chairman 015242 51318

Kate Smith Vice-Chairman 01729 860225

Ian Shaw 015242 51850

Robert Cooksley 015242 51235

Andrew Lewis 015242 51766

David Dewhirst, Parish Clerk 015242 51190 woodview@austwick.org

May 2009

At the Parish Council meeting held on March 30^th 2009 it was agreed by Councillors that the £15000 donated to the Parish by ASDA for use in community projects should be divided equally between the Parish Hall Council, the Parochial Church Council, Austwick CE (VA) Primary School & Nursery and the Playing Fields Association.

Applications for funding totalling nearly £42000 were received and Councillors were keen to ensure that any smaller community groups affiliated to the four main recipients that applied for funding from the ASDA monies should be supported, and any requests for assistance be treated sympathetically. Several community groups applied to the Grassroots Fund administered by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and were successful in receiving funding, thereby allowing the best use to be made of the monies available.

The Annual Parish Meeting on April 27^th was very well attended, with 36 electors present as well as Councillors David Ireton and Carl Lis, Steve Hastie from the Yorkshire Dales National Park and WPC Monika Nagy of North Yorkshire Police.

The Chairman of the Parish Council, Ian Smith, reported that the Council had held nine meetings during the year and thanked Councillors and the Clerk for their efforts. The Parish Precept remained unchanged for the 2009-10 financial year, representing good value for money for Austwick residents.

Following the responses received to the questionnaire in the January 2008 newsletter, an updated Parish Plan has been produced which will soon be distributed to every household in the Parish. The Community Warden, Martin Holroyd, continues to work on projects in the Parish and Andrew Lodge has done an excellent job in keeping the bus shelter clean and tidy.

The snack bar at Harden Bridge has caused a good deal of discussion during the year and was recently refused planning permission by the National Park. The facilities have now changed to a mobile van and the matter has been put in the hands of Craven District Council.

The Chairman told the meeting that the current application to build 5 local occupancy homes in the garden of Pant Head House had once again gone before the National Park planning committee and representatives from the Parish Council and Austwick residents had presented their objections to the development. A site visit took place on April 28^th to enable the proposals to be considered in the context of the Pant Lane area and planning committee members will debate the matter further at the May planning committee meeting.

Steve Hastie, National Park Ranger and Project Manager for the 3 Peaks Area, brought residents up to date on the latest proposals for managing the 3 Peaks Area of the Yorkshire Dales. The region is under increasing pressure from visitors due to its popularity, particularly the 3 Peaks route which attracts thousands of walkers each year and the new project was seeking a source of practical and financial support to help to protect and maintain the rights of way network into the future.

WPC Monika Nagy responded to concerns regarding the dog attacks on Pant Lane, saying that residents should report any incidents immediately. She was told that residents were reluctant to walk past Pant Head House now because of the dog, but explained that nothing further could be done until the end of May when the result of court proceedings relating to an earlier incident will be known.

Other issues that were raised during the meeting included pollution in Feizor Beck, and the damaged National Park sign at Cross Streets. It was noted that the standard of roadside grass cutting by new contractors this year was much improved.

The minutes of all Parish Council meetings can be found on the Parish Council web site at www.austwickparishcouncil.org.uk or copies can be obtained from the Parish Clerk.

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