The Chairman welcomed the members of the public and invited the founder of the Goostrey Rail Users Group (G.R.U.G.) to address the meeting.
Mr Hollinshead explained he had been a resident of Goostrey for 28 years and was reliant on the railway for transport. He had first become a ‘station adopter’ under a Northern Rail scheme which involved a weekly check of the station and reporting of problems. The founding of G.R.U.G. had taken this concern for the line and station a step further. The group now had 65 members, a web site www.grug.co.uk and had received letters of support from Lady Winterton, MP and from the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport. Projects for the near future were: making good use of the station building, improving parking facilities, the Best Kept Railway Station competition, provision of seating on the northbound platform and repairs to damaged fencing as well as continuing with litter collection and running repairs. The Chairman congratulated Mr Hollinshead on his achievements so far and, with the agreement of all members present, offered the full support of the PC.
Cllr. Craggs reported the PC’s efforts to achieve listed status for the building and to have it properly maintained (especially the guttering) in the meantime. He agreed to visit the G.R.U.G. web site and maintain contact with the group.

The Chairman then opened the meeting.

There were no Declarations of Interests registered.

Apologies for absence had been received from Cllrs. Nichols, Richardson & Robertson and from Boro. Cllrs. Furlong & Kolker.

Resolved to accept the Minutes of the Meeting of 14th November 2006 as a true record and to take them as read.

In the absence of Cty. Cllr. Oliver, there were no County Matters reported.

In the absence of Boro. Cllrs. Furlong and Kolker, there were no Borough Matters reported.

There had been no meetings of the Amenities, Finance or Village Hall Management Committees since the last Parish Council.

Planning Report 143 had been circulated.

Resolved to accept Payment Schedule 12/06.

The Clerk referred to Appendix 12/06. listing her actions resulting from the last meeting and the correspondence received.
a) From CBC regarding the overgrown oak trees in Bank View. The land is not in the ownership or control of CBC. Houses and garages to the rear had been transferred to Dane Housing. The trees are not subject to Tree Preservation Orders and are not within a Conservation Area. The Clerk confirmed that Boro. Cllr. Furlong had written to Dane Housing and they had been supplied with a plan showing the precise location of the trees.
Action: The Clerk to report the above to the residents of 14 & 16 Bank View.

b) Further reply from CCC about gritting of New Platt Lane. CCC is now reviewing all treatment routes as part of the Transforming Cheshire agenda. Consideration will be given to all requests such as the one from Goostrey PC and the PC will be advised of the outcome in due course.

c) Replies from CCC, CBC and United Utilities about the open manhole near Blackden Firs. CCC report they are not responsible as the track is neither a Highway nor a Public Right of Way. CBC state they have no land ownership or responsibility in the area. United Utilites say they have no drains in the location.
Action: The Clerk to contact CCC again in view of the signs which have been placed at either end of the track by CCC labelling it ‘Restricted Byway’.

d) Information from Community Relations, Manchester Airport about their mobile Outreach events. They have also confirmed that, as they do not undertake evening meetings, they would not be able to speak at the Annual Parish Meeting.

The Clerk reported the following additional correspondence and events.

a) From The F A Barlett Tree Expert Co. Ltd. offering to undertake certain tree planting/preservation work to mark their centenary in 2007, to be passed to the Goostrey Tree Warden.

b) One of the new dog-fouling signs had been obliterated with yellow paint.
Action: The Clerk to report to the CBC Dog Warden.

c) The seat for Main Road/Bank View had arrived. CCC had been advised they could now install.

d) Two of the three lights in the Booth Bed Lane/Main Road passageway had been repaired by CBC. The third was reported to have no power supply connected (and had been like that for a number of years).
Action: The Clerk to again request repair to the third light.

e) The Clerk reported her intention to study for the ‘Certificate in Local Council Administration’, this qualification being required should the PC seek quality status in the future.
Resolved: To provide funding of £70 for registration and £80 for training.

None to report.

Following the request to Inspector Mark Gammage at the last PC meeting, the police had undertaken a speed checking exercise in the Village at the beginning of the w/c 20th November. They had issued two warnings. The volunteer team had carried out further sessions on 23rd and 24th November and had recorded 19 vehicles at over 38 mph, the highest speed being 47 mph. It was hoped that all 19 would receive police warnings. Cllr. Leake continued to investigate the availability of ‘Smiley Sid’ indicators.

Cllr. Craggs was attempting to gain access to the building in order to carry out a survey. He would be liaising with G.R.U.G.

Cllr. Sturman reported a meeting with the Web Site Manager on 11th December and the following progress and recommendations.
a) The problem of access to the site for some users had now been solved.
b) The Children’s section had been removed from the site.
c) Notices/For Sale/Wanted would be removed as from the end of December.
d) The e-mail address facility would no longer be promoted. This would reduce the time needed for support and maintenance. The Clerk would contact existing addresses to determine if they were still required.
d) A new menu and page layout for Local Organisations was being designed in preparation for an update in the New Year.
e) The Site Manager would investigate Frontpage problems but might have to recommend a new hosting company at the renewal date in March.

Cllr. Sturman had contacted Groundwork. Their role was to consult with residents about requirements and to advise on funding. After discussion about providing apparatus and facilities for older children it was decided to defer further consideration of this matter until more was known about facilities to be provided at the proposed Youth Centre and improved safety of access to the Booth Bed Lane sports pavilion/grounds.

The Chairman had received a letter from Roger Bennett who had stepped down from the committee of G.Y.P.P. Mr Bennett thanked present and past members of the PC for their support but thought it was now time for new faces and new ideas to take the project forward. At the G.Y.P.P. AGM a new committee had been elected, with Peter Kolker as Chairman, Cllr. Craggs as the PC representative and also including representation from the School Governors. There seemed to be optimism about the future of the project. Cllr. Craggs reported that the next action would be a site visit and survey.

The meeting on 5th December had proved more formal than expected in line with CCC’s intention to institute annual maintenance meetings for all joint use projects. Cllr. Craggs reported that it had been decided to proceed with the investigations recommended by Purple PM. A programme of works would be submitted to allow the PC to consider the implications for hirers. Work was unlikely to commence before Easter. Total costs could not be predicted but the PC would pay only 15%. The design project by a sub-group of the Village Hall Management Committee would continue in tandem although some aspects of refurbishment might be included in the repair work.

Resolved: The date of the Annual Meeting would now be Tuesday 24th April 2007, this change being made to accommodate other users of the Village Hall and to avoid a clash of meetings on the same night.

Suggestions for topics included the Police, Railway matters and CCC’s ‘Transforming Cheshire’ initiative.
Actions: The Clerk to send an invitation to speak at the meeting to Inspector Mark Gammage and to contact Cty. Cllr. Oliver about a speaker from CCC.

Cllr. Padley explained her concerns about the difficulty for pedestrians crossing Manor Avenue at this junction. The road was particularly wide and the smooth corners allowed motorists to turn into the avenue at higher speeds that would normally be expected. Pedestrians could begin to cross when it seemed safe but still be in the roadway when vehicles appeared. The position of the grass verge (which was badly dog-fouled) forced pedestrians to cross very close to the end of the road.
Action: The Clerk to ask CCC Highways Engineers for their comments.

Cllr. Leake reported that a problem with the school crossing warning light being permanently operative had now been dealt with.
Cllr Leake also reported that the owner of the van being parked overnight inside the school grounds had insisted that this was a safer option than parking outside the gates from a visibility point of view.
Cllr. Craggs reported that there were redundant roadwork signs on both sides of the station bridge.
Action: The Clerk to request that CCC remove these.
The Chairman and Cllr. Collins had obtained recommendations for planting on Shearbrook verge. The total cost of plants was likely to be approx. £300 and a working party of volunteers would be required for planting.
Action: The Clerk to request formal permission for the planting scheme from CCC Highways.

Confirmed: Tuesday 9th January, 2007.

The Chairman wished all members a Happy Christmas and New Year and closed the Meeting at 9.15 pm.