PARISH MEETING - The parish council met on July 10, with ward councillor J Knipe and four members of the public in attendance.

There is still no news on the appeal lodged by the developer against Herefordshire Council’s refusal to grant planning permission for the land at the rear of Whitehouse Drive. The planning department also confirmed that formal planning approval had not yet been issued to Archihaus because there was still one unresolved issue relating to the planning application; the parish council believes this issue relates to the requirement for an emergency access road to the site.

Kingstone Church Parochial Council approached the parish council for an increase in the annual donation given by the parish council for grass cutting and maintenance of the church grounds. After debate, the parish council agreed to increase its donation from £200 to £300 per year, but with the proviso that this will be reviewed again in the next financial year when the level of precept received by the parish council is known.

There are several blocked drains in the village and gullies that need cleaning.

Amey or its successor will need to conduct this work.

Strimming of undergrowth is taking place along the parish paths.

The Sports Association reports that a successful dog show was held on the sports field. This was attended by many people from outside the village.

Further events (including a charity football match) are planned for the coming months. But the council heard that the recent annual village hall fete was poorly supported.

Coun Knipe mentioned that Herefordshire Council will shortly be voting on adoption of the Core Strategy 2011-2031. He asked for views from the parish council on whether this document should be approved by Herefordshire Council. There was general discussion and in many ways it is not clear how the core strategy will impact the parish, especially given that is seems to have been totally ignored by Herefordshire Council planning committee when reviewing recent planning applications in the parish.

Members were unclear whether the terms of the core strategy (if adopted) are retrospective, given that it covers the period from 2011 to 2031. The parish council agreed that in the absence of any better alternative the core strategy should be approved.

The parish council also agreed to start the process of producing a neighbourhood plan for the parishes. The next meeting will be held on August 21 at 7.30pm.