Latest Old Buckenham Parish Council minutes

November parish council meeting
These notes have been written by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is changed at a later date.
 It was a busy parish council meeting in November with Norfolk county councillor Stephen Askew and 23 members of the public in attendance. All parish councillors (except John Frost who had sent his apologies) were also there.
The meeting was suspended to allow the members of the public to ask questions before the meeting resumed.
Minutes of the October Parish Council meeting. These were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matters arising from the minutes. Derek Smalley said a manhole on the B1077 had now collapsed. Also Adrian Joel said potholes in Doe Lane are not yet repaired and Steve Milner said grass verges in Stacksford Road have not be worked on.
A 20 mph speed limit. Steve Milner said that New Buckenham have had 20mph speed limits and have over the last few years had footpath work carried out by Norfolk County Council and yet Old Buckenham has not. Stephen Askew, Old Buckenham’s county councillor, said he would struggle to get anything as funds are very restricted. Tom Johnson said that putting in 20mph speed limit signs is not very expensive. Steve Milner proposed that the parish council should request NCC to budget for 20mph speed limit signs on the B1077 where the current 30mph signs start through to the national speed signs at the other end of the village. Also that some form of safe crossing be installed on the B1077 at the crossroads of the B1077 and Abbey Road together with the completion of a footpath network covering Cake Street to Sun Corner and the last 50 metres of Hargham Road leaving the village, along with a footpath in Fen Street. This was seconded by Akis Chrisovelides and agreed with 8 for and 2 councillors abstaining.
Bullying and Harassment Policy document. The Parish Clerk gave a detailed overview of the need for the policy document in terms of employment law and how it will protect the Parish Council in future employment disputes. Item to be put on the December agenda.
Chapel Road School. Tom Johnson raised the matter of why residents knew about the proposed school move before the Parish Council. Tim Ing explained the situation and the need for confidentiality. Paul Boggia said the school would be an excellent asset for the village. The meeting was informed that the school will be a day school before eventually becoming a residential one. It will be for 60 pupils to start with and then increasing in numbers over time. Derek Smalley proposed that Old Buckenham Parish Council become a consultee on the project and have representation whenever the matter is discussed. Tim Ing said he would contact NCC about this and report back to the Parish Council.
Planning applications. Land off Folly Lane. Erection of livestock building and associated hard standing and feed bin. Tim Ing said the Parish Council this month have undertaken site visits and have spoken to people in view of the lack of information when the application was first received. Derek Smalley said the information first received indicated a small application but subsequent information now shows it to be a much larger development. All parish councillors views were sought and given on the application and the meeting was suspended to allow members of the public to ask questions. The meeting resumed and it was the unanimous view that the application should be rejected by Breckland Council due to the facts that all access routes to the site are totally inadequate as the road is a single track road unsuitable for HGVs. Also the road is regularly used by ramblers as it forms part of the Tas Valley Way and regular users include dog walkers and children cycling to and from school. Serious concerns were also expressed regarding the sewerage and drainage of the site which was considered totally insufficient. The Parish Clerk is to give these views to Breckland Council and urge them to refuse permission for the development.
3 Mill Cottage. Parish Clerk to seek a time extension.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. 45 Fen Street. Demolition of existing porch and replaced with single storey extension. Permission granted.
Buckenham Priory. Alteration to study, one garden room and bedroom. Permission granted.
Eel Farm, Fen Road. Variation of condition number 8 on earlier planning permission (to allow renting of the annexe). Permission granted.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing reported that he had now moved into his new home and was able to send and receive emails. He said that last year the Parish Council had donated £250 to the charity Scotties Little Soldiers on behalf of John Hicks because of all the work he does on the maintenance of the play area with no charge to the Parish Council. He asked the Parish Council’s permission to do the same again this year, this was approved. Tim Ing had been approached by a resident concerning the footpath between the recreation area and the junior school which had brambles obstructing the footpath, Parish Clerk to contact Highways on the matter. He had raised the matter of the dog bin in Raggs Lane with Serco who said they could not empty it due to its location.
District Councillor’s report. Breckland Council is seeking a commercial partner to put up a multi-million pound figure into a joint scheme to refurbish and develop land and properties owned by Breckland. It will cover 188 properties all over Breckland during the course of the next five to twenty years. It is hoped the scheme will create 262 jobs and 133 homes in the district in the next 5 years and 492 homes and 1,268 jobs over the next 15 to 20 years. As from the beginning of November, Breckland have started a scheme offering gym membership to young people aged 18 to 25 at their local Breckland Leisure Centre (including Attleborough Sports Centre) for £10 which will be for a six-week membership. The next Big Switch & Save auction will take place in mid-November and details are available on Breckland’s website under Big Switch & Save. The new Cotman Houses in St Andrews Close are well under way and are expected to be ready for handing over in May 2015 subject to weather conditions.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Steve Milner said residents in Old Buckenham who are on Attleborough’s telephone exchange will now be able to register for a high speed broadband connection and other people in the village will be able to register later this month. The Village Hall put on a tribute act recently which was excellent but poorly attended by residents. A Village Screening is booked for Saturday 4 January, also a Bingo Night for Saturday 30 November and a Quiz and Chips night on Friday 15 November. Adrian Joel reported that the allotments are fully booked but two residents have yet to pay their rent. Tom Johnson said the Village Hall committee had informal discussions recently covering a number of matters. Sarah Dye reported the picket fencing by the pond had been vandalised and needs fixing. North Tuddenham Fencing have donated gates and will fix the fence in the near future. Derek Smalley attended a recent SNAP meeting and was unable to get Old Buckenham’s speeding issues put as a priority. It would appear that this is a problem with all villages. Also he attended a recent Attleborough Neighbourhood Plan meeting and the plan is progressing.
Parish Clerk’s report. He reported that he had now moved house, his old telephone number had been connected and he could be reached on 01953 880110. He then gave details as to why the precept meeting had to be delayed from October to November. This was due to issues surrounding the paying of Precept Support Grant from Breckland Council.
Highways. It was reported that marker poles outside the Stud in Cake Street have been hit and are nearly in the ditch. Sign posts are in the ditch at the corner of Crown Road and Grove Road. The Parish Clerk to contact Highways on these matters.
The Green. A meeting of the Green Right Proprietors was held in October and the issues of the trees near the bus shelter have been resolved. A meeting will be arranged with Highways regarding issues with the pond and also sorting out grass cutting for next year.

The next meetings of Old Buckenham Parish Council will be the Precept meeting on Thursday 14 November and the monthly Parish Council meeting on Thursday 5 December. Both meetings will be at the Village Hall commencing at 7.30pm.