Latest from Old Buckenham Parish Council
The following notes have been written by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended at a later meeting.
All councillors were present and also three members of the public.
At the beginning of the meeting Akis Chrisovelides made a presentation of flowers to Steve Milner for all the hard work that he and his wife undertook for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Public Recess. The meeting was suspended to allow members of the public to ask questions. A resident raised the matter of an accident that occurred recently at The Chestnuts, 1 Chattergate on Abbey Road where two lorries had problems and one lorry knocked down a tree and the telephone lines on her property. Damage has also been caused to her hedge in the past and the verges on Abbey road have also been damaged. The Parish Clerk is to write to NCC Highways on the matter. The meeting then resumed.
Minutes of the AGM. These were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting and there were no matters arising.
Minutes of the May Parish Council meeting. These were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matters arising from the minutes. Tom Johnson raised the matter of HGVs using Hargham Road saying that he understood that HGVs can go up Hargham Road but had to turn right before the bridge as there was a weight restriction on the bridge. Derek Smalley read out an email from NCC Highways which said there was no weight restriction on the bridge. Highways are looking into the existing traffic order on the Hargham Road. The restrictions were put into place to stop HGVs using the Hargham Road as access to the A11.
Parking at the school. Adrian Joel said there had been another meeting with the school regarding this problem. The Village Hall has a meeting with Norfolk County Council on Thursday 21 June to discuss the matter. Tim Ing is also to attend this meeting with NCC. A letter had been received by the Village Hall on the resurfacing of the car park. The school has sent out a questionnaire to parents regarding parking at Village Hall. Mike Bartlett of the Village Hall had received a quotation to repair the surface at a cost of approximately £1,900 and was hoping for a contribution from the Parish Council and Norfolk County Council towards the costs.
Planning applications. Bracken House, Sandy Lane. Removal of agricultural occupancy conditions. It was proposed by Derek Smalley and seconded by Steve Milner that it be objected to as it appeared the house had not been properly marketed for the required 12 months.
East View, Attleborough Road. Decking area (retrospective). It was proposed by Akis Chrisovelides and seconded by Derek Smalley that it be objected to as the decking was too high and still overlooked the adjoining property. This was agreed with 8 for, 2 against and 1 abstention.
53 Fen Street. Change of use from agricultural land to garden with fencing. There were no objections from the Parish Council.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. Land off Hargham Road. Erection of 5 new dwellings. Permission refused.
Land off Fen Street, Erection of 5 dwellings. Permission refused.
The Granary, Mill Street. Install wood burning stove to first floor. Permission granted.
Allotments. Adrian Joel said they are going very well and there was going to be a liaison meeting at the end of June. One allotment holder had to give up his allotment due to injury and an existing plot holder requested permission to take it over, this was agreed to. A water charge of £10.23 had been received and the Parish Council will absorb this cost. Adrian Joel had attended a meeting with the school who had agreed to start work on their allotment by the end of the summer term. He would also see if any residents wish to join a waiting list for any future allotment vacancies.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing said bushes and trees at Dam Bridge Junction have been cut back. Also the tap at the allotments had been fixed and no longer dripped. A book signed by James Stewart on East Anglian US Airfields had been given to the Village Hall. The Jubilee celebrations went extremely well considering the fact that six months ago the whole project was a blank sheet of paper. With the efforts of councillors, volunteers and especially Steve Milner, who had worked extremely hard on the project, it had turned out an excellent event. Forty-four tables were at the picnic on the Green and an estimated 350 people turned out on the day. Letters are to be sent to volunteers who made the event such a success.
District Councillor’s report. Adrian Joel said that a start on the St Andrews Close for 14 affordable houses is expected to commence very soon. The houses will help ensure families in rural parts of Norfolk can remain as part of a community rather than having to move to find suitable affordable housing. The properties will be a mix of one, two and three bedroom properties. Work is expected to be finished by September 2013 and all the properties will be for affordable rent. The houses will come under the ‘Local Connections’ scheme and available to people with local connections to Old Buckenham who are currently on Breckland Council’s housing list. Details on how to bid for the properties will be advised later in the year.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Steve Milner said that initial accounts for the Jubilee Celebrations were now available and total revenue was £1202 with expenditure of £744. The profits would go to the Village Hall, more money is expected back from the Jubilee mugs. He then suggested a review meeting of the celebrations should be held to look at what went right and what lessons could be learnt. He said the success of the celebrations was also due to the participation of the residents who, despite the weather, turned out in large numbers to support it. John Frost said there would be money-raising events for the All Saints church tower coming up soon and all monies raised would be spent only on the church. There would be a Garden Party on Saturday 30 June with tickets available now at a cost of £5. There would be a flower show in the church from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 June and also a church concert on Saturday 14 July. Carol Marshall said the mowing of the Recreation Area had been carried out but they were still trying to arrange a maintenance contract and were in the process of obtaining quotes. Grant applications were going to be completed for Sport England and Breckland Council. Adrian Joel said he had visited the Recreation Area on Monday and revisited on Wednesday and saw the Keep Fit club were using the area and he suggested to them they write to Parish Council to seek their permission to use the area and Parish Council not charge them for its use. Tom Johnson said the grass around the fence and under the picnic tables need cutting and Paul Boggia agreed to cut these areas. Tom Johnson also said that, at a recent meeting of the Village Hall, concern was expressed at a recent accident in the Village Hall car park and the Village Hall were looking to obtain grants to carry out repairs. A quote of £17,000 had been received to totally resurface the car park but this was considered too expensive an option. Tim Ing raised the matter of the Village Hall granting the Parish Council a lease on the Recreation Area which took two years and cost the Parish Council approximately £8,000 and felt this money could have been better spent. Tim Ing suggested the Village Hall look at possible grant funding avenues for the repair of the car park. Paul Boggia thanked all the helpers who cleared up after the Jubilee picnic on the Green. Sarah Dye said the Play Area was being maintained by John Hicks and he was doing a fantastic job but expressed concerns over the large amount of time he was devoting to it as it was solely on a voluntary basis. The Parish Council to look further into this.
Parish Clerk’s report. The Parish Clerk reminded all councillors that they should, if possible, complete their reviews of Council’s policy documents ready for the July meeting. If they were suggesting some changes could they please speak to him on the matter first so he could make the changes to the original file copies.
Highways. The drain at the corner of Crown Road and the B1077 was blocked and there was a large pot hole outside Hills Farm in Leys Lane. The Parish Clerk is to contact NCC Highways on these. An email from Highways Department said that they would be carrying out extra work which had been noted on a recent inspection in the village. Steve Milner raised the matter of the junction at Grove Road and Mill Road and Tim Ing said it was not a matter of the hedges but the height of the bank which would cost too much to reduce in height.
The Green. Tom Johnson said that he had received two complaints from residents saying that the bench outside the Hovis House could not be used as grass around it was too high. John Frost said he would look at all the benches and deal with the problem. The Old Buckenham Green Right Proprietors would be holding a meeting on Tuesday 19 June and asked if any issues needed to be raised. Tim Ing raised the matter of the overflow car parking facilities at the play area. This had now been completed and the area between the play area and the pub seemed to be working well.
The next meeting of the Old Buckenham Parish Council would be held on Thursday 5 July at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.
