Old Buckenham Annual Parish Meeting, part 3

The final part
Here is last part of the notes on Old Buckenham's Annual Parish meeting
Public Recess. David Spencer of Breckland District Council gave a presentation of the Localism Act and what it means for planning in Breckland. Areas covered in his talk included Neighbourhood Plans and the new Local plan which would incorporate the existing Local Development Framework (LDF). He explained that Old Buckenham is not identified for growth. Neighbourhood Plans he explained are optional and they were about building neighbourhoods, not stopping development. Cost for a Neighbourhood Plan can range from £19,000 to £86,000. A resident raised the question of the attitude of Breckland Council to Neighbourhood Plans which seems negative and he thought a Neighbourhood Plan would be good for Old Buckenham. David Spencer responded to the questions and related back to the LDF which supported the views of Old Buckenham residents who said they did not want any expansion to the village. Resident asked what the difference would be between the old Attleborough Expansion Plan and the new Local Plan. David Spencer said that Attleborough are looking at creating their own Neighbourhood Plan. A resident raised matter of infrastructure going in before development took place. David Spencer said that two new primary schools were being built but no new High School, the existing High Schools would be expanded. Adrian Joel raised the question of extra traffic flows through Old Buckenham and a resident said even if Old Buckenham had a Neighbourhood Plan it could not impact on what is happening in Attleborough. Another resident raised the matter of a large petition which urged infrastructure be in place before development in Attleborough took place yet this was ignored by Breckland Council despite over 1,000 new homes being approved. David Spencer said negotiations were still taking place with developers for infrastructure improvements. Breckland have also started three studies of traffic problems in Attleborough area and hopefully they will be completed by April. One resident raised the matter of building on green belt sites and playing fields. Another resident said the Old Buckenham High School was sucking in pupils from other areas and this was causing severe traffic problems.
A resident raised the matter of street lights being put in the village, he said he was strongly opposed to them. Tim Ing asked other residents what their views were and they unanimously agreed that no street lights should be introduced into the village. One resident raised the matter of Village Hall finances and asked if the Parish Council would precept £1,000 per year towards the running of the hall. He also raised the matter of the road approaching the village hall car park which he said was the responsibility of the Parish Council and he had legal advice confirming this. Tim Ing said the Parish Council would look into the matter. A resident raised the matter of the Shrublands development. Tim Ing who had attended the appeal with Adrian Joel said that they had made the Parish Council’s views known and were awaiting the Inspectorate’s decision. A further resident raised the matter of the grass verges in village being damaged by farm traffic. Tim Ing responded that Highways had been informed but there was nothing they could do.