These notes have been written from the draft minutes by the blog editor and so may contain information that is amended at a later date.
The meeting was held on Thursday 4 May in the Church Rooms, Old Buckenham.
Councillors present were Adrian Joel, Rona Boggia, Terry Cracknell, Ben Devlin, Sarah Hornbrook, Steve Milner and Andy Nicholls as well as the parish clerk Hilary Clutten. Ten members of the public also attended.
Election of Chairman. Nominations were requested for the chairmanship of the Parish Council for 2017/18. Members of the Parish Council proposed and seconded the appointment of Adrian Joel as Chairman and as there were no other nominations he was duly appointed Chairman.
Election of Vice Chairman. Jonathan Kemp had been unable to attend the meeting and it was agreed to elect someone to this position at the next Parish Council meeting.
Co-opting new parish councillors. Four candidates had put themselves forward for the three vacancies. They were asked to say a few words about themselves and the Parish Council then held a secret ballot in accordance with the resolution passed at last month’s meeting. The voting papers were verified and Old Buckenham residents Phil Little, Susan Brown and Jonathan Hicks were duly elected as parish councillors and each was given an information pack which included the Register of Interest form and the latest edition of the Good Councillor Guide.
Minutes of the April Council meeting. These were agreed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matters arising from these minutes. Doe Lane speeding has not been progressed due to public views on this matter. It was suggested the subject was added to the next agenda for further consideration. The Parochial Church Council has launched a ‘Raise the Roof’ campaign to repair its thatched roof. There has been no response from NCC on the Alston Freedom of Information request.
Public participation in relation to agenda items.
The state of sign on Abbey Road to be reported to NCC Highways.The trees on the Green are being surveyed free of charge. It was noted that the school buses were parking on Abbey Road and not on the school site – agreed to put this on next agenda for discussion.
The meeting was held on Thursday 4 May in the Church Rooms, Old Buckenham.
Councillors present were Adrian Joel, Rona Boggia, Terry Cracknell, Ben Devlin, Sarah Hornbrook, Steve Milner and Andy Nicholls as well as the parish clerk Hilary Clutten. Ten members of the public also attended.
Election of Chairman. Nominations were requested for the chairmanship of the Parish Council for 2017/18. Members of the Parish Council proposed and seconded the appointment of Adrian Joel as Chairman and as there were no other nominations he was duly appointed Chairman.
Election of Vice Chairman. Jonathan Kemp had been unable to attend the meeting and it was agreed to elect someone to this position at the next Parish Council meeting.
Co-opting new parish councillors. Four candidates had put themselves forward for the three vacancies. They were asked to say a few words about themselves and the Parish Council then held a secret ballot in accordance with the resolution passed at last month’s meeting. The voting papers were verified and Old Buckenham residents Phil Little, Susan Brown and Jonathan Hicks were duly elected as parish councillors and each was given an information pack which included the Register of Interest form and the latest edition of the Good Councillor Guide.
Minutes of the April Council meeting. These were agreed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matters arising from these minutes. Doe Lane speeding has not been progressed due to public views on this matter. It was suggested the subject was added to the next agenda for further consideration. The Parochial Church Council has launched a ‘Raise the Roof’ campaign to repair its thatched roof. There has been no response from NCC on the Alston Freedom of Information request.
Public participation in relation to agenda items.
The state of sign on Abbey Road to be reported to NCC Highways.The trees on the Green are being surveyed free of charge. It was noted that the school buses were parking on Abbey Road and not on the school site – agreed to put this on next agenda for discussion.
Probation Service Community Work also to be put on the agenda next month.
There had been a complaint about a planning application for a part one-storey and two-storey house that was now all two-storey.
The Head of Chapel Road School is to reply to a letter from George Freeman MP and will email a copy to all those involved with the safety crossing issue. The PCC did not get a letter of support from the Head of Chapel Road School for its Lottery Grant proposal.
The Clerk has found version 9 of the agreement for the Village Hall lease of the land that the Parish Council rents.but has not yet been able to track down a signed copy. It was reported that the lease contained a repairing clause; this needs to be checked as the fencing needs repair.
The Head of Chapel Road School is to reply to a letter from George Freeman MP and will email a copy to all those involved with the safety crossing issue. The PCC did not get a letter of support from the Head of Chapel Road School for its Lottery Grant proposal.
The Clerk has found version 9 of the agreement for the Village Hall lease of the land that the Parish Council rents.but has not yet been able to track down a signed copy. It was reported that the lease contained a repairing clause; this needs to be checked as the fencing needs repair.
The owner of the Homestead explained the reason why he wanted to move into a single storey dwelling and reported that he had contacted his neighbours about his planning application and had received two letters of support.
Sarah Dye reported on the Green Working Party’s five year plan and John Fernihough reported on some of the work that was being requested as shown on the evening’s agenda. A member of the public commented that the 5 Year Plan made no reference to income from the Green but at the present time it is not possible to quantify any fixed income other than what the Green Right Proprietors will hand over. A replacement resident is needed on the Working Party due to the resignation of Ray Bayfield. The mowing of the Green will be carried out free of charge by a local farmer. The mole catching had not been successful due in part to delays by the company appointed. No further work will be carried out and no costs will be invoiced to the Parish Council. There had also been opposition from some residents.
A licence is required to site the new bins on the Green so that they can be emptied by Breckland Council, the Clerk has this in hand. Two bins are being sponsored for their full cost by Ray Bayfield and Marina Beadnell. The Six Villages Newsletter has offered to sponsor another two bins for their full cost.
The sale of slices of the fallen walnut tree raised £105 and this has been donated to the Parish Council for the Green. Andy Nicholls has obtained sponsorship for tidying up another pond.
It has not been possible to obtain any signs about keeping dogs on leads and in any case this could not be enforced unless the Green was designated a Public Space Protection Area. There was consideration of having signs that said ‘dogs should be kept under control’. Dogs walking to heel is ok but not dogs being 'turfed’ out of cars and left to run around on their own. A resident criticised the Parish Council for, in his view, not being supportive enough financially to the Village Hall. Sarah Dye and John Fernihough were thanked for their work on the Green.
Planning applications. Homestead, The Green. Erection of a new single storey dwelling and parking for existing dwelling. Sarah Hornbrook exhibited the application drawings and the Council, with one abstention ,resolved to support this application.
Planning decisions. 25 Hargham Road. Erection of single storey rear extension. This had been approved by Breckland Council.
Anonymous planning communications. An anonymous letter had been sent to all the parish councillors and the Clerk relating to past planning applications of one of the parish councillors. It was proposed that the Parish Council spends no time discussing the anonymous letter, this was seconded and agreed. The Parish Council agreed that the parish councillor in question did not need to justify the decisions made by Breckland Council in a parish council meeting and also agreed to send a copy of the letter to Breckland Planning Department.
Financial matters. The Clerk had distributed a financial report. The Santander account had finally been closed and the balance paid into the Barclays account. The Parish Council’s current insurers, Zurich, had provided a renewal quote of £1,181.08 for a single year, and £1,068.57 per year for a three year renewal. The Clerk had obtained another insurance quotation from brokers Norris and Fisher for £569.77 for Aegis Insurance. Cover is virtually identical on both policies although the Aegis policy requires that the play equipment is checked weekly for which records will need to be kept. The Council resolved to accept the quotation from Norris and Fisher for £569.77.
District Councillor’s report. The Chairman and Sarah Hornbrook had attended the Town and Parish Council meeting held at Attleborough Town Hall in April. The Chairman reported that the presentation was very informative and he had obtained a copy information pack for distribution copies to the other councillors. He also suggested that a talk on planning was organised for the parish councillors, perhaps later in the year at a separate meeting?
Parish Councillors’ reports. Steve Milner reported that ‘Lion’ was the next film to be shown at the Village Hall. Jonathan Hicks reported that lorries had been seen breaking the weight limit on Hargham Road and that he has taken down some licence plate numbers and will forward the information he has so that the parish council can write to Highways Department with proof of the weight limit violations and also contact the police. It is hoped that Morgan Sindall will flatten the old BMX track and the Scouts seem to have given up with their plan for placing a container behind the Village Hall on land leased by the Parish Council. Terry Cracknell announced that he would be resigning from the Parish Council on the following day and he was thanked for his contributions to the Parish Council’s work and the village. There is a query about who actually owns the footpath at the Village Hall that Norfolk County Council wants to upgrade for the use of the new school. The County Council would like the Parish Council to arrange to have the work done for which it will give a grant; this is to save Norfolk County Council applying for planning permission which the Parish Council already has. It was agreed to discuss this at the next Parish Council meeting as wanting the help of the Parish Council in this way could be a good bargaining position in relation to getting a safety crossing.
Ron Brewer would like to arrange for the planting of spring bulbs where the 30mph sign has been relocated at the entrance to the village; agreed to discuss this next month as permission is required from Norfolk County Council to plant the bulbs in the highway verge and there is a request for the Parish Council to pay for the bulbs.
The broadband provider is trying to find a new source of power to the new box. The next box will be located at Ragmere and there will be other boxes too, hopefully before 2020 as that is when the funding ends.
The son of a village resident has carried out some litter picking on the Recreation Area with the Chairman as part of a school community project. They removed nearly four bags of rubbish from the area and the Clerk was asked to write a letter of thanks to the Eduardo Morrelli.
Old Buckenham Neighbourhood Plan. Adrian Joel and Sarah Hornbrook intend to visit Susan Heinrich at Breckland Council to obtain further advice on the Neighbourhood Plan production. The Parish Council needs to consider whether or not it wants to pursue this project in the short or long term. Village resident Tim Bornett has organised his own Neighbourhood Plan meeting but this is not being funded by the Parish Council. The production of a Neighbourhood Plan is a lot of work but it is an important project and needs large resources, there are grants available from Breckland Council and others of potentially £13,500. Sarah Hornbrook explained the significance of Local Plans for the benefit of the new parish councillors and how an Old Buckenham Plan would specifically relate to planning and associated issues in Old Buckenham. Also, that they are legal documents that have to go through a special process. The Parish Council needs to consider if it wants to register its interest with Breckland Council in producing a Neighbourhood Plan as it hasn’t yet registered a plan area. The Council resolved to proceed to registering the plan area with Breckland Council and agreed to seek more volunteers from the village.
Play Area. The grant application to the Norfolk Communities Foundation should go to the Breckland Cabinet for consideration at the end of May so there is hope that the work might be done by the school summer holidays. Jonathan Hicks agreed to carry out a weekly inspection of the play area which is part of the terms of the Council’s new insurance provider. He also requested that the cutting equipment be serviced and it was agreed to discuss this at the next Parish Council meeting.
Recreation Area. Stuart Barker has provided a quotation for cutting the grass on the Recreation Area. The charge is £90 per cut and £12 per hour for clearing litter from the grass before cutting. There was also a quote for levelling out and seeding the old BMX track but this was not discussed as Morgan Sindall have agreed to do most of this work. The Council agreed to accept the quotation from Stuart Barker. It was agreed to ask him for a quote to remove the old litter bin. The Council agreed to return the picnic tables to the Recreation Area after the grass had been cut.
Highway matters. Steve Milner needs a copy of the Highways Application Form for planting in the roadside verge for the replacement walnut tree.
The Green.The Council resolved to purchase of multi-use green bins
at a maximum cost of £168.57 each plus VAT. The Council also resolved to repair the potholes in front of the Gamekeeper at a maximum cost of £600 plus VAT. It has only been possible to obtain one quotation for the work, £600 plus VAT. The new tenant of the Gamekeeper is willing to donate a third of the cost and says that Enterprise Inns will probably contribute a third of the cost too. The Council resolved to repair the land in front of the village shop at a maximum cost of £680 excluding VAT subject to receiving two written quotations in the Parish Council’s name and a final invoice in the Parish Council’s name. Steve Milner offered a donation to the Parish Council of £105 for this work being the money received from selling slices of the walnut tree that had fallen down at Stacksford during the storm earlier this year. The Council resolved to carry out work grading of the edges of the pond opposite the shop and to dig it out at a maximum cost of £1,150 plus VAT subject to the Clerk receiving two written quotations. The Council also agreed to approve voluntary work on the Green by Terry Cracknell and Ray Bayfield at the volunteers’ own expense.
Ben Devlin is still willing to cut the grass in front of the Ox and Plough where the picnic tables are placed and the bikes parked once a week, free of charge. The Council would charge the Ox and Plough £80 per annum for the placing of the picnic benches on the Green in front of the Ox and Plough during the summer months and accept donations from the Ox and Plough for bike parking on the Green.
The tenant of the Ox and Plough has a booking for a wedding on the Green on Saturday 29 July. The couple do not live in Old Buckenham so the Council resolved to charge £150 for the placing of any marquee on the Green with the proviso that should the hirer be an Old Buckenham resident then he/she could apply to the Parish Council to have the charge reduced.
The repairs to the village noticeboard outside the village shop are anticipated to cost £500 and the Council agreed to pay up to £250 towards the cost of repairing the noticeboard. Ben Devlin said that he could give Alison Frank details of some cheaper noticeboards in which case it may not be necessary to use the whole £250 granted for the work.
There was no further news on the telephone box or the consideration of a mobile phone mast in the village:
Next meeting. Items for discussion at the June Parish Council meeting are expected to include the Green, the telephone box, Chapel Green School, the Neighbourhood Plan, bulb planting, the Recreation Area, the Village Hall footpath, servicing of grass cutting equipment, formation of Parish Council Working Parties and committee appointments, Doe Lane speeding, election of the Vice Chair, the village noticeboard, bus parking on Abbey Road, the Probation Service community work and dog signs for the Green.
The next Parish Council meeting will be on Thursday 1 June in the Village Hall, Old Buckenham.
Sarah Dye reported on the Green Working Party’s five year plan and John Fernihough reported on some of the work that was being requested as shown on the evening’s agenda. A member of the public commented that the 5 Year Plan made no reference to income from the Green but at the present time it is not possible to quantify any fixed income other than what the Green Right Proprietors will hand over. A replacement resident is needed on the Working Party due to the resignation of Ray Bayfield. The mowing of the Green will be carried out free of charge by a local farmer. The mole catching had not been successful due in part to delays by the company appointed. No further work will be carried out and no costs will be invoiced to the Parish Council. There had also been opposition from some residents.
A licence is required to site the new bins on the Green so that they can be emptied by Breckland Council, the Clerk has this in hand. Two bins are being sponsored for their full cost by Ray Bayfield and Marina Beadnell. The Six Villages Newsletter has offered to sponsor another two bins for their full cost.
The sale of slices of the fallen walnut tree raised £105 and this has been donated to the Parish Council for the Green. Andy Nicholls has obtained sponsorship for tidying up another pond.
It has not been possible to obtain any signs about keeping dogs on leads and in any case this could not be enforced unless the Green was designated a Public Space Protection Area. There was consideration of having signs that said ‘dogs should be kept under control’. Dogs walking to heel is ok but not dogs being 'turfed’ out of cars and left to run around on their own. A resident criticised the Parish Council for, in his view, not being supportive enough financially to the Village Hall. Sarah Dye and John Fernihough were thanked for their work on the Green.
Planning applications. Homestead, The Green. Erection of a new single storey dwelling and parking for existing dwelling. Sarah Hornbrook exhibited the application drawings and the Council, with one abstention ,resolved to support this application.
Planning decisions. 25 Hargham Road. Erection of single storey rear extension. This had been approved by Breckland Council.
Anonymous planning communications. An anonymous letter had been sent to all the parish councillors and the Clerk relating to past planning applications of one of the parish councillors. It was proposed that the Parish Council spends no time discussing the anonymous letter, this was seconded and agreed. The Parish Council agreed that the parish councillor in question did not need to justify the decisions made by Breckland Council in a parish council meeting and also agreed to send a copy of the letter to Breckland Planning Department.
Financial matters. The Clerk had distributed a financial report. The Santander account had finally been closed and the balance paid into the Barclays account. The Parish Council’s current insurers, Zurich, had provided a renewal quote of £1,181.08 for a single year, and £1,068.57 per year for a three year renewal. The Clerk had obtained another insurance quotation from brokers Norris and Fisher for £569.77 for Aegis Insurance. Cover is virtually identical on both policies although the Aegis policy requires that the play equipment is checked weekly for which records will need to be kept. The Council resolved to accept the quotation from Norris and Fisher for £569.77.
District Councillor’s report. The Chairman and Sarah Hornbrook had attended the Town and Parish Council meeting held at Attleborough Town Hall in April. The Chairman reported that the presentation was very informative and he had obtained a copy information pack for distribution copies to the other councillors. He also suggested that a talk on planning was organised for the parish councillors, perhaps later in the year at a separate meeting?
Parish Councillors’ reports. Steve Milner reported that ‘Lion’ was the next film to be shown at the Village Hall. Jonathan Hicks reported that lorries had been seen breaking the weight limit on Hargham Road and that he has taken down some licence plate numbers and will forward the information he has so that the parish council can write to Highways Department with proof of the weight limit violations and also contact the police. It is hoped that Morgan Sindall will flatten the old BMX track and the Scouts seem to have given up with their plan for placing a container behind the Village Hall on land leased by the Parish Council. Terry Cracknell announced that he would be resigning from the Parish Council on the following day and he was thanked for his contributions to the Parish Council’s work and the village. There is a query about who actually owns the footpath at the Village Hall that Norfolk County Council wants to upgrade for the use of the new school. The County Council would like the Parish Council to arrange to have the work done for which it will give a grant; this is to save Norfolk County Council applying for planning permission which the Parish Council already has. It was agreed to discuss this at the next Parish Council meeting as wanting the help of the Parish Council in this way could be a good bargaining position in relation to getting a safety crossing.
Ron Brewer would like to arrange for the planting of spring bulbs where the 30mph sign has been relocated at the entrance to the village; agreed to discuss this next month as permission is required from Norfolk County Council to plant the bulbs in the highway verge and there is a request for the Parish Council to pay for the bulbs.
The broadband provider is trying to find a new source of power to the new box. The next box will be located at Ragmere and there will be other boxes too, hopefully before 2020 as that is when the funding ends.
The son of a village resident has carried out some litter picking on the Recreation Area with the Chairman as part of a school community project. They removed nearly four bags of rubbish from the area and the Clerk was asked to write a letter of thanks to the Eduardo Morrelli.
Old Buckenham Neighbourhood Plan. Adrian Joel and Sarah Hornbrook intend to visit Susan Heinrich at Breckland Council to obtain further advice on the Neighbourhood Plan production. The Parish Council needs to consider whether or not it wants to pursue this project in the short or long term. Village resident Tim Bornett has organised his own Neighbourhood Plan meeting but this is not being funded by the Parish Council. The production of a Neighbourhood Plan is a lot of work but it is an important project and needs large resources, there are grants available from Breckland Council and others of potentially £13,500. Sarah Hornbrook explained the significance of Local Plans for the benefit of the new parish councillors and how an Old Buckenham Plan would specifically relate to planning and associated issues in Old Buckenham. Also, that they are legal documents that have to go through a special process. The Parish Council needs to consider if it wants to register its interest with Breckland Council in producing a Neighbourhood Plan as it hasn’t yet registered a plan area. The Council resolved to proceed to registering the plan area with Breckland Council and agreed to seek more volunteers from the village.
Play Area. The grant application to the Norfolk Communities Foundation should go to the Breckland Cabinet for consideration at the end of May so there is hope that the work might be done by the school summer holidays. Jonathan Hicks agreed to carry out a weekly inspection of the play area which is part of the terms of the Council’s new insurance provider. He also requested that the cutting equipment be serviced and it was agreed to discuss this at the next Parish Council meeting.
Recreation Area. Stuart Barker has provided a quotation for cutting the grass on the Recreation Area. The charge is £90 per cut and £12 per hour for clearing litter from the grass before cutting. There was also a quote for levelling out and seeding the old BMX track but this was not discussed as Morgan Sindall have agreed to do most of this work. The Council agreed to accept the quotation from Stuart Barker. It was agreed to ask him for a quote to remove the old litter bin. The Council agreed to return the picnic tables to the Recreation Area after the grass had been cut.
Highway matters. Steve Milner needs a copy of the Highways Application Form for planting in the roadside verge for the replacement walnut tree.
The Green.The Council resolved to purchase of multi-use green bins
at a maximum cost of £168.57 each plus VAT. The Council also resolved to repair the potholes in front of the Gamekeeper at a maximum cost of £600 plus VAT. It has only been possible to obtain one quotation for the work, £600 plus VAT. The new tenant of the Gamekeeper is willing to donate a third of the cost and says that Enterprise Inns will probably contribute a third of the cost too. The Council resolved to repair the land in front of the village shop at a maximum cost of £680 excluding VAT subject to receiving two written quotations in the Parish Council’s name and a final invoice in the Parish Council’s name. Steve Milner offered a donation to the Parish Council of £105 for this work being the money received from selling slices of the walnut tree that had fallen down at Stacksford during the storm earlier this year. The Council resolved to carry out work grading of the edges of the pond opposite the shop and to dig it out at a maximum cost of £1,150 plus VAT subject to the Clerk receiving two written quotations. The Council also agreed to approve voluntary work on the Green by Terry Cracknell and Ray Bayfield at the volunteers’ own expense.
Ben Devlin is still willing to cut the grass in front of the Ox and Plough where the picnic tables are placed and the bikes parked once a week, free of charge. The Council would charge the Ox and Plough £80 per annum for the placing of the picnic benches on the Green in front of the Ox and Plough during the summer months and accept donations from the Ox and Plough for bike parking on the Green.
The tenant of the Ox and Plough has a booking for a wedding on the Green on Saturday 29 July. The couple do not live in Old Buckenham so the Council resolved to charge £150 for the placing of any marquee on the Green with the proviso that should the hirer be an Old Buckenham resident then he/she could apply to the Parish Council to have the charge reduced.
The repairs to the village noticeboard outside the village shop are anticipated to cost £500 and the Council agreed to pay up to £250 towards the cost of repairing the noticeboard. Ben Devlin said that he could give Alison Frank details of some cheaper noticeboards in which case it may not be necessary to use the whole £250 granted for the work.
There was no further news on the telephone box or the consideration of a mobile phone mast in the village:
Next meeting. Items for discussion at the June Parish Council meeting are expected to include the Green, the telephone box, Chapel Green School, the Neighbourhood Plan, bulb planting, the Recreation Area, the Village Hall footpath, servicing of grass cutting equipment, formation of Parish Council Working Parties and committee appointments, Doe Lane speeding, election of the Vice Chair, the village noticeboard, bus parking on Abbey Road, the Probation Service community work and dog signs for the Green.
The next Parish Council meeting will be on Thursday 1 June in the Village Hall, Old Buckenham.
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