Wednesday 31 October 2018

November events in Old Buckenham

Diary dates for November
Thursday 1        Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday  3        Re-dedication of Memorial Hall, Village Hall, 2pm
Monday 5          Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Tuesday 6          Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am onwards
Wednesday 7     Pop-Up Library, Village Hall, 1.30pm to 4.30pm
Thursday 8        Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm
Thursday 8        Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.30pm 
Thursday 8        Precept meeting, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday 10       November Market, Church Rooms, 11am to 2pm
Saturday 10       Village Cinema, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Sunday 11         Remembrance service at All Saints Church, 10am
Sunday 11         Ceremony at War Memorial on Green, 11am
Sunday 11         Remembrance service at OB Airfield, 11am
Wednesday 14   Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Wednesday 17   Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm
Monday 19       Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Wednesday 21   Chapel Friendship Group, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm
Thursday 22      Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 23           Visits from Mobile Library during morning
 Wednesday 28  Luncheon Club outing

Sunday 28 October 2018

Old Buckenham birthday party

Happy returns to the WI
Last Thursday Old Buckenham Women's Institute celebrated their fifty-first birthday with a party for members, their wives, partners and friends in the Village Hall. The evening started with musical entertainment from mezzo-soprano Susie Turner and pianist Annettee Jude who performed a wide range of songs from the shows.
Then it was time for supper - starting with a very varied buffet which was then followed by the famous collection of sweets prepared by the committee. There was a large raffle to be drawn and then it was time for the birthday cake to be cut with a toast made for many happy birthdays to come in the future.





Wednesday 24 October 2018

Pop-Up library in Old Buckenham

Did you pop in?
People of all ages did pop in, returned some books, took out some others and suggested what books could be on show next time.
You can pop along to the Memorial Hall at Old Buckenham Village Hall on the next two Wednesdays (31 October and 7 November) and take advantage of this trial facility. Use it and it may become a regular reality.

(You can try the new tables and chairs as well)

Friday 19 October 2018

Old Buckenham at dusk

A different view of Ottomer pond

Tuesday 16 October 2018

Clerk needed for Old Buckenham

Vacancy to be filled
A vacancy has arisen for a Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer to the Old Buckenham Parish Council. 
The position is home-based working nine hours per week.
Salary to be agreed, depending on qualifications and experience, within national guidelines.
The main duties include:
To arrange and attend all Parish Council meetings and the Annual Parish Meeting. The Parish Council meetings are held normally on the first Thursday in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, September, October, November and December. The Precept meeting is held in November and the Annual Parish Meeting is held March or April.
Preparation of agendas and minutes.
Dealing with all financial matters including the production of financial statements for audit.
Submitting an annual VAT return.
Preparing records for PAYE.
Dealing with Parish Council insurance policies.
Ensuring planning applications are dealt with and comments submitted to the Local Planning Authority by return deadlines.
Attendance at training events.
Receive/deal with correspondence and bring to the attention of the Council. Carry out instructions of the Council.
Applicants will be expected to have good IT skills, have access to broadband and be able to maintain a web site.
Relevant qualifications would be an advantage and/or experience.

Please contact Jon Hicks by email jonnathanhicks1970@gmail.com or telephone 01953 861414 as soon as possible.

Monday 15 October 2018

More work around Old Buckenham pond

Tree stumps coming out
For the next couple of days there will be some big machinery working around Ottomer pond. Now that many of the overhanging trees have been removed, work can start on removing the tree stumps as well as clearing out the pond as well.
The blog writer hopes to take more photos of the progress and to post them here.




This and next picture taken 24 hours later


Latest Old Buckenham parish council minutes

October 2018 minutes
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. The full version of the draft minutes can be seen on the noticeboard outside the village shop.
Old Buckenham Parish Council met on Thursday 4 October in the Village Hall. Those present were Jon Hicks (Vice-chairman who was in the chair), Debbie Callaghan, Gemma Frost, Adrian Joel, Steve Milner and Andy Nichols along with Andy Emms (Parish Clerk) and six members of the public. Apologies for absence were received from Phil Little (Chairman), Paul Philips and Ben Devlin.
The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 6 September were approved subject to being amended to refer to offering Precept Grants in 2019/20, that the planning decision by Breckland District Council concerning the extension to The Manor House was to refuse and the reference to 15 hectares of land in the parish being amended to read 15 acres.
Matters arising from these minutes of the meeting. Adrian Joel said that a parishioner had queried whether land off Hargham Road that Norfolk County Council intended to sell was in the parish. He said it was not. He added that since the last meeting he had been informed that the earlier advice he had received from Cotman Housing that three of the properties in the March Field Way development would be available for shared ownership was incorrect. All twelve new properties would be for rent.
Public participation relating to agenda items. A parishioner said that the minutes of the last parish council meeting referred to a meeting to be arranged regarding school parking and suggested that local residents be invited as well as the parish council, schools and the village hall committee. Councillors acknowledged that this would be sensible and would liaise with the parishioner for two local residents to attend.
A parishioner said that the Memorial Room in which the meeting was being held had been refurbished. An official opening would be held on Saturday 3 November at 2pm and it was hoped representatives of the USAF and family representatives would attend.
A parishioner expressed concern at large lorries, including Banham Poultry vehicles, using Hargham Road.
A parishioner said that councillors had been contacted regarding a project for Remembrance Day involving poppies being made by the scouts to be placed in the grounds of the war memorial and she hoped this would be an impressive display which councillors would support.
A parishioner referred to email exchanges regarding work on the Green in which the chairman had queried why the parishioner had been included on the distribution list. He said that he represented the Lord of the Manor who was a member of the Village Green Management Committee. He queried whether, as per his suggestion at the last meeting, the head of the new school had been invited onto the road safety committee. He was informed that no discussions on amending the membership had been held and no changes made. He also highlighted that the Highways Officer’s report on the pelican crossing had not yet been published. The parish clerk said he would obtain a copy and pass it to Steve Milner to publish on the website. In reply to a question from the parishioner, Steve Milner said that if a new SAM2 car speed display was obtained this would be portable and could be used in many locations, including Hargham Road. This equipment could also record data which could be passed onto the police.
Record of declarations of interests. Jon Hicks said he had changed his employment and would complete a new Declarations of Interest form.
Financial matters. The external auditor had approved the Annual Governance Accountability Review forms for 2017/18.
The bank balances at the end of September 2018 were £48435.18 in the current account and £2876.06 in the premium account. Income received included the second precept instalment of £10080.28 from Breckland District Council and £123 second grant instalment, also from Breckland.
The parish clerk reported that following the last meeting Ray Bayfield had returned the cheque for £120 for clearance of Green pond and kindly donated this, together with the additional £120 approved for work he had arranged to be carried out on Manor and Rod Alley ponds. Ray Bayfield was thanks for this generous donation of £240.
Planning applications. 6 Oaklands. Convert garage into play room and add utility room (3/PL/2018/010/HOU). Gemma Frost declared a pecuniary interest in this item and took no part in the discussion or vote. It was resolved, with 4 voting in favour and 2 abstentions, to support the application.
Shrublands Farmhouse, Attleborough Road. Two-storey rear extension and erection of three-bay cart lodge with room over (3/PL/2018/1072/HOU). It was resolved, with 5 voting in favour and 1 abstention, to support the application.
Asparagus Field, Cake Street. Variation of conditions on 3PL/2018/0387/F (3/PL/2018/1014/VAR). It was resolved, with 5 voting in favour and 1 abstention, to support the application.
Planning decisions by Breckland District Council. Asparagus Field, Cake Street. Discharge of conditions 3 and 6 on 3PL/2018/0387/F (3/PL/2018//0184/DOC). Discharge complete.
14 Fen Street. Extension to side and back and erection of garage: revised plan/design 3/PL/2018/0851/HOU). Approved
Erection of two dwellings, Attleborough Road. Discharge of conditions 3, 4, 7, 9 and 10 on 3PL/2016/0889/F (3/PL/2018/0119/DOC). Discharge complete.
Chairman’s report. Jon Hicks said the parish clerk vacancy had been advertised on the Norfolk Association of Local Council’s (NALC) website and he would arrange for it to be in the parish newsletter.
District Councillor’s report. Adrian Joel said that he had written an article for the October parish newsletter to advise residents to put their names on the Breckland Council housing register if they wanted to be eligible for one of the new March Field Way properties. He said that the village shop was an important village asset and asked the council to consider if it wanted to be added to the “right to bid” list if the shop became up for sale in the future. The government scheme offering subsidy for those that cannot access broadband speeds of at least 2 megabits per second may end in December so Breckland Council had decided to write to 1800 properties who may be eligible to apply.
Play Area. Jon Hicks said he had painted the tractor. Playdale had sent the incorrect rope to replace the damaged rope reported at the last meeting and he was waiting for the correct one to arrive. Playdale had indicated that the equipment was still safe to use.
Councillors’ reports. Andy Nichols reported that, together with Gemma Frost, he had attended the second planning course run by the Local Council’s public Advisory Service (LCPAS). As well as useful planning advice, important information was given on availability of funding which meant that lack of funding need not be a barrier to the council considering bold schemes in the future. In reply to a question regarding the availability of the Chapel Green School’s multi use games area for public use, Jon Hicks said that he would speak to the head of the school. It was suggested that he invite her to the next meeting.
In reply to a question from Debbie Callaghan regarding speeding traffic, Steve Milner said that a proposal would be prepared to bid for funds to provide a new portable SAM2 car speed display which would enable data logging that could provide valuable information to the police. This needed to be on the agenda for the next meeting to consider making a Parish Partnership Bid and to include half of the cost in the 2019/20 budget. Adrian Joel said that Banham Parish Council had obtained similar equipment and might be able to help with information for the bid.
Gemma Frost said that she had made progress on preparing a welcome pack for new residents with the help of a very able and enthusiastic high school student volunteer. She also had some ideas on how the Green could be utilised more for the benefit of the village and would bring these to the council for consideration in due course.
Adrian Joel said that the new councillors’ names and contact details needed to be included in the next parish newsletter.
Village Green Management Committee. Sarah Dye referred to the September report of the Village Green Management Committee (VGMC) which had been published with the agenda for this meeting and said that an additional quote of £560 had been received for the work on the “high risk” trees. The Norfolk Wildlife Trust had inspected the Ottomer Pond for newts and none were present. Its formal report would be received soon but this meant that no licence was required to carry out further work. However, timing was important and the brash needed to be removed as soon as possible. Andy Nichols said he had obtained a quote to remove the brash at the same time as re-grading was carried out on the bunds opposite the shop and opposite Diary Farm. The opportunity cost of doing both tasks together whilst equipment was available would be £750.
The VGMC had circulated emails asking the parish council to accept an offer to remove the remaining stumps from around Ottomer pond, grade the edges and dig out the pond for a cost of £900. It was suggested that this was a very generous quote for using heavy equipment at a considerably discounted rate. The VCMC had been asked to obtain other quotes for comparison and one more had been obtained for £1598. The VGMC chairman had also highlighted that quotes for similar work on the much smaller Green pond undertaken earlier had been £1830, £1935 and £1955 which showed how generous the £900 quote was. Steve Milner commented on how difficult if was to ensure value for money if requests for funding did not have sufficient information. Others commented on the need to take advantage of offers of help when timescales were short. Sarah Dye said that a generous offer of £1000 had been received from a parishioner to sponsor the development of a long-term strategy for the Green. Landscape Partnership was a consultancy with a proven track record and the total cost of engaging it to create a vision for the green with a workable strategy with reasonable costed projects, would be £1800. She hoped the parish council would recognise this as worthwhile and consider funding the remaining £800.
It was agreed, unanimously, to accept the quote of £480 for the work required on the “high risk” trees, to accept the quote of £750 to remove the brash from Ottomer Pond and to regrade the bunds opposite the shop and Diary Farm, to accept the quote of £900 for the removal of stumps around Ottomer pond as well as grading of edges and digging out the pond. The Council would write to Mervyn Lambert thanking him for the generous quote. It was also agreed to invite Landscape Partnership to attend the next meeting and then to consider whether to support the commissioning of a report on a future strategy for the Green.
Attleborough Strategic Urban Development (ASUE). Adrian Joel said that he and the chairman had met with Simon Wood, the Regional Planning and Building Control Officer of Urban Vision Partnership Ltd to express the parish’s concern that 15 acres of parish land was being used for the ASUE. He said that the land would not be used for residential in the future as it was required for the recreation element and an attenuation pond for the ASUE. Adrian Joel said that although the land would be developed to support the ASUE it would still be within the boundary of Old Buckenham as the ASUE could not change that. No satisfactory answer was given to the question of who would be responsible for maintaining the area. It was pointed out to Mr Wood that the parish land was being used for the benefit of Attleborough residents but he said that it would also be available for use by village residents.
Adrian Joel said that he intended to ‘stand down’ as member of the Breckland Council Planning Committee when the ASUE application was considered so that he could speak and vote against this element of it. Andy Nichols reiterated his view expressed at the last meeting that the designation of this land in the Local Plan was crucial as if it was identified for development then opposing ASUE would be a waste of time but if not then there was a strong case against including it in the ASUE. Jon Hicks said that he would visit Breckland DC offices to clarify this. It was agreed to wait for the outcome of the chairman’s discussions with the CEO of LCPAS and clarification of the Local Plan designation before deciding what representations to make when the ASUE planning application is considered by Breckland Council.
Consideration of a Neighbourhood Plan. When considering the ASUE at the last meeting it was highlighted that if the council had produced a Neighbourhood Plan this would give it a big advantage in opposing the ASUE use of parish land. Adrian Joel said that the council had undertaken some work on the development of a neighbourhood plan in the past, including undertaking a survey. This work stopped when the councillor with planning expertise had been unable to carry on taking a lead. He said that a considerable amount of work was involved and a lead councillor and a team of other councillors and residents would be required. New Buckenham started the process 18 months ago and still had not completed it. However, if the council wanted to move forward, Breckland Council had an officer who could offer support and match funding was available. Debbie Callaghan offered to lead on this and Adrian Joel, Steve Milner and Andy Nichols offered their support and it was resolved, in principle, to support the development of a Neighbourhood Plan.
Allotment rents. It was agreed to keep allotment rents for 2018/19 at the current levels of £40 a year for a full plot for parishioners and £50 a year for a full plot for others. Half plots would be charged at £20 and £25 respectively.
Communications/social media. Paul Philips had circulated a discussion paper to councillors via email which had been well received. As Paul Philips had been unable to attend the meeting it was decided to defer consideration of this matter to the next meeting.
Defibrillator. The chairman had taken a lead on this and as he had been unable to attend the meeting it was also decided to defer consideration of this matter to the next meeting.
Agenda items for the next meeting. Items identified included the Village Shop and the “Right to bid” list, an invitation to the Head of Chapel Green School to attend, an invitation to Landscape Partnership consultancy to attend, a Parish Partnership Bid for SAM2 car speed display, ASUE, communications/use of social media and the defibrillator.
The next meeting of the parish council will be held on Thursday 1 November and the Precept 2019/20 meeting would be held on Thursday 8 November, both commencing at 7.30pm at the Village Hall.

Sunday 14 October 2018

Old Buckenham on Norfolk stage

Behind the scenes at the Theatre Royal
In a recent trip organised by Old Buckenham Women's Institute, there was the opportunity to stand on the stage of the Theatre Royal in Norwich and to explore backstage. The guide also explained how the theatre was financed, how the productions were chosen and what an expensive place it was to run.
The tour was followed by an attractive buffet lunch in the theatre's Kemp's Restaurant.
A most informative and enjoyable visit.









Friday 12 October 2018

Village Quiz in Old Buckenham

Is fish good for the brain?
On Saturday 6 October there were fourteen teams  in the Village Hall, all trying their hardest to answer a very wide range of questions in the annual Village Quiz.



The highlight for many was the fish and chip supper, cooked in the Paul's Plaice van right outside the hall entrance door.



The quizmaster and scorer could occasionally relax while the contestants were thinking.


The eventual winners were delighted to hold the cup up high and the runners-up  looked pleased with themselves too.



The top six teams were:
Linda's lot 65.5 points
Women's Institute 66
International Rescue 66.5
PCC 67.5
The Cricketers 70 and
Adrian's Lot 73

Old Buckenham pond clearing

Opening up even further
On Wednesday 10 October, UK Power Networks paid what is probably their last visit to clear the trees that are near the power cables that pass over Ottomer pond. The area is now much  more open and the Green Management Committee have plans to make the area more attractive for villagers to walk around the pond.



The spare timber has been available for villagers to remove as long as they could carry it away without having to cut or saw it into smaller pieces.

Thursday 4 October 2018

Popping up in Old Buckenham

Coming along during half term



Monday 1 October 2018

What's on in Old Buckenham in October

Diary dates for October
Monday 1          Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Tuesday 2          Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am onwards
Wednesday 3     Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Thursday 4        Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday 6         Village Quiz with fish and chips, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Thursday 11      Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm
Thursday 11      Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.30pm 
Saturday 13       Bingo, Church Rooms, 2pm
Monday 15        Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Wednesday 17   Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm
Wednesday 17   Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm 
Saturday 20       Bingo and auction, Methodist Chapel, 2pm
Saturday 20       Village Cinema, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Wednesday 24   Pop-Up Library, Village Hall, 1.30pm to 4.30pm
Wednesday 24   Chapel Friendship Group, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm
Thursday 25      Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 26           Visits from Mobile Library during morning
Wednesday 31  Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Wednesday 31 Pop-Up Library, Village Hall, 1.30pm to 4.30pm