Old Buckenham Parish Council

Parish Council in May

These notes have been written by the newsletter editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended at a later date.

Old Buckenham Parish Council met on Thursday 11 May at Old Buckenham Methodist Church. Those present were councillors Naomi Bailey (Chair), Ali McWilliam, Doug Irons, Pete Twissell and Steve Gower (once co-opted). Also attending were Rachel Noyes (Clerk) and three members of the public. Councillors all signed their Acceptance of Office documents.

Naomi Bailey was elected as Chair and Ali McWilliam as Vice Chair, both approved (3 in favour). Steve Gowers was co-opted on to the Council, approved (4 in favour). 

The minutes of the March meeting were approved (3 in favour, 2 abstain).

Financial matters. April’s expenditure totalled £2,304.61 and included £780 for the tree survey and £300 for training through NALC.

The Community account balance now stands at £37,139.57 as Breckland District Council have paid the first Precept instalment of £11,365.50. Payments for approval at the May meeting included £ 731.73 for insurance and £ 790.04 for solicitors’ fees. The total was £3,094.04 and a proposal to approve these payments was approved (5 in favour).

Councillors’ reports. Doug Irons reported that he would be having a meeting with the Gamekeeper to review any payments in August. A more detailed map has shown that the benches at the front are on their property, not the Green. Issues are arising over how many non-customers and nearby residents are using the car park area at the front and how maintenance costs should be charged. He is still working on the website.

Ali McWilliam has met with some of the allotment holders and discussed ideas about how to improve security at the site. Was pleased to see a good group of nine residents turn up to volunteers as part of the Big Help Out. Cleared out rubbish, found some wildlife around the pond and turned over and cleared two more plots. People who attended are going to set up Allotment Association which will open up more opportunities to funding/grants, etc. Will continue to clear the area and will need a skip once all rubbish is collected. 

Naomi Bailey had attended the last Green Working Party meeting. Felt that recently work is being completed quite casually and need to ensure future meetings are minuted so that there is a record of all decisions made. Parish Council would like to look at improving the parking on the Green. Several councillors will begin by walking around the Green and recording all areas where regular parking is causing damage. Green will probably be mowed thee times this year, with first cut expected in May. Good turn-out of people at the allotments for the Big Help Out but only a couple helped paint the bus shelter and sweep playground. Litter pick was lower than usual. A big thank you to everyone that helped out, your time and work was greatly appreciated. It was a little disappointing that there were not more helpers for some of the events as it would have been a great opportunity to improve and encourage community spirit within the village and working together. 

Rachel Noyes thanked Terry Cook and Andy Nicholls for all their time on the Parish Council. The Coronation spoons were very popular and have almost all gone. Villagers were very grateful to have a memento of the occasion.  

The Solar Farm is still going ahead but just getting a lot of work completed on pre-commencement planning conditions and also finalising the design and permits. The Clerk is to continue to enquire about possible grant which was previously mentioned. 

Currently have £410 set aside for defibrillators maintenance but can review for future budgets. Ragg’s Lane (Track) application submitted to become public footpath. Request for information for/against it from NCC. New bin provided for the Recreation Ground. Thank you to the Village Hall for emptying it. Welcome Packs delivered to some new residents.

Have been trying to get quotes for cleaning war memorial. Local stone masons have quoted £2,800 to £3500 due to need for scaffolding. Local contractor contacted but not able to do the job because of specialist nature of the work. Will continue to look for quotes.

Has been contacted by a resident about the overgrowth of hedges on Hargham Road. Residents were previously contacted requesting regular maintenance. Another resident made contact about how parking in front of village shop is managed. There are two signs outside shop saying that it is for customers only. While the parking area was put in to allow access to the shop and encourage use, it is still an area of public parking on the Green. The Clerk will liaise with shopkeeper to discuss alternative signs that will explain need for space for deliveries and customers while respecting the fact it is open to all. 

Steve Askew is chasing up the overgrowth on Puddledock corner to ensure it is always cut back to the fence and increases visibility for turning on to Fen Street. A resident was concerned about speed of cars on Attleborough Road and lack of footpaths. The Clerk explained that while little can be done about the speed limit, the development of the Solar Farm and Attleborough SUE should provide improved footpath network in the near future. 

Planning application submitted for flagpole.  

Because of a change in personal circumstances, the Clerk has stepped back from completing the CiLCA qualification for Parish Clerks. NALC has given the option of continuing in the future. 

New planning applications. Land at 32 Fen Street. Erection of detached house and garage (3PL/2023/0414/F). The land was designated as garden when previous properties were built. Parish Council has received two objections from neighbours which focused on the fact the property was too large for the site, privacy for some neighbours was affected and there was a protected hedgerow on site. Councillors highlighted that Old Buckenham has also met its planning quota. Proposal to object was approved (5 in favour).

Amended planning applications. The following application has been withdrawn: Old Buckenham Country Park, Doe Lane. Installation of a 22.5m lattice tower (3PL/2022/1309/F).

Land Adjacent to High Bank Farm, Fen Street. Implementation of planning permission 3PL/2003/0360/O and 3PL/2004/1135/D (Erection of a new dwelling for use as a holiday let) - Certificate of lawfulness - existing use (3PL/2023/0155/EU).

Planning decisions by Breckland.

The following applications have been considered and have been approved. 

Hill Farm House, Leys Lane. First Floor Extension, demolition of front bay window and erection of two new bay windows (Ground Floor), South outdoor kitchen structure, new replacement porch door and new layout/detail to rear porch (3PL/2023/0101/HOU).

Maple House, Mill Road, Erection of new porch following demolition of existing (3PL/2023/0092/HOU).

6 Hargham Close. Proposed single storey side/rear extension to provide a ground floor bedroom and disabled access ramp (3PL/2023/0201/HOU).

The following application has been considered and has been refused. 

Roughlands Farm, Grove Road. Prior approval for the Change of Use of Agricultural Buildings to 1 no dwelling house (Use Class C3), and for building operations reasonably necessary for the conversion. The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended) - Schedule 2, Part 3, Class Q, (3PN/2022/0047/UC).

Planning appeal. Land adjacent Snetterton Farm, Banham Road. Description of development: Self build three-bedroomed dwelling, detatched timber garage and ground mounted solar panel array (3PL/2022/0750/F). Appeal reference APP/F2605/W/23/3314264 and appeal start date Thursday 4 May 2023.

Use of Green applications. Doug Irons explained that ensuring agreements are completed is important to meet insurance requirements. Separate meeting took place previously with sub-group and applicant (D Tranmer).  It was agreed that the entrance of the event is moved along to allow grass to recover. Repairs of grass will be made during appropriate weather. All rental payments for 2022/23 year have been made. Invoice for other events last year to be sent this month. Invoice for benches on the Green will be sent at beginning of October. Two Wheel Tuesday invoices being sent at beginning of July and October. This is to allow invoice amounts to be calculated based on the number of events actually held in case bad weather causes a large amount of disruption. Proposal to approve applications was approved (5 in favour). The Parish Council Chair and D Tranmer both signed completed agreements.

Prince Harry’s Wood. Tree Report shows no major issues for the area. Councillors feel like this was a poor decision by the Council previously and would be too expensive to maintain. Councillors also reported that they had received feedback from many residents that were not happy to take on the wood and grass areas.  The Clerk to seek advice about whether the Parish Council can change its decision on the transfer and what the implications would be. 

Crossing outside Stud. The Parish Council has been successful in its Parish Partnership Scheme (PPS) application towards the cost of improving the crossing from the Stud entrance (end of bridleway BR11) to the other side of the road.  There is a blind bend and a high verge on the other side of the bridleway which makes it very dangerous for crossing. The improvements would provide lower access to the footpath and ensure it was as far away from the bend as possible. The estimated cost of the project and associated traffic management would be £10,000. Old Buckenham Parish Council would be required to pay £5000 and Norfolk County Council would pay the other £5000. County and District Councillor Steve Askew has previously mentioned the possibility of contributing from his Personal Councillor budget which would reduce costs. Councillors agreed that it is a popular walking route and is a very dangerous place to cross and therefore felt something had to be done to improve safety for parishioners. Proposal to approve crossing improvements was approved (5 in favour).

Dog bin on Harlingwood Lane. Many residents have complained about not having a dog waste bin on Harlingwood Lane. Have also been problems with plastic bags being left on the road and blocking ditches. Breckland Council confirmed that there is no public land on which a bin could be placed and therefore emptied for free. If it is placed on private land, there is a fee to remove and dispose of the waste. The proposed site is on the corner of Harlingwood Lane, where it meets the back Stud entrance and Bridleway BR11. The Manager of the Stud was contacted and happy to have a dog bin placed there. The cost of the bin delivered would be: £128.18 (ex VAT). Annual collection and disposal fee would be £22.38/month (£268.55/year). Councillors agreed that it was a very popular dog walking route with residents and those from neighbouring parishes. The lack of bins on this route has resulted in many bags being left which is causing harm to the local environment. Proposal to approve a dog bin on Harlingwood Lane was approved (5 in favour).

Planting trees on the Green. A resident had contacted the Parish Council about whether it would be possible to plant a tree on the Green in response to removing a tree from their property as part of a planning application. Councillors felt that this could set a precedent and the Parish Council would be left with increasing maintenance costs of more and more trees. The Chair highlighted that there has also been a lot of new trees planted on the Green in the last couple of years and it is important to find a balance between open space and trees. Proposal to refuse was approved (5 in favour).

Approval of Standing Orders. No amendments. Proposal to approve was approved (4 in favour, 1 abstain).

Public participation. Questions about whether food vendors have been charged rent for signage on the Green. The Clerk to research the current guidelines in place for signage on the Green, to ensure equality between all business in the area. Discussions extended to how to make the safety of Crown Road (between War Memorial and Ox and Plough) better, as it regularly receives a lot of traffic. The Clerk to enquire with Highways about if it is possible to reduce the speed limit. Steve Gowers to research possibility of moving entrance gate to the playground so it doesn’t open straight on to the road. 

Next agenda. Subjects to be covered will include Village Hall dog bin, skip for allotment and Solar Farm funding information.

The next Parish Council meeting will be on Thursday 1 June at 7.30pm at Old Buckenham Village Hall.