Old Buckenham latest thoughts

 Parish Council February 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.

Old Buckenham Parish council met on Thursday 6 February in the Village Hall. Those attending were Councillors Naomi Bailey (Chair), Doug Irons (Vice Chair), Stan Burton, Lesley Evison, Steve Gowers and Pete Twissell. Also attending were Megan Elvin (Clerk) and ten members of the public. Apologies for absence had been received from David Taylor.

The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 9 January 2025 were approved (4 in favour).

Financial matters. Payments for approval totalled £2828.74. These included £254.95 to Donna Oakley, £49.96 to Rachel Noyes and £22.50 to the Methodist Church for room hire. Also £120.49 for the community car drivers, £960 to Broadland Trees and £88 to Brett Hibbert.

Quarterly finance audit. This was completed by Pete Twissell, Naomi Bailey and Doug Irons.

Councillors’ reports. Steve Askew that Cake Street ditch work has now been done. The Gypsy Lane manhole cover has been completed. Signs near war memorial have been requested for repair. Hedges on Hargham Road should be organised for cutting but not yet been done. Pot holes have been reported today around the Green. Drainage investigation work has commenced and is undergoing.

The suggestion was made that 30mph should be extended on Fen Street. Highways are happy to do a speed assessment. If they do the assessment and they do agree that this needs to be extended it would need to be funded by the parish or Steve Askew’s council member’s budget. Another question put to Steve Askew was whether we can we ask the highways for a weight limit to be put Fen Street.

Naomi Bailey had discussed parking issues with the schools. There was a positive outcome from meeting with Paul Beale, Headmaster of Old Buckenham High School. Land near the school reception is to be tarmacked to create more parking for staff which will, in turn, allow more parking for parents nearby.

She had been in correspondence with Luke at Highways for the Green pot holes and also with others regarding flooding of Westview Farm. The burst water main at Manor Corner has been fixed. However the pond is still full and Anglian Water did not think to pump this out. Hopefully this will naturally drain with the better weather forecasted. Some sandbags had been removed from Ottomer Pond for a member of public to prevent flooding to his house.

Some emergency tree work had been done to remove some branches on the Green. David Trammer has been contacted concerning payment for Two Wheel Tuesday in 2024. Will know in the next couple of days if the payments have come through.

Doug Irons said that David Tranmer wanted to apply for use of the Green again. An application had now just been received. Soil has been placed on areas that require repair and these areas have been fenced off.

At the Saturday Surgery, the public were asking about maps of drainage. This was spoken of last year and a large map would be divided into sections. The previous Clerk was going to sort this in summer 2024 but never did so anything. Doug Irons will sort this for next parish council meeting. Need to find out which First Aid box would cover us and an email sent to NALC regarding this.

Stan Burton had obtained a quote for chipping up the branches and removing roots left on the Green. This will need to be done before the end of March and the quote was for £380 + VAT. A proposal to approve this was agreed (6 in favour).

Steve Gowers had been finding out about the steps opposite the Stud. Handrails have now been added and that’s all that can be done. We are able to send dashcam footage to the police, so we should be able to send pictures of lorries violating the 7.5 tonne on Hargham Road. Photos of the back of the lorry with number plate are needed. Volunteers for community Speedwatch sessions at the weekends are required. He has been emailing people individually for training on defibrillator training on Saturday mornings. He has put himself down for Playground inspection training with Community Action Norfolk. If you are a member the cost is £40 for the course, if not then £60. A proposal for him to attending the training was agreed (6 in favour).

Planning applications. (All planning applications are available for viewing on the Breckland District Council planning portal. Parish Councillors have been asked by the chairman to view the new applications in advance of the meeting)

New planning applications. 18 Oaklands. Demolition of existing conservatory and replace with side extension - certificate of lawfulness - proposed use (PL/2024/1107/CLOPUD). As this was an issue of lawfulness, no need to consider this.

Field adjacent Old Buckenham High School, Abbey Road. Proposed erection of a single storey stable block, grooming bay, hay barn and tack room to facilitate horse keeping (PL/2024/1194/FMIN). (note: error in Breckland’s published site location which reads Attleborough High School). No issues and proposal to support was approved (6 in favour).

To approve the following policies: Health and Safety and Maternity Leave. Proposals to support both policies were approved (6 in favour).

To vote for the preferred legal structure of NALC. This was approved.

Green Working Committee report. Lesley Evison, Stan Burton and Sally Honour walked around the Green. Various patches of brambles on the Green, particularly on Mill Lane, will be cleared as well as the self-seeding saplings under the trees. Certain areas of brambles will be left alone for nature reserve. Various other spots require clearing are the hedge at The Pound (Green area in front of Almshouses) as it is creeping further over to The Pound. After harvest the farmer will then be asked to trim this back. Walked around the pond outside the village shop – will clean this back and make it a nature area with the potential of adding a bench – there’s a three-year plan for this. By the bus area opposite The Gamekeeper there are more brambles which need clearing.

The ditch that is by the school was originally understood to be the responsibility of Highways. However have now been corrected and that this is the parish council and needs clearing. Branches are getting close to the road near The Bake House and will be cleared by Stan Burton. A silver birch tree also needs cutting back and he will try and get this done by the next week.

Main topic of discussion was cutting of the Green. Intentions were cutting the full Green at the beginning of May. Instead of cutting the full Green back for the summer, to cut a 20metre strip around the outside of the Green and leaving the rest as a nature area. Then in Autumn to cut it all back again fully. The Pound will need to be cut three times a year. Will be getting a quote for this grass cutting.

Want to set up a “Friends of Old Buckenham Green” page/Facebook Group in the hopes to get volunteers with helping clear the Green.

Terms of Reference for Green Working Committee. Doug Irons will organise this.

Green maintenance. In the area outside cottages on Green, near Village Shop, there is erosion from the building work that has gone on. Stan Burton will look at the drain block. Posts and tape has been acquired to corner off the erosion as it is nothing to do with Highways. Water is running out of the potholes into the property. This will need to be filled but will not be a quick fix. The erosion is also on part of a private driveway, so part of the responsibility is not fully on the Parish Council – this will need to be looked into further.

Sunnyside Track. Mr and Mrs Ramsey have never claimed ownership to this piece of land and do not wish for ownership. This has always belonged to the Parish Council. There used to be an agreement with the previous owners of the property of a peppercorn rent to allow them use of the land opposite Sunnyside Cottage. It is unfair to set this up with Mr and Mrs Ramsey now after they have lived in the property for 6 years. Agreement is in place that the posts will stay where they are. Paperwork will be sorted before the next meeting. Thanks are given to the residents for footing the bill for the posts and for organising this with Highways with the support of the parish council. Please note that if anyone has a problem with the posts on Sunnyside Track, please come to the Chair of the parish council Naomi Bailey, with their complaints and not to the residents.

More posts will be going in on Reggie’s Way. The parish council is fully responsible for these posts. This will be put in during the schools' half term. Topsoil is needed for either side of the posts. Quotes for obtaining topsoil are being gathered, as well as requests on Facebook.

Speedwatch report. Criteria for setting up Speedwatch is more people for doing it. We currently have seven volunteers but we require more volunteers to come and help. The area has to be safe for the volunteers and also for the motorists. More SAM signs to be distributed to get further information. Norfolk Police will not authorise a mobile speed watch unless we have collected speed data to pass on. If we can get enough volunteers, then a speed watch could be actioned on Fen Street. This will need to be on the 30mph side as we cannot do this in a 60mph area. Steve Gowers is collecting data from the SAM signs and forwarding on to the police.

Review the allotments. The current situation is complicated. There are tenants without any agreements, agreements from others that are no longer with us. Started off with fifteen plots but now, due to flooding, are down to eleven workable plots. Six plots are actually being used at the moment of which three are of good upkeep. Down £235 due to lack of income, to cover rent, water and maintenance. Unused plots will need a skip to clear them out. There is rubbish around the site as well as problems with deer and rabbits. Netting has been erected but this has not been successful in keeping them out, solid fencing would be required. The land that the allotments are on is not good for agricultural growing. The parish council will have to consider if it is worth keeping the allotments. Potentially look to find another bit of land that is smaller. Or negotiate with the farmer to reduce the amount of land we rent. If the decision is to close, will need a consultation agreement for closing the allotment with the tenants. Three months’ notice is required for tenants surrendering a plot. Same period of notice is required for the parish council in terminating contract.

Churchyard update. With everything that had gone on last August the Cemetery has taken a back seat. A company (CDS Group) is the only company in England that specialises in checking whether a site could be suitable. Conversations are required with current farmers who are leasing the land that we are considering to use. Before anything can be done, a ground water assessment is required. Preliminary risk assessment, free of charge has been given.

The cost of full risk assessments will be £17,650. Just the Ground Water assessment will be £5,700. A parcel of land has been identified that may be suitable. Looking at £20,000 an acre to buy land from a farmer and would ideally need to have 1.5 acres. Naomi Bailey to contact them again. Could make money back from burial charges. On an acre plot, you could get around 1,000 graves. Between now and next meeting Naomi Bailey and Pete Twissell will get in touch with Stuart Barker and Steve Askew to go ahead with the first initial test.

Public participation. The next Parish Council 'Surgery' will be on Saturday 29 March at the Village Hall. A member of the public had a query on the drainage of Ottomer pond. The pipe for the pond can be traced but unable to take the lid off the chamber as footing of the wall remains above it. Now been given permission to dig down into the chamber from the other side of the wall to find the outlet from this chamber and to see where the overflow goes out. If the outlet is on private land then what can we do? Not able to comment until know what is on what land and what it was before. Doug Irons and Stan Burton will contact Norfolk County Council to have another survey.

Next agenda. Items to consider for next agenda should include decision on future of allotments, an update on the Solar Farm and the Weather Radar Tower, the Churchyard, training for Councillors, lease agreements, water pump and list of equipment and where it is stored and Trustee appointment.

The next Parish Council meeting will be on Thursday 6 March 2025 at Old Buckenham Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.