Parish Council Meeting of 21st April 2016

Written by Anne Rayner.

The Annual Open Meeting of 21st April 2016 commenced at 7pm and a wide variety of reports were received from: Forncett Archive, History Group, Bowls Club, Forncett Flyer, Allotment Association, Diggers & Dibblers, District and County Councillors, Village Hall, Parish Council, Forncett Flyers Village Games Team, E-noticeboard, Forncett Parochial Church Council, Forncett Methodist Church, Tharston and District WI, Footpath Warden and the group managing the SAM2 speed awareness machine. This shows what a thriving village Forncett is, with so much going on and an excellent community spirit.

The 'normal' Parish Council meeting followed the Open Meeting and was attended by Councillors Brian Frith, Beverley Humphreys, Andrew Coleman, Gilly Barnes and Dawn Welsby. Also present were the clerk, District Councillor Barry Duffin and six members of the public.

Some of the main items discussed at the meeting are mentioned here. Full minutes of the meeting are available here in draft form until agreed by the Council at the next meeting (19 May 2016).

The following planning applications were discussed:

  • 2016 / 0685 2 Chapel Close – Addition of cart lodge car garaging – No objections
  • 2016 / 0751 Randalls Farm, Wash Lane – Single storey extension and associated alterations – No objections
  • 2016 / 0896 The Granary, Northfield Road – Proposed extensions and alterations – No objections

The litter pick took place on 2 April. This was well attended, with 22 volunteers turning out to clear litter from the verges and roads for a couple of hours on a fine, sunny morning. 35 bags of rubbish were collected, as well as some larger items including broken chairs, buckets, several parts from cars and smashed traffic cones! The items were returned to the Village Hall and collected by South Norfolk Council. The parish council will receive £20 for taking part, so thanks to everyone who turned out to make Forncett a cleaner, tidier place.

The condition of the roads in the village remains a concern. Tabernacle Lane and Aslacton Road were mentioned in particular. The parish council has received assurances from our local Highways Officer that problems will be looked at this year and it seems that considerable patching work has recently been carried out on Cheney’s Lane. Hopefully the problems on Tabernacle Lane, including drainage issues, will be looked into in more depth.

District Councillor Barry Duffin reported that with effect from 6 June the bin collection day will be changing in Forncett. South Norfolk Council will shortly be issuing more information.

Complaints are still being received about dog fouling, both on pavements and also field edges and footpaths. Please do not think that it is acceptable to leave dog mess just because you are in a field! It is still extremely unpleasant for other walkers and the grass is often cut and used for animal feed.

The next meeting will be on Thursday 19th May 2016 at 7.30pm. The agenda will be published about a week before the meeting, but if you have any matters to bring to the attention of the Parish Council in the meantime, please contact the clerk, Anne Rayner, on 01508 570700 or by email  .