Parish Council Meeting of 20th April 2017

Written by Anne Rayner.

The Parish Council meeting on 20th April 2017 was attended by Councillors Brian Frith, Beverley Humphreys, Andrew Coleman, Gilly Barnes and Dawn Welsby. Also present were the Clerk 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 (18th May 2017).

The Parish Council meeting was preceded by the Annual Open Meeting and a wide variety of reports were received from: Bowls Club, the Forncett Flyer, the Allotment Association, District Councillor, Forncett History Group, the Village Hall, the Parish Council, E-noticeboard, Forncett Methodist Church, Tharston and District WI, Forncett School, the Footpath Warden, the Tree 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 following planning applications were discussed:

  • 2017 / 0785 – Brocks Water, Gilderswood Lane – Single storey side extension – No objections
  • 2017 / 0775 – The Grove, Wacton Rd – New pitched roof over existing garage – No objections
  • 2017 / 0812 – Nivelle Farm, Station Rd – Conversion of outbuilding to form annexe to existing dwelling – No objections.

The litter pick took place on 25 March. This was well attended, with 18 volunteers turning out to clear litter from the verges and roads for a couple of hours on a fine, sunny morning. About 25 bags of rubbish were collected and returned to the Village Hall, to be picked up 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.

South Norfolk District Council is currently undertaking a Community Governance Review. This is a review of parish councils which aims to ensure that they are fulfilling their duties and are working in the best interests of local communities. It will also look at possible changes to parish boundaries. With fewer people having time for voluntary roles some parishes struggle to recruit Councillors, although in Forncett we have not experienced this. It may work well for certain parish councils to merge and work together, the way Bracon Ash and Hethel have, for example. The consultation period is open from 20 March to 12 June and you can submit any comments you may have via: http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/communitygovernancereview1/

The parish council is still considering adopting the phone box on Low Road, Forncett St Mary. There is no longer a power supply to the phone box so it may not be possible to have a defibrillator there but alternative options are currently being considered.

The next parish council meeting will be on Thursday 18th May 2017, at 7.30 pm.  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  .