Parish Council Meeting of 19th January 2017

Written by Anne Rayner.

The Parish Council meeting on 19th January 2017 was attended by Councillors Brian Frith, Beverley Humphreys, Andrew Coleman, Graham Gale, Dawn Welsby and Gilly Barnes. Also present were the Clerk, County Councillor Bev Spratt and seven 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 (16th February 2017).

Since the last Flyer report in November, the following planning application has been discussed:

2016 / 2810 – Tas Ray, Station Road – Lawful Development Certificate – The parish council agreed in this case that, if South Norfolk Council were satisfied as to the validity of the statement submitted by the applicants, they had no further comments to add.

The Planning Inspector has granted a temporary four-year permission in respect of the Hope Valley site. Certain conditions have been imposed, which the applicant will need to meet within given timescales.

County Councillor Spratt reported on likely council tax increases by both Norfolk County Council and South Norfolk Council. A large amount of the increase from Norfolk County Council will go towards the adult social services budget and also the children’s services budget. The County Council currently have responsibility for 1120 looked after children.

Residents may be aware that, for the last few years, volunteers from the village have taken part in an annual litter pick, supported by South Norfolk Council. This event has been a great success and has removed a large amount of rubbish from the village, especially around the verges. This year’s event will take place on 25 March 2017, starting from the village hall. Please do come along if you would like to help – 9.30 am at the Village Hall. We normally set out in groups of two or three, for not more than a couple of hours, and then meet back at the Village Hall for some refreshments. All the rubbish is collected by South Norfolk Council and disposed of.

Our village tree warden has recently taken part in a project involving planting new trees on land in the village. If any landowner has an area suitable for planting of new trees, please do contact the clerk and she will pass your details on to the tree warden. There are sometimes schemes available which provide the trees for planting.

The parish council has recently purchased a brush cutter and hedge trimmer, in order that John Wilde, footpath warden and Councillor Graham Gale can continue their maintenance of the village footpaths. Thanks go to them for giving up their time to improve the access to the footpaths, which are enjoyed by so many people. 

The next meeting will be on Thursday 16th February 2017, commencing 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  .