Stanhoe Parish Council

Minutes of Parish Council Meeting

Held on Thursday, 13th November 2014 at 7.00pm
in the village Reading Room

Clerk to the Council – , tel 01485 518409

Present:

Mr. T. Austin (TA)
Mrs. P. Austin (PA)
Mr. D. Bridge (DB)
Mrs. R. Brown (RB)
Mr. M. Roche (MR)
Mrs. P. Roche (PR)
Mr. J. Seedhouse (JS) 

1. To consider apologies for absence

All members present.

2. To consider approval of the Minutes of the last meeting

Minutes were passed and signed by the Chairman.

3. To record declarations of interest from members in any item to be discussed

No declarations made.

4. To adjourn meeting to allow public participation

One member of the public was present with particular interest in Item 8.

5. SNAP Report

TA had attended a recent meeting. No items were discussed relating specifically to Stanhoe. There were the usual problems of inconsiderate parking and anti-social behaviour in the Westgate and Le Strange Terrace areas of Hunstanton. New CCTV had been installed which should help identify the culprits. In some areas covered by SNAP there had been a number of burglaries (both domestic and non-domestic properties), thefts from vehicles, one stolen vehicle and a number of violent crimes but, in general, crime figures were down on the same period last year. There had been instances of heating oil theft in Fakenham but these had ceased after the arrest of two individuals.

6. NALC Area Meeting

TA had attended a meeting in Downham Market for both councillors and clerks. One of the items discussed was a –Neighbourhood Plan’ for each parish to include plans for the future of the parish, e.g. housing, parking and community involvement. A good example of such a plan can be found on the website for Cringleford parish. Community payback (where offenders carry out community service) is available to parishes. The clerk will obtain further details from NALC. Some parishes expected their PCSO to attend all parish council meetings but this was not felt to be necessary in Stanhoe. The local PCSO would be willing to attend a particular meeting if asked to do so. It is the intention of NALC to hold more area meetings in future.

7. War Memorial maintenance

Currently grounds maintenance work and cleaning of the monument is done voluntarily by members of the community as and when it is needed. RB thought this should be put on a more formal footing to provide a regular maintenance plan. The clerk will contact Mr. Punter who is employed to carry out other regular maintenance work in the village with a view to adding the war memorial to his list of duties.

8. Possible planting at village boundary signs

The member of public present suggested that plant troughs should be placed at each boundary sign in the village to provide a more attractive welcome to all coming into the village either by car or on foot. A licence would have to be obtained from the County Council Highways department for each trough and insurance of the items would have to be covered by the parish council. After some discussion, it was agreed to apply for one licence initially for a trough at the boundary sign on Burnham Road approaching from Burnham Market. The topic would be discussed again at the next meeting.

9. Updates on the following

  • Planning matters: An application for the demolition of Station Farm Cottage and the erection of a new dwelling had gone before the planning committee and permission refused.
  • Jack’s Lane Wind Farm: Work is proceeding with 3 turbines in place and another 3 to be erected probably before the end of the year. Representatives from the affected areas will soon be forming a Community Fund Committee to discuss and decide upon projects on which the Fund can be spent.
  • Trees at the pond: Although the trees have no preservation orders on them the area around the pond is Common Land. The clerk is currently investigating if there are any restrictions on what can be done on such land.
  • Repairs to the shed: These will be carried out in approximately 10 days’ time.
  • Highway matters: The –Give Way’ sign is missing from its position at the junction on the approach from North Creake where it meets Burnham Road. The sign is on order and will be replaced by the highways department in the near future.
    Parked cars continue to be a problem on Docking Road close to the junction with Bircham Road where they block the view of oncoming traffic from Docking. The local PCSO is investigating but it was suggested that a letter should be sent from the clerk to the home owners expressing the concerns of councillors.
  • Prospective new councillors: Elections will be held in May 2015 at which time some existing councillors will be retiring. Two village residents have expressed an interest in joining the parish council but more may be needed to make up a full council. It was agreed that everything possible should be done to encourage interest. The clerk will notify the councillors of the expected timetable leading up to the elections in 2015.

10. Financial Report and approval of payments

The clerk circulated Income and Expenditure reports, Budget reports and Bank Statements to date in the current financial year. No queries were raised. Payment was approved for the clerk’s salary.

11. To receive items for the next Agenda – meeting of 8th January 2015

The following items should be included:

  • The scrap site
  • Village Inspection – Spring 2015
  • Updates on: War memorial maintenance
  • Plant troughs
  • Trees & common land

Other items may be submitted to the clerk up to one week prior to the meeting.