a. The meeting was attended by ten members of the public. The Parish Council Chairman, Cllr J.R.Bostock, took the chair and the Parish Clerk made the record of the meeting.
b. Mrs M.Buck asked whether, now that the War Memorial has been refurbished, it is intended to sort out the 2nd World War tablet which is loose. The Chairman confirmed that this would be pursued and discussed at the next Council meeting on 16th May, 2012.
c. The Parish Clerk reported that the Rectory has been bought by a Mr and Mrs M.Belton who plan to refurbish the existing building and grounds.
d. A hearing induction loop is to be installed in the Village Hall. Mr W.Tasker sought a degree of financial support from the Parish Council for this project. The Chairman said that it would be considered once it was completed.
e. Mr T.English asked why there are no direction signs to the Village Hall. The Chairman said that this too would be pursued and would be discussed at the next Council meeting.
2. Parish Council Meeting
a. This meeting was attended by seven Parish Cllrs, the Parish Clerk and four members
of the public.
b. Diamond Jubilee Celebrations
(1) The mugs are now ordered.
(2) There will be no activities for children.
(3) Mrs L.Kinsey will supervise the entertainments programme for the evening of
Monday, 4th June.
(4) A grant of £100 was received from NCC.
(5) The Easter Saturday Coffee Morning takings will be split 50/50 Village Hall/Diamond
Jubilee.
c. Footpaths
(1) The possibility of having the village footpaths maintained by working parties from
Community Payback is being pursued with the King’s Lynn Probation service.
(2) The damaged gate on the footpath to Chapel Lane from Church Road will not be
replaced.
(3) There is a dog-fouling problem on the village footpaths. The co-operation of dogowning
parishioners is sought in helping to overcome this problem.
d. Anglian Water is to be asked to examine the sewage smell problem again.
3. The next meeting of Barton Bendish Parish Council will be the Annual Council Meeting, to be held on Wednesday, 16th May, 2012 in the Village Hall starting at 7.00 pm.
For some years recently the stability of the granite Memorial has given rise to increasing concern as it has continued to tilt very slowly but surely towards its rear right-hand corner. Parishioners were in no doubt that it would eventually have fallen over and probably been damaged beyond repair.
The problems for the Parish Council were to identify the best means of levelling and stabilising the Memorial and at the same time find the necessary funds without any burden falling on local Council Taxpayers. By far the major credit for solving those problems goes to Parish Clerk, Ian Berchem, whose ingenuity and dedication have helped ensure that the project is now completed and the War Memorial is secured for many generations to come at no cost to Parishioners.
A fixed price contract was negotiated with Uretek a nationally recognised firm specialising in stabilisation projects. The essence of the method is to pump a polymer product into the ground which later sets as hard as glass and this is carried out with lasers guiding the insertion of the material to ensure the rectification of the former tilting within the finest possible limits.
The major part of the funding was obtained by virtue of a grant from WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental Limited). WREN is a company limited by guarantee and a nonprofit making Environmental Body registered to fund projects under the Landfill Communities Fund with its income coming from the landfill tax levied by Waste Recycling Group. The Pennycress Trust also contributed generously.
Uretek did not find their work easy. At the first attempt the pumped polymer was escaping from the intended site of the damage. The Uretek team returned two days later but attempts to contain the polymer again failed. A third visit achieved the necessary results by means of hydraulic jacks placed appropriately to guarantee perfect levelling before the polymer was finally pumped into place. A good job our Clerk had negotiated a fixed price contract.
Parish Council notes usually appear over the name of parish Clerk Ian Berchem. I have taken over on this one occasion only because Ian would never have taken the huge credit which is properly his for an exercise so successfully completed.
The Memorial is a lasting reminder of all those from Barton Bendish and Eastmoor who were lost giving their lives for their country. No more poignant example of such loss is that the names inscribed on the Memorial of those lost in the Great War include three brothers William, Robert and Sidney Button with a second Sidney Button from the next generation killed in the 1939-45 War. We will remember them.
2. The Rectory has been placed on the open market by Ely Diocese. Cllr English said that it might be wise to establish firmly the exact boundaries to the Rectory plot of land as advertised by the Estate Agents as those which had been shown on the recent planning application were objected to by the Parish Council. The Parish Clerk was directed to make relevant inquiries. (Afternote: The advertised plot does not include the grass verges.)
3. The Council has decided to install a grit box at the junction of Eastmoor Road and Oxborough Lane. An application has been submitted to NCC Highways Department and the area Highways Engineer, Mr A.Wallace, is visiting the Parish Clerk on 6th January, 2012.
4. The Parish Council will be changing the company which provides its insurance cover on 1st June, 2012, currently Allianz. The new company is Zurich who will provide slightly better cover for an annual premium £110 less than Allianz.
5. The Diamond Jubilee sub-committee, under Cllr McAlister, already has firm proposals regarding the planned celebrations. A Diamond Jubilee flyer is enclosed with this issue of Group 4.
6. In spite of an article which appeared in the Eastern Daily Press apparently challenging the legality of NCC’s decision to discontinue automatic regular cuttings of the footpaths around the village, normal maintenance work is now the responsibility of the Parish Council. NCC will become involved only when there are health and safety issues.
7. Mr K.Laws has the refurbishment of the Eastmoor BT call box firmly in hand.
8. The next meeting of the Parish Council was held on 18th January, 2012.
2. Appointment of Trustees of the Poor’s Charity and Village Hall
The following were appointed subject to their acceptance:
a. Poor’s Charity Mr J. Richardson, Cllr T. English, Cllr P.A.J. Carter and
Cllr Dr Webster.
b. Village Hall Mr J.Richardson, Cllr T.English, Mr W.R.Chapman (Jnr) and
Cllr P.A.J.Carter.
3. The Diocesan planning application to develop the Rectory site has been refused by the Borough Council.
4. The problem of sewage smell is once again being pursued by the Parish Clerk.
5. Mr K.Laws and Mr W.R.Chapman (Jnr) have undertaken to repair and paint the BT call-box at Eastmoor which is now the responsibility of the Parish Council to maintain.
6. RAF Marham have once again asked for nominations to attend their annual Christmas Lunch. A list will be submitted to Marham by 28th October, 2011. Attendance will, however, depend upon the individual(s) receiving a formal invitation from RAF Marham.
7. The external audit of the Parish Council accounts has been successfully completed.
8. The Diamond Jubilee sub-committee is now up and running and is already drawing up plans for next year’s celebrations. Mr W.R.Chapman (Jnr) has undertaken to find a parishioner in Eastmoor who would be willing to be co-opted on to this sub-committee. Any volunteers? The committee is also seeking suggestions from parishioners for a permanent memorial in the village for the Diamond Jubilee; Mrs J.Mason has suggested repairing the church clock. Any others ideas should be passed to Cllr V.McAlister.
9. The next meeting of Barton Bendish Parish Council will be held on Wednesday, 16th November, 2011 in the Village Hall starting at 7.00 pm.
2. RAF Marham have reported that their tests reveal no signs of aviation fuel having contaminated the ground around the village.
3. A new planning application for the Rectory site is due. (Received 3rd August.)
4. The Parish Clerk is to establish the background to the recent appearance in the village of brown “Heritage” signs to St Mary’s church.
5. A sub-committee of Councillors has been set up to plan for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
6. A second sub-committee has been created to assume responsibility for the management of footpath maintenance in anticipation of the County Council ceasing to be responsible for this activity.
7. The Parish Clerk is to request from the Charity Commission a written copy of the constitution of the Trustees of the Village Hall.
8. The Parish Clerk will contact Anglian Water again over the re-emergence of sewage smell.
2. Councillor J.R.Bostock was re-elected as Chairman.
3. A ballot was held to co-opt three additional members of the Council. The following were elected: Dr T.M.Webster, Mr P.A.J.Carter and Mr P.Carter
4. Councillor P.A.J.Carter was elected as Vice-Chairman.
5. A letter has been sent to the Diocese expressing the Council’s dissatisfaction over the lack of communication from the Diocese regarding the archaeological dig at the Rectory about which neither the Parish Council nor the PCC knew anything.
6. The Parish Council Accounts for the year ended 31st March, 2011 were approved and despatched to the external auditors and PAYE has been introduced for the Clerk’s salary.
7. Future meetings of the Parish Council in 2011 will be held on 20th July, 21st September and 16th November all in the Village Hall starting at 7.00 pm.
2. The Ordinary Parish Council Meeting which followed directly was attended by seven councillors, the Parish Clerk and two members of the public. The Chairman welcomed Cllr W.R.Chapman back after his recent illness.
3. The latest report from Anglian Water on the steps which they are taking to eliminate the sewage smell was well received. It seems to have been reduced.
4. The planning application for the rectory has been withdrawn largely, it is thought, as a result of the points raised by the Parish Council.
5. The War Memorial stabilisation project progresses. The Parish Clerk has applied for a 100% grant from Waste Recycling Environmental Ltd (WREN). The Pennycress Trust has made a grant of £200 which will be used to help pay WREN’s 11% land-fill fee; with luck the ultimate total cost to the Council should not exceed £140.
6. The chairman postponed a decision on the acquisition of additional grit bins until the Council’s financial situation is known having received this year’s precept payment. The War Memorial project will require the 11% fee payment and VAT which can, of course, ultimately be recovered. It is, however, anticipated that the grit bin for Eastmoor will be acquired this coming autumn.
7. The Chairman shelved any further consideration of installing speed limit signs for the foreseeable future in view of the expense involved should the Parish Council go ahead on its own. The Borough Council has no funds to spare at present; the cost of installing three sets of 30 mph signs would be in excess of £10,000.
8. Plans for the visit of our MP, Mrs Elizabeth Truss, on Friday 1st April 2011 were finalised. Afternote: The visit went off very well, the event being attended by three Parish Councillors, the Parish Clerk and ten members of the public.
9. The Parish Clerk’s salary and expenses will carry on at the present agreed rates, £8.919/hour for a six-hour week and a £10 per week flat rate for expenses. PAYE will come into effect in April 2011.
10. The next meeting of the Parish Council will be the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, 11th May 2011 starting at 7.00 pm in the Village Hall and followed immediately by an Ordinary Meeting.
1. The density of housing is felt to be too great. This will in turn lead to parking problems as most families these days have two cars. There was considerable concern that parking Reduced density could possibly permit provision of double garages.
2. The Council is currently working with Anglian Water to try to remove the long-standing problem of sewage smell. This is particularly noticeable in Buttlands Lane. There is concern that additional sewage will exacerbate this problem.
3. There is some doubt over the proposal for the “affordable” unit as the application does not appear to have submitted the relevant Section 106 obligation to deliver one of the semis as an “affordable” unit. The Council wishes to have an assurance, enshrined in the Section 106 obligation, that this “affordable” unit should be available only for local need and, if none exists in Barton Bendish, is cascaded out to surrounding villages.
4. The scheme as presented is of good quality and proposes the use of appropriate materials that reflect the local vernacular. The Council would be seeking similar quality in the event of amendments to this proposed scheme.
5. The drawings of the three houses on Buttlands Lane are inconsistent in that one shows three driveways and another shows only two (only two gates detailed). Assuming, however, that three are proposed, Councillors would like this to be reconsidered; they feel that two drives on to Buttlands Lane should suffice.
6. The Council wishes to have re-assurance that the listed BT call-box (referred to as being “on the property”; it is on County Council property) and the village bench and sign would all be unaffected.
7. The Council was concerned that the Planning Department be reminded that this area of Barton Bendish is a site of significant archaeological potential and, as such, could merit the requirement that an archaeological assessment is carried out before planning permission is granted.
8. There are too many properties in the village owned by one party and then let which results in an over-large transient population; if it can be a valid condition, the Parish Council would prefer a requirement that the properties, when built, must be sold to owner/ occupiers only. It would be bad for the village if the development were sold en-bloc to one party who then let all the houses out on a rental basis.
9. Finally, a small point. The application includes the statement that Norwich is within easy reach using public transport. This is not true; there is only one bus to Swaffham every Saturday morning.
2. Anglian Water is continuing to address the sewage smell problem; another report is due in time for the next meeting in March.
3. There had been considerable concern about the fact that the Borough Council will be passing down to Parish Councils a share of the costs of the May elections. It is now clear that these costs will not be charged to Parishes until April 2012. This being so, it was decided that no increase in the precept for 2011 was necessary and that the 2010 precept of £4,600 be retained for a further year. It was felt that this would demonstrate that the Parish was playing its part in the fight against unnecessary increases in public expenditure.
4. The Parish Clerk has been pursuing the possibility of speed restriction signs for the village either in the form of 30 mph signs or flashing speed reminder signs. As it turns out the latter are very expensive, around £3,000 each, and the former need to be considered by a Borough Council committee which is currently very short of cash. The possibility of “Please Drive Slowly” signs, similar to that on The Lodge corner sign, being fitted to the village name boards is also being considered.
5. The need for gritting on Eastmoor Road, particularly at the junction with Oxborough Road, was raised. It is not possible to get this done by the road gritters so the alternative could be to have a grit-bin located at that corner. This again has cost implications which are being considered.
6. The quote for levelling up the War Memorial is £3,100 +VAT. The Parish Clerk is currently seeking sources of grant funding.
7. 5th May Elections: The Parish Clerk ran through the procedures connected with the nomination, election and installation of candidates for the position of Parish Councillor (7 vacancies). The Clerk will arrange to make candidate registration forms available to all who are interested; it is then up to the individual to complete them and return them to the Borough Council.
8. The dates of the next meetings of Barton Bendish Parish Council are:
a. Annual Parish Meeting (open to public) followed by Ordinary P C Meeting -
Wednesday, 16th March
The immediate post-election meeting for installation of the new Council and
AGM - Wednesday, 11th May, 2011
2. Anglian Water has taken action to remove the sewage smell and will be monitoring its success or failure in removing this problem. Input from villagers (to the Parish Clerk) would be appreciated in this respect.
3. The RAF has taken soil samples (early November) to establish whether or not aviation fuel has contaminated ground in and around the village. Their report is awaited.
4. County Cllr Rockcliffe gave a short presentation on the proposed King’s Lynn waste incinerator and answered questions from both Cllrs and members of the public. Some areas of concern, however, remained unanswered; it is therefore hoped that a representative of the preferred bidder for the contract may be able to attend a future meeting to address these areas.
5. The question of speed limit signs around the village was discussed. Cllr Rockcliffe supported the advice previously received from NCC that 30 mph signs would have little, if any, effect. He suggested that the possibility of installing flashing speed reminder signs on Beachamwell and Fincham Roads might be pursued. The Parish Clerk has done this and a reply is awaited from NCC.
6. The War Memorial list to right and rear was discussed. Cllr Rockcliffe suggested a contact which resulted in an on-site meeting between the Parish Council Chairman, the Parish Clerk and a representative from Uretek, a company which specialises in levelling structures. Their report and price estimate are awaited.
7. Our MP, Mrs E.Truss, will be visiting Barton Bendish early in 2011*. The Parish Clerk is currently arranging a suitable date with her office.
8. Mrs S.Brooking has been formally appointed as internal auditor for the Parish Council accounts.
9. The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on 12th January, 2011.
2. Three new Parish Councillors were co-opted as follows.
a. Mr J.R.Bostock; b. Mrs A.V.McAlister; c. Mrs P.A.Baird
3. Cllr J.R.Bostock was subsequently elected as the new Parish Council Chairman with Cllr P.A.Carter continuing as Vice-Chairman.
4. The Board showing Parish Council Chairmen from 1894 to 2010 is to be delivered on 11th October and will be mounted shortly in the Village Hall.
5. RAF Marham have replied regarding aircraft noise; they have said nothing that has not been said several times already. They are still investigating the fuel smell issue.
6. At the next Parish Council meeting on Wednesday, 17th November 2010 (starting at 7.00 pm) County Cllr R.Rockecliffe will be talking about the proposed re-cycling plant at Saddlebow which has raised considerable opposition. He will be accompanied by a speaker from the possible contractor.
2. As a result of the meeting arranged by the Parish Clerk for 8th June, Anglian Water has now produced a report on the action which they plan to take to remove the sewage smell which regularly affects the village. The Borough Council Environmental Health Dept is also planning a visit as a result of the recently submitted “smell logs”.
3. The Parish Clerk has written to the Station Commander at RAF Marham to register the villagers’ dismay at the way in which their complaints about noise and smell are virtually ignored by the RAF. An acknowledgement that these problems do indeed arise from the proximity of the airfield to the village has been requested as the very least they can do as this could assist villagers when applying to the Borough Council for a reduction in Council Tax (unlikely but possible!).
4. Forms have been requested from the Borough Council to complete regarding the constantly barking dog(s) within the village. The RSPCA will also be contacted.
5. A special item about the May 2011 Parish Council Elections will appear in the October issue of G4N. This will be asking for nominations for candidates who wish to stand for election as Parish Councillors.
6. The Parish Clerk explained in detail the nature and content of the Parish Clerk’s job in order to clear up the very apparent misconceptions held by some councillors which were revealed at the 14th July Council meeting. He clarified the nature of his contract, hours worked, salary due and expenses. He also pointed out that the recent increases in the Precept were made by the Council in spite of his proposed alternative of keeping the Precept unchanged and using funds carried forward from the previous year to meet the small shortfall created by a rise in other costs eg insurance premium, St Andrew’s donation, society subscriptions etc.
7. At the end of the meeting one parishioner made known, forcibly, her strongly held opinion that the Parish Councillors and their Chairman were totally ineffective. The result of this was that Councillors J. and E. Richardson resigned from the Council with effect from 16th July, 2010. Councillor W.R.Chapman (Snr) has also resigned for unconnected reasons.
8. The next meeting of Barton Bendish Parish Council will be on Wednesday, 8th September, 2010 in the Village Hall starting at 7.00 pm. The Parish Clerk has now posted notices requesting the names of people who would be willing to be co-opted on to the Parish Council; three new Councillors can then be co-opted at the meeting on 8th September and a new Chairman elected.
2. Norfolk Highways have been asked to action several items concerning the roads and
verges around Barton Bendish, including:
a. Hedge and verge trimming at the junction of White’s Road and the A1122.
b. Digging out of drainage traps on all roads.
c. Repairs to the verge beside Mason’s clamp on Fincham Road.
d. Repair to tarmac around manhole in Church Road.
3. Councillors Richardson and English are arranging an on-site meeting with Anglian Water to discuss the smell from the sewage plant.
4. A new gritting route for the village has been requested which will mean that the gritting lorry will turn left from the top of Fincham Road and come round through the village via Buttlands Lane and Church Road. It is hoped that this change will be implemented for next winter.
5. The Parish Council is still negotiating with BT and the Borough Council regarding the retention of the red telephone boxes in Barton Bendish and Eastmoor. There is no danger of losing them but the bureaucracy grinds on!
6. Councillor R. Lord has proposed that a board be prepared which shows the names of all the Chairmen of the Parish Council since it was created in 1894. The next issue of Group Four will contain this list and the Council would be very grateful if those whose memories go back far enough could check name spellings, dates in office, etc and advise the Parish Clerk of any identified errors.
7. The Council took note of a letter from Ely Diocese regarding the future of the Rectory as it is not intended that any future vicar of St Andrews should live there. Correspondence on this matter is currently on-going between the Parochial Church Council and the Diocese.
8. The next meeting of the Parish Council will take place on Wednesday, 5th May, 2010 in the Village Hall. This will start with the Annual General Meeting which will be followed by an Ordinary Meeting.