Draft minutes of the meeting of Boughton Parish Council held on Wednesday July 4th in the church.

 

Present:

Chair: Frank Reid

Councillors: Paul Coulten (Parish Clerk and Treasurer) Peter Agate, Mark Pogmore, Geoff Proctor, Steve Saunders and Pam Wakeling

 

Eleven members of the public were also present.

 

Apologies:

No apologies were received.

 

Matters arising from draft minutes of the AGM:

These do not need to be formally approved until the AGM of 2008, but the following reports were made:

  • Jay’s cottage:  the Council has no powers re the tree standing on land adjacent to this property and the owners have been advised of this.
  • The plans submitted by Mr & Mrs Youel had been approved
  • The ditch between the churchyard and the cottage known as Twoinone had been cleared, and water was now flowing freely.  The dyke between the churchyard and Barley House would be cleared when the ground was dry enough to permit machinery to enter.  Thanks were given to Councillors Reid and Proctor for seeing to this work.  It should ensure that the unpleasant smell noted for some time would no longer be a problem.

 

Chairman’s Report:

  • Pride in Norfolk award:  three judges, including the Mayor of Swaffham, had visited the village as part of the final judging process, as Boughton had reached the last five in the category for villages with population under 500.  It was difficult to be sure what they were looking for, but a representative selection of villagers had been there to talk to them and because of the inclement weather they had been entertained in the church.  They would report to County Hall, and in September the finalists would be invited to Norwich to hear the results.
  • Open Gardens Day had been a great success and had demonstrated the excellent community spirit within the village.  Pam Wakeling thanked everyone on behalf of the church for all that had been done.
  • RSPB evening: this had been successful in spite of very unpleasant weather. A useful contact had been made with Lee Cousins, the speaker, and she had helped us make contact with Norman Sills at Lakenheath re Boughton Fen
  • The Jazz picnic, Hog Roast and Champagne Tasting were all in hand.
  • Cricket team: some equipment was available, and there were matches scheduled against West Raynham and Mundford.
  • Boughton Fen: some concern was expressed about the current appearance of the fen where the poplars had been removed, but it had proved impossible to use the chipper as arranged because of the saturated state of the ground.  Some wood was still there for people to collect if they wished.

·         Council responsibilities; the newly elected council would respect the views of the village and try not to allow too much change against their wishes.  The presence of Matthew Morton at the meeting was a reminder of the future we needed to safeguard.  Individual responsibilities were to be as follows:  Paul Coulten – clerk/treasurer; Pam Wakeling – minutes, (G4N/church): Steve Saunders – maintain contacts with the Highways department: Peter Agate – village signs; Geoff Proctor – dykes and ditches: Mark Pogmore – Boughton Fen.  Frank Reid would continue to maintain the grass areas around the pond, etc. Concerns about these areas should initially be addressed to the councillors named, and through them to the full council. 

  • The chairman concluded by thanking all the people in the village who organise or take part in events to benefit the village – the Church community, the Boughton Village Caravan, and all who give their time in any way.

 

Treasurer’s Report:

The current account now stands at £519, and the reserve account at £2367.  The treasurer had asked the bank to set up an arrangement which would automatically transfer from the current account to the reserve, leaving only £100 in the current account and earning interest in the reserve account.  He had been advised that this would cost £112, so had declined to proceed.

 

Peter Agate proposed the adoption of the accounts, and Pam Wakeling seconded – agreed.

 

Rental of gravel/chalk pit: no income had yet been received.  Geoff Proctor was looking into it, but it was clearly the tenant’s duty to pay and not the owner of the land where this applied.

 

Fundraising: arrangements were discussed for the forthcoming Jazz Picnic and various councillors agreed to help. A beer license had been applied for.

 

Correspondence:

A booklet had been received from Norfolk Minerals – I’m not sure about the title of this – can Paul clarify?

 

The Council had been invited to nominate someone to sit on the Standards Committee, and Steve Saunders was allowing his name to go forward.

 

The Borough Council requested help with canvassing for the electoral roll, and Paul Coulten would do this.

 

Allen Hale’s report on ringing birds in the area had also been received.

 

Footpaths:

Complaints had been received about the state of the local footpaths, and Paul Coulten had referred these to David Mills at BCKLWN.  He had also asked for yellow signs to be put in so that walkers could see exactly where the paths were. It wasn’t clear whether the new owners of land formerly owned by the Moons were aware that there was a public right of way across their land, and Paul Coulten/Frank Reid would contact them.  The Wereham path would be checked.  The Parish Council can undertake maintenance of footpaths where appropriate.

 

Stoke Road:

Peter Agate reported that water was running faster than ever near the pumping station, and appeared to be coming from higher up the road.  He felt that Highways needed to take action asap. Steve Saunders reported that Martin Edmonds had already been contacted, and he would do so again.  It was not clear whether the problem had actually been caused by Anglian Water and their contractors, but it was still within the period of their liability and the Council would contact them after Highways had been contacted again.  Frank Reid would contact Ian Boon of Anglian Water.

 

The hedges on Stoke Ferry Road near Stoke Ferry Timber needed cutting, and Highways would be contacted.

 

Open Questions:

Bill Beeson raised the question of dangerous trees, and Frank Reid reported that he was concerned about one which overhangs the playing area.  He would contact Mike Houldsworth at BCKLWN.

 

Kevin Fisher pointed out that Planning had not been included in the delegation of duties, and the chairman reassured him that it would continue to be dealt with by the council as a whole, with interested parties being contacted as well.  The Parish council could not object to any applications on any grounds not directly related to planning issues.

 

Presentation to S. Saunders:

An engraved glass tankard was presented to Steve Saunders in recognition of his work as Chairman of the village meeting and as Chairman of the first elected Parish Council in Boughton over a period from 2000 to 2007.  The presentation was funded by donations from fellow councillors and others, and not from public funds.  Steve Saunders thanked everyone, and stressed that it had been a joint effort with help from others in the village.

 

Additions to Agenda:

Emails had not arrived and the following were added to the agenda.

·         Mark Pogmore reported that following the sad death of Helen Jenkins, her husband and family had requested the parish to allow a memorial seat to be placed round the copper beech on The Green .  The Council accepted the offer in principle and expressed the gratitude of the village for  such an offer. Peter Agate agreed to research costings and availability of suitable seats, and Mark Pogmore would see what local joinery firms could suggest.

·         Boughton Fen:  Natural England had written to the Council stating that a WES agreement was in place on the Fen, but no one was sure what this meant or what it entailed.  They would contact us shortly because the agreement was about to change.  It was decided to delay work on the Fen until more was known and permission had been given.  Environmental stewardship was involved, and would be the primary funding mechanism for conservation work on SSSI sites.  In the meantime, the Parish Council would research what was possible and what the village wanted to happen, asking Norman Sills and Nigel Middleton ( Hawk and Owl Trust) for their help and advice.  Peter Agate asked if tree branches could be removed, and it was decided that if they related to the poplars this was acceptable.  A proposed sign would contravene various statutes re planning, but it was pointed out that replacing a previously existing sign would be acceptable. It might discourage fly-tipping on the fen.  Cost and location would be investigated. David Cooper asked if grazing rights were still in force, and it is believed that five people still have these rights as it is common land.

 

Date of Next Meeting:

It was agreed to hold the next meeting in September, at a date to be decided because the Council felt meetings should be held when there was sufficient business to discuss.

 

The meeting closed at approximately 7.50pm