Parish Council Report July 2012

Police report

PC R Gosling submitted a police report to the meeting on 2nd July for the month of June. Four crimes occurred in the village in June. On the 8th June there were two incidents of theft from a motor vehicle on Brook Street. On the 28th June there was another incident of theft on Far Street and on the 30th June there was a burglary to outbuildings on Narrow Lane.

Community Speedwatch Campaign

Cllr Ling has been co-ordinating the Community Speedwatch Scheme and has had a fantastic response from parishioners. 201 signatures have been collected for the campaign and 29 volunteers have signed up to complete the necessary training. The volunteers are looking forward to their training which will have begun at the end of August and the scheme will be up-and-running at the beginning of September.

2012 – The Olympic Torch Relay and unveiling of the Village Sign

By the time you read this the 3rd of July will be long gone but we hope that it is not forgotten! I am sure you will all agree that The Olympic Torch Relay day was a fantastic day highlighted by the unveiling of our new village sign. People turned out in force and the streets were lined with people, not forgetting the Wymeswold School children, to welcome the torchbearers to Wymeswold. Thank you to Cllr Shaw and the village sign committee for helping to make this a memorable day for Wymeswold. We are also very grateful to Susan Crinage for the artwork of the sign and for managing to incorporate so many of the aspects of the village which make Wymeswold unique.

Washdyke Report

We hope that you managing to enjoy the summer months and get out to make use if the Washdyke. The sundial is now in place and can be used so long as the sun is shining!

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will be held on Monday 3rd September 2012 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report September 2012

Police report

PC R Gosling submitted a police report for July and August. In July there were two crimes reported in Wymeswold: between 4th and 17th July there was a burglary to outbuildings near London Lane, and on 18th July there was an incident of theft on Wysall Lane. Three crimes occurred in the village in August: on 17th August there was a theft of a motor vehicle on Rempstone Road, between 24th and 25th August heating oil was stolen on Wysall Lane, and on 28th August there was an assault on Hoton Road.

The police also reported that in the last thirty days in there have been four thefts of heating oil crimes in the area: two in Barrow-on-Soar, one in Hoton, and one in Wymeswold. The police are urging people to be extra vigilant and be aware if you have oil storage tanks that could be accessible to thieves.

Community Speedwatch Campaign

The Community Speedwatch campaign started on 3rd September and will be running for four weeks. Cllr Ling has been co-ordinating the rotas of the many volunteers who came forward to help tackle speeding vehicles through the village. There are four shifts at various times every day at different locations around the village. On the first day alone 28 vehicles were registering over the speed limit. There will be a full report next month once the campaign has been completed.

Boyer Planning

Mr Krzys Lipinski, a representative from Boyer Planning, attended the Parish Council meeting in September. He outlined plans for the development on the land north of Rempstone Road. The plans are to develop the land either side of Storkit Lane and to build around 33 new houses.

He emphasised that the development is still at the planning stage and an official planning application has yet to be submitted to Charnwood Borough Council.

At this stage Boyer Planning is seeking information from parishioners which will be considered when the full plan is submitted to CBC. The Parish Council will be keeping a careful eye on developments and will await the official plans to be submitted to Charnwood Borough Council before making any comments.

To report on the Wymeswold Airfield Liaison meeting

A meeting of the Wymeswold Airfield Liaison Committee was held on 2nd August. Lark Energy also attended the meeting to present their proposals for a Solar Farm on the airfield. The Caravan Club has had their planning application approved, and there are plans to renew the application for ‘non-motorised’ events on the airfield.

It was reported that there have been no complaints of noise breaches and Everyman Racing reported that all the exhausts bar one have been replaced on the Lamborghinis.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will be held on Monday 1st of October 2012 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report October 2012

Community Speedwatch Campaign

The very successful Community Speedwatch campaign has now been completed. The campaign ran from 3rd to 30th September. 50 volunteers helped with the campaign, 18 of whom undertook training to use the speed gun. 9 locations around the village were identified as problem areas and a staggering total of 1076 vehicles were recorded in excess of 35mph. The PC would like to thank Cllr Ling for all of her hard work in co-ordinating a very successful campaign. Cllr Ling particularly wanted to thank Stephen and Allison Morris for all of their hard work, Granvilles for storing the speed gun and of course all of the many volunteers who helped to make this happen.

The Parish Council will investigate purchasing a speed gun in order to carry out ongoing Speedwatch campaigns in future years.

The Brook Maintenance

The PC has received a number of complaints regarding the vegetation along the Brook and the grass verges. Charnwood Borough Council reports that they currently carry out maintenance of the Brook twice a year: in the spring and autumn. The work involves the strimming of the banks and the bed of the brook to mitigate the flood risk.

Any overgrowth along the top of the banks is maintained by the riparian owner or the County Highways as part of the verge maintenance.

However, no brook clearing work is permitted over the summer months as this stretch of the brook has been identified – and is protected – as a potential habitat for water voles.

The Parish Council considers that the risk of flooding to the highway and neighbouring properties should take priority and will be seeking an agreement on more regular maintenance programme of the book and grass verges.

Post Office Outreach Service

It has been reported that the Post Office Outreach Service located at the Three Crowns on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays is very under-utilised on a Saturday. There is a risk that this service will be lost unless there is sufficient custom on Saturday mornings.

The Parish Council urges all parishioners, particularly those at work from Mondays to Fridays, to support the Saturday opening in an effort to maintain this valuable service.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will be held on Monday 5th November 2012 in the Meeting Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report November 2012

Police report

PC Gosling and PC Venables reported that there was only one crime in Wymeswold in October which was damage to a motor vehicle on Trinity Crescent. There have been four cases of number plate theft in Barrow upon Soar. This is an emerging issue which the police have recently brought to our attention, and has seen a continuation into October. It is possible that all crimes occurred on one day as all four thefts overlap 6th October. Sileby also saw two similar thefts of number plates, on both the 1st and 7th October, and so it appears this is not a crime exclusive to Barrow. To counteract this the police will be holding an event, hopefully later in November, where in conjunction with the AA they will fit tamper proof screws free of charge to vehicle number plates at a location to be confirmed. This will be advertised in due course, and the police will keep us informed.

Reports from the County and Borough Councillors

Cllr Bokor reported that the planning application for the installation of a solar farm on Wymeswold Airfield is going to the plans committee and the recommendation is that permission should be granted. Cllr Bokor also reported on the Core Strategy. She explained that the two least problematic areas for a sustainable urban extension would be Thurmaston and North Garendon. She reported that the area North of Cotes is very low on the priority list for development and there are other areas that are more suitable as sustainable urban extensions that would be considered before Cotes.

Cllr Shepherd gave an update on the installation of super fast broadband. The government is currently identifying possible suppliers for the installation and so far the companies being considered are BT and Fujitsu. The installation will take two years to complete and should start in summer 2014. Priority areas will not be identified as we were led to believe by the recent online survey that we were asked to complete.

Maintenance of the River Mantle on Brook Street

The Parish Council has been pressing both Charnwood Borough Council and Leics CC Highways for a change to the brook maintenance programme. For some years the brook has not been cleared between March and October as it provides a potential habit for water voles. However, he PC feels that the build up of vegetation and debris in the brook is causing further flood risk issues during periods of heavy rain, such as experienced this summer. It has been confirmed that flood risk and highway safety takes a higher priority than conservation, therefore a site meeting has now been agreed with both agencies with a view to providing some clearance of the brook vegetation in the summer months.

Post Office Outreach Service

The Post Office service on a Saturday has unfortunately now been withdrawn due to low useage. The days and opening times are now as follows: Monday 9am – 12:30pm, Wednesday 10am – 2pm, Friday 9am – 12noon. We would encourage parishioners to continue to use the outreach service on these days to ensure the continuation of the service.

Boyer Planning Development

The Parish Council has objected to the outline planning application for a development of 32 new houses on the land either side of Storkit Lane, north of Rempstone Road.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will be held on Monday 3rd December 2012 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report December 2012

Police report

The following crimes occurred in Wymeswold during November: 04/11/2012 – Theft, Narrow Lane, 10/11/2012 to 11/11/2012 – Theft of motor vehicle, Mill Hill Leys, 10/11/2012 to 11/11/2012 – Theft from motor vehicle (petrol), London Lane, 24/10/2012 to 15/11/2012 – Theft (2 x livestock), Narrow Lane, 24/11/2012 – Theft of trailer, Nr. London Lane. Both Hoton and Burton suffered offences relating to theft of heating oil. The two offences in Burton relate to the same address (the first being an attempted theft and the second the completed theft). Theft of heating oil appears to be a countywide issue that has recently emerged in Charnwood since August 2012. Police investigations are ongoing both locally and force wide, and PC Gosling working with oil companies with a view to counteracting this.

Maintenance of the River Mantle on Brook Street

Cllr Shaw, Cllr Cooke, County Cllr Shepherd and Alice Gardam attended a site meeting with Dave Woolsey from CBC to discuss a more efficient maintenance programme for the River Mantle and its banks. It has been agreed to ask CBC to change its programme of maintenance, currently in October and March each year, to June and September instead. This will allow the banks and river bed to be maintained once in the summer months and should prevent the build up of vegetation and weeds over this period.

LCC are responsible for the mowing of the grass verges along the River Mantle and were unable to attend the meeting. They have, however, supplied a map of the areas within their mowing schedule and the PC will liaise with LCC to ensure that the map agrees with the areas that are actually maintained.

LCC do not maintain the grass on the south bank of the brook from outside no.106 Brook Street to the area outside Hall Field as it is not part of the adopted highway. It was agreed that the PC should look into maintaining these areas, and quotes to ascertain the cost of this maintenance are now being sought.

Budget 2013-14

The budget for 2013-14 was presented by Cllr Sturmey and it was agreed that the annual precept will remain at £18,700 for 2013-14. It was agreed to earmark funds for the following village projects:

The refurbishment of the headstones in the Rempstone Road Cemetery – £1500
To purchase a speed gun for ongoing Community Speedwatch campaigns – £1000
To prepare and submit architect’s plans for the refurbishment of the sports pavilion – £1000

Cemetery hedge

The final phase of the refurbishment of the cemetery is now underway and the hedges can be laid. A contractor has now been engaged to establish hedges to the western and southern boundaries of the cemetery.

East Midlands Stargazing Club

The Parish Council has been approached by the East Midlands Stargazing Club to hire the sports field and pavilion to watch the night skies. They have had their first session and were delighted with the results, especially as the part night lighting is now operational making the stars easier to see. Stargazing is weather dependant however they plan to have around two sessions a month, usually on Friday or Saturday nights. Any visitors with an interest in astronomy will be welcomed and details of their proposed stargazing sessions can be found at www.eastmidlandsstargazers.org.uk.

Christmas lights anyone?

The subject of establishing Christmas lights in Wymeswold has been raised a few times by parishioners. Whilst the installation of Christmas lights is a lengthy and sometimes costly exercise, the Parish Council would like to gauge the opinion of parishioners on this subject. If anyone would like volunteer to form a working group in order to steer the project forward, please let me know using the contact details below.

Happy New Year!

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will be held on Monday 7th January 2012 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report December 2013

Happy New Year!

Police Report

There were three crimes reported in Wymeswold in November: On 26th November there were burglaries on Trinity Crescent and Hoton Road. On 28th November there was a burglary on Home Leys Way. There was an increase in burglaries in the village in November and we would like to remind people to make sure all their doors are locked and not to leave car keys and valuables on display.

Neighbourhood Plan Meeting

Cllr Shaw has attended a Neighbourhood Plan meeting with Burton on the Wolds, Prestwold and Cotes Parish Council and Hoton Parish Council. It has been agreed to name the plan ‘The North Wolds Neighbourhood Plan’ and to formally register the intention to form a plan with Charnwood Borough Council. A further meeting has been arranged on Monday 13th January 2014 with an advisor from NALC (National Association of Local Clerks) to guide us through the process and initially he will give his time for free. An amount of £500 has been included in the budget to help towards the costs of developing a Neighbourhood Plan. If any parishioners are interested in helping to develop the plan or have any suggestions please get in touch.

Memorial Hall Playground

The new equipment has now been installed in the Memorial Hall playground. This completes the repairs to the play equipment and we hope that it can now be enjoyed to its full potential.

K6 Telephone Booth

We are pleased to announce that following the Parish Council’s representations, English Heritage has now agreed to keep the phone box on the Stockwell as a listed structure. This ensures that we keep a vital part of the Wymeswold street scene and a useful form of communication especially in emergencies.

A message to dog owners

As it is getting colder it is becoming apparent that some irresponsible dog owners are not clearing up after their dogs again. The problem is particularly bad on Clay Street. Please can we remind you that it is an offence not to clear up after your dog and people’s health is at risk as front steps and milk bottle are being affected by careless dog owners.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 5th January 2014 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report November 2013

Police Report

There were three crimes reported in Wymeswold in October. On 26th September (this was reported in October) there was a theft to a motor vehicle. On 6th and 12th October there were two theft crimes reported but the police have not revealed the location. The Parish Council has agreed to ask the police for a more detailed report in the future.

HGVs on Church Street

A meeting has been held with LCC Highways to discuss a solution to the problems caused by HGVs attempting to drive down Church Street. Plans have been drawn up to install a triangle shaped splitter island at the Far Street end of Church Street which will allow for service vehicles to operate within Church Street, but not permit enough space within the road for HGVs to turn into the street. The plans will be put out to the local parishioners for their comments. The Parish Council has agreed to respond to LCC Highways in favour of the plans and to ask for a grassed area within the island.

Reports from the County and Borough Councillors

Cllr Bokor reported that CBC had an extraordinary meeting on 28th October to discuss the Charnwood Local Plan Core Strategy. It was decided by majority to send the strategy to a planning inspector for examination. Cllr Bokor has given the PC advice on the response to the Jelson development in Cotes and urged individuals to respond to the planning application. Cllr Bokor also reported CBC has agreed to install a grit bin for the bungalows on Church Street and discussions are being held with LCC regarding the installation of a handrail along the paths. CBC has also completed a clear up of the fallen leaves.

Cllr Shepherd reported that there has been a press release advising on the results of the government savings consultation. The top ten areas were street lighting, grants to communities, funding for agencies, travel to schools, grass cutting, early learning, children’s centres, funding for businesses, school support and museums. Together, these nine services account for around £32 million of spending. The consultation findings will be considered by the council’s scrutiny commission on November 6th and by the cabinet on November 20th. The budget proposals will be published in January and the full council will take a final decision on February 19th.

Neighbourhood Plan Meeting

There is to be a Neighbourhood Plan meeting to be held in conjunction with Burton on the Wolds, Cotes, Prestwold and Hoton on 18th November. If any parishioners are interested in helping to develop a Neighbourhood Plan or have any suggestions please get in touch.

Memorial Hall Playground

The new equipment for the The Memorial Hall playground has now been ordered and will be installed as soon as possible.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 2nd December in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report October 2013

Police Report

There was only one crime in Wymeswold in September: a burglary to a vehicle on Wysall Lane.

HGVs on Church Street

We are happy to report that LCC are to provide a solution to the issue of HGVs attempting to navigate down Church Street. They have plans to install a raised island at the entrance to Far Street which would allow for service vehicles such as refuse lorries to operate within Church Street, but not permit enough space within the road for HGVs to turn into the street. The physical works are planned to occur this financial year. The Parish Council will be meeting with LCC Highways to discuss the plans in further detail.

Reports from the County and Borough Councillors

Cllr Bokor reported that the Core Strategy meeting is to be held on 28th October when hopefully it will be agreed to send the strategy to a planning inspector for examination. Cllr Bokor reported that the government will be intervening on any failing planning authorities that do not complete their planning applications within the deadlines or that have more that 20% of their planning appeals overturned. Cllr Bokor also reported that she has written to CBC regarding the installation of a grit bin and handrails along the paths of the bungalows on Church Street.

Cllr Shepherd reported that the consultation on local government saving has now come to an end and they are awaiting an outcome. A map highlighting the level of broadband reception in the area has been produced and fibre optic broadband is not expected to be installed in Wymeswold until summer 2014.

The Village Project Budget.

As part of the Village Project budget the Parish Council has now made plans to tidy up the neglected gravestones at the Rempstone Road Cemetery. There are a number of gravestones on the consecrated side of the cemetery that need laying flat as they are dangerously leaning over. There are also a number of gravestones that have already fallen over which need turning over and cleaning. The work is due to take place over the coming months. If you are interested at all there is a list of the gravestones concerned on the Cemetery gates and on the Parish Council website http://wymeswold.leicestershireparishcouncils.org.

Installation of a metal railing at the Clay Street entrance to the path between Clay Street and London Lane

A site meeting with LCC Highways has taken place to discuss the installation of a hand rail at the Clay Street entrance to the path between Clay Street and London Lane. This would be a great help in the winter months as the slope can get very slippery making it dangerous, especially for our elderly parishioners. It was agreed that this was possible and LCC Highways would be happy to install a railing. There is an option to upgrade the type of railing to one that is more in keeping with the conservation area, with the Parish Council paying the difference, and it was agreed to investigate this option.

Memorial Hall Playground

The Memorial Hall committee has asked for this year’s Memorial Hall budget to go towards the much needed repairs to the playground. The funds will pay for the replacement of all four swings, a new swinging log and repairs to the rubber safety matting. We hope that these repairs will be done as soon as possible and that the playground will be back to normal.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday7th October 2013 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report September 2013

Police Report

There was only one crime in Wymeswold in August – a burglary on Narrow Lane.

HGV’s on Church Street

We were happy to welcome a number of parishioners to the September meeting to discuss the problems of HGV’s on Church Street. The vehicles persist in attempting to negotiate the narrow road resulting in them having to reverse into the A6006. Cllr Shepherd has been working with the parishioners to try and find a solution to the problem. It was agreed to contact LCC Highways to ask if they would consider two options:

A. Narrowing the entrance to Church Street from the A6006 so that HGV’s would not be able to turn into the road but it would still be possible for cars and refuse lorries to pass through.

B. To block off the entrance to Church Street completely allowing access only from the Brook Street end. It is believed that the area at the A6006 end of the street would be sufficient for refuse lorries to turn.

We hope that we can work with LCC to provide a solution to the issue.

Boyer Planning Application, Storkit Lane

As you may know the Boyer Planning application to build 32 houses on the land either side of Storkit Lane has been granted following an appeal. Cllr Shaw spent two days at the hearing in July along with Peter Blitz, Head of Planning at Charnwood Borough Council. The Parish Council and Charnwood Borough Council opposed the development; however Boyer Planning fielded a very strong team including expert lawyers. One of the main issues was that Charnwood do not have a five-year housing plan identified which is allowing developments like this one to be approved on appeal. Hopefully the introduction of the new Core Strategy plan which is due in the Spring will help to counteract this problem.

The Village Project Budget.

When the budget was set at the December 2012 meeting of the Parish Council there were three items that were to be included in the Village Project budget:

The first was to prepare architects plans for the redevelopment of the sports pavilion which have been now completed.
The second was to purchase a speed gun and this project is still been investigated by Cllr Ling.
The third project was to tidy up the neglected gravestones at the Rempstone Road Cemetery. It has been agreed to seek quotes for the work and report back at the next meeting. The cemetery paths have become overgrown with weeds over the summer months and plans are in place for them to be cleared and then for a path maintenance plan to be put in place to keep the weeds at bay. We are also pleased to report that the cemetery tap has finally been repaired.

Christmas Lights

A group of village residents submitted a proposal to install Christmas lights in the village on the Churchyard at the top of the Stockwell. The Parish Council considered this proposal at the September meeting, but the proposed costs were far in excess of any budget available. The Parish Council wishes to thank the parishioners concerned, and would welcome any other views or proposals on the installation of Christmas lights.

Mr Brian James

The Parish Council was saddened to learn of the loss of former Wymeswold resident Brian James over the summer. Brian served many years on the Parish Council and was an excellent Chairman. He also served on Wymeswold Parochial Charities and was a supporter of Wymeswold Cricket Club. Brian made a huge contribution to village life over the years and the Parish Council extends its condolences to Brian’s family.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 7th October 2013 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report July 2013

Police Report

There was only one crime in Wymeswold in June – a burglary on Swifts Close.

Reports from the County and Borough Councillors

Cllr Bokor reported that CBC have cleared more fly tipping on Narrow Lane and PC Gent has been to visit the chicken farm to see if they can advise their delivery lorries not to use Church Street. Cllr Bokor has been is discussion with LCC in order to try and establish the responsibility of the maintenance of the footpaths in particular the Civic path and the footpath that runs from Church Street to The Stockwell. These discussions are still ongoing, however once a satisfactory decision has been made Cllr Bokor will publish the results in the Link.

Boyer Planning Application, Storkit Lane

The date of the appeal for the Boyer Planning outline application to build 32 houses on the land either side of Storkit Lane has been set for 16th July. Cllr Shaw will be representing the Parish Council and the decision will be posted in the noticeboard as soon as we know the result. Members of the public are permitted to attend the hearing, which will be held at the Ramada Jarvis Hotel in Loughborough.

The de-listing of the BT K6 Phone Box

The PC received a letter from CBC advising that there has been an application to English Heritage to de-list the K6 BT phone box on The Stockwell. The Parish Council strongly agreed that the phone box is a key feature in the Wymeswold street scene and is an important part of the overall character of the conservation area. The phone box also provides a phone line in case of emergencies and when there is no mobile reception. The PC agreed to object to the proposal to de-list the K6 phone box.

Speedwatch Campaign

Cllr Ling has run another very successful speedwatch campaign. In total 547 cars were recorded over 36 mph with the fastest car clocking in at 56 mph! The details of all the speeding vehicles are reported to the police and the offenders will receive a letter from the police.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 2nd September 2013 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk