December 2006

Report of Wymeswold Parish Council Meeting, 4th December 2006

East Midlands Draft Regional Plan: This included a requirement for 2 large settlements in the Charnwood area. The Parish Council was concerned that this could reopen the possibility of development on the airfield, which, given the size of development required, could extend to unite the villages of Wymeswold, Hoton, Burton and Cotes.

Section 106: Leicestershire Highways had confirmed that there was no further work required by them to supplement the traffic calming measures through Wymeswold in association with the Wysall Lane development. It was hoped that this could release money for contributions to facilities in the village.

Community Orchard: A response from the Parochial Charities on their views on this was awaited. It was agreed that the area was sufficiently large that a number of facilities (play area, trim trail etc) could coexist.

Precept 2007/08: The various areas of expenditure for the current year were reviewed and possible additional expenditure was considered.

Notice board: Three quotes from suppliers had been received. Some checking was needed to ensure that the chosen design would fit in the space available.

Wysall Lane: There had been some discussions with Leicestershire Highways regarding the timetable for future closures. The road was currently open, albeit it with a temporary surface which was less than ideal. Development Control staff had been contacted about work that appeared not to comply with planning conditions.

May 2007 elections: The number of councillors for the parish had been increased to 7, so there would be at least one vacancy. It was agreed that it would be helpful to raise awareness of the role of parish councillor, to encourage parishioners to stand for election.

November 2006

Report of Wymeswold Parish Council: 6th November 2006

Community orchard proposal: Ian Smith, the secretary of the Hose Community Orchard Association outlined the development of the community orchard in Hose. This seemed a possible use for part of the Washdyke, and it was agreed to contact the owners of the land to obtain their views on this.

Heritage plaque scheme: Three suggestions had been received from the Wolds Historical Association and would be passed on to Charnwood Conservation and Design.

GP facilities: It was agreed that there should be a further round of publicity regarding the community bus services and the Dial-a-ride scheme which could be used to access the surgeries in Barrow and East Leake .

Notice board: The current notice board was too small for the amount of material which had to be displayed and an appropriate replacement would be investigated.

Bins: It had been confirmed that litterbins could also be used for wrapped dog waste and stickers would be put on existing bins to indicate this. Additional bins would also be requested.

Cemetery update: The bench kindly donated by the Garden Walkabout Committee had been installed on East Road . Work was being done on the cemetery records to establish what usable space remained.

Church clock: It was hoped to get an estimate for the illumination of the church clock as the current lighting had failed.

East Midlands Regional Plan: The implications of this plan were being considered and comments would need to be submitted in time for the December deadline.

Wysall Lane development: There had been a lot of disruption caused by the work on the Wysall Lane development. It was hoped to get clarification about future closures of the road and also to meet with staff from Charnwood’s Development Control section to look at work done so far.

October 2006

Report of Wymeswold Parish Council Meeting, 2nd October 2006

Traffic calming: The official opening of the traffic calming scheme on the A6006 would be performed on 3 rd October.

HGV routes: Details of a scheme for improved signage to direct HGVs to preferred routes had been received from Charnwood Traffic Management.

Find the Funds sessions: A number of these were being run by Charnwood Council for Voluntary Service.

Charnwood Corporate Plan consultation: Consultation sessions were being held around Charnwood.

GP facilities: A letter had been received from MP Andy Reed enquiring whether this was still an issue of concern for parishioners.

The Washdyke: It had been suggested that a possible use for the Washdyke was as a community orchard. More information on this interesting possibility would be obtained.

Youth Opportunities Fund: Details of this would be publicised.

September 2006

Report of Wymeswold Parish Council Meeting, 4th September 2006

Police report: There had been five incidents in the village reported to the police since the last meeting. PC Houghton explained that he was working with local publicans to reduce thefts from cars in pub car parks.

Traffic calming: The data from the speed survey carried out by the police comparing speeds before and after the traffic calming had been analysed and sent to Leicestershire Highways

Joint Parish Councils’ meeting: This was scheduled for 24 th October in Wymeswold, and invitations had been sent to the other parishes involved.

Hedges: Arrangements had been made to have the hedge along the side of the churchyard trimmed and the hedge alongside the children’s play area.

Local Development Framework: Comments on this had been sent to Charnwood. Copies would be sent to neighbouring parish councils.

E-enabling parish councils: A response had been sent to Charnwood outlining what facilities would be required to enable the Parish Council to receive and deal with material sent electronically.

Benches: A possible location for the seat to be donated by the Walkabout Committee was identified on Brook Street.

Heritage plaque scheme: Charnwood had asked for suggestions for locations for plaques on relevant buildings to honour the association of the borough with famous people.

Road closures: Details of these would be placed on the village notice board.

Link article: The Parish Council noted with concern that the unsigned clarification published in the Link regarding the “In Touch” party political leaflet had been confusing, and had been used to canvas support for one political party. It was agreed that a letter would be sent to the editors indicating that the Parish Council considered that it was inappropriate for the Link to be used for party political purposes.

August 2006

Report of Wymeswold Parish Council Meeting, 7th August 2006

Police report: There had been a number of distraction burglaries elsewhere in the county, in which individuals had posed as water board officials. PC Houghton emphasised the need to check the identification of any official callers. The visit of the community police van in July had been successful, and a further visit was planned for December.

Traffic calming: The comparative figures for before and after the introduction of traffic calming had been collated, based on a sample of 100 cars. The samples had been taken at different times of the day, which it was felt could have had an effect on the results, but the number of cars exceeding the speed limit had reduced. Further data had recently been received and would be analysed.

Local Development Framework: Comments on this were still being received and would be collated and sent to Charnwood Borough Council.

Meeting with Development Control Staff: The recent meeting had clarified some issues, and notes from the meeting would be sent to Development Control to confirm what was discussed.

Joint Parish Councils’ meeting: It was hope to arrange a meeting in the autumn.

Website: The Parish Council website was now up and running at http://www.leicestershireparishcouncils.org/wymeswold/homepage.html and included an online fault reporting form which could be used to alert the clerk to any problems in the village. Councillors were asked for suggestions for material to include on the site.

Cemetery: Work was being done on drawing up a revised set of guidelines.

Benches: The two benches purchased by the Garden Walkabout Committee would soon be installed. It was hoped to place an additional seat on Brook Street .

Village footpaths: A number of footpaths in the village required maintenance to clear vegetation and overhanging branches. Highways Department would be contacted to arrange maintenance for those that were their responsibility.

July 2006

Report of Wymeswold Parish Council Meeting, 3rd July 2006

Visitors: The chair introduced Donna Dwyer, Wymeswold’s new Partnership Manager from Charnwood Borough Council, who would be working with the Parish Council over the next 12 months. Her role is to be the “default council contact”, and to provide an additional resource to ensure two-way communication between the Borough Council and the Parish Council. A parishioner attended to raise an issue relating to the brook.

Police report: PC Houghton provided copies of the June Neighbourhood Beat newsletter, which identified priorities for the next 4 months. The problem of speeding traffic on London Lane during the current traffic diversion was raised, as well as incidents of parked cars blocking pathways.

Report from County Councillor: RS presented figures indicating a substantial reduction in the average speed of vehicles travelling through the village. Clarification was sought on the timescale over which the data was collected. It was agreed that the traffic-calming scheme had been implemented according to the design agreed with the Parish Council, and additional data would be obtained in the coming months to assess its effectiveness.

It was agreed that a letter should be sent to Leicestershire Highways Department thanking them for their work on the scheme. An official opening was planned for mid July.

The problem of the number of lorries travelling through the village remained, and it was agreed to ask a representative of Leicestershire Highways Department to attend an early morning site meeting to see the scheme in operation at a busy time.

The subsidence of an area of London Lane had only been partially alleviated by recent patching work.

Church clock: It was confirmed that a time switch would be required to illuminate the clock when the floodlighting switched off.

Accounts: The internal auditor had audited the accounts for 2005/06. These were agreed. The accounts for June were also agreed.

Procedural standing orders: A number of minor changes were made to these, including the change of the timing of the meeting to the first Monday in the month. These were accepted.

Local Development Framework: The consultation period for this was over, but there appeared to be a lot of opposition to the plans for sites earmarked for development. IS directed councillors to

• http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/environment/corestrategydpd.html
• http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/environment/scienceparkdpd.html and
• http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/environment/localdevelopmentscheme.html

for further information on this. The Parish Council was made aware of a strong lobby for the development of the airfield as an alternative site for housing.

Forthcoming meeting with Development Control staff: This meeting was scheduled for 11 th July, to be chaired by CK. Items for the agenda were discussed.

Cemetery update: There had been no response from the parochial charities regarding the damage to the fence. JH and MN had drawn up specifications for memorials in both the main part of the cemetery and the garden of remembrance.

Plans: The following planning applications had been received:

• 52, Far Street : no objection
• 276, Wide Lane : no objection
• 1, Paget Croft: comments

Potential volunteer: It was agreed that there was sufficient work on the cemetery and the pound, and possibly other areas.

Washdyke: A parishioner had written in the Link asking for interested parties to contact the clerk. One response had been received to date.

Parking on verges: This appeared to be on the increase and caused problems for mowing, and a deterioration in grassed areas and amenity for villagers.

Overhanging branches/hedges: Some problems had been identified in the gardens of domestic dwellings. An estimate was being sought for work on the hedge alongside the churchyard, which was the responsibility of the Parish Council. It was not clear who was responsible for the land on the other side of the jitty between Church Street and The Stockwell.

School governor: The Parish Council recorded its thanks to Helen Shaw, who had resigned as their representative on the school’s Board of Governors. It was understood that recent changes meant that there would no longer be a representative of the Parish Council on the Board, although no formal notification had been received.

Heritage warden: A letter had been received from the Community Heritage Initiative asking for a volunteer to act as heritage warden for the village.

Potential Civic Away Day: The Mayor of Charnwood’s office had written suggesting this.

Potential Service Co-ordination event: A letter had been received from Leicestershire Rural Partnership suggesting an event to bring together local key organisations and groups with service providers to work together. It was agreed that much of the intended benefit of such an event had been achieved through the Parish Plan group.

Urgent items to report: There had been no withdrawal of the statement in the recent party political flyer, which seemed to indicate that formal advice was given to the Parish Council other than by the elected County and Borough Councillors, and wardens chosen by the Parish Council. This had been due to appear in the Link.

June 2006

Report of Wymeswold Parish Council Meeting, 5th June 2006

Traffic calming: Final touches to the traffic calming were still to be made, but there was concern that the current measures were having a limited effect, with informal observations suggesting the majority of traffic still entered the village at over 30 mph. More information on this would be sought when the project was completed.

Grass cutting: Comments had been received about the standard of grass cutting performed by the Highways Department around the village and it was agreed to raise this with the department.

Restricted waiting: The Parish Council confirmed its support for the introduction of limited waiting outside the Post Office.

Parish Council Website: It was agreed to use www.leicestershireparishcouncils.org to establish a website for the Parish Council, linked to the community website already in existence.

Clock illumination: There was some discussion about the lack of illumination of the church clock, and it was agreed to look at the cost of repair.

Wymeswold-Hoton footpath: Following the interest shown in the reinstatement of this path by Hoton Parish Council it was agreed to liaise with them to ensure that the two parish councils worked together for maximum benefit.

Road names: The Parish Council had been asked for suggestions for the three new roads to be built on the new development on Wysall Lane. Appropriate names with historical associations with this part of the village would be suggested.

May 2006

Report of Wymeswold Parish Council Meeting, 8th May 2006

Traffic calming: Measures on the A6006 should be completed by 19th May. The village sign “gateways” and vehicle-activated signs were still to be installed. It was too early to decide how effective these measures would be. Concern was expressed about the layout, but it was acknowledged that the need to allow for long vehicles and trailers to negotiate safely precluded a more effective design to slow down smaller vehicles.

Unrestricted waiting: A proposal had been received regarding the waiting arrangements outside the Post Office. Views of parishioners would be sought.

Planning: It was agreed to seek clarification from Charnwood Borough Council regarding the position regarding new developments and affordable housing in the village.

Community Speed Watch: Interest had been expressed at the previous meeting. A parishioner had indicated an interest in being trained. Members of the Parish Council were looking forward to finding out more about this project.

Seats: Mrs Felstead was thanked for her kind offer of two seats for the cemetery. Permission had been obtained from the Highways Department to install the seat in Far Street. This seat had been kindly donated by the Garden Walkabout Committee in 2005.

New Village Website: A demonstration of the new community web site www.wymeswold.com was given which would be launched shortly. The council agreed to pay the running costs of this enterprise for the next 12 months.

Annual election of officers: Councillor Barratt proposed that Councillor Collington remained as Chair, with Councillor Keeling as Vice-Chair. This was agreed.

Memorial Hall play area lease: It was regretted that there had been no response from the Memorial Hall Committee regarding the offer by the Parish Council to take over the lease of this area. It was therefore agreed that the current offer be withdrawn.

Joint Parish Councils: The proposed meeting in May had been cancelled. It was agreed that this initiative was worthwhile and should be supported, and suggested the next meeting could be hosted by Wymeswold.

Plans: There was some discussion on the role of the Parish Council in responding to planning applications. It was agreed that for the majority of applications the views of the Parish Council should be conveyed in writing to Development Control. Only in the case of larger developments or those having a significant impact on the village was it appropriate for a member of the Council to attend the Planning Committee to reinforce the views expressed in writing.

Village Design Statement: A meeting of representatives from Development Control, Parish Councillors and representatives from Burton Parish Council was to be arranged to discuss the use of the Village Design Statement.

Fly tipping: Concern was expressed at the amount of rubbish that had recently been dumped around the village. The relevant authorities had been informed.

Sports pavilion: There had been another spate of damage to the pavilion, which would be costly to repair. The police had been alerted to this ongoing problem. On a brighter note some refurbishment had recently been completed, including the installation of a cooker and fridge.