SHOTESHAM PARISH COUNCIL DRAFT to be approved at next meeting, Shotesham St Mary, NR15 1UJ.Contact 01508550358.. email shoteshampc@btinternet.com

Minutes of the meeting of Shotesham Parish Council held at the Trinity Hall at 7.30pm on 6th of October 2016

In attendance were …, H Jackson, H Walker, J Nott, J Guy and DC Florence Ellis…plus parishioners Simon and Jo Nisbet and J Banham
1. Apologies
Apologies received and accepted from M Riches, K Dyke, M Dyke, S Dinsdale and CC A. Thomas.
2. The minutes of the 11th of August were agreed and signed.
3. Planning Applications
Beck Cottage ..2016/2042 There was full support for the application.
The following supportive points were made ..
• No change to the street scene.
• Steps have been taken re Sewage disposal /hedges to protect the Common which the property borders.
• Adequate parking for 3 cars.
• Design recognises need to ensure disabled access.
• The development of a holiday let ..weekend/week etc would allow for visitors to come an enjoy the village, its rural walks and its flora and fauna.
• This facility would be of positive benefit to the village.
Planning Updates.
Valley View Farm.
• Members expressed disappointment with the final refusal decision by SNDC. The applicants representative reported that the submitted Design and Access Statement was lost by SNDC.
• Members challenged the notion that the site was in an isolated rural setting, noted that a caravan/mobile home was given permission to become a bungalow of ‘modern’ design in a more ‘isolated’ setting surrounded by vernacular farm buildings and shared that it had been advised by a local farmer that the ‘barn’ would be prohibitively expensive to be made suitable for any form of ‘agricultural’ usage.
Green Hill
• No planning application had been received to regularise the double garage which has been built not in conformity with the planning approval.
4. General Updates.
• Benches…..Members noted that the 8 benches that had been installed were being used and welcomed by villagers and walkers alike.
• Footpath 21…. This footpath is defined as passing through Pulls farm. Currently the landowner wishes to encourage walkers to skirt the domestic part of the route. The parish council is aware that no steps have been taken to formally divert the path. It also notes that steps have been /or will be taken to make the alternative path more attractive, clearly marked with bold signs and kept in good condition underfoot.
• The Trinity. The chairman reported that very positive discussions have been completed with The Mercers. It now seems very likely indeed that the Parish Council with be allowed to use the ‘prayer’ room for the storage of PC and local archival material. It is hoped to have sorted all the details by the New Year.
• SAM… the gathering of data continues and on first examination appears helpful and useful.
5. The Budget
A brief outline of the repeat nature of the budget was discussed. It was explained that year on year commitments taking up 80%+ of the budget.
Members were asked to review
• The request from the PCC for an increase in the payment towards the upkeep of the graveyards at All Saints and ST Mary’s.
• Any ideas they had where there may be an expectation of significant areas of new spend for 2017/8.
6. A Village Plan.
An initial and very general discussion was held in respect of the need and value of such a plan. It was thought helpful to talk with neighbouring parishes. This would be done before the next meeting.
7. Other items of importance.
• Highways. Market Lane is still a cause of concern. It was agreed to list all the specific concerns and then to seek a face to face meeting with Highways.
• The local bus service. ….Some concern was reported about the bus and the ‘challenging’ style of some of its drivers. It was felt the matter should be reported to the bus company and the any further concerns should be more precise ….giving times, dates and where the concerns arose.
• Weddings and Funerals at All Saints. Concerns of road safety were shared and supported regarding the street parking on the junction with Rogers Lane and The Street. Steps would be taken to help mitigate the potential danger by placing cones and ensuring that the likely availability of the playing fields for off-street parking.
It was agreed to seek to advice and guidance of the local ‘beat-officer’.
At this point the District Councillor Florence Ellis was invited to update the parish …
1. For every new home built in South Norfolk the DC receives new homes bonus from the govt. More new homes were built in South Norfolk over the past few years than in the rest of Norfolk and also high up in the scale nationwide. Every year SNC received a very large sum (cannot recall  figures). This meant there was money to keep council tax down, give grants, invest money in Market Towns, etc. With this now being a lot less and other government funding cut there will be less to spend on these sort of programmes and more on running essential services.
2. The impact of the changes planned by the Boundary Commission will have a direct impact on Shotesham. To ensure a balance in the representation of residents the current Wards are being reviewed. It is proposed that Shotesham should be detached from its present links to Tasburgh and instead be linked to Newton Flotman. This decision could see the loss of the link with our DC and was a cause of great concern.
A consultation will be held at the Assembly Rooms on the 3rd and 4th of November. More details will be sought.
3. The meeting was recommended to invite anyone with thoughts/plans for a significant development/extension in Shotesham to talk to the DC early in the process.

The next meeting ..a Planning Meeting….will be held at 7.30pm at The Trinity on 3rd of November.
JKGough The Clerk.