EYKE PARISH COUNCIL
A meeting of the Parish Council took place on Monday, 10th September at 7pm in Eyke Village Hall.
Present: Mr Fleming, in the chair, Mrs Abu-Hejleh, Mr Shaw, Mr Veale, Mr Whitmore, Mrs Clarke, County Councillor, and the clerk.
Apologies: Mr Adams, Mrs Sutch, PC Brett.
There were no Declarations of Interest.
Minutes: Those of 9.7.07 and the planning meetings of 17.7.07 and 31.7.07, having been previously circulated, were taken as read, agreed and signed as a correct record.
Matters Arising:
1. SCC. Crossroad sign. The work is to go ahead and should be completed by early October.
2. Bid by Ipswich Borough Council for Unitary Status. Cllr. Jeremy Pembroke announced on 31.7.07 that this is to go ahead, against the wishes of SCC.
3. The Vehicle Activated Signs are not yet in place. Mrs Clarke will raise this with Luke Barber.
4. The Standards Board for England has acknowledged Eyke Parish Council’s adoption of the Revised Code of Conduct.
Reports:
1. Mrs Clarke, County Councillor. The Ipswich unitary proposal has gained approval from Government, despite most organisations being against it. According to Cllr. Jeremy Pembroke, leader of SCC, in a report to be presented on 13th September, the important thing now is to meet the challenge of delivering this new model of local government to a very tight timescale, while maintaining a high standard of service and commitment to all users, with the least possible disruption.
2. PC Brett. (Written report.) From 1.7.07 to 8.9.07 there was only one recorded crime in Eyke, compared with 4 in the same period last year. This was a theft of visible camera equipment from a car parked at Daisy’s Walk, highlighting the need to lock valuables away. The Safer Neighbourhood Police Station at Sutton is now open, and the team are working from there.
Correspondence:
1. SCC Temporary Road Closures. The U3612 Bromeswell/Eyke Road will be closed between 10.30pm on 22.9.07 to 7am on 23.9.07 at the level crossing to carry out major maintenance works.
2. Bus service changes are announced to take account of the need for a stop at the new doctors’ surgery complex in Ipswich Road, Woodbridge.
3. Suffolk ACRE announce a new car share scheme which already has 850 members registered, and can be accessed at www.SuffolkCarShare.com Individual savings could be up to £1000 per annum, and could be of great help to all those without a vehicle.
4. SCDC Temporary Advertisements. The Council is aware of the proliferation of signs of all sorts. It does not have the resources to pursue the removal of these signs, and also wishes to support the advertising of local events. It therefore asks that signs are carefully placed to avoid obstructing visibility, are no greater than 0.6sq. M in size, are in situ for no more than 28 days before an event and are removed as soon as possible after. Where there is a serious or flagrant breach of regulations, the Council will prosecute. Mrs Clarke asked for a copy of this letter. Mrs Pooley will email it.
5. Post Office Closures. SALC has written to John Hutton, MP, urging a reconsideration of the government’s decision to close 2,500 post offices. There is to be a short consultation period only, the Suffolk Coastal Area in October 2007.
6. Ufford Parish Council has again been in contact via email from the Chairman regarding the dangers posed by poor visibility at the Ufford/Eyke junction. Councillors agreed that a letter would be sent to Mr Smith, who farms the land in question to ask if he would consider removing the hedge and putting in some fencing further back. Mrs Clarke said that the Post Office has to take the business view. One option under consideration is having facilities on mobile libraries.
7. Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health. This organisation is seeking forum members from the local community. It was agreed to ask Katy Bell to publish this on the website.
Other Matters:
1. Village Green grass cutting. It was agreed to ask Mr Hassan to do this once more, and to advertise for a volunteer on the website.
2. The roadside verges have become very overgrown in places and obscure road signs. The clerk is to write to SCC to ask for them to be cut back.
It was agreed that she would also contact the Probation Service to see what they can offer for hedge-cutting in the car park and on the Green.
Planning:
1. Permission granted for Application C07/0753/FUL Land and buildings at Albany Cottage.
2. Application (Renewal of C03/1999) C07/1573/RENT Eyke CofE Primary School, The Street, Eyke IP12 2QW. Retention of temporary classrooms - unit no’s 109 and 302. Councillors supported this application.
In the absence of members of the public, there was no parish forum.
Dates:
SALC Conference and AGM: 2.10.07. Speaker Terry Waite.
SALC Area Meeting: 17.9.07
No one is able to attend either meeting.
Finance:
As there is now no play equipment, it was agreed to delete this from the insurance.
Any Other Business:
1. It was agreed that the fee for advertising on the website should be paid to the Parish Council, who will then decide at the meeting when donations are agreed, who it should be given to. All such payments will be clearly recorded.
2. Mrs Downing queried by telephone the large scale movement of pigs from a farm at Campsea Ashe to a new site near Woodbridge Base. She felt that this should be done via Hollesley Road, not Eyke Street. The Parish Council felt that this information is unsubstantiated, and in any case there is no reason why Eyke Street should not be used.
3. Use of the Recreation Ground for flying model planes. This issue was felt by councillors to be a non-starter, because of the insurance implications.
4. The clerk will sign and return the agreement between the Parish Council and Sir Michael Bunbury for the upkeep of the Village Green.
5. Suffolk ACRE. Affordable Housing. The Rural Housing Enabler is looking to explore the need for affordable housing in the area. It was agreed to publicise this on the website and in the Parish Newsletter.
6. Poppy Appeal. A letter has been received from Wickham Market Branch of the Royal British Legion with reference to laying a wreath at the war memorial on November 11th. The clerk is to find out about the cost of a wreath for Eyke, but the Council do not wish to lay one at Wickham Market.
7. Outdoor Playing Space Contributions. Play Space: £3566.71. Sports Group: £2816.94. It was agreed to put this on the agenda for the next meeting, to see if a worthwhile use for the money can be found.
8. Recreation Ground. The barrier painting is in hand. Mrs Pooley will chase up Mr Guntrip regarding the stiff latch on the gate.
9. The gate post abutting the pavement at the entrance to the path to the school kitchen is insecure, and the gate sometimes swings outwards on to the path. The clerk will contact the school.
10. The new hedging to be planted by the churchyard through the Tree Planting Scheme: the fact that the Parish Council will have to contribute a third of the cost was queried. The clerk said this has been the situation for several years.
The meeting closed at 8.20pm.
Next meeting: 12.11.07.
A meeting of the Parish Council took place on Tuesday, 25th September 2007 at 6.30pm in Eyke Village Hall.
Present: Mr Fleming, in the chair, Mrs Abu-Hejleh, Mr Shaw, Mrs Sutch, Mr Veale, Mr Whitmore, the clerk and seven members of the public.
Apologies: Mr Adams.
As this was an extraordinary meeting to discuss a planning application, no minutes were read.
Planning Application:
C07/1673/FUL. Elephant and Castle Inn, The Street, Eyke, IP12 2QG. Erection of 2 houses and new/altered access road off The Street to serve both the new housing site and the public house with provision of additional parking and resurfacing of the existing car park to public house. Improved access from Castle Hill to the public house and alterations to pub garden area (including fencing).
Mr Fleming invited comment from the members of the public present. The residents at Stanelagh and Brindles felt that in essence, nothing has changed, although some windows in the projected properties have been altered to try to address their concerns about loss of privacy and light. The traffic issues remain unaddressed.
Mr Fleming then invited discussion and comment from the Parish Council. Mr Veale saw the role of parish councillors in planning applications as twofold: to look at the benefit to the village of particular projects, and to protect the legitimate interests of existing residents. He felt that this application failed to benefit the village, and still intruded on the privacy of existing residents.
By a majority of 5 votes to 1 (Mr Whitmore) councillors agreed that the two projected properties are too big for the site, and still compromise the light and privacy of the residents in existing neighbouring properties and should be rejected.
Councillors felt that the traffic issues had not been resolved. Castle Hill is still a narrow and difficult access or egress point; the car parking spaces indicated at the pub take no account of the existing field access; there will not be enough spaces to park, allowing for the landlord’s vehicles and possible B & B guests as well as pub users.
The new access road is a concern, with the possible need to remove existing hedging in an effort to widen the road sufficiently to take bigger vehicles, and councillors were also concerned about the proposed ‘build-out’ into The Street, which could compromise the zebra crossing.
In all, the majority of councillors felt that this was an ill-conceived plan, which they could not support, and asked the clerk to write to the council to this effect. They also asked the clerk to include the request for a site visit by the planning sub-committee, in order to appreciate the problems first hand.
Finance:
Cheques were signed for Poppy Appeal: £16.50 and Suffolk ACRE £216.17 (Annual Insurance Premium)
This closed the meeting at 7.10pm.