Parish Council

Report of the Parish Council Meeting held on Tuesday 2 April 2013

The main items of interest to be discussed were as follows:

Village Green

The Parish Council was pleased to clarify that it was not intended to alter significantly the layout of the stones around the village green and in response to comments from a local resident, they would probably now be left as they were.  However, subject to the costs not being excessive, it was intended to reproduce three or four of the stones to replace the existing traffic cones opposite the church.  Estimates for this work were now being obtained.

Road Closures

Further information was still being obtained from the County Council on the effect of the road closures and, in particular, the implications for bus services and the need to ensure the safety of pedestrians along Wellhead Lane when the B1202 is closed between 8.00 a.m. Saturday 13 April and 5.00 p.m. Saturday 25 May.  As soon as more information is available it will be posted on the village notice boards and the Parish Council website.

Dog “Poo Bag” Dispenser on The Bridlepath

Residents may have noticed that the Parish Council has now provided a dog “poo bag” dispenser by the Red Bin at the bottom of the Bridlepath near the junction with Main Street.  It is hoped that the provision of “free” bags will be of assistance to those dog owners who have forgotten to bring their own bags with them.  There has been a noticeable improvement in the incidence of dog fouling along this path in recent weeks and it is hoped that this initiative may be helping.  The Village Keeper will be responsible for keeping the dispenser topped up with bags but please contact the Parish Clerk if you notice that it needs replenishing.  The Parish Council will be monitoring the effectiveness of the dispenser over the coming months and if found to be successful and of value it will be replicated in other locations.

Post Box at Nocton Park

Last August, and in response to a request from a resident, the Parish Council met with a representative of Royal Mail to agree the provision of a post box for use by residents of Nocton Park.  It was provisionally agreed that it would be sited at the corner of Woodlands Avenue.  Unfortunately, since that meeting and despite the best efforts of our Parish Clerk, Royal Mail seems unwilling or unable to respond to numerous requests for information as to when the box might be provided.  In an attempt to move things forward, the Parish Clerk has now escalated the matter to Royal Mail’s General Manager and will be attempting to speak with him personally!

CLAN – Publication of the Nocton Parish Plan

The Parish Council was delighted to receive the draft version of the Nocton Parish Plan which had been prepared by CLAN in response to the very successful residents’ survey.  The Parish Council made a number of comments on the document which, it is hoped, will be taken into account by CLAN before the Plan is formally presented to Council for approval and then circulated to all households in the village.

The Parish Council paid tribute to the hard work by the members of CLAN in producing what will be an extremely valuable document and which will help to inform the council’s decision making over the coming years.

There will be an opportunity for residents to discuss the Plan and the issues it has highlighted at the Annual Parish Meeting on 21st May (see separate article).

Trees

The Parish Council considered a number of applications from residents for the felling of trees in the village.  The applications had been referred to the Council by North Kesteven District Council who although responsible for taking the final decision on each request, will take into account the views of the Parish Council.

The Council was happy to support those applications where work was being carried out to improve the appearance of a tree by appropriate pruning, etc or where it was clear that a tree needed to be felled as it represented a danger to property or the public.  There were, however, a number of requests to fell trees where there was no apparent indication as to why the request was being made.  Since trees are such an integral and important part of the village, the Parish Council hoped that the felling of trees would only be carried out as matter of last resort and that wherever possible a suitable replacement would be planted.

Residents are reminded, of course, even if a tree is not subject to a Tree Preservation Order, no tree in the Nocton Conservation Area may be felled or pruned without the prior approval of the District Council.

The Beck

The Parish Council agreed that although properly the responsibility of the District Council, the Village Keeper would now carry out regular checks to ensure that the grating to the Beck by the bungalows in Wellhead Lane was kept free of debris, etc.  The Parish Council expressed its thanks to the resident in Wellhead Lane who had, to date, been doing this work on a voluntary basis.

Grants to Local Organisations

The Parish Council was delighted to be able to agree grants to a number of local groups from the £700 which had been raised from the Book Sale.  Details will be made available publically once applicants have been written to by the Clerk.

Resignation of Councillor

Whilst the Parish Council was disappointed to note the resignation of Councillor Geoff Hall, it agreed to place on record its appreciation of the work he had carried out on behalf of the Parish Council during his time as a councillor.

Next Meeting

Tuesday 7 May 2013 at 7.00pm (Annual General Meeting followed by ordinary monthly meeting)

Councillor Ian Goldsworthy