Parish Council

Parish Council Report – 4th February 2014

At this meeting, the Parish Council and those residents in attendance received two excellent and very informative presentations:

Beeswax Farming

“A Year On” given by Robert Hall on behalf of Beeswax Farming, the key points of which were:

•  Sir James Dyson has continued to purchase agricultural land in the area, including the Carrington Estate.  The proposed plans for this growing estate are designed to cover at least the next 100 years, making sure that the land is properly looked after whilst balancing the needs of the environment and local communities with the business aims of the farm to produce food.
• Work will continue on improving the drainage ditches, soil quality and to clear areas of long-neglected woodland and to ensure that they are properly managed.
• Beeswax would, in future, look to farm the land itself rather than relying on the use of contractors.
• It is intended to place signs on the bridle way linking Nocton to Dunston to limit access by unauthorized vehicles since the path is part of the Beeswax Estate and not a public highway.
• A proposed project involving the growing of plants under polytunnels on Nocton Fen to make use of the heat, etc produced by the Anaerobic Digester has been submitted to NKDC by Winchester Growers.  As it is on Beeswax Estate land, the company will need to approve the proposal if, and when, planning permission is received.  The proposal is, therefore, at a very early stage of development.

Nocton Village Hall

Bob Webster, a local resident and structural engineer who is advising the Parish Council on a number of issues relating to the condition of the Village Hall, reported that the cause of the sinking floor slab was likely to be the result of a construction defect in that the slab had not been laid on a proper and secure base. Given that the costs associated with each of the three options proposed for rectifying the problem were of a similar order, the Parish Council agreed, in principle, to remove the slab and to replace it with a suspended floor, thus offering a permanent solution.  Since this would involve the complete removal of the Hall’s internal walls, the opportunity could then be taken to carry out a more fundamental redevelopment of the building and its facilities. As a first step in this process, it was agreed that this year’s Annual Parish Meeting will be devoted to engaging with residents to find out exactly what sort of Hall they would like.  The process of preparing a plan and identifying sources of funding can then begin in earnest!

Local crime

 

Please be aware that there has been a spate of thefts from unlocked cars and homes in neighbouring villages – so make sure you lock up and report anything suspicious to the police (in an emergency) or otherwise to your Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator!  Nocton Hall also remains, for some reason, a place of “interest” to “visitors” so, again, if you see anything suspicious please inform the police by dialling “101”.

 

Village Hall Management Committee

The first meeting of the VHMC under its new Constitution has now taken place with newly elected officers and members.  Caroline Cunningham and Clodagh West are the new “Village representatives” and the remaining vacancy will, hopefully, be confirmed at the next meeting.

Parish Council Budget and Precept for 2014/15

The Parish Council’s budget for the coming year has been set at £13,480 which represents a 7.6% increase in expenditure of £1,030 over the previous year.  Unfortunately, however, because of changes to the way in which Central Government funds District Councils, the levels of grant previously enjoyed by parish and town councils have been significantly reduced.

As a result, the Parish Council’s precept will rise by 12.1% although given the relatively small sums involved, the overall effect for a Nocton Council Tax payer (in a Band “D” property) amounts to an increase of just 42p per month.  This rise will allow the Parish Council to continue its modest programme of village improvements and provide some funding to begin to address the redevelopment, etc of the Village Hall.

Notwithstanding this rise, Nocton continues to compare favourably with the lowest precept and budget of any similar sized Parish Council in the area.

Nocton Park

Nocton Park Management Company is exploring the possibility of improving the tennis courts and children’s play area for the use of all residents in the village.

Ducks

The Parish Council is becoming increasingly concerned at the rise in the local duck population which is causing a potential hazard to traffic, particularly on Main Street and in Wellhead Lane.  Residents are, therefore, reminded that according to advice from all major wildlife charities and organisations, it is neither helpful nor advisable to feed wild ducks – no matter how well-intentioned such activity is. 

Such is the Parish Council’s concern it is seeking advice from NKDC as to how best to deal with the problem.

Important Dates

Finally, some important dates for your diary:

• Next Parish Council Meeting: Tuesday, 4th March 2014 at 7.00 p.m.
• Annual Parish Meeting:  Tuesday, 15th April 2014
• Picnic on the Green:  Sunday, 1st June 2014
• Nocton Community School Fete Saturday, 19th July 2014

February may be the shortest month but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of significant moments.

 

Councillor MaryAnn Williams