Hempstead in Essex
Resting place of William Harvey and Sir Eliab Harvey and birthplace of Dick Turpin

Parish Council Minutes 13th August 2015

13th August 2015

MINUTES OF THE HEMPSTEAD PARISH COUNCIL

Thursday August 13, 2015

Held at Hempstead Village Hall

Present:

Part Time:

Members of the Public

  • Mrs Colleen Buckland

Prior to the meeting Mrs Buckland again raised the issue of the Harvey Way hedge which is overgrown and restricting access. The chairman explained that the matter had been taken up with Simon Howell District Councillor. Mr Drane was also chasing the cutting but to no avail so far. They promised to continue to press for some action.

The Parish Council Meeting opened at 8 pm.

  1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

    Mrs Nicola McNeill
    Mrs Sara Scott
    Mr John Sladen
    District Councillor Simon Howell

  2. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

    These were agreed to be a true record of the meeting of July 9 2015 and were signed by the Chairman.

  3. MATTERS ARISING

    The volunteer work being done by the boys from the village as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award was discussed. Mr Weedon had purchased the materials for painting. They had done some weeding and more jobs were planned for when they returned from holiday.

  4. BROADBAND PROJECT

    No references had yet been received. Miss Frost had sent an email out asking residents to co-operate with the volunteers who will be conducting the door to door survey of interest in the project.

  5. CORRESPONDANCE


    District Councillor Simon Howell, when sending apologies for the July meeting, also sent the information that there would once again be a grant from the New Homes Fund of £667 to be spent on a project of the Parish Council’s choice.

    Grant Application had not been progressed because ponds were excluded.

  6. PLANNING


    The unsightly sign at Bullsbridge Farm had now been moved to a less conspicuous location.

  7. HIGHWAYS AND PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY

    Local Highways Panel – Mr Welbourn had received no reply from an email to Rissa Long about the schemes submitted to the Panel. It was agreed that the clerk would contact her. The next meeting will be on 21st September at 6pm. It would be decided at the next Parish Council meeting on September who would attend and then register the opportunity to speak if appropriate.

    David Drane Report – Mr Drane reported that he had received an email confirming that the cats eyes would be replaced and surface reinstated. The Ashdon to Radwinter road was due to be resurfaced imminently. Hedges and railings were still being chased regularly.

    Footway Project – The Chairman had spoken to the resident of the property concerned a couple of weeks ago and had been told that there was no objection from the mortgage company and no further survey would be required. Essex County Council had changed some wording on the agreement but this should not delay signing which had been due to take place before today’s meeting. Communication was now difficult due to holidays.

  8. ENVIRONMENT

    Pond Refurbishment – The contractor, who had quoted, said that it would be only possible to dredge the pond from the paddock at the rear of the pond. Unfortunately permission was not forthcoming from the landowner concerned. As there is several feet of sludge at the bottom of the pond it would be a difficult job to do manually. It was agreed to come to a final decision at the next meeting.

    Village Green – Mark Welborne agreed to look over the papers handed to him by the chairman and contact the clerk in order for him to send a reply to Essex County Council concerning the registration of the village green. It was also agreed that the clerk and chairman check the boundaries of the village greens.

    Christmas Decorations – Mr Welbourne suggested that it might good to have some Christmas Decorations on the Village Green. This was unanimously agreed and the clerk would look into possibilities.

    Play Area – As Hempstead is the only village in the area not to have a play area, as had been pointed out by local residents, it was agreed to start looking at the feasibility of providing one on the Glebe.

    The Bluebell Inn – The Chairman had been in touch with the owner about maintenance issues. There had also been some tentative contacts about the future of the pub.

  9. FINANCE

    Cheques were signed to – HMRC £37.44 for PAYE, Julian Basham £300 for grass cutting, £456.27 to Community Action Suffolk for the annual insurance and £38.19 to Ridgeons paid by Mr Weedon.

    Banking Arrangements – The paperwork sent to Barclays requesting the mandate changes agreed at the previous meeting had been lost. The clerk had a frustrating time on the ‘phone but had received new forms to re-start the process.

  10. VILLAGE HALL

    Bluebell 2 social afternoon had been another successful fund raiser with stock left over for the next planned Bluebell event on 13th September.

    The finances now look in better shape enabling planning to go ahead for possible new projects such as the toilet refurbishment and possibly the heating system.

DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS – Thursdays September 10, October 15 and November 26 at 8pm in the Village Hall.

The meeting ended at 8.54 pm