KPC Minutes Feb 2008

Present:

Alan Young (in the Chair)
Bea Gatfield
Karen Herbert-Okey
Sally Dodd
Norman Dodd
Peter Kaye

3 Members of the public

Councillor Graham Jones

1. Apologies:

Clyte Venvell.
Wyndham Norman NCC.

2. Register of Interests:

Norman and Sally Dodd (MADRA, Allotments and Newsletter),Bea Gatfield (Newsletter), Peter Kaye (Pigneys Wood) and Karen Herbert-Okey (Police Liaison and Homewatch).

3. Minutes of last meeting:

After having read the minutes of the last meeting, it was proposed by Sally Dodd and seconded by Bea Gatfield that the minutes of the meeting held on 5th of February, 2008, constituted a fair and accurate record and were carried. The Chairman signed the minutes accordingly.

4. Matters arising:

Grass Cutting

It was noted that there appears to be some omissions to the agreed cutting plan and in particular it was reported that the verge opposite residences on Mundesley Road and the verge bordering the Church had not been cut. The Chairman stated he would consult the plan and, if necessary, take the matter up with 'Pico' in an effort to resolve the problem.

5. Financial Report:

Peter Kaye, acting in the absence of the Parish Clerk, stated that

Knapton Parish Council, as on February 5th 2008 had the sums of £699.63 and £4094.11 in current and deposit accounts respectively with Lloyds TSB. It was agreed to transfer the sum of £1000 from deposit to current account to cover current and pending payments listed below:-

Clerks remuneration in the sum of £119.07 - Proposed by Norman Dodd and seconded by Sally Dodd and carried.

Digging of the Scrape in Hall Woods Field by T Purdy Limited in the sum of £595.80 after discounts - Proposed by Bea Gatfield and seconded by Karen Herbert-Okey and carried. Please refer to item 8 Village Matters paragraph e).

Renewal of full membership of Norfolk Rural Community Council (NRCC) in the sum of £25.00 - Proposed by Norman Dodd and seconded by Karen Herbert-Okey and carried.

Payment to Tricia Doidge in the sum of £250.00 to cover the printing and associated costs of publishing the village newsletter - Proposed by Peter Kaye and seconded by Sally Dodd and carried.

6. Planning:

The Spinney - Planning Application ref: No 20071727.

It was noted by the meeting that an appeal against the decision to deny the above application by NNDC planning authorities had been lodged by the applicants with the Planning Inspectorate and that council had been asked by NNDC planning department whether they had any further comments to make in respect of this.

After some discussion it was agreed that there was little, if anything, that could be added to reinforce the objections already made by council and that this should be communicated to NNDC planning department within the time limit stipulated, in this case by the 19th of March. It was also reported to the meeting that the appeal could take upto six months to be heard by the Planning Inspectorate.

7. Correspondence:

Currently in circulation.

8. Village Matters:

a) Speed Camera:
Karen Herbert-Okey reported that she had been in discussions with Sgt Kirsty Brooks of North Walsham Police to determine whether regulations permitted the village to monitor itself with this device or whether, as is the norm, a dual arrangement was mandatory where one village monitored the other. The outcome of this discussion is awaited.

b) Self Assessment Monitor (SAM)
Karen Herbert-Okey reported that a SAM unit had been present in the village on two occasions and had monitored the flow of traffic on the Mundesley Road in both directions.

She was pleased to report that only one or two vehicles had been caught exceeding the speed limit, 40 mph on this particular stretch of road, and that the average speed recorded over the period was slightly in excess of 39 mph. Full details of the report may be obtained from her.

c) Homewatch:

Karen Herbert-Okey reported that she would to be in contact with Ted Gill of North Walsham Police with a view to obtaining more signs for individual use. In addition, she would be arranging a meeting of co-ordinators to, amongst other things, assess the number of new residents to the village since the scheme was introduced and to invite them to join for a one off payment of £1. It was also reported that a number of households who did not join initially should be re-invited to join.

It was further reported that a new constable would be assigned to the village in the near future and that this appointment would replace the current PCSO's. It was hoped that the appointment would be made in time for the co-ordinators meeting which it is anticipated he/she would be invited to attend.

d) Bus Service
It was reported by a member of the public that the provision of a regular bus service from Knapton to North Walsham/Norwich was virtually non existent and that this was causing not inconsiderable difficulty for those residents without independent means of transport. A meeting hosted by NNDC in North Walsham and widely reported in the press, indicated that a service based on a 'Flexibus' was about to be introduced and that a vehicle had been bought for this purpose to be funded by NNDC. Two residents of the village attended this meeting but were unsure as to how useful it would be for Knapton residents or how it could be accessed. A 24 hour advanced booking service had been suggested by the authorities. Councillor Graham Jones said he would look into the matter and report back.

c) Bus Stop:

No change.

d) Road Markings:

It was pointed out that road markings at the junction with the Mundesley/North Walsham Road, Hall Lane and The Street are so indistinct as to cause confusion to drivers using the junction. The dangers are obvious and it was agreed that contact should be made with 'Highways' as a matter of some urgency with the request that top priority should be given to re-marking.

e) The 'Scrape':

A 'scrape', better described as a shallow-ish pond, has been created in Hall Woods Field located at the lower end of the village behind Hartly House in Paston Road. It was created to alleviate the flooding experienced last summer when large volumes of water 'ran off', already saturated, agricultural land overwhelming the drainage and septic tank systems to the considerable distress and discomfort of all those affected, particularly at the lower end of the village. This created a major health hazard which could not be ignored. It is the major component of a Suburban Urban Drainage System, SUDS for short, which, when completed with suitable ditchwork and earthworks should prevent an occurrence of this event. The 'earthworks' relate to the building of a flood surge protector to divert excess flood water to the scrape complete with a large diameter pipe to ensure that normal flows of water continue into and through the existing drainage system. Downstream residential 'garden features' will not be affected. It is the intention to plant trees and shrubs around the 'pond' which should provide the village with an attractive eco-friendly feature and an attraction for wildlife, particularly birds. Planting advice is being provided by North Walsham Garden Centre who will advise on the type of trees and shrubs required to create the necessary environment.

The project was made possible by the generosity of Liz Purdy, the owner of the field, in allowing its use for this purpose and to the guidance of Ed Stocker of Norfolk County Council and an ecologist who kindly surveyed the site and who has a great deal of experience with these systems. To both, our thanks. Thanks are also due to Steve Hammond without whose co-operation this project would not have been feasible and on whose continued support it depends.

9. Village Plan Committee:

Tricia Doidge has arranged for a meeting of the Village Plan Committee for Thursday March 13th and would like some members of the parish council to attend. Alan Young, Karen Herbert-Okey and Sally Dodd have kindly agreed to represent the council at this meeting. The meeting will take place at 7.30 pm at Tricia's house subject to confirmation.

10. Reports:

Pigneys Wood:

Peter Kaye reported that the large scale planting programme being undertaken in Pigneys Wood was drawing to a close and would be complete by the end of March. This project has been funded by 'Breathing Places' and the Lottery Fund to the tune of £14,000 and to mark the occasion Norman Lamb MP is visiting the wood on March 17th at 10.00 am.

In addition to this, a course for Director/Trustees was held in MADRA on 3rd of March and dealt mainly with first aid matters and the necessity for risk assessment of the workplace environment for the provision of safety for users of the wood and those working in it. The course was run by BCTV and was led by Tanya Fletcher. Rob Goodliffe - Site Management Ranger - NNDC gave a talk on Basic Tree Safety Training. The course was attended by 9 Dir/Trustees.

Councillor Graham Jones NNDC:

Graham reported as follows:-

11. Items for the next agenda:

In view of the confusion caused by recent events at Bacton Gas

Terminal vis a vis the general public in the surrounding villages it was suggested that a member of the terminal staff be invited to attend a parish council meeting to determine what measures might be taken to alleviate the fears and anxieties of some of the residents should a similar event occur in the future.

It was suggested that this subject should be placed on the agenda for the next meeting.

There being no further business the meeting adjourned at 8.30 pm.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 1st at 7.30 pm.

Back to top | Back to previous page