Denton Parish Council
Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on Friday 16th March 2010.
at 7.30pm at Denton Village Hall
Present: Liz Cargill (Chairman), Terry Hanner (Vice Chairman), Roger Gibson, Peter Hill, Adrian Hipwell, Annie Whiteman, Eddie Winter, Pauline Sandell (Clerk).
Also Present: Tony Tomkinson (County Councillor), Murray Gray (District Councillor), 18 members of the public.
1. Welcome by the Chairman
Liz welcomed everyone to the meeting and explained that the annual parish meeting was a little earlier this year than usual because of the need to discuss the Community Ambition Award.
2. Apologies
No apologies were received, but Murray Gray would be late as he had another meeting to attend first.
3. Minutes of the Last Meeting
It was proposed by Peter Hill to agree the minutes. The minutes were signed.
4. Chairman's Report
Copy attached. The Chairman was corrected: £3000 and not £4000 had been awarded by the Calor Competition.
5. Introduction to Community Ambition Award
Peter Hill introduced the Award and explained that this was a new idea introduced by the sponsors of the Pride of Norfolk Award; the EDP and Norfolk County Council. This would be a ‘one-off’ award just for this year and the prize would be £50,000.
The project criteria is intergenerational and ideas would have to fit in with that criteria. The timetable is very short, the application would have to be in by 19th April 2010. Peter explained that the application would not be made by the Parish Council, but by a Working Party who would be formed to manage the application, although the Parish Council would give its full support.
Some ideas had already been proposed and Peter circulated a list of those ideas plus the project criteria (attached).
6. Discussion of Ideas for the Ambition Award
The idea of a village community shop was discussed in length with volunteers working for shifts of 2 or 3 hours. This could be held in the Coal Shed or the proposed village hall extension. In order not to run to the expense of freezers, fridges etc. the shop could provide just dried goods and surplus vegetables from allotments, community garden or private gardens. It was suggested, however, that a shop would not be sustainable. Another suggestion was to use the village hall as a place to provide internet shopping. A community vegetable garden was suggested where people would not need to spend as much time there as if they had their own allotment and surplus goods could be marketed locally. The extension of the village hall will provide a lot more space which could be used for some of the ideas put forward. The discussion moved on to sports facilities. Many people liked the idea of a tennis court and showing films in the village hall.
The Chairman asked for a show of hands for those people who thought Denton should apply for the Community Ambition Award. Only one person put their hand up. It was therefore agreed that Denton would not apply for this award.
7. Formulating a Working Party to Deal with Ambition Award
Even though it was decided not to apply for the Award, the ideas fuelled by the Award were good, many of them inexpensive, and would benefit the village if carried forward. Somebody with time and enthusiasm would be needed to take on one or more of the ideas and gather a group of people that could make the ideas come to fruition.
One person agreed to look at the sports ideas and another person agreed to get a meeting together for some of the other ideas. The Parish Council would not be involved in the meetings, but would act as a contact point.
8. County and District Council Matters
Tony Tomkinson (County Councillor). Speed limit – he said that an investigation will take place within the next financial year and that number of vehicles and speeds will be measured. They will then decide whether Denton should have a speed limit or not. Report attached.
Murray Gray (District Councillor). Murray said that he had played a small part in the affordable housing by getting a buffer zone between Thanksgiving Cottage and the affordable housing. He said that if Denton did not get a speed limit then they would not get the affordable housing as it was a condition of the planning permission. Grove Farm: an enforcement order had been served by SNC, but an appeal against the enforcement order has been put in by the applicant and it will go to public enquiry. SNC has frozen their part of the council tax for this coming year. Denton should get a development boundary back following a consultative period in which the Parish Council asked for Denton to be moved up a category. This will mean that infill could be permitted within that boundary. Travellers – Council has proposed permanent sites to try and avoid unauthorized sites and after 3 years of developing a strategy has come up with two sites, one in Wymondham and one at Old Harleston Road, Earsham. However, after submitting the document to the Inspectorate, 9 pages of comments and questions have come back for the Council to answer. The Council has responded and further questions have been asked. Murray has been advising the Council for the last 18 months that the way they went about it was wrong.
9. Open Forum
Diss High School Bus: this is a large bus that goes down Chapel Hill and into Paynes Hill to get to Alburgh. The size of the bus is totally inappropriate for such small roads and the edges of the road are getting ruined by it. Can the Parish Council, the SNC or the NCC do something about it? It was suggested that the child it picks up in Trunch Hill could walk to the bottom of Trunch Hill by the Old School and be picked up there by the bus and then the bus would not need to go up Trunch Hill and into Chapel Hill. The Chairman said that this would be looked into.
It was commented that all buses go through the village too fast and Tony Tomkinson said that this problem should be brought up at the next SNAP meeting.
Vehicles parked outside the garage near The Dove are a causing a hazard. Murray Gray said that Alburgh Parish Council are aware of this and are doing something about it. Peter Hill said he will mention it at the next SNAP meeting.
The residents of Globe Close are double parking which causes traffic to veer over towards the opposite verge.
Composting: the Chairman asked the question 'should we carry on'. If we do carry on then more help is needed. If we do not carry on then Denton residents will have to do own composting or pay to use the Council's brown bin system. The Chairman asked the public if they would give this some consideration and to spread the word that without help the community composting scheme will not continue.
9. Any Other Business
None.
The meeting closed at 9.15pm.