November
CASTLE BYTHAM PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the meeting held on 20 November 2024
Present
Cllr Brooman (Chairman), Cllrs Dugmore, Hayward, Lee, Sismey-Durrant
In attendance
County Cllr C Vernon
Apologies
Cllr McLaughlin, Cllr Goode, District Cllr P Robins
1.Declarations of interest
None
2.Approve minutes 16 October 2024
The record of the meeting held on 26 October 2024 was approved as minutes and signed by the Chairman. Proposed by Cllr Dugmore, seconded by Cllr Sismey-Durrant, all in favour.
3.Matters arising
The Councillors would like the village to remember Postman Garry who had served the residents of Castle Bytham with great dedication for many years, following his recent passing; several ideas were put forward and will be discussed at another meeting.
4.County Council matters
County Cllr Charlotte Vernon attended a meeting organised by MP Alicia Kearns to discuss suggestions to improve the stretch of the A1 between Wittering and Great Ponton, which sees a high number of accidents annually; carriageway crossing points were deemed dangerous. When this stretch of the A1 is closed after an accident, villages either side of the carriageway are affected by a large amount of traffic that has been diverted; data from the Speed Indicator Devices (SID) will corroborate the impact on villages. 700 reports had been submitted to Lorry Watch regarding either speeding issues or lorries travelling on unauthorised routes; County Cllr Vernon was prepared to write to haulage companies whenever members of the public could provide details when reporting a lorry. A road sign has been stolen indicating direction to Castle Bytham on leaving the A1 - the sign to South Witham was still in place.
5.District Council matters
District Cllr Penny Robins had sent the following report: Grantham’s new Customer Service Centre, underneath the main Council Offices at the ‘picture house’ has been officially opened and is up and running. This facility is a vast improvement on the last, and a positive asset to both the council staff and customers. There are also customer service points at the Bourne Corn Exchange on Mon/Wed/Fri and there is a self-service access point at Stamford Arts Centre. The MOD are holding drop-in sessions for the public in relation to the proposed major development project at The Prince William of Gloucester Barracks, and the first drop in dates will be Friday 22nd November, 4pm to 7.30pm and on Saturday the 23rd, 10am to 2pm at Grantham Cricket Club, Gorse Lane, Grantham, NG31 7UE. The MOD are looking at vacating the whole site with Army personnel with a target date by 2028. There is discussion around removal of trees and hopefully a compromise will be reached especially with all the central government Bio-diversity guidelines. St Martins Park Stamford outlined Planning permission was granted in 2021 and the next stage in the planning process will see developers submit reserved matters applications early in 2025. The mixed scheme will offer premium and affordable homes ranging from 2 to 5 bedroom residential village and commercial space.
Major car park extension plans for cattle market car park in Stamford adding 146 spaces to a popular car park in Stamford which is a welcomed addition to a busy Market Town.
Finally, just a reminder the final deadline to apply for Pension Credit in order to receive the Winter Fuel Payment is the 21st December. It is currently taking approximately 6/8 weeks for the DWP to process claims.
6.Planning issues - verbal report from the Planning Working Group
Deferred.
7.Planning. S24/1597- Mr Richardson. Demolition of existing conservatory and erection of single and two storey extensions to side and rear, with veranda and balcony; 8 Cumberland Gardens, Castle Bytham. The Councillor agreed on the following comments to return to SKDC: Materials used should be in keeping with the existing building and the neighbourhood. Please pay attention to parking of construction vehicles, being considerate and not a nuisance to other householders.The hours of working should also take into account the proximity to other properties. Mud on the road from construction vehicles should be cleared promptly. We ask the applicant to ensure the footpath and roadway are protected from unnecessary damage caused by an increase in heavy activity during the build.
The Parish council had sent the following comments on application S24/1689 before the 8 November deadline for comments: The Parish Council feel that the application is too high and too far forwards, and unnecessarily restricts the light in surrounding properties. The Parish Council feel there could be a compromise with a lower roof height to be more in keeping, as in principle, the idea of a car port is not the issue, just the current scale and impact on the street scene. The timber and tile finish are in keeping and suitable.
SKDC has approved the following planning applications:
S24/1643 - tree work at 34 Water Lane; S24/1533 - land at Holywell Road; S24/1810.
Application S24/1488 - 31 Bytham Heights was withdrawn.
8.Amenities Working Group report - planning field annual safety inspection; cost upper green Christmas tree socket; cost of cutting cemetery overgrown area.
The playing field annual inspection report has been received and will be discussed at a later date. The Councillors unanimously approved the £241.90 quote from BBL for a new Christmas tree socket at the upper green. The Councillors unanimously approved the quote from MCS Ground Care for cutting the cemetery overgrown area: £140 for an initial cut and £45 for each of three subsequent cuts a year. Cllr Hayward has asked ‘Men in Sheds’ for a quote to replace the vandalised picnic bench at the playing field.
9.Burial Committee matters- sale of Grant of Right for Plot 4/3
Cemetery plot 4/3 was purchased at a cost of £202.00. The Chairman signed the certificate in the Grant of Right book.
10.Correspondence
SKDC - 205/26 precept requirement
Rural Services Network bulletins
SKDC - weekly planning lists
LALC e-news
LCC - notification of temporary traffic regulation order
Community Shop Secretary - shareholders’ meeting
Internal auditor - autumn budget roundup
LCC Parish and Town Council newsletter
NALC Financial Services Ombudsman survey
SKDC - Parish and Town Council Forum presentation slides
LALC training bulletin
SKDC - Police and Crime Commissioner survey for Lincolnshire
SKDC - design code workshop
Parish Online newsletter
Resident - community response team
11.Accounts
Former Cllrs Alan Harvey and Peter Hinton who were signatories on the Barclays accounts will close the two deposit accounts; the funds will be transferred to the new Unity Trust bank account. Cllr Brooman said that £1,500 were unbudgeted until the end of the financial year. Grass cutting was currently £200 over budget. £1,000 of the donation budget had not yet been spent. The Councillors will discuss the next financial year’s precept at the December meeting.
The following payments were approved:
- MCS Ground Care - mowing £900.00
- BDG Mowing - playing field £360.00
- Sheila Robinson - reimbursement RBL wreath £20.00
12.Councillors’ verbal reports
Cllr Dugmore asked for clarification on the two Barclays savings accounts.