Held in Bodham and Beckham Village Hall
Present: Julia Dovey (Chair) Kathryn Lord (Secretary) David McNeight, Chris Wheeler, Rex Wheeler, Denise Lewis, Rosabelle Batt, Lorraine Marks, Simon Wakefield, Lynne Clark, Andrew Clark, Anthea Sweeney,
The Meeting opened at 7pm
1. Apologies
- John Stibbons
- Bob Lewis
2. Review Minutes of last meeting & any matters arising
- It was agreed the previous minutes were a fair reflection of the meeting.
- The Constitution: JD advised John Stibbons had minuted in the last Parish Council meeting the Solar Community Fund Committee was a subgroup of the Parish Council and was therefore covered by the same insurances etc. It meant that we could invite guests and experts as needed. There would need to be a minimum of 2 Parish Councillors on the committee and the Parish Council website will need to display the minutes of the meetings. (Which we are doing.) The Subgroup purpose is to reflect the wishes of the community.
3. Bulletin Issue 2 & Distribution:
- 140 copies had been printed by Chevertons after compilation by KL
- The Bulletin was handed out and committee members asked to distribute to the Villages asap.
4. Progress on action plan:
- WAR MEMORIAL RESTORATION:
- Still quotes are slow in coming in or the stonemasons are not responding The Fakenham company will hopefully be in touch again after Easter. The Weybourne Memorial company (based in Diss) has quoted in Granite for £1890+Vat. A third quote is required. KL suggested looking at a company on the internet for a quote, even if it was for comparison. Designs, materials, finishes, fonts as yet have not been discussed in any detail.
- JS may have further contacts?
- TREE SURVEYS:
- CW and her husband RW had inspected the West Beckham Village Green. It was noted that as the trees are still doormat therefore harder to see which are thriving or not, however, 4 trees look like they need some attention. (1 x dead near the roadside, 1 x branch across the path but could be cleared with pruners, 2 x larger tree which would need a professional to clear or reduce.
- It was agreed that RW would clear what was possible and leave material on site. (Ash dieback was mentioned and as a result it was felt material should not be removed from sites)
- It was felt a H&S notice should be posted on the gate to highlight the danger of over hanging trees and that sensible caution should be taken during high winds.
- The Village Green has a bench but it is not in good condition. A definite site for a new bench.
- A dog bin was discussed but also the high cost of hazardous waste at £800pa for emptying. It was felt that dog owners should be responsible for their own dogs waste.
- JD had contact with the North Norfolk Workout Group. These are a group of volunteers who would welcome sites to improve for conservation with a direction from the Committee. This was seen as a great find.
- The East Beckham Common had been reviewed by JD and this was generally OK. The Cemetery would be reviewed by The Church.
- THE READING ROOM:
- RB confirmed the Reading Room/Mission Hut and land was given to the Church in 1996.
- A copy of this Deed had been requested by the Parish Council from The Church.
- Fr Phil Blamire had advised he would review with the Diocese Finance Board Ltd in May 2016.
- DEFIBRILLATOR UPDATE:
- JS was not at the meeting so no further info was known, however, another possible site for East Beckham was discussed if the Mission Hall/Reading Room should not be available. Possibly another option could be the newly planned Parking Area on the allotment.
- SHOP:
- CW advised that Danielle at the Wheatsheaf had been happy with the inclusion of the shop/Deli in the Bulletin, but nothing would be happening until after they had their B&B up and running hopefully in May/June.
- ALLOTMENT UPDATE:
- BL was not at the meeting so KL read the update in the Bulletin
- DL asked if it was possible for East Beckham allotment land to be ploughed prior to Allotment Holders taking on the land. It was very difficult work when the daffodils are in situ. This could be done after the daffodils are over.
- West Beckham Allotment site. JD issued a detailed plan offered by Robert McNeil Wilson (Chairman of the Parish Council) which identified a 3 – 5 year plan. Year1: weed kill once (ragwort/dock/persistent perennials) green up, cut weeds, weed kill again, cultivate to level the field, spray and plough in autumn Year2: Cultivate in spring, Spray for weeds, drill & roll in a pollen and nectar mix end May, mow several times during the year, establish pollen/nectar mix Year3: mow paths through pollen/nectar for enjoyment, half area can be cut for autumn flowering and offer a longer source of nectar for bees.
- Not all members of the committee were happy with this option due to the lack of amenity, but others felt it would be approved of especially by the local residents who back onto the allotment and it was a positive option for wild birds and bees.
- KL suggested we could have a community bee keeping group with bee hives?
- VILLAGE GATES:
- JD supplied photo options from a supplier. It was felt the white gates had the most impact and those used in Edgefield had been reported to noticeably slow down traffic.
- A discussion followed about the best sites for Gates to the placed. The gates come in 96, 150, 200 cm widths.
- JD asked for suggestions before the next meeting of suitable placements for East and West Beckham.
- BUS STOP:
- JD reported (and was included in the March Bulletin) that a discussion with Charles Saunders Coaches had been requested by NNDC though Highways about possible reinstatement of the Bus service. It was welcomed but felt we should raise our hopes too high for a positive outcome.
- JD advised she had requested the Parish Council request a general tidy of the Bus Stop Shelter (bin emptied etc)
- A Parish Map could be included in the Shelter but it would be useful to have light. Solar light would be preferred but it is in the shadow of trees. It would be possible to paint inside to brighten up.
- Discuss next meeting in more detail.
- CHILDREN’S PLAY AREA:
- JD reported there is district council funding available through ‘The Big Society’ although this would take time.
- A young local resident had requested an improved play area and others have requested more equipment (sooner rather than later!)
- Suggestions to remove the grass and add rubberised flooring or bark in certain sections were discussed, although recently a local school playground had a rubberised surface laid at £150,000 so could be out of our reach.
- A see-saw, playhouse with slide and toddlers climbing frame would be appreciated.
- JD asked for a volunteer to review and investigate the area. A&LC volunteered to work on this project and report back.
- POST BOX PAVING UPDATE: When the weather warms up, this will be tackled.
- WEBSITE:
- DM suggested it would be preferable to buy the domain name for eastandwestbeckham.org and that he could go ahead and do this and be paid back by the Parish Council when convenient. JD advised that if under £100 then we had authority to commit to the spending.
- KL had been busy compiling the Bulletin so had not made much headway on the website.
- Suggestions for content are extensive and a short list of priorities needs to be identified.
- KL will email to members the list of content suggestions or links so far for review. (email subject: Village Website (http://eastandwestbeckham.org))
- MEMORIAL BENCHES:
- How many benches and where would these best go would be discussed at the next meeting.
- Synthetic material benches seemed a good idea as otherwise they rot and fall into disrepair. (It was noted Bob and Ivy’s memorial Bench in East Beckham was rotting)
- RB to investigate style options and possible locations
5. AOB
- None recorded
6. Date of next meeting
- Thursday 28th APRIL 7PM, Bodham and Beckham Village Hall
- JD scheduled 2 further dates 26th MAY and 30th JUNE
Meeting closed at 8:45pm
