Parish Information

  

 

Freedom of Information Act

For access to all Parish records (under the Freedom of Information Act)

please contact:

I Bishop, Clerk to the Council, Roseacre, Broad Lane, Little Plumstead, Norwich, NR13 5EJ

The past six months Minutes of Council meetings; financial accounts; councillors' contact details and other information is available elsewhere on this website. (See Home-Page index)

 

FOR ALL PARISH COUNCIL MATTERS YOU SHOULD CONTACT ONE OF YOUR WARD COUNCILLORS, NOT THE CLERK.  DETAILS OF COUNCILLORS ARE LISTED BELOW. THESE ALSO CAN BE VIEWED BY RETURNING TO THE HOME PAGE AND SELECTING THE 'CONTACT US' OPTION FROM THE MAIN MENU

 

The twelve councillors are:-

GREAT PLUMSTEAD WARD

Dawn Bensley (722166) - Bernard Hamilton (713137) - Mary Palmer (722760)

LITTLE PLUMSTEAD WARD

 Ray Cossey (720980) - John Dixon (07881 904024)

Glen Edwards (721449) - Joe Wiley (Chairman) (716427)

THORPE END WARD

Katherine Bartram (702088) - Richard Claxton (701697)

Adrian Skipper (433910) - Alf Townly (431481)

Shaun Vincent (705010) who is also the District Councillor on BDC

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Councillor Resigns

Councillor Ray Cossey has tendered his resignation from the council, effective from 31st March 2010. 

After this date the Returning Officer for Broadland District Council will advertise the vacancy, for the Little Plumstead ward. In due course, notices will be posted on the three parish notice boards.

If more than one qualifying application is received, by the due date, a by-election will be held, to fill the vacancy for the remaining term of this council. In the event no applications to fill the vacancy are received, the council will be permitted to co-opt a Little Plumstead ward member, to replace Councillor Cossey.

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Thank you, Cliff

The council wishes to publically thank Little Plumstead resident, Cliff Hurrell for his devotion to keeping the flower beds, which separate Salhouse Road from Brick Kilns Road, neat and tidy. He now feels it is time to call it a day and Cliff deserves his well-earned rest, after many years of voluntary labour, keeping his village looking its best. Thank you, Cliff.

Council rejects proposal for housing development on farm land surrounding Little Plumstead

At the December meeting of the council an application, made on behalf of the new owners of Manor Farm, to have a substantial acreage of farming land included in the Joint Core Strategy for the Greater Norwich Development Partnership, was unanimously rejected. Some 70-75 local residents were very vociferous in their own unanimous objection to the application, made by land agents, Bidwells. 

It must be appreciated that, at this time, this is not a formal planning application, but an application to have the land considered for inclusion in the BDC's allocation of land, under the Joint Core Strategy, to be ear-marked for future, possible residential development. 

Applications from land-owners have now closed and a decision, as to which land will be included, under the Joint Core Strategy, will be published in the summer 2010. At that juncture the district council will have to enter into more public consultation, but thus far BDC has formally advised only the affected parish councils.

Thus, there is no point in residents further objecting to the parish council at this time, but it will keep residents informed of any further developments as, and when, they happen.

Right click on the panel in the right-hand corner of this page to view the plan of the land which Bidwells has applied to have included as a potential residential development site.

Little Plumstead hospital site

The parish council shares the expressed concerns of residents of this area; especially with regard to the non-maintenance of amenity areas, particularly with regard to the lack of grass-cutting. Whilst neither the parish, nor district councils have any legal jurisdiction in these matters, residents may be assured that the strongest representations have been made to the administrators handling the affairs of Cofton, now in liquidation. The council has reason to believe that, before too long, Cofton’s former interests will be taken on by another company and the present difficulties might then be resolved.

Precept for 2010-11

There will be a 2.9% increase in the parish council precept for the next financial year, which means an average increase of only 52p per household. The biggest problem the council has had to contend with is the almost total collapse of interest, on the limited reserves held. Over the past two years this has fallen from just over £1,300p.a. to virtually nil, for the current year.

Glass recycling

By placing your discarded bottles, jars etc in the recycling bin at Little Plumstead Village Hall you aid the funding for the hall. By using the bin behind the bus shelter in Great Plumstead you aid the community as the income from this bin goes into parish funds.

Village Practical Group

This article is reproduced from the February edition of 'Church & Parish and is real food for thought

The idea of such a group struck me at a Parish Council meeting last year, when two people expressed their dismay that their village was so tatty, compared with how it used to look.

The various services and institutions on which we rely are already so busy, under such financial restraints, bureaucracy and red tape, that if we are not happy about what is done for us in Little Plumstead we had better start doing things ourselves.

Mervyn Read already does it with trimming the hedges and sweeping the footpath; Little Plumstead’s tiny green is expertly and lovingly gardened, voluntarily, by a resident, and its village hall committee sets to with a will to look after the hall.

With such a group the village will look better for it, villagers will feel better for it, and the exercise and community spirit it will invoke will do us all good.

What Might Such a Group Do? 

Those exi sting activities need help; but also there could be litter picking; maintaining and restoring grass verges; tree planting in suitable places, to replace all those that are constantly being cut down for one reason or another, maybe gritting roads and pavements, if we can get some more bins established. Soon we hope that the developments around the new school will provide lots of hard work. At the Glade, and on other parts of the hospital site, active interest has already begun to produce remedies to problems, and there will surely be more opportunities there. 

How Will It Do It? 

It mustn’t rely on Councillors to form a steering group; otherwise it would be just another burden for the Parish Council. I suggest this steering group should have minimal organisation consistent with safety, efficiency and good communication. It must, however, serve the village or Parish, so it needs to reside within the democracy provided by the Parish Council.

Will anyone with ideas about this, or who might wish to join the steering group please contact me, Peter Lanyon, at 3 Spencer Close, Little Plumstead, 01603 722898, p.lanyon@tiscali.co.uk with a view to an informal meeting, in the first ten days of February, to plan a working party for March.

Postscript

The first get-together, of those wishing to volunteer to help, will be on Tuesday 9th March (10am). There will be another one on Sunday 14th March (2pm). If you can make either, or both, of these dates I shall be delighted to meet with you. Contact me if the weather looks at all suspect. Many thanks - Peter Lanyon.

Next Parish Council Meeting

Monday 8th March  (7.30pm); Great Plumstead Village Hall. Parishioners are welcome to attend and to bring to the council’s attention any local matters of concern to them. The Agenda for this meeting, will be posted on the  'Agendas & Minutes' page as soon as it becomes available.

 

GO TO THE 'VILLAGE & LOCAL NEWS' PAGE FOR MORE LOCAL INFORMATION