Rocklands, Norfolk The Villages of Rockland All Saints and Rockland St Peter

Present.

Councillors: P. Smith (Vice Chairman),
S. Colenutt,
M. Gibbon
C. Jones,
N. Southgate,
R. Steel

Clerk: L. Defew

Thirteen members of the public and PC Paul Borman were present.

1. Apologies for absence

P.Cotes (Chairman) Councillor C.Jordan

2. Declaration of interests

No interests were declared.

3. Minutes of Council meeting on 2nd November 2009

Resolved to approve the minutes as a true and accurate record of the meeting. The minutes were duly signed.

4. Matters arising from minutes

BT red phone box - Councillor Gibbon, having taken ownership of the project,stated that the paperwork had been sent off to BT and explained that the Youth Club may be able to help with some of the maintenance of the phone box.
Council archive filing - Councillor Smith explained that he had been sorting through some of the filing and gave a description relating to the paperwork.

The Vice Chairman moved the following items up the agenda due to the attendance of parishioners specifically interested in them.

White Hart Pub

The owners of the pub were invited to speak. Mrs Leeder explained that the sale of the pub is no longer going ahead, however, it was stated that the pub is on the verge of closing (not de-licensing) as it is currently losing money owing to the significant increase in the rateable value of the pub. Mrs Leeder conveyed that they are keen to understand what the village residents would like from the pub in order to increase the number of clientele. General discussion ensued regarding the importance of the pub in adding value to the village and the need for increased support. Councillor Smith described the results from a previous pub survey. Councillor Colenutt suggested the possibility of the pub offering a take-away service and asked that the owners provide a list of numbers which the pub can cater for to be published in The Rocklander to increase awareness. Further discussion took place regarding Councillor Southgate's suggestion of publishing a dedicated article in The Rocklander and Councillor Gibbon explained that she could extend her report to request feedback from the local residents in relation to this issue

PC Paul Borman - Parish Officer for Rocklands

PC Borman introduced himself and provided an update of the Community Policing within Rocklands and the surrounding area. A Safer Neighbourhood Meeting is scheduled for 25th February and PC Borman said that he would forward the information to the Clerk. Councillor Steel enquired into a more efficient method of crime reporting rather than simple word-of-mouth and it was explained that Home Watch was an effective means of reporting crimes in the local area. Concerns regarding speeding in the village particularly in relation to the school travel plan were voiced by Councillor Gibbon. PC Borman explained that the Police were able to carry out speed checks and stated that he would explore this issue further.

6.Planning

Councillor Smith gave a report from the East Harling settlement boundary meeting explaining the process of boundary changes and the allocation of additional land.

RDB Construction (UK) Ltd, Land at 50 The Street - 3PL/2010/0124/F
Proposed erection of two (two bedroom) dwellings with shared new site access
The discussion was opened to the public and extensive discussion took place in relation to the planning application. An initial query was raised in regards to the moving of the existing fence. David Whit conveyed his approval of the plans with their aim of contributing to housing for low income families and the energy saving proposals, but felt that the houses may cost more to build than their eventual sale price and he voiced concerns regarding the existence of guarantees to ensure that the plans adhere to the specification once planning permission is granted. Alan Johnson re-iterated that that the plans were a considerable improvement and highly commendable in environmental terms and agreed with the objections being raised. Charles Dyer mentioned the issues of the water holding tanks, the maintenance and size of the hedge at the front of the development and the proliferation of drives and parked vehicles which would potentially create traffic problems in the village. Concerns were also raised about the changing aesthetics of the garden at No. 50 and flooding issues which need to be addressed before development takes place.

The meeting re-opened
Councillor Steel explained that he hadn't had the opportunity to review the plans thoroughly to enable him to comment and requested another meeting to discuss them more fully. The Clerk was requested to organise an extraordinary meeting for 7:00 p.m on 3rd March 2010. The Clerk was also asked to contact W. Smith (District Councillor) to establish the extent to which developers are legally bound to adhere to the specifications in planning applications.

5. Finance

NRCC - renewal subscription approved. Proposed by Councillor Jones, seconded byN. Southgate.
Cheques were authorised and duly signed for the following:

Lucy Defew (Clerk's expenses) £15.26
NRCC £15.00

7. Tree Wardens

Councillor Steel explained that the article regarding the available tree saplings had been published in The Rocklander and that he is still awaiting responses. Further discussion ensued in relation to various locations for the trees including Wayland Close, Chapel Green and the idea of providing them to farmers as hedging trees. The possibility of the school children planting the trees was also mentioned.

8. Highways

The Clerk conveyed the price of purchasing a new grit bin and explained the Highways process involved in installing one. The Clerk was requested to order a bin and Councillor Gibbon agreed to notify the Clerk in regards to its positioning.
Discussion took place in relation to the increasing number of pot-holes in the area.

9. Flooding

Councillor Gibbon reported extensive flooding on Low Lane and re-iterated the problem with the drainage system from the Coach House. Discussion ensued in relation to Councillor Smith's meetings with Jason Glasspole relating to this problem and the issue of the heavy vehicles regularly using the lane which are exacerbating the problem. The Clerk was requested to explore the possibility of installing a weight limit sign on the lane.

10. Correspondence

Yare Valley and District CAB - donation request. No donation to be given. The Clerk was requested to respond accordingly.

11. Date of next meeting

3rd March 2010 at 7:00 p.m - extraordinary meeting
12th April 2010 at 7:00 p.m Annual Assembly/Parish Meeting (followed by Parish Council Meeting)

Meeting closed at 8:45 p.m