Minutes of a Meeting of Loddon Parish Council
held in The Library Annexe on Thursday 8 October 2009 at 7.00pm

Present: Councillors Jane Hale, Dorothy Jones, Sarah Morris, Michael Roe, Angela Gibson, Rod Williams, Bruce Corke, Margaret Wallace and Linda Wilson.
Also present were Christine Smith (clerk), Karen Read (RFO), County Councillor Adrian Gunson and District Councillor Colin Gould.
Three members of the public also attended.

90. Apologies were received from Cllr Roy Cooper (attending a training course) and Cllr Judith Gray (work commitments).

91. Declarations of Interest - Cllr Linda Wilson declared a financial interest in agenda item 19 (Old Town Hall) and Cllr Jane Hale declared a personal interest in the same item.
Cllr Margaret Wallace declared a personal interest in agenda item 15 (Loddon On Call).

92. Previous Minutes - the minutes of a meeting held on Thursday 10 September 2009 were circulated, APPROVED and signed by the chairman following an amendment to correct the omission of Cllr Sarah Morris from the list of those present.

93. Planning Decisions - the following decisions were noted:
a) 2009/1094/H - 12 Garden Court, Loddon - proposed installation of conservatory to rear of property - APPROVED with conditions, delegated.
b) 2009/1100/LB - Boots the Chemist, 4 High Street, Loddon - internal refurbishment and shop-fit, and retention of new air conditioning unit and associated condenser - APPROVED with conditions, delegated.

94. Planning Applications - The council considered the following planning applications; [In order to minimize light pollution the parish council recommended that any outdoor lights associated with any of the applications below should be: i) fully shielded ii) directed downwards iii) switched on only when needed iv) white light low energy lamps and not orange or pink sodium sources]
a) 2009/1389 - Mrs P Waterhouse, Cowslip Farm, Hales Green, Loddon - amendment to permission 2009/0895/F barn conversion for extension to barn to provide bedroom, wetroom and car port for disabled person - APPROVE
b) BA/2009/0252/FUL - Mr & Mrs Hubbard, Pacific Cruisers Boatyard, Pits Lane, Chedgrave - removal of existing timber clad 2 storey dwelling with the intention to replace with 2 storey timber clad dwelling exacting to existing buildings footprint - APPROVE

95. Planning Correspondence - none received

The adjournment for public participation was not required

96. Chairman's report - the chairman reported that Rosie Lee's Tea Room had been nominated for a Broads Award and reminded councillors that the Remembrance service would take place on Sunday 8 November.

97. Councillors' Reports -
a) Cllr Michael Roe reported that, due to restructuring at South Norfolk Council, no saplings and hedging plants would be supplied to parish tree wardens this year.
b) Cllr Dorothy Jones expressed concerns over a proliferation of farm machinery appearing on marshes within the conservation area. This was currently under review from South Norfolk Council.
c) Cllr Linda Wilson stated that Church Plain car park was due to be closed for the Chet Valley Festival from 7pm on 23 October to midnight on 24 October. This would cause major disruption to local businesses and residents, with whom there had been no consultation. The clerk had been in touch with the Festival organisers, who had agreed to be as flexible as possible in allowing some short term parking during the closure. The clerk would write to South Norfolk Council expressing the parish council's concerns over the lack of consultation on the closure and the lack of reimbursement to residents who had paid for a parking permit.
d) Cllr Bruce Corke reported that the Lottery Fund had offered a substantial grant for improvements to the churchyard footpaths, subject to approval of accounts. If received, this would mean the conditional grant offered by the parish council would not be required.

98. Police Report - no report

99. Finance Report - The finance report (previously circulated) was APPROVED by the council and signed by the Chairman and the RFO and the half-yearly budget review 2009/10 was received by the council. The NALC pay review recommendation 2009/10 of 1% increase was APPROVED by the council.

100. County Councillor's and District Councillor's Reports -
County Councillor Adrian Gunson's report was as circulated and noted. He added that improvements to the footway outside the Jubilee Hall were planned.
District Councillor Gould's report was as tabled.

101. Youth Matters - A report from Cllr Angela Gibson on a recent multi-agency meeting was circulated and noted. It was AGREED that Cllr Sarah Morris would join the Youth Working Party.
It was noted that Plugged Radio (Loddon youth radio) had disbanded.

102. Grant Request from Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue - REFUSED.

103. Grant Request from Loddon On Call Community First Response Team - deferred until next meeting.

104. Grant Request from Jubilee Hall - an update report was received from Jubilee Hall management committee treasurer Alan Mason.
After discussion, it was AGREED that, on condition that Chedgrave parish council is also approached for funding, the council would make a grant of £500 and an interest free loan of up to £3,000 to be paid back, if possible, by mid-March 2010.
Mr Mason thanked the council on behalf of the Jubilee Hall Management Committee.

105. Renewal of Street Lighting Licence - following a request from South Norfolk Council for the parish council to pay £100 to renew a license on two street lights near the Hobart High School, it was AGREED that County Councillor Adrian Gunson would take up the matter with the County Council to see if it would be willing to adopt the lights.

106. Parish Council Organised Community Events in 2010 - after discussion it was AGREED that the regular Summer Fete should be rested and that alternative event(s) should be organised for 2010.
An initial meeting would be held and ideas brought back to the council at the next meeting.

At this point the Chairman proposed a change to the order of the agenda; this was AGREED

107. Correspondence - A list of significant correspondence, which had been previously circulated, was NOTED.

Cllr Linda Wilson left the meeting, having declared a financial interest in the next item.

108. Old Town Hall - the Loddon Buildings Preservation Trust had obtained a full structural survey and engineer's report on the Old Town Hall and was arranging a drains survey.
The parish council requested that the LBPT obtain three quotes for the work recommended by the surveys and bring them to the council for consideration.

109. Date of Next Meeting - meeting confirmed as Thursday 12 November 2009 at 7pm in the Library Annexe.