MPC Minutes of Meeting

Draft Minutes of the Marlesford Parish Council meeting, held on
Friday 25th February 2022, 7.00pm, in the Marlesford Community Centre.

Present: Chairman Lord Marlesford, Vice Chairman Roger Waterfall, Cllr Diana Howard, Cllr Lesley Bensley, Cllr Heather McConville, Cllr Richard Cooper & Cllr Sam Catling.
In Attendance: 5 members of the public and the Clerk.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies for Absence

ESC Carol Poulter & SCC Stephen Burroughes.

Declaration of Interests

None

Minutes of the Last Meeting Held on Monday 29th November 2021

The minutes were approved correct by the council and signed by the Chairman, proposed Cllr Catling, seconded Cllr Cooper.

Matters Arising from the Minutes

To include the Queens Platinum Jubilee.

To consider a village competition with prizes funded by the Parish Council. Cllr Howard would like to propose a competition to fill the wall space in the Community Centre for the Jubilee weekend. Children could be encouraged to take part in an art competition. Book tokens could be given as a prize in each category, approx. cost £120 (PC to be flexible with the cost if it works out more). There are currently 29 children who live in Marlesford. It was agreed by all that this would be a lovely idea. Seconded Cllr Cooper. Cllr Howard will organise.
To consider purchasing Jubilee Mugs for village residents. Organisers of the Marlesford Platinum Jubilee celebrations would like to give a commemorative mug to all households in Marlesford. Would the Parish Council kindly pay for the mugs? The commemorative Jubilee mugs would have Marelsford name printed on, cost for a box of 36 is £260.00 (inc VAT) from Clerks & Councils. Cllrs Bensley and Catling are against giving a mug to every household, but would prefer a lasting tribute for the whole village such a bench or a tree. It might be more appropriate to give a mug to each child in the village (under the age of 16), purchase 2 boxes of 36 and then sell the remaining to anyone else who would like to buy a mug. Suggest to sell at £5.00 each. This was agreed by all, proposed Cllr Waterfall seconded Cllr Catling. The Clerk will place the order.
Quiet Lanes. The Chairman informed that the PC supports the principle of Quiet Lanes. However SCC has installed the poles ready for the signs to be erected, in unsatisfactory locations. The poles have been installed on the triangle at the village sign and on the triangle by Marlesford Hall, they are also too tall (3 mtrs). The Parish Council objects to the locations and also want shorter poles, which had been requested (use existing poles where possible). It would be preferable for the poles to be set more sensitively, on the verges alongside the hedges. Cllr Waterfall will draft a letter to SCC to inform them of the unsatisfactory locations, which will be forward to all prior to sending to SCC.

Finance

Statement of Accounts. Bank balances as at 25th February 2022, Barclays Community Account £10,403.70 inc. £5319.81 CIL money, Business Premium Account £839.63. The statement of accounts was approved by all and was signed by The Chairman.
Clerks Pay & Expenses – Invoices to pay Clerks pay £374.36, HMRC P30 £59.80 and expenses £16.30, approved for payment, proposed Cllr Catling seconded Cllr Waterfall.
To Reimburse Cllr Waterfall – voucher purchased for resident (voluntary work) He has paid £100 for an Amazon gift voucher, which was given as a gift from the PC to the village resident who carries out voluntary maintenance work around the village. Proposed for payment Cllr McConville seconded Cllr Howard. The recipient of the gift voucher has passed on his thanks to the PC.

To Approve the Risk Assessments

Cllr Bensley has looked over all of the documents.

GDPR Risk Assessment - The PC should consider appointing a Data Protection Officer. Clerk to ensure adequate back up of computer, suggest install Google G Drive. Cllr Bensley will update the document for approval at the next PC meeting.
Risk Management Policy & Risk Assessment - All Parish Councillors must update/review their Register of Interests every year even if no change in circumstances. Cllr Bensley will forward ESC link to all. Councillors to consider Councillor training with SALC, suggest one member to attend and to report back to all. Clerk to forward training dates to all. Yearly inspection of assets eg, bus shelter, village seat, village sign. Cllr Waterfall to carry this out annually. Clerk to update the document for approval at the next PC meeting.
Financial Risk Assessment – Cllr McConville has looked over the document and is happy for it to be approved. Proposed Cllr Bensley seconded Cllr McConville, signed by the Chairman. It should be noted that the Parish Council does not have a HSBC or Ipswich Building Society accounts. The Chairman thanked Cllrs Bensley & McConville for reviewing the documents.

To Receive Reports from East Suffolk District Councillor Carol Poulter & Suffolk County Councillor Stephen Burroughes

The District and County Councillor reports had been forward to all prior to the meeting. Cllr Cooper would prefer that in future reports have some relevant information to Marlesford and The Ward, this would be useful however brief. The Chairman will request this to be included in future ESC & SCC reports.

Cllr Waterfall informed that ESC has given a grant of £2600 towards the community centre refurbishments, this will help to pay for repainting the outside and for repairing the hole in the floor.

SCC Cllr Burroughes has asked that the PC consider “Hybrid Meetings” going forward in the future. Cllr Bensley suggests that CIL money could be used to pay to have Wi-Fi installed at the Community Centre, as it would be a useful facility to have and the community would benefit. Cllr Howard will ask the community centre committee to look into the possibility of having Wi-Fi installed and report back at the next PC meeting.

Sizewell C - To Include Four Village Bypass (SEGway) & Proposals for Park and Ride at Wickham Market

Cllr Cooper reported the following;

Planning Timetable - Examination by PINS ended on 14 October 2021. PINS had three months to complete their report for the Secretary of State (SoS), but on 16th December they requested an extra 6 weeks citing health issues amongst the Inspectors and the volume of information that they had to get through. This was granted by the SoS, so he should now receive the PINS report on or before 25th Feb. 2022. SoS then has a further three months to make his decision. In theory we should hear whether Sizewell C has been approved or not by 27th May 2022.
EDF Timetable - This will be extremely fluid and will depend on finance arrangements, regulatory approvals, the conditions that are attached to the SoS’s consent (if he gives consent) and other pre-commencement investigations by EDF. Note that Olkiluoto in Finland is about to come on stream having been started in 2005 with an expected completion date of 2009. Flamanville is now not expected to come on stream until 2024, having been started in 2007 and Taishan 1 in China is currently shut down because of a radioactive leak. Hinkley Point C construction started in October 2016 and is expected to be operational in 2026.
A12 Mitigation - As previously reported, we have in principle agreement with EDF that they will provide A12 mitigation in the form of:
- A reduction in speed limit from 40mph to 30mph through Marlesford. There will be a signalised crossing near the bus stops and a non-signalised (pedestrian refuge) crossing near Marlesford Road. Improvements to footways adjacent to the A12 in Marlesford. Quiet road surfacing – we are currently trying to get EDF to contribute to its maintenance for a period post construction. Junction improvements – these will be minimal, but some measures will be undertaken to improve visibility at Bell Lane, although technically the junction is considered to be adequate.
- We have also succeeded in getting a speed reduction to 30mph for traffic leaving the Fiveways roundabout and heading to Lower Hacheston. This is to try to improve the safety for vehicles travelling south on the A12 and leaving at the B1078 slip road – visibility is poor for right turning traffic because of the barrier on the bridge over the A12.
We have so far failed to get a commitment from EDF to provide a safe pedestrian and cyclepath from Marlesford to the Fiveways roundabout but the issue is not dead. I am working with Dan Poulter as our MP and with Carol Poulter as our ESC ward councillor to bring pressure to bear on EDF, landowners and local authorities. Next meeting with EDF on A12 mitigation is 28th Feb.
Southern Park and Ride - We (along with Wickham Market, Hacheston and Campsea Ashe) have now re-established a dialogue with EDF over mitigation measures for the Southern Park and Ride. We are supported in this by Carol Poulter as ESC ward councillor. We are aiming to ensure that landscaping, drainage, building design and lighting are all properly controlled. We now have a commitment from EDF that they will share their plans with us before submission to ESC for planning approval. Next meeting is scheduled for 31st March.
Four Village Bypass - Again, Dan Poulter is involved in lobbying for a change of approach by EDF and SCC. The proposed alignment of EDF’s Two Village Bypass will not connect with a future Four Village Bypass – as a minimum, we are seeking an acceptance that for future strategic road development, this connection (in the absence of a Four Village Bypass – which we are still pursuing) should be possible. Discussions continue and see below.
Visit of Declan Burke - is a civil servant and Head of New Nuclear at BEIS (Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy) – the department at which Kwasi Kwarteng is SoS and it is KK who will make the decision on SZC. Declan came to Snape for a closed meeting of 40 parishes and 8 representative bodies including RSPB, AONB, Alde and Ore Association etc. I travelled with DB in the car coming up from Ipswich and we were able to drive through Wickham Market, pointing out the difficulties with traffic management. We passed the Southern Park and Ride site and expressed concerns about its prominent location and the need for sympathetic landscaping and lighting that will minimise the impact on dark skies. We stopped at Park Gate Farm and discussed in detail the strategic nonsense of the Two Village Bypass re-joining the A12 at that point. We went on to Minsmere via the lanes that will be used by SZC early years traffic. He was genuinely shocked at the inadequacy of the road network. I was one of the speakers at the meeting and addressed traffic issues – the notes of the meeting are available if anyone wants to see them. The visit was a good one and DB will have got a good sense of the concerns over the cumulative impact of the various energy projects. I left him with the comment that we will all be paying a high price (literally) if SZC and the other energy projects all go ahead as planned. If they do, I told him that we needed substantially more mitigation than is currently on offer in order to compensate us for the upheaval that we will go through on behalf of the rest of the Country.
Deed of Covenant relating to A12 mitigation works. The Deed is equivalent to a S106 agreement and sets out the obligations of each party – principally the commitments by EDF to carry out various works and to make contributions including to the Marlesford and Lt. Glemham A12 mitigation works. Deed of Covenant (DoC) is a four-page document where the parties are East Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council, NMB Generation Company (SZC) Limited, Marlesford PC (and Lt. Glemham PC) It is designed to bind all the parties into an agreement to pursue the A12 mitigation works (pursuant to the provisions contained in the Deed of Obligation). So this would put an obligation on the PC to send representatives to meetings of the Governance Group ie The Marlesford and Little Glemham Working Group. Cllr Cooper recommends that the PC signs the document, but only after the discussions have moved on further regarding the A12 mitigation. This was agreed by all, proposed Cllr Bensley seconded Cllr Catling.
Cllr Cooper informed that EDF has sent an invitation to meet with the parish, he is happy to represent the Parish Council at the group parishes meeting, the Chairman proposed, seconded Cllr Bensley. An Extra Ordinary PC meeting could be arranged for EDF to address Marlesford.
Pedestrian footpath and cycle way – so far EDF has refused funding for Marlesford. It may have to rely on the 2 landowners putting in the land for the cycle way and hopes that they will both support it.

The Chairman thanked Cllr Cooper for all his work.

Scottish Power North Sea Wind Farms

Cllr Cooper informed that SZC and counting Scottish Power and SCD1 and SCD2 as four projects, this means a total of 9 energy projects - (potentially being constructed concurrently) being built in this corner of Suffolk. This is going to be an incredibly heavy impact by these project.

Proposed Solar Farm at Parham, Cllr Waterfall advised that ESC had taken no notice of any of the requests or comments that the PC had to say about the proposals.

Cllr McConville left the meeting at 8.35pm.

Reports from Parish Representatives

SALC – Cllr Bensley brought to the attention of the PC, proposed Boundary Review changes to constituencies for 2023. Marlesford is currently in the Wickham Market ward of East Suffolk district council. Most of Wickham Market ward population is already in Suffolk Coastal constituency but we are in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich (CSNI) constituency. The new proposal consolidates the whole of Wickham Market ward into the Suffolk Coastal constituency. It was agreed by all that the meeting consensus was in favour of the proposal to be within Suffolk Coastal under the reorganisation with views expressed that it is a move back to a previous, preferred arrangement. Cllr Bensley will carry out the submission to the consultation.

Planning to include Planning Applications etc - Cllr Waterfall reported on the following applications;

Tithe Barn, to cut down some dead trees and Elm suckers, no objection by the Parish Council.
Lambley Cottage, some significant improvements to the property, no objection by the Parish Council.
Hatcher Components, Parham, to rebuild the large shed on the air field. The Parish Council has no objection but will ask that the building is painted an appropriate colour to blend in with the surroundings.

Firs Bowling Green – Cllr Waterfall has nothing to report.

Footpaths & Access – Cllr Catling has nothing to report. Cllr Waterfall informed that the handrail on the bridge at the Ford had been knocked down by a tree in the recent storms. Highways have been made aware of this.

Cllr Cooper reported that the grit bin by the village sign is in need of repair, should the PC consider replacing the bin? It was agreed by all that the bin is not used so it will be scrapped.

Highways - Cllr Howard had been informed by a village resident of an unsafe pavement along Keepers Lane/Bell Lane, which is breaking up and uneven. She has reported this to Highways.

Website – Cllr Howard has nothing to report.

Environmental Dimension of all other Policies – Cllr Sam Catling has nothing to report.

Correspondence