EAST BERGHOLT PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

Thursday 10 September 2026 at The Lambe School, Gaston Street, East
Bergholt

Present – Parish Councillors
Councillor J Miller (Chair of the Council)
Councillor M Burns
Councillor S Davies
Councillor R Elmer
Councillor M Hockley
Councillor M Hurley
Councillor A James
Councillor L Matthews
Councillor J Price
Councillor G Woodcock

In Attendance
G White, Parish Clerk
Three members of the public

OPEN PUBLIC SESSION

Mrs Jo Cooper, a resident of Chaplin Road, spoke upon the Licensing Application submitted
to Babergh DC by the Hare and Hounds. This sought to extend the licensing hours to 7am –
00.30am with varying times within those hours for the sale of alcohol., together with an
extension to 1.30am on New Years Eve.

Mrs Cooper had objected to Babergh DC about the application, though her objection was not
against the new licensees but about being considerate to local residents. At present, she
said, the parking on Fridays and Saturdays was atrocious and the noise when people were
returning to their cars late at night was disturbing. She was raising this as there were lots of
vulnerable people in the locality. She asked if the Parish Council was proposing to make
representations.

The Chair said that on Licensing applications, Babergh DC usually takes representations
from individuals but under urgent business at the end of the meeting, the Council will
consider what the village wants and needs and decide whether to make a submission.

Mr Cooper said that screening of the hut in the garden would reduce the late night noise
somewhat though it was quite dangerous at the junction due to the number of vehicles
parked there and leaving at about the same time.

Councillor Burns commented that the Babergh DC licensing strategy appeared on the
website to be out of date. District Councillor Davies said it had been recently revised. .

Councillor James thought the noise on Friday and Saturday nights was excessive but did not
understand why additional alcohol licensing hours were required for weekdays. He could see
that additional licensing hours could be needed for breakfasts and clubs etc.

Councillor Hockley noted the problems caused to a local mobility scooter user who could not
get out of her property due to parked cars.
The Chair said all the comments were noted and a discussion would take place later in the
meeting. She thanked Mr and Mrs Cooper for their contributions and closed the Open Public
Session.

71.26/27 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence received from Councillor Allen were NOTED.

72.26/27 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST OR DISPENSATIONS

None.

73.26/27 MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL MEETING OF 13 August 2026

It was proposed by Councillor Matthews seconded by Councillor Woodcock and RESOLVED
(seven voted for, none voted against) that the minutes of the Council Meeting of 13 August
2026 be approved as a correct record.

74.26/27 MATTERS ARISING/UPDATES

Minute 65 Item 5 – Rowing Boat Hire. – Councillor Hockley enquired if a letter had been sent
to the National Trust. The Clerk confirmed that he had written to Leigh Freeman the General
Manager and would send a copy of his letter to Councillors Hockley and Matthews. He had
also written to Mr Woods, the complainant.

Minute 68.26/27 – Samaritans advert – Councillor Burns reported that the Parish magazine
had agreed to place adverts for the Samaritans free of charge. Councillor Burns was
congratulated on her successful approach and she will now progress the matter.

Minute 65.26/27 Item 11 – Councillor Price reported that he had written to County Councillors
Hudson and Laws but had not yet received replies.

75.26/27 CHAIR’S REPORT

Whilst the Chair had not submitted a report this month due to her absence on annual
holiday, she had a number of updates to mention.

Old Co-op store – The Co-op’s Chief Property and Strategy Officer had advised that the new
tenant is gearing up to complete the lease. One outstanding query relates to an adjoining
storage area (not in Co-op ownership) but the Co-op have had a positive commitment that
the tenant has engaged their solicitor to conclude the matter.

Local Government Reorganisation – The Secretary of State, Angela Rayner, had announced
that LGR had been suspended pending review which means that next May’s elections will
not be for shadow authorities but the current councils and thus for Babergh DC. It was
expected that the Mayoral elections would continue as planned.

Council Logo – The Chair reported that Councillor Burns had received a quote from Clubb
Creative for design work at a cost of £250-£300. The cost was low as work on the In Our
View logo would form the basis of the design. It was AGREED that Councillor Burns should
progress the project and report back in due course.

76.26/27 COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT

County Councillor Laws’ written report which had been circulated was NOTED.

District Councillor Davies was aggrieved that Reform was refusing to publish evidence of
savings which they say they have achieved. It was proposed by Councillor Davies, seconded
by Councillor Hurley and RESOLVED (eight voted for, two voted against) that the Parish
Council ask the County Council to provide evidence of the savings they claim to have made.

District Councillor Davies was surprised to see County Councillor Law’s comment in the final
paragraph of his report about wheelie bin collections. As far as Babergh was concerned, the
transition to wheelie bins had gone very well.

Councillor Hurley reported that in Essex, Reform had spent £150,000 engaging private
security to protect residents from asylum seekers (Operation Vanguard). He hoped this
would not occur in Suffolk and will write to County Councillor Laws seeking his support in
opposing any proposal in this regard.

The Chair noted that the County Council was spending £500,000 on a bus franchising study.
When this is published and consultation begins, the Parish Council should take an interest in
view of the paucity of current services. Our key concerns are services getting children to the
schools and commuters to Manningtree Station.

77.26/27 DISTRICT COUNCILLOR’S REPORT

District Councillor Davies presented her report which had been circulated and added to it.

Meeting with Abbeycroft – District Councillor Davies had now had a meeting with Abbeycroft
which covered the sports centre, the playing field and the swimming pool.

On the swimming pool, she was pleased that Abbeycroft were not immediately dismissive of
the proposal if the pool was built to the highest standards, incorporating energy efficiency
and heat pumps etc which may render it viable. If information could be obtained on how it
will be built, Abbeycroft may be prepared to work on the proposal. With the new sports
centre across the road, it would be possible to discuss joint enterprises with the High School.

District Councillor Davies said that there was nothing in the unilateral undertaking which
committed Hills to build it though the Chair thought judicial comments in the Judicial Review
judgments might provide such commitment. District Councillor Davies will discuss this with
the planning officer.

District Councillor Davies said that the newly published National Planning Policy Framework
would have a profound impact on Neighbourhood Plans. If authorities fail to advocate any
sites for development in their plans, the policies will not carry any weight. The Chair added
that the Council needs to have sites allocated and out to consultation as soon as possible
and before the draft Joint Local Plan is published in January.

Councillor Hockley raised the issue of the footpath going through Phase 2 of the Hills
development being built in advance of the development as a whole. District Councillor
Davies said that Hills were insistent that it could not be built ahead of Phase 2, a position
which appeared to be immovable.

Councillor Matthews asked District Councillor Davies for an update on Grange Park. The
latter said that the plan was to designate 80 permanent living units. The operator says that
evidence of names and plots have been given but these do not amount to 80. Meanwhile the

operator has not produced this evidence and they appear to be dragging their feet. A
meeting is scheduled for 21 September and District Councillor Davies will report back
thereafter.

78.26/27 CORRESPONDENCE

The correspondence set out in the Correspondence list circulated with the agenda and
subsequently was considered and NOTED, comprising:

Date Sender Subject
1. 12/08/26 Babergh East, Police and
Parish Forum
Minutes of meeting of 10 June
2026.
2. 14/08/26 Dedham Vale National
Landscape
Proposed Dedham Vale National
Landscape and Parish Council
accord.
3. 17/06/26 Professor Stroma Cole Orvis Lane Field.
4. 27/08/26 Babergh DC Quartet Villages Neighbourhood
Plan.
5. 28/08/26 Police and Crime
Commissioner
August update.
6. 20/08/26 Headway Suffolk Summer Newsletter.
7. 03/09/26 District Councillor Davies National Grid works Sept-Oct.
8. 07/09/26 Babergh DC National Significant Infrastructure
Projects tracker.
9. 04/09/26 James Cartlidge MP South Suffolk Seniors Fair.
10. 07/09/26 East Bergholt Resident Objection to application
DC/26/03730.
11. 07/09/26 Babergh DC Suspension of Local Government
Reorganisation
12. 08/09/26on the
Quartet
District Councillor Davies Hadleigh Road Junction/20mph
zone
13. 08/09/26 Councillor Price Highway matters – Letter from
Melanie Hall SCC

Item 2 – The Chair said that a parish councillor from Stoke-by-Nayland represents all the
parish councils at this forum, but at present the contents of the accord are unknown. The
Clerk was requested to obtain a copy.

Item 3 – The Chair said that a community orchard would be a lovely initiative but it rested in
the hands of the United Charities. Councillor Burns said the current tenancy of the land is not
due to end imminently. The Chair said she had seen the lease online and this should be
checked to provide certainty.

Item 4 – The Council is a consultee on the Quartet Villages Neighbourhood Plan and the
Council should write to Babergh DC supporting the proposal. It was proposed by Councillor
Miller, seconded by Councillor Burns and RESOLVED (unanimously) that a letter be sent to
Babergh DC supporting the Quartet Villages Neighbourhood Plan proposal.

Item 10 – The Council noted the East Bergholt Resident’s letter of objection to application
DC/26/03730 which will be borne in mind when the application is considered later in the
meeting.

Items 12 and 13 – Councillor Price referred to the letter from Melanie Hall, the SCC liaison
engineer, who had identified various sites for speed cameras with the cost for speed surveys
being £2,400. Once the survey data has been analysed, a scheme could be developed
which could cost in the region of £20-30,000. The speed surveys would be undertaken in
late September with which the Council AGREED, leaving the source of funding to be
determined by Councillors Miller, Elmer, Price and the Clerk.

Councillor Price confirmed that the surveys would pick up the junction of Hadleigh Road and
The Street and the B1070/Gandish Road junction. Councillor Price was pleased to report
that SCC had now done work on the crash map for the latter site which now reflected the
more recent accidents.

With regard to the Hadleigh Road layby Traffic Regulation Order, Councillor Price confirmed
that he had written to County Councillor Hudson seeking the 50% match funded contribution,
but had received no reply to date.

79.26/27 PLANNING

79.1 Planning Consultations received

DC/26/03447 Hare and Hounds, Heath Road, East Bergholt, CO7 6RL – Full planning
application – Erection of pub garden shelter (retention of).

It was proposed by Councillor Woodcock, seconded by Councillor Hockley
and RESOLVED (seven voted for, none voted against) that approval be
recommended.

DC//26/03420 Former Telephone Exchange, Cemetery Lane, East Bergholt – Full
planning application – Conversion of former telephone exchange to
dwelling including single storey rear extension, along with change of
use of adjacent land to form gardens.

It was proposed by Councillor Woodcock, seconded by Councillor Hockley
and RESOLVED (unanimously) that approval be recommended.

DC/26/003599 Caldor, East End Lane, East Bergholt, CO7 6XQ – Householder
application – Erection of a ground floor and first floor and roof
extensions and detached garage/cartlodge.

It was proposed by Councillor Woodcock, seconded by Councillor Miller
and RESOLVED (unanimously) that approval be recommended.

DC/26/03564 Agricultural Barn Manor Farm, East End Lane, East Bergholt, CO7 6XA
– Application to determine if Prior Approval is required for a proposed
Change of Use of Agricultural Buildings to Dwellinghouses (C3) and
for building operations reasonably necessary for conversion. Town
and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England)
Order 2015 as amended Schedule 2, Part 3, Class Q. Conversion of an
agricultural building to 2no dwellings.

It was proposed by Councillor Woodcock, seconded by Councillor Hockley
and RESOLVED (nine voted for, none voted against) that approval be
recommended.

DC/26/03730 Chadacre, Whitesfield, East Bergholt CO7 6SP – Householder
application – Erection of front porch with garage to the side of the
building, Roof window.

The Council noted and commended the letter of objection from an East
Bergholt resident.

It was proposed by Councillor Woodcock, seconded by Councillor
Hockley and RESOLVED that refusal be recommended on the
grounds that:

1. The applicant is running a business from home which is
subject to enforcement action. The only reason for a long
garage with double doors both ends which would allow parking in the back
garden is to run the business from home.

2. The proposed development is overdevelopment of the site. The proposed
garage is disproportionate to the size of the property.

DC/26/03819 Kielder House, 2 Hop Meadow, East Bergholt, CO7 6QR – Application
for works to trees subject to TPO BT269/t$ – Fell 1 no sycamore to
ground level.

It was noted that as the tree had already fallen, there was no need for a
recommendation.

79.2 Planning Correspondence

The correspondence received from the Local Planning Authority as set out on the planning
list concerning determined applications was NOTED.

80.26/27 STRATEGY, POLICY AND FINANCE COMMITTEE

80.1 Schedule of Payments and Income – It was proposed by Councillor Elmer, seconded
by Councillor Miller and RESOLVED (unanimously) that the schedules of payments and
income and the bank transfer be noted and the payments due in August 2026 amounting to
£10,836. be approved.

80.2 Bank Reconciliation Statement – The bank reconciliation statement for August 2026
was NOTED.

81.26/27 REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES ON OUTSIDE BODIES

Written reports from representatives on outside bodies had been circulated and were
NOTED.

Additional reports were given, as follows:

Constable Hall – Councillor Davies reminded Councillor Price that the Babergh DC CIL
Team were awaiting the anticipated CIL application. Councillor Price said it was not yet
ready to be submitted.

The Council congratulated Constable Hall on attracting the recent Constable and immersive
experience productions.

Lettice Dykes – Councillor Hockley reported that an application for support had recently
been received.

Village Assembly – District Councillor Davies said that the first Village Assembly was
scheduled for 24 September at The Lambe School. She encouraged councillors to pass this
on to any local clubs/organisations which may not have received an invitation.

82.26/27 RESPONSE TO BABERGH DC JOINT LOCAL PLAN SCOPING
CONSULTATION

The Chair presented the draft response to the consultation from the 3Valleys Parish Council
Alliance and her accompanying note. A Housing Needs Survey was required and the
Alliance had secured the services of Ian Poole who had volunteered to conduct such a
survey at modest cost. The Council had commissioned a Housing Needs Survey in the early
2020s but since then new houses had been demanded by Government and a new survey
was required. East Bergholt’s contribution to this would be £620. It was proposed by
Councillor Miller, seconded by Councillor Woodcock and RESOLVED (unanimously) that the
Council participate in the 3Valleys Parish Council Alliance survey at a cost of £620.

The Chair thought that the views of parishes on the Ipswich fringe and those in South Suffolk
were not completely aligned at present due to a mismatch of knowledge between those
parishes which favoured a pro-rata allocation basis and those which had already had new
houses developed. The issue was that it was not just the number of houses allocated, but
where to put them in parishes. The draft 3Valleys response endeavours to present a more
balanced view and she considered that East Bergholt should join in and support the
response.

It was proposed by Councillor Miller, seconded by Councillor Woodcock and RESOLVED
(unanimously) that the Council support the 3Valleys response as a starting point for
progress.

83.26/27 THE LEGEND ON THE BENCH

Councillor Hurley reported that fund raising had commenced in May/June with a view to
achieving £2,300 for one bench or if possible £4,600 for two. The current total was £2,330
sufficient for one bench and he was particularly grateful for the funds raised by the Parish
Council, Fields, The Dicky and East Bergholt High School. Councillor Hurley was confident
in saying that if the fund raising remained open for a while it would be possible to get nearer
to the target of £4,600. The report was NOTED and it was noted that the Parish Magazine
was happy to include a report from Councillor Hurley about the project.

84.26/27 URGENT COMMUNICATIONS

Casual Vacancies – The Chair reported that no election had been requested for either parish
council vacancy and the Council could now co-opt. Although there were only seven months
left of the current term of office this would be an opportunity for people to use membership
as a trial for longer term membership. The vacancies would be advertised shortly. The Chair
stressed the need for applicants to be prepared to be working councillors.

Licensing application by the Hare and Hounds – Following the representations from Mr and
Mrs Cooper during the Open Public Session, the Council considered the application having

regard to the wants and needs of the village. Councillor Burns had reviewed the licences of
all the pubs in the village (copies of which will be circulated by the Clerk after this meeting)
and noted that the licensing hours were quite liberal and not dissimilar in all cases and
broadly comparable except for the breakfast opening. It was noted that the licensing of only
indoor music was being applied for which should minimise noise somewhat and screening
and shrubbery would have an effect on minimising noise from the garden area. During
discussion the main issues arising were those of noise and parking. Nevertheless, it was
evident that the Council wished to encourage the pub as a thriving local business.

It was considered that council representatives should go and speak to the Landlord to inform
him of the views expressed and to establish what he may be prepared to do to address the
adverse comments. Councillors Burns and James were nominated by the Parish Council to
meet the Landlord to discuss these issues.

85.26/27 KEY POINTS FROM THE MEETING

Barbizon community art initiative, a twin to East Bergholt’s painting of Golding Constable’s
Flower Garden, will start on 20 Sept with representatives of EB PC, Community Council and
Twinning Association present.

The local In Our View events celebrating John Constable’s 250
th
anniversary of his birth
would be completed by the end of Sept.

Working with SCC Highways to improve road safety at the B1070/Gandish Road cross
roads.

The successful Community Event on the subject of SEND at Fields on 10 September

The meeting was closed at 10.30pm

Chair ______________________________ Date___________________

Next meeting – Thursday 8 Oct