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EAST BERGHOLT PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

Thursday 14 March 2024 at The Lambe School, Gaston Street, East Bergholt

Present – Parish Councillors
Councillor J Miller (Chairman of the Council)
Councillor N Roberts (Vice-Chairman of the Council)
Councillor R Allen
Councillor P Davies
Councillor P Dent
Councillor R Elmer
Councillor M Hockley
Councillor M Hurley
Councillor L Matthews
Councillor J Price
Councillor S Rothwell
Councillor R Wombwell
Councillor G Woodcock

In Attendance
G White, Parish Clerk
Two members of the public
Two Guests

Open Public Session

Lee Partridge, Chair East Bergholt United FC Juniors thanked the Parish Council for its grant aid
support which had facilitated training sessions at the primary school throughout the current season.
This had enabled the youth teams to flourish and grow.

With reference to the football club’s application for grant aid, Mr Partridge referred to the extra costs
incurred due to the waterlogged pitch and the additional loss of revenue due to the Pavilion being
unable to open due to matches taking place elsewhere. In consequence the club would have to
increase subscriptions in order to remain solvent.

The Council noted Mr Partridge’s remarks and the Chairman thanked him for his contribution.

Guest Speakers

The Chairman welcomed Chris Burns (Chair of Governors) and Dan Woodcock (Headteacher), East
Bergholt High School.

The Chairman outlined to the guests the Council’s current areas of interest which may also be of
interest to the High School and provide opportunities for working together towards common
objectives. These areas of interest included Young People, where the newly formed parish council
had all elected members and a fully qualified clerk which allowed them to provide services for the
village in new areas such as servicrs for young people. The Parish Counicl had therefore appointed

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a new committee which was looking for ways to enhance the youth offering as part of the social
experience of the village; Other areas of potential shared interest included safety and speed on the
B1070 which were being looked at by the Neighbourhood Plan Group; problems with playing fields
where any opportunity to work with the school to improve and share facilities would be welcomed;
and if the Council could contribute more to the High School by nominating a Governor it would be
pleased to do so.

Councillor Rothwell, Chairman of the Young People Committee referred to the Council’s assistance
to the Junior football club’s training at the primary school, but the demand for pitches exceeded
supply and perhaps the High School could assist in making some of its facilities available. Mr
Woodcock said he would be pleased to have a conversation with councillors to develop ideas. On
non-sporting issues, Councillor Rothwell referred to discussions with the Porch Project which aimed
to provide a raft of young people’s activities. Mr Woodcock was not aware of this initiative but would
welcome a conversation about this and other allied issues as to how a partnership might work. The
Trust certainly wants to work more closely with and as part of the community. The Chairman
welcomed the school’s keen interest.

The Vice-Chairman referred to the B1070 and the wider Neighbourhood Plan review. The Council
was pursuing Section 106 agreement highway issues with Suffolk County Council and the Council’s
consultants PJA were in liaison with the highway engineers. This was a work in progress. PJA were
also talking to the school’s architects about the car park proposal and trying to work out how best to
improve the situation with regard to highway safety. Much would rely upon cooperation and
persuasive powers in discussions with SCC and Hills. The school fully supports the 20mph
campaign and Mr Woodcock has written a formal letter of support to accompany the Parish
council’s application.

On the Neighbourhood Plan review, we are at the drafting policies stage and the school’s input in
respect of new sports facilities would be welcomed. One of the issues is the increasing population
and the limited facilities in East Bergholt. It would be useful to have a strategic discussion with the
school upon how a larger offering can be provided. The school’s location between the two new
developments is an important element in this. Mr Woodcock said that he supports the 20mph
proposal. The school is not visible from the B1070 and not necessarily obvious to drivers coupled
with the fact that pupils are increasingly crossing the road. Traffic calming is necessary. The school
would like to recruit more pupils from the village which would generate less traffic than from those
outside but does mean that there would be more pedestrians.

In a recent site visit PJA/SCC/PC observed that 90% of pupils exit towards the village and
consequently will not use the proposed crossings for the new development as they are located in
the wrong direction. Mr Woodcock concurred and added that SCC do not talk to the school as a
matter of routine, leaving it to make representations from time to time.

Councillor Woodcock enquired about pupils cycling to school and Mr Woodcock said that there were
not many cyclists largely due to parental fear arising from the traffic hazards. Councillor Price
queried whether it was school policy to encourage cycling. Mr Woodcock said that 80% of pupils
come by bus. Ideally the school would like to encourage cycling but cannot do so until the
environment for safe cycling is improved.

Councillor Woodcock, Chairan of the Playing Fields Committee, explained the situation with
availability of the playing field and the number of teams wishing to use it. He said there was some
frustration amongst local teams who had found that teams outside the village had block booked the

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High School facilities leaving nothing suitable for booking by East Bergholt teams. Mr Woodcock
explained that the sports facilities at the school were managed by an outside contractor, Abbeycroft,
on a commercial basis. He would like to use his influence to persuade them to favour village teams
but this would have to be explored with the contractor. They may be persuaded to open for longer if
it was financially viable. The school is lucky with the space it has available though its two tennis
courts currently have temporary classrooms on them as a consequence of the Raac concrete issue.
Councillor Hockley said that the tennis courts at Gandish Road, which the Council owns are not
used during the day and could perhaps be made available to the school. Mr Woodcock said the
pitches onsite were not used to their full capacity. The Chairman noted that a joined-up approach to
ensure full usage and with the necessary investment could benefit all parties. Mr Partridge noted
that Abbeycroft may have sub-let the Astro pitch to Play Football which administered such pitches
widely and they too may need to be involved in any discussions.

Mr Woodcock said that the Trust now has a large number of primary and secondary schools in its
family. The High School has 900 pupils on its roll of which 180 are from the East Bergholt post code
area. The admissions policy provides that if a pupil is from a feeder primary school they are in a
higher priority category. There are 186 in each year group and new residents are not guaranteed a
place if the year group is full. The main impact of the new developments may still be some years
away until the next generation of secondary pupils who are not already settled in their current
schools.

With regard to the concrete crisis, Mr Woodcock thought the Trust would have resolved it sooner if
allowed to do so, but as it is, a school rebuilding list is being compiled by SCC and he is awaiting to
learn of the school’s position on that list. He could not estimate how long it would be before the
matter was resolved but was sure that the temporary classrooms would still be there in September.

Councillor Matthews asked if the curriculum supported liaison between the school and the local
community and Mr Woodcock said that as far as possible it does.

Mr Burns endorsed Mr Woodcock’s remarks and added that the Council might find it useful to invite
some pupils to say what facilities they need/require in the village. Many love sport but what else is
being offered to young people?

The Chairman summarised the discussion:
i) The High School will work with Councillor Rothwell and the Young People Committee to
identify need for young people in the village
ii) The High School and the Council will continue to work together on road safety issues.
iii) A strategic meeting will be arranged between the High School, the Council and Abbeycroft to
consider how future investment and joint use of facilities might be improved to mutual
benefit.
iv) The Council would welcome the High School’s involvement in Neighbourhood Plan
discussions if it so wishes.
v) If the High School would like a parish councillor governor, the Council will be pleased to
submit a nomination.

The Chairman thanked Mr Burns and Mr Woodcock for their attendance and contributions.

1. Apologies for absence

An apology received from County Councillor Hall was NOTED.

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2. Declaration of Interests/Dispensations

None.

3. Minutes

It was proposed by Councillor Elmer, seconded by Councillor Wombwell and RESOLVED
(unanimously) that the minutes of the Council Meeting on 8 February 2024 be approved as a
correct record.

4. Matters Arising/Updates

The Chairman informed the Council that Jane Barnes had been the Council’s Litter Picker for
25 years during which time she has given excellent service, but is now retiring. It was
proposed by Councillor Miller, seconded by Councillor Hurley and RESOLVED
(unanimously) that:

• the Council’s grateful thanks for excellent service be afforded to Jane Barnes with very
best wishes for the future;

• a retirement gift (of a value up to £100) together with a bunch of fuchsias be presented to
Mrs Barnes.

Minute 4 – The Vice-Chairman reported that on 16 February he and the Chairman had met
representatives of the Co-op with a view to establishing their views on the Neighbourhood
Plan review. The Council stressed the important role played by the Co-op in East Bergholt in
maintaining the vitality of the village centre. The Co-op’s main concern was that double
yellow lines would be placed across the front of the store as had been suggested in a social
media campaign. The councillors were pleased to advise the Co-op representatives that this
was untrue and that double yellow lines would only be placed where the single lines are
currently located. The Co-op representatives were very relieved to hear this. The Co-op and
the Council agreed to continue their dialogue in respect of the Neighbourhood Plan and the
village centre’s facilities.

Minute 6 Item 1 – Councillor Price attended the 2nd National Landscape Planning Event at
The Hold, Ipswich and reported in detail upon the speeches on the following topics:
The strengthened duty on relevant authorities to conserve and enhance National
Landscapes; Lighting in the Dedham Vale and Suffolk and Essex Coast and Heaths National
Landscapes; Biodiversity Net Gain; Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.

Minute 7.1 (final paragraph) – The Vice-Chairman reported that the site meeting with SCC
highways concerning the footway works from the Moores Lane development had taken place
on 1 March. PJA had attended. Richard Cilvert of SCC agreed to follow up with colleagues
on Health and Safety issues, crossing points and footpath widths regarding the footpath on
the B1070 and failure to implement the S106 agreement.

Minute 8.5 Council Priorities – The Clerk reported that this minute listed the lead councillor
for each of the priorities. Since that meeting the Young People Committee had elected
Councillor Rothwell as Chairman and it was now appropriate that he be the lead councillor
for Children and families. It was proposed by Councillor Miller, seconded by Councillor

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Woodcock and RESOLVED (ten voted for, none voted against) that Councillor Rothwell be
the lead councillor for the Council Priority of Children and families.

5. Application for grant aid

The Council considered the application for grant aid from East Bergholt United FC. It was
proposed by Councillor Hockley, seconded by Councillor Woodcock and RESOLVED
(unanimously) that:
i) pursuant to Section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972 £10,401.60 (£8450 +
VAT) for ground works and £261.60 for the cost of hiring pitches due to flooded
ground be awarded to East Bergholt United Football Club.

ii) A project for major works (£50k-£100k) to provide new drainage be pursued as a
priority to avoid ongoing high annual maintenance costs/grants in the future.

6. County and District Councillors’ Reports

The report submitted by County Councillor Hall which had been circulated, was NOTED.

District Councillor Davies’ expanded upon her report which had been circulated. With regard
to enforcement issues she noted that the A12 sign for which planning permission had been
refused had not been taken down yet and she would alert planning enforcement.

The Chairman offered the Council’s congratulations to Babergh DC on being named UK
Council of the Year at the IESE Public Sector Transformation Awards.

The Chairman thanked District Councillor Davies for her contribution.

7. Correspondence

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

Date

Sender Subject
1. 12/02/24 Tom Baldock Hill between Flatford and East Bergholt
2. 19/02/24 District Councillor Davies Hopper Bus
3. 20/02/24 Babergh East Police and
Parish Forum
Minutes of meeting 13/12/23
4. 21/02/23 Brian Wilsher Drainage/Flooding issues
5. 05/03/24 Rob Smith State of the roads around the village

Item 3 – Councillor Matthews noted that whilst gang activity had decreased considerably in
Ipswich due to offenders being imprisoned, there was a risk that with enhanced Police
activity in a number of areas in Ipswich, county lines may divert to the outlying rural areas.
The Chairman encouraged interested councillors to attend the Police and Parish Forums in
the future.

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8. Planning

8.1 Planning Applications received

The Council considered the planning applications received from the Local Planning Authority
since the last meeting as follows:

DC/24/00009 Fields Farmshop and Café, Park Road, East Bergholt – Discharge
of Conditions for DC/23/01514 Condition 3(Noise limiter) and
Condition 4 (Noise Management Plan)

It was proposed by Councillor Miller, seconded by Councillor Woodcock
and RESOLVED (Twelve voted for, none voted against) that the Clerk
write to the planning officer and ask what measures are being taken to
ensure noise does not exceed permitted levels. Further that an upper
limit of 80dba in the open air is considered to be too loud and is causing
concern to residents.

It was proposed by Councillor Miller, seconded by Councillor Woodcock
and RESOLVED (nine voted for, none voted against) that the
Management Plan is considered to be inadequate as it does not specify
that the 30 minute checks are required to be recorded and that the
written record is made available to the public.

It was proposed by Councillor Wombwell, seconded by Councillor
Hockley and RESOLVED (twelve voted for, none voted against) that
fencing to shield noise emissions must be acoustic fencing designed for
the purpose.

DC/24/00866 Chapel House, The Street, East Bergholt, CO7 6TB – Application for
works to trees in a conservation area – Reduce 1no Willow tree in
front garden by up to 1m and 1no Magnolia tree and 1no Hazel tree
in rear garden by 1.5m including reduction of Wisteria on front of
building down to main stem of plant.

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

DC/24/01178 Oaks Farm House, Hadleigh Road, Holton St Mary, CO7 6NW –
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 two agricultural buildings to form 2No dwellings.

It was proposed by Councillor Rothwell, seconded by Councillor Price
and RESOLVED (nine voted for, none voted against) that prior approval
be required.

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The Council would support the development in principle as it is in line
with EBNP Policy 19 but needs to see all the documents contained in a
full application in order to recommend approval.

DC/24/01183 Woodlands Farm, Park Road, East Bergholt, CO7 6XT –
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 barns to form 5no. dwellinghouses.

It was proposed by Councillor Woodcock, seconded by Councillor Miller
and RESOLVED (eleven voted for, none voted against) that prior
approval be required.

The Council would support the development in principle as it is in line
with EBNP Policy 19 but needs to see all the documents contained in a
full application in order to recommend approval.

8.2 Planning correspondence

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

9. Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee

9.1 Schedule of Payments and Income and Bank Transfer– It was proposed by Councillor
Elmer, seconded by Councillor MIller and RESOLVED (unanimously) that the schedule
of payments and income and the bank transfer be noted and the payments due for
February 2024 amounting to £21,648.71 be approved.

9.2 Bank Reconciliation Statement – The bank reconciliation statement for February 2024
was NOTED.

9.3 Contingencies – The schedule of payments attributed to the contingency fund up to 29
February 2024 totalling £20,284.58 was NOTED.

9.4 Application for grant aid – It was proposed by Councillor Hockley, seconded by
Councillor Elmer and RESOLVED (unanimously) that pursuant to Section 137 of the
Local Government Act 1972, grant aid in the sum of £200 be awarded to Suffolk
Accident Rescue Service.

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10. Other Committees

10.1 Roads, Footpaths and Flatford Committee – Councillors Hockley and Price reported
that they had conducted a risk assessment of the village car park.

Following reference by PJA to the stretch limousine parked in the lay-by in Hadleigh
Road, Councillor Hockley suggested that a road traffic order limiting parking to half an
hour might afford a solution. The Council agreed that this should be investigated.

10.2 Burial Grounds Committee – Councillor Hurley referred to the recent Extraordinary
meeting of the Committee which had been called to review the digitisation of burial
grounds project as the committee’s earlier decision had been made without the benefit
of the full details of what was involved. The project was now back on track and subject
to satisfactory answers to questions asked of the suppliers, the remaining elements will
be commissioned.

10.3 Playing Fields Committee – Councillor Woodcock said that the state of the playing field
had already been discussed at the meeting. There was no news on the applications by
the tennis and cricket clubs for Babergh CIL awards. At Broom Knoll the hedges have
been cut. Unfortunately, a gate was knocked down by a private motorist but will be re-
hung over Easter.

The Friends of Broom Knoll have been successful in an application for grant aid from
the District Councillor’s locality budget. However, as an informal group they do not
have a bank account and Babergh DC requires a fully constituted body to act as proxy
and hold the money on account for the Friends of Broom Knoll. It was proposed by
Councillor Woodcock, seconded by Councillor Miller and RESOLVED (twelve voted
for, none voted against) that the Parish Council acts as proxy on behalf of the Friends
of Broom Knoll in respect of the grant awarded from the District Councillor’s locality
budget.

10.4 Neighbourhood Plan Committee – Councillor Davies reported that the local housing
needs report had been received which showed the gap between local incomes and the
cost of local housing. This demonstrates the need for more affordable housing in the
village and for future care facilities for older people.

The Neighbourhood Plan group is currently working on the design guide and drafting
the new Neighbourhood Plan policies.

10.5 Young People Committee – At its inaugural meeting on 20 February the Committee
considered and recommended to Council the following Terms of Reference be
adopted:

To develop an approach for provision for young people and their changing
requirements, with an aim to ensure that a good range of relevant facilities are
available to support their social needs.

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It was proposed by Councillor Rothwell, seconded by Councillor Hurley and
RESOLVED (unanimously) that the foregoing be approved and adopted as the terms
of Reference for the Young People Committee.

10.6 Other Working Groups

Website Working Group – The Clerk reported that a test version of the website had
been circulated to members, but this had been premature as additional work was
required. A further version will be circulated as soon as possible.

Cost of Living Working Group – Councillor Hurley reported that the Welcome
Wednesday initiative had been halted temporarily for further consideration to ensure
that it did not impact adversely on local businesses. Councillor Hurley was encouraged
by the Chairman to finalise his plans for Welcome Wednesdays and to implement
them.

11. Summer Community Event

Councillor Rothwell presented the Assistant Clerk’s report. It was proposed by Councillor
Rothwell, seconded by Councillor Hockley and RESOLVED (eleven voted for, none voted
against) that:

1 The summer event be scheduled for 23 June 2024;
2 The Events fund within the SPF (General) budget be utilised for the payment of
costs/fees which arise;
3 A Parish Council Working Group be established immediately in order to successfully
arrange and co-ordinate planning for the event, to comprise Councillors Rothwell, Hurley,
Miller and Dent;
4 The Working Group to report to the Parish Council every month until the Event has taken
place;
5 Advertising for the event be initiated forthwith, to include invitations to encourage local
businesses and organisations to attend and participate.

12. Urgent Communications

None

13. Resolution to exclude the public (including the press)

It was proposed by Councillor Miller, seconded by Councillor Rothwell and RESOLVED
(unanimously) that pursuant to the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 and the
Local Government Act 1972 the public (including the press) be excluded from the meeting as
publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the
business to be transacted.

14. Updates

The Chairman updated the Council on progress since the last meeting upon two confidential
matters.

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The meeting closed at 10.17 pm.

Date of the next Council Meeting – Thursday 11 April 2024 at 7.30 pm at The Lambe School.

Chairman…………………………………………………………………………………….Date……………………………….