RESIDENTS MEETING

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**** DUE TO THE OMICRON VARIANT PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MEETING HAS BEEN POSTPONED.  WE WILL ADVISE OF A NEW DATE SHORTLY *****

The Parish Council are arranging a residents meeting on Saturday 15th January 2022, 10am to 2pm, Yelvertoft Independent Chapel.

The meeting will:
* Decide upon Freeman of the Parish.
* Presentation on Speedwatch.
* Information boards on topics such as flooding, KGV Field proposed improvements and climate plans.
Councillors will be available to speak to throughout the meeting and answer any questions you may have.
Please do save the date as we would love to see you there.

Save the date

Christmas 2021 – Refuse collection

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Recycling 

Additional recycling can be presented alongside your bins or boxes in clear sacks or in additional boxes.

It can also be taken to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre. Centres will open as normal except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, when they will be closed, and Christmas Eve when they will close early at 2pm. Find your nearest at www.westnorthants.gov.uk/hwrc

Garden waste 

Garden waste collection services across West Northants will be suspended from 27 December until 7 January.

Real Christmas trees 

Real Christmas trees will be collected in the weeks beginning 10 and 17 January.

If you live in the Daventry and South Northants area, please place your trees next to your garden waste bins.

If you live in Northampton please place your tree next to your recycling bin. Residents on sack collection rounds should present their trees beside their recycling boxes and green sacks on their collection day

To help our collection crews, please ensure trees over 6ft tall are cut up into manageable pieces.

Find out more 

Download your 2022 bin collection calendar and check your collection day at www.westnorthants.gov.uk/bincollections

Check what goes in each bin or box, plus general information about waste and recycling at www.westnorthants.gov.uk/waste

Report a missed collection 

Any missed collections can be reported via our online self-serve system: https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/bins-recycling-and-street-cleaning/missed-bin-collections

 

DIRFT extending towards Yelvertoft – Consultation

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West Northamptonshire Strategic Plan – Spatial Options Consultation

West Northamptonshire Council is preparing a new Strategic Plan which will cover the period up to 2050.

The Options Consultation is the second stage in preparing the new Plan [after the Issues Consultation], no decisions have been made yet and the purpose of the document is to seek views on a Vision, Spatial Objectives and Development Options at this stage.

WNC have produced a Spatial Options Consultation document which includes a series of questions on which they would like our views. There is also an additional opportunity to put forward ideas for potential development sites through a further ‘call for sites’ exercise.

The Spatial Options Consultation document and background documents including the call for sites form are available on the Strategic Plan consultation website.

The Parish Council have submitted a response which is available below.  We encourage all residents to respond to the consultation. We are also contacting our local District Councillors and MP to support our views.

The consultation period closes at midnight on Monday 6 December 2021. DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL 12 NOON ON 24TH DECEMBER. 

We spotted an error in Appendix 3, Availability Assessment, error on line 139 – Yelvertoft.  It states that we have a regular  daily bus service to Towcester. WNC have confirmed that this will be corrected.

You can inspect a hard copy of the Options Consultation document in West Northamptonshire Council’s Offices at Lodge Road, Daventry, The Guildhall, Northampton and all public libraries in West Northamptonshire during normal opening hours.

How to comment:

The easiest way to respond is online via the consultation website.  Word versions of the response forms are also available on the website. Paper copies of response forms are available at the Councils’ offices and public libraries in West Northamptonshire and on request from the Strategic Planning team (email: strategicplan@westnorthants.gov.uk or call 0300 126 1900 [the line is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday]).

Box 3a (number 21 on the application form) is the section concerning the proposed extension of DIRFT towards Yelvertoft. The Parish Council have completed that section. 

Hard copies of the response forms can be returned by post to: West Northamptonshire Planning Team, The Guildhall, St Giles Square, Northampton, NN1 1DE or electronically to: strategicplan@westnorthants.gov.uk

PARISH COUNCIL RESPONSE

Number 21, section 3A:

21 Do you agree that spatial option 3a – Land to the East of DIRFT – has the potential to deliver employment development?

 

 No Please provide comments to support your answer. Climate Change

Climate change should be top of the agenda. The large scale and nature of this development in such a rural setting is out of character with the open landscape and would be unacceptably obtrusive with a loss of much habitat, species, flora and fauna, and natural drainage.

Extending any form of development across the current defined boundary would cause an unacceptable impact on the setting of the surrounding agricultural landscape and nearby villages, including Yelvertoft. Existing non-agricultural land uses such as the wind turbines, solar farm, trail bike area and Barby gun club  are all temporary uses where the land could be easily returned to agriculture.

There will be a loss of a lot of agricultural land resulting in an economic impact on existing farm holdings and a reduction in food production at a time when there is a national concern about self-sufficiency and food miles.

The development would displace existing wind turbines and therefore reduce a source of renewable energy.

The development is contrary to the spirit of the local authority’s declaration of a climate emergency and national sustainability objectives and policies.

Flooding

A significant proportion of the option area is defined by the Environmental Agency on its “Risk of Flooding from Surface Water” map being “ in an area that has a HIGH chance of flooding from surface water. This means that each year, this area has a chance of flooding of greater than 1 in 30 (3.3%).”  Yelvertoft is one of the highest flooding areas in Northants so this land could cause further surface water drainage problems.

Further information on the flood risk should be published.

All new development should be sustainable and not be built in an area with a very high flood problem.

Bridleway

The bridleway is not shown as a weakness in the plan and should be.

 

Councillor and Clerk Monthly Reports – Nov 2021

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Cllr Julie Cottle Report (October meeting report)

Grass Mowing

I have been advised by a volunteer who has mown and maintained the KGV Field and Allotment Field for many years, that he intends to retire at the end of this current mowing season.  Not only does he do all the mowing, but he maintains the tractor and mowing equipment which is kept at the Village Hall. Decisions need to be made regarding the future maintenance of these fields, and also, if it is viable to keep the tractor.

KGV Field

I have established a working group of 5 including myself to review the results and comments on the survey and to report back to Council. I will be arranging a meeting as soon as possible but unfortunately this will not be before our meeting in October due to holiday commitments.

Cemetery

We had cattle from the neighbouring field get into the cemetery last week but I’m pleased to report due to the speedy reaction from the farmer and supported by our volunteer the cemetery is once again clean and tidy with no apparent damage to any gravestones.

Tarry’s End

I have eventually heard from the contractor PC agreed to carry out the work in Tarry’s End and he will be starting work soon.  No date given yet. I will pass this information on to Councillor Parker.

Christmas Tree

It has been suggested we plant a permanent Christmas tree on the Green next to the Memorial but I feel we are running out of time to achieve this for Christmas 2021 so I suggest we plan to do this for 2022.  I am liaising with a resident on this.

Cllr Chris Bolton Report

Street Lighting

  • Nothing to note

Highways

  • Potholes – as always, any potholes or highway issues needs to be reported via Fix My Street
  • Crick Road Railings – Site visit from Northants Highways 7th October – waiting for update
  • Cycle way/footpath – followed up with Highways and this has been put on hold until the new contract year. Resident informed
  • Ward’s Lane – continuing to liaise with Highways and resident

Solar Farm

  • Contact with company made and now working with them on community fund and development schedule.

Housing development – Hillmorton Lane

  • Site visit (26th) to Lilbourne development.
  • Update from Whiterock at Parish Council meeting on 8th November

Speed Sign Project

  • This will be taken forward as funds have already been allocated. It should be noted that the speed sign will now be solar-powered:
    –     Section 50 application to be completed (Clerk/Councillor Bolton)
    –     Funding application to be completed (Clerk/Councillor Bolton)
    –     Supplier (Traffic Technology) to be advised (Councillor Bolton)

Clerk’s Report

CEMETERY

The storage container has been paid for and will hopefully be sited shortly.  Cllr Nicholls has chased the supplier and they have advised that they will deliver once a container becomes available (there is a shortage at present).

Burials

Quite busy this month with various communications answering queries, two Exclusive Rights of Burial requests have been received and processed, two memorial applications, two burials (one cancelled last minute), and one internment of ashes has been arranged.

Cemetery headstone inspection training

I attended the headstone memorial training with NCALC on 30th September.  It was very useful and confirmed we are acting correctly.   I am going to make some improvements which I will bring to Council for approval.

Audit

I am pleased to say that the external auditor has signed off the 2020/21 audit with no comment. A minor observation was made as to the public exercise of rights which I have added to the agenda.  I’ve had communication with the auditor as they couldn’t seem to get their head around us paying interest on the st light loan.  They have accepted it and have signed off the audit.

MAINTENANCE CONTRACTOR

Ongoing maintenance of footpaths remains.  Complaints from residents have ceased which is great.

The volunteer who maintains the village planters is doing a great job and has been thanked again.  She is willing to take on the Diamond Jubilee garden also which is great news.  She has suggested a red, white and blue theme ready for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The small claims court application has been placed against the previous contractor who is holding our signs.  He has texted to say he will drop the signs off to me but nothing received so far.

GRASS

We have been asked to mow the verges around the Catholic Church as the church has not been doing this since the pandemic.  Norse have added it to their mowing schedule at no extra cost.

Village Directory

I have spent considerable time updating the village directory listings and trying to obtain payment.  So many do not respond or do not update their details.  A lot of companies have been removed from the directory as they have not paid and are not responding to my correspondence. I am continuing to chase, collect payment, update details, and advertise for new entries.

Archiving

I am working on making all the cemetery correspondence electronic.  Scanning it all is taking a lot of time but it will be a worthwhile exercise and add to efficiency in the future.