2024 Annual Parish Meeting

BELTON AND MANTHORPE PARISH COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN - COUNCILLOR SIMON SYDDALL
CLERK - CHRIS. MORGAN, 10 MANCHESTER WAY, GRANTHAM NG31 8RR
TEL. 07758762811 

BELTON AND MANTHORPE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

Minutes of meeting held at the School Room, Belton

Wednesday 15th May 2024 at 7pm

1)   Present: Chairman Cllr. S. Syddall, Cllrs - S Thompson, Rona Hallam, , J Ashford,  Adrian Charity, Mary Simpson Clerk C. Morgan.

Members of the public, SKDC Cllr – Ian Stokes

2)   Apologies – None.

3)   Minutes: - Minutes of the last meeting, held 17th May 2023 had been circulated, unanimously agree that that were an accurate and true record of the proceedings, proposed Sally Thompson seconded Adrian Charity RESOLVED Chair to sign the Minutes.

4)   Chairman’s Report - Welcome everybody.

2023/24 has been another relatively quiet year, with no major issues or planning issues for the Council. A lot of other things have happened.

We should record that Cllr Ray Wooten passed away last August. Ray was a massive support to this (and other PCs) in his role as a very active LCC Councillor. He will be missed, both in the PC and personally. Could we all just take a minute’s silence to remember Ray.

In more positive news, good relations have now been built with Allison Homes and there is good dialogue between the PC and Ian Reilly, AH.

Continuing that theme, Ash Tree Solar reached to out to the PC, concerning their proposed High Dyke solar project and meetings have been held. It is obviously far preferable to engage with such developments at this early stage. More at item 7 of the main PC agenda.

Very good progress has also been made with NT relations. Matters came to a head early during this year, with NT parking in the Village. A Village group headed by Will Bicknell and Howard Pell has met at least twice to discuss issues, with Ian Cooper in attendance at the second meeting. I will not go into the detail here, as it has already been reported but, in summary, things like overgrown hedges have been addressed by NT, parking has not been such an issue since the NT car park and associated works completed, and the PC raised more specific traffic, speeding and A607 junction issues with LCC Highways (item 6 on the main PC agenda).

The PC met with the new local Policing Commander in December and that dialogue will be kept going. There is an on-line meeting on 25 June2024, details of which were circulated last month.

Constables Field was sold (and resold), as reported in PC meetings, at the time. The consultant for the proposed small residential development met with the PC. The general view of the PC was that a suitable residential development was preferable to industrial use, but still had concerns regarding traffic on Belton Lane.

There have been no contentious planning issues, of the nature of Larkfleet Homes, a few years ago.

In most recent news, I have received a resignation note from Eve Farley, due to her moving away from the Village. This is a loss to the PC. Eve was very instrumental in the formation of the Village Issues Group, mentioned earlier, and was thus part of that success. Thank you, Eve, for your service and very best wishes for the future.

I would like to say a personal thank you to Adrian Charity for attending amongst others the meetings with Allison Homes and Ash Tree Solar. Also, to Chris Morgan, for the excellent and efficient job which he does as Clerk and with the Burial Ground administration.

As we reflect on the close of another fiscal year and look forward to the next. I hope that the good work done by the PC for the communities it is our privilege to represent continues in the same vein.

19.15hrs meeting concluded.