BUXTON WITH LAMAS PARISH COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT OF COUNCIL’S WORK IN THE YEAR 2009-10
This year the Council has met on 10 occasions, and average Councillor attendance at meetings was 80%.
Barbara Rix and I were again elected as Vice Chairman and Chairman respectively in May of last year. Councillor Rix has completed her first year wearing two hats as both Parish and District Councillor.
Since the last meeting Her Majesty’s Prison Bure has opened on part of the former RAF Coltishall site. A Liaison Committee was set up with surrounding parishes and the Council’s representatives, Councillors Rix and Nichols, attend the meetings and report back to the Parish Council. An application is shortly to be made for another house block to be built within the perimeter fence; this will house 80 prisoners, bringing the total capacity up to 590. This stemmed from the success of the unit and to meet additional need.
Representatives also attend meetings of the Coltishall Task Group, led by the County Council, which looks at the possibilities for the use of the remainder of the RAF site. A representative of the Ministry of Justice has confirmed that the site will be sold by the end of March 2011. The Ministry has a vested interest in the site (through the prison), and is committed to do everything possible to ensure that the land is used for the purpose stated when sold. Various options and a combination of uses are being considered, including an employment area, possible Police training area, further housing, hotel/conference centre, a small memorial garden, and a community woodland with access for the public.
Great changes have taken place this year at the BALAY Park. In February we held the official opening of new play facilities, funded mainly by the Big Lottery and Broadland District Council. Buxton Cricket Club had a successful first season in summer 2009 and is now established at the Park, and youth football teams from Aylsham, Coltishall and Spixworth continue to use the pitches and facilities, bringing much-needed income. Plans are now well on the way for the Scouts land. The lease is in preparation and the planning application for the building has been made. Money raised from the sale of the BALAY mower was used to establish the access roadway from the car park to the Scouts land. We hope that by the autumn the building will be in use.
We continue to have an excellent relationship with the local Safer Neighbourhood Team. A Police Officer attends most Parish Council meetings as well as sending a report on crime in the area and village, which remains reassuringly low. Several of the recent reports to Parish Council meetings have shown no crimes logged for the parish. The Safer Neighbourhood Action Panel now meets every two months in order to focus resources on local policing priorities.
The parish now has its own very active Speedwatch Group, co-ordinated by David Tinsley of Lamas, to whom I record my thanks. Because of this we have benefitted from a change of parish name signage, showing that we are a Community Speedwatch Village. The wheelie bin sticker campaign was also well supported, as can be seen by driving through the village on refuse collection days.
The question of local government unitary status in Norfolk is still not settled by any means, and we may have to wait for the result of the General Election and/or a further judicial review before we can have any certainty as to whether Norwich will achieve its aim of running all services within its current boundaries. If this is confirmed it will potentially have an effect on all Norfolk parishes as it will lead to a reduction in size for Norfolk County Council and have budget implications.
The Parish Council is consulted on all planning matters affecting the village and considered 22 planning applications in the last year. We continue to liaise with the Highways department over matters ranging from highway maintenance to suggesting schemes which the Parish Council thinks will improve safety in the village. Not all of these make it past the first hurdle, but we are grateful for the support of our County Councillor, David Harrison, in these cases. The County Council has promised to review the speed limit through Lamas in this financial year
I would again like to thank my fellow Councillors for their commitment to the community through serving on the Council. It is worth repeating that Councillors give of their time voluntarily and are expected to make decisions on behalf of the whole parish, which is a responsibility for which they are not paid. This is the last corporate year in the life of this Council, as elections are due in May 2011. If any parishioners feel they would like to serve on the Parish Council they can contact the Clerk for information. The best way to understand what the Parish Council does is to attend a meeting or read through the minutes, copies of which are available from the Parish Council office or on the website.
We could not do the job without the help, advice and support of our District and County Councillors, Barbara Rix and David Harrison. Once again, my thanks to all Councillors, and to the Clerk, for their support during the year.
Christopher Tomlinson
Chairman
Buxton with Lamas Parish Council
26 April 2010