There will be readings, hymns and carols reflecting this time of preparation for the coming of Jesus.
The Peterborough Chamber Choir will lead the music, under the direction of Gary Sieling, a past Assistant Director of Music at Peterborough Cathedral.
After the service, refreshments will be available.
Please remember to wrap up warm!
Present: Councillors Hodson, Maciag, Hargrave and the Clerk.
5 members of the public joined the meeting.
080.23 Councillor Hodson, as Chairman, welcomed those present
081.23 To receive apologies and reasons for absence
Councillor Moody will join the meeting as soon as possible – work commitment
Councillor D’Altilia – work commitment
Councillor Bolton – holiday
County Councillor Gardener – another meeting
082.23 There were no declarations of Disclosable Interests for items on the Agenda
083.23 Members of the Public were present in respect of item 088.23a of the agenda. There are concerns about the Huntingdonshire District Council (HuntsDC) Call for Sites exercise, particularly the submission regarding 110 houses for Chapel End/Back Lane. 8 residents of Chapel End had prepared a statement, which was read out at the meeting (copy attached). The Chairman advised that, as indicated by responses to the Neighbourhood Plan, where all residents had been consulted, the majority have voted against large scale development. Should this site be presented to the Parish Council as a Planning Application in the future, the Neighbourhood Plan outcomes will be taken into account and, therefore, an objection to any large scale development will be made.
Councillor Maciag informed that the draft of the Neighbourhood Plan is being compiled now, with a view to holding a public event in the next couple of months. The Neighbourhood Plan will then be forwarded to Hunts DC and, after due process, should be finalised in Spring 2024. This Plan will inform the District Council Planning Department when considering future planning applications.
Councillor Maciag also advised that a large scale development, such as that submitted to the Call for Sites, is contrary to Hunts DC planning criteria for Small Settlements (Great Gidding is categorised as a Small Settlement).
Councillor Hodson advised the Chapel End residents that they may wish to form their own group to address this potential application, but assured that their concerns had been heard and noted by the Parish Council.
Those members of the public present agreed to their statement appearing on the village website, with their names visible (See below)
084.23 Minutes of the meeting held on 15th August 2023 were confirmed as a correct record by Councillors Hargrave and Maciag
085.23 Matters arising from those Minutes that will not be discussed as an agenda item:
Councillor Hargrave had attended the online presentation in respect of Community Ownership Funding and had saved this for future reference.
086.23 To receive reports from Councillors and Clerk:
087.23 FINANCIAL MATTERS:
a) to note Barclays Bank statements for Parish Council account.
Parish Council (everyday) Account – balance as at 4/9/2023 £14771.97
Parish Council Deposit Account – balance as at 4/9/2023 £16,104.89
Defibrillator account – balance as at 4/9/2023 – £247.05
b) Interest payments – Clerk asked that Councillors consider if these accounts need to be altered to achieve higher interest rates – £10,000 will be transferred into the Parish Council Deposit account
c) PAYMENTS – online payments were approved in respect of the following:
| Who | What for | TOTAL | Invoice includes this VAT amount | Authorised | Authorised | |
| J R Trolove | Wages for July (27 hours) | Xxx | NIL | JRT | ||
| Bradgate Ground Maintenance Ltd (no xxxx) | Grass cutting of Recreation Field | 216.00 | 36.00 | |||
| Michael Allgood contractor | Cutting around Townsend Pond | Invoice requested | ||||
| Village Hall payments | ||||||
| A C Clark | Cleaning – up to 15 September | £8.75 and £15.00 | ||||
| J R Trolove RE-IMBURSEMENT | SKIP HIRE | £222.00 |
088.23 PLANNING applications and other planning matters:
a) Huntingdonshire District Council’s Local Plan call for sites – areas proposed for Great Gidding – member of the public to address the meeting – draft statement received prior to the meeting with a request that it be read out. See 083.23
b) 23/01474/FUL – Conversion of farm outbuildings to form two residential dwellings, demolition of cattle shed and erection of one residential dwelling and erection of double garage to serve No.41 Main Street – deadline for comments 15th September – Clerk requested extension to 26th September.
APPROVAL – Councillors have no objection to the revised application, as submitted.
c)Enforcement/Conservation Officer response received re. the stone wall at 65 Main Street. Councillors still have concerns that our views are not being heard regarding the damage to this wall, in the Conservation Area, and requested the Clerk to ask District Councillor Alban, copying in Head of Planning Department, for his support
d) Registering properties in the Parish for Listing or as Assets of Community Value (and areas of land for this latter option) – Clerk had been unable to access the application and asked for assistance from Councillors
e) School – Clerk gained access at invitation of Jonathan Lewis (CambsCC Education Dept) on 1st September and took many photographs or play area and school house interior. Jonathan Lewis requested confirmation of what playground “features” we wish to keep – Councillors would like to retain all but the tractor tyre planter. Councillors are still keen to gain access to view the site.
Mr Nott, Land Agent for Milton Estates, had emailed offering a collaboration in respect of the School/Playground/Village Hall potential. This was acceptable to all Councillors, with Councillor Maciag to act as contact with Milton Estates.
f) Anaerobic Digester Plant – Hemington Lodge Road, using B660 as the access route. This is a Waste and Mineral Planning Application made to North Northamptonshire Council
*Clerk received information late on 15/9/23 via Hemington/Luddington/Thurning (HLT) Clerk and, after a telephone conversation with him, had gained further detail. *Lutton have also been consulted, Clerk advised that Glatton and Winwick should be included as they will be affected by B660 traffic increase.
*Clerk suggested a series of vehicle counts on Hemington Lodge Road – will enquire if Highways Dept of Cambs CC will assist. (see 086.23 above)
*HLT have a meeting on 9th October, Clerk and Councillor Maciag will attend, and in the mean time HLT Parish Council will request that the Applicant organise a Public Meeting to view the documents.
089.23 Policy Documents
Freedom of Information Publication Policy – (updated content was emailed to Councillors on 23/8/2023 with a request for feedback). This was approved by Councillors Hargrave and Moody.
Risk Management Policy – many further amendments to wording are required, Clerk will share revised content at a future meeting.
090.23 Parish Council owned property – contractor (or 2) required to maintain areas shown on village map.
Clerk will draw up a schedule and find contractors.
091.23 Allotment renewal notices – sent out from 11th September . Payments are being made both via BACS and cheques.
092.23 Neighbourhood Plan (NP) – Clerk attended NP meeting held on 12th September
Parish Online subscription enabled a link to Ordnance Survey maps, Great & Little Gidding has been registered, Hamerton and WInwick are to be registered separately.
Funding would now appear to have been agreed in respect of monies spent so far (received 15/9/2023), a further submission will be made in 2024-25 financial year.
093.23 Recreation Field:
Wooden play equipment, other than balance beam, removed and groundworks made good (Bradgate invoice awaited).
Container emptied of rubbish, tidied and some moved to Village Hall. A skip has been hired for Village Hall clearance too from 25/9/2023 for 5 days.
094.23 Correspondence received since 15th August 2023:
a) NALC newsletters – Chief Executives Bulletins, NALC events list, Legal update, Consultation to update the Model Financial Regulations,
b) Cambridgeshire County Council –
| Date | Time | Type of session |
| Wednesday 20th September | 12:00 – 13:00 | Virtual (Teams meeting) |
| Sunday 24th September | 16:00 – 17:00 | Virtual (Teams meeting) |
| Thursday 28th September | 18:00 – 19:00 | Virtual (Teams meeting) |
| Monday 2nd October | 09:00 – 10:00 | Virtual (Teams meeting) |
d) CAPALC –,
e) Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority –
f)Greater Peterborough/Greater Cambridge Partnerships
g) Neighbourhood Alert/ECOPS etc –
h) Parish Online newsletter
i) North Northamptonshire Council – Inspector’s final report into the East Northamptonshire Local Plan Part 2 has recently been received. https://www.east-northamptonshire.gov.uk/info/200193/adopted_local_plan/65/development_plan_documents/12
j) CARESCO – request for donation.
k) Barclays Bank – email about money laundering scams
l) Presentation from Parish Clerks meeting about Electric Charging Points
095.23 Items for next meeting:
Risk assessment
Attendance at Remembrance Day to lay wreath
Review of Budget for 2023-24, preparation for precept request
Registering Assets of Community Value
Feedback on Councillor Training – Councillor Bolton
096.23 The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 17th October 2023 at Great Gidding Village Hall
MEETING CLOSED at 21.35
Statement for Great Gidding Parish Council meeting 19 September, 2023
Subject: Possible Building Development on land adjoining Chapel End, Great Gidding.
This statement has been prepared on behalf of residents of Chapel End, Great Gidding (both those who are currently aware of the possible development and those who will, if necessary, be made aware of it subsequent to the PC meeting.)
We are aware that other sites within the village have been identified and are of concern but, for the purposes of this document, we refer only to Chapel End.
Our concern is the HDC ‘call for sites’, referred to in the minutes of the June, ’23 Parish Council Meeting, specifically the outline proposal for 110 dwellings adjacent to Chapel End.
While we recognize that, at the time of writing, no substantial further information is available, we feel the need to gain as much knowledge and detail as possible, in order that we have a coherent and well-informed case, in the event that the matter proceeds further.
For us to present such a case, it is important that we have the support of the Parish Council.
We therefore request that the Parish Council make clear its position with regard to the site identified on Chapel End. That is, to confirm whether the PC is minded to support or to oppose such a development, should HDC submit a formal proposal in respect of this land.
Although the following is by no means exhaustive, we believe there is a strong case to be made against any development of a 110-dwelling estate on the site identified. These are the concerns we have, so far, identified:
Infrastructure:
– inadequate – and already frequently failing – water supply
– no gas to village
– almost non-existent public transport
– no school
– absence of medical facilities – Wellside Surgery is already overstretched by Sawtry’s own massive building programme.
– road system inadequate for the proposed site
Environment:
– Deleterious effect on the character of this ‘small settlement’ caused by an almost doubling of the current number of homes.
– Complete change in village’s character as result of such a large development
– Loss of habitat for rare species
– Possible compromise of site of archaeological interest (the S2.2 1641 map refers)
– Likely loss of Back Lane as quiet rural byway
– Fundamental change to Chapel End roadway
– Disruption to daily life arising from a large building programme over a lengthy period.
– Noise pollution generated by
o a) prolonged building programme as above;
o b) ongoing presence of large number of dwellings
o c) increased traffic
– Air pollution occasioned by increase in traffic. Assuming one car per household, minimum, this represents a huge percentage increase on current traffic
Financial:
From professional advice taken in the past week, we understand the presence of such a large development will almost certainly, in the short and medium-term, impact the value of existing housing stock on Chapel End, to the tune of a reduction of between 15% and 20% on their current value.
Correspondence with the Parish Clerk appears to indicate that this matter is not seen by the Parish Council as urgent and that interested parties will be made aware of any consultation period as and when necessary. While we fervently hope that no such consultation will prove necessary and that the
development will not go forward, we think it unwise to fail to prepare a case against it given our lack of confidence in the ‘consultation’ process following the loss of the Village Post Office and Primary School.
While we are only too aware that our views are likely to be seen as NIMBYism, we make no apology for this. We would add that a 110-dwelling development would affect not only residents of Chapel End but also encompass the entire village (and beyond) in the extent of its impact; hence this statement and our request that the Parish Council advise us as to their likely stance should this proposal go further.
We also request, where future such matters are concerned, that interested parties, (those most likely to be affected by possible development) are advised directly at an early date, rather than our learning – only by chance – which sites have been identified. We believe that, in this case particularly, ‘interested parties’ includes everyone in Great Gidding who should, therefore, have been the recipients of a prompt communication by the Parish Council.
Thank you for the opportunity to present this statement and associated questions. We ask that your views/answers be shared directly with the named parties below as well as included in the Minutes of the meeting.
Deni and Andrew Underwood
on behalf of (inter alia)
Janet and Richard Downer
Sue and Steve Knowles
Lyn and Steve Smith
15 September, 2023
Paper copies of the application for an anaerobic digester unit have been delivered to the Parish Council office. These include maps and documents and will be available to view on Friday afternoons (20th and 27th October and 3rd November), between 2.00 and 4.00PM – in the Village Hall.
Should you wish to make comments or observations to North Northamptonshire Council, 10th November is the date by which these should be received.
You can make an objection or representation by online form:
Comment on a current minerals and waste planning application
You can also comment by email and post:
Email:mwapps@northants.gov.uk
Post to Minerals and Waste Planning Services, North Northamptonshire Council, One Angel Square, Angel Street, Northampton, NN1 1ED
Present: Councillors Hodson, Maciag, Sanders, Moody, Hargrave and Bolton, and the Clerk.
064.23 Councillor Hodson, as Chairman, welcomed those present
065.23 Apologies and reasons for absence
County Councillor Gardener – holiday
Councillor D’Altilia – work commitment
066.23 Member’s declaration of Disclosable Interests – Councillor Hodson for 075.23
067.23 No members of the public or press were present.
068.23 Minutes of the meeting held on 18th July 2023 were confirmed as a true and correct record by Councillors Bolton and Hargrave
069.23 Matters arising from those Minutes that will not be discussed as an agenda item.
County Councillor Gardener has forwarded his report following the July meeting and followed up the repairs to Main Street footpath, it has been confirmed by Highways Dept that is awaiting a date for commencement of work.
070.23 To receive reports from Councillors and Clerk:
Clerk’s appraisal completed with Councillor Hodson and a copy had been shared prior to the meeting – there were no comments.
Councillor Maciag advised that an application has been submitted to the Department for Levelling Up for funding in respect of the Neighbourhood Plan, a total sum of £6000.
Information Commissioners Office have confirmed continuing cover.
071.23 FINANCIAL MATTERS:
a) to note Barclays Bank statements for Parish Council account.
Parish Council (everyday) Account – balance as at 4/8/2023 £15699.35
Parish Council Deposit Account – balance as at 4/8/2023 £16,061.85
Defibrillator account – £246.39
b) PAYMENTS – the following online payments were approved by Councillors Hargrave and Sanders:
| Who | What for | TOTAL | Invoice includes this VAT amount | Authorised | Authorised | |
| J R Trolove | Wages for June ( 38 hours ) | Xxx | NIL | JRT | ||
| Bradgate Ground Maintenance Ltd (no xxxx) | Grass cutting of Recreation Field | Clerk reminded them and invoices awaited | ||||
| Wicksteed Leisure Ltd | Annual inspection of Rec Field | 158.40 | 26.40 | JRT | ||
| Viking | Office supplies | 143.77 | 23.96 | JRT | ||
| Parish Online | Subscription – for use with Neighbourhood Plan | 48.00 | 8.00 | JRT | ||
| CAPALC | Councillor training for JB | 75.00 | – | JRT |
072.23 PLANNING applications and other planning matters:
There are no new planning applications as at 9th August 2023
Enforcement/Conservation Officer has responded re. 65 Main Street – Councillors Moody and Hodson advised that the Officer had focused on the position of the gate and it was the lack of re-instatement of the wall in accordance with the Planning Permission that was the concern, given that this property lies within the Conservation Area of the village – Clerk will contact the Officer.
Registering properties in the Parish for Listing or as Assets of Community Value (and areas of land for this latter option) – details had been shared prior to the meeting and, after discussion, the Clerk will complete an application for an Asset of Community Value in respect of the school playground, this will be shared with Councillors prior to the next meeting.
School – assessment of site for future community use, CambsCC advise site is not currently available to view/assess. Councillor Moody felt the response inferred that the site would be completely cleared, including play equipment, and this was not the preferred action for the Parish Council as the hope was to retain the play equipment, and the playground surface for community use. Clerk will contact CambsCC for clarification and to make them aware of this proposal. Cllr Maciag asked that a request again be made to view the site as, it is not understood why it was safe for children and staff to access the site, but not for Parish Councillors. A request will also be made to access the school house to assess if that has value as a community building (the building is owned by Milton Estates Peterborough and leased to CambsCC until May 2024). Councillor Sanders pointed out that, if they intend to erect further “safety” fencing, as the site is in the village Conservation Area, this will require planning approval.
073.23 Policy Documents
Freedom of Information Policy – the template from Information Commissioners Office had been shared prior to the meeting, partially completed by the Clerk. Councillor Hodson requested that a minimum charge of £5.00 be applied to this document, also that the preferred method of payment should be made by BACS as there are no Petty Cash arrangements in place, and this was agreed by all Councillors.
Risk Management Policy – the Clerk had compiled and shared a suggested layout and wording prior to the meeting, this included the Village Hall and Recreation Field. Councillor Moody suggested that Village Hall and Recreation Ground should be included in the title to reflect this. Some additions are required, such as limits of indemnity, parish trees, dates when policy documents are reviewed. Clerk will make the revisions and submit to the September meeting for final approval.
074.23 Recreation Field – Clerk met with Bradgate representative – removal of wooden play equipment will take place in the autumn.
075.23 Allotment renewal notices – Councillor Hodson declared an interest – Clerk advised there is now a waiting list of 3 residents. Various options were discussed regarding changes to the allotments themselves and/or the terms of the tenancy agreement (copy of the tenancy agreement had been sent to Councillors prior to the meeting). Clerk suggested that a covering letter should be sent with the invoices for the annual rent, advising of the waiting list and asking if tenants wish to share their plot or may be considering relinquishing their plot in the next 12 months – this was agreed
076.23 Anglian Water – there have been a series of burst and leaking pipes in both Main Street and Chapel End recently. Clerk had compiled and shared a list of known dates prior to the meeting and will send this to Anglian Water with a letter (copied to District and County Councillors and MP), asking when the pipes around the village will be replaced.
077.23 Correspondence received since 18th July 2023:
a) NALC newsletters – Chief Executives Bulletin, NALC events list,
b) Cambridgeshire County Council – Cambridgeshire Matters monthly newsletter, request for volunteers for winter gritting programme, Traffic Management Centre incident reports for July 2023 (2 in Huntingdonshire), DEADLINE for Priorities Capital fund is 24th September *** Councillor Hargrave had been unable to access the related information.
c) Huntingdonshire District Council – press release re. St Neots town centre, Michelle Sacks appointed as permanent Chief Executive, consultation on the Council Tax Support Scheme, press release – green flag for Huntingdonshire Parks, press release – posters for recycling advice, press release – inviting residents to have their say on a Public Space Protection Order: Dog Control proposal, possible industrial action by Hunts DC staff, Electric vehicle charging points availability – deadline extended to 18th September,after much discussion it was agreed that the village itself, and the Village Hall as a venue, were unlikely to be favourable sites for a charging point
Sports Facilities Strategy – both indoor and outdoor sporting facilities (Gidding is noted as having NONE) https://www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/news/district-council-announces-new-sports-facility-strategy/ – Clerk has read through the outdoor facilities report (see page 153 (of a total of 170) for MUGA information).
d) CAPALC –,
e) Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority – Armed Forces drop in sessions,
f)Greater Peterborough/Greater Cambridge Partnerships
f) Neighbourhood Alert/ECOPS etc – News from the Courts emails, scam alert re. one time passwords, Herbert Protocol for carers of dementia sufferers, Police & Crime Commissioners latest report, WhatsAPP scammers target community groups, QUISHING – scamming via QR codes,
h) Cambs Acre – Cambridgeshire Home Energy Support Service – poster, Staying In Touch newsletter, EVENT – conserving nature and boosting diversity by greening your community spaces – ZOOM, 12th September at 5PM (clerk will attend)
i) HedgehogsRUs – Hedgehog Highways Project
j) NHS Peterborough and Cambridgeshire – posters for the importance of hydration
k) Parish Online newsletter – Clerk advised that the website links on the Parish Online site were not working, resulting in her submitted a Freedom of Information request in an attempt to gain access to the maps and information..
078.23 Items for next meeting:
079.23 The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 19th September 2023 at Great Gidding Village Hall
Plans and associated documents can be viewed in advance of the meeting on North Northamptonshire’s website, this is a Waste and Minerals Application:
NN/23/00026/WASFUL – Proposed Anaerobic Digestion Plant, Associated Infrastructure, Lagoons and Feedstock Clamps at Rectory Farm, Gypsy Lane, Luddington In The Brook, Peterborough, Northamptonshire, PE8 5QS
(Whilst the site is in Northamptonshire, travel to the site will be through local villages along the B660.)
This is a meeting where all interested parties are invited to come along and hear the presentation of the applicants for this unit, to view the associated documents and plans. There will be an opportunity to ask questions.
When – Wednesday 4th October (there is a limited time to respond to North Northamptonshire Council)
Time – 7PM prompt, arrival from 6.45PM – Finish 9PM
Where – Great Gidding Village Hall (large car park)
PE28 5NU or ///flexed.blocking.snug
Where :The Orchard, Jubilee Wood
When: Saturday 7th October 10.30am
Come and join us for the annual community apple pressing event alongside demonstrations of green wood craft.
Please bring along any apples and pears for a morning of peeling/chopping/crushing and make fresh juice.
You may want to bring along a seat/chair and a container to take juice home.
AND, in the evening there is the Harvest Festival, Supper and Auction in Winwick – see previous posts in Forthcoming Events
If you were not able to visit the School before it closed, and wish to see the vast collection of records and photos, Huntingdon Archives (in Huntingdon Library) advise that this collection is now available to view.
You need to book an appointment with them, and quote the reference SR/75 (Great Gidding Church of England School 1873-2023
hunts.archives@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Tel: 01480 372738
Saturday 7th October 2023
Dear all,
As many of you are already aware, the auction at the Harvest Supper last year was a silent auction. As this proved to be very successful, we will repeat this this year. Hopefully the details below will explain how it will run, but if you have any further queries or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me or Sue.
Auction contributions:
Please bring any contributions you have for the auction, to the village hall, on Friday 6th October between 2pm and 4.30pm
or
Saturday 7th October between 9am and 12 noon
Please do not bring your contributions on the evening.
The contributions will then be sorted into lots.
Bidding:
Bidding will take the form of a sealed bid. (Bid slips provided)
The village hall will be open for you to browse and make your bids on
Saturday 7th October, between 2.30pm and 5pm and then again from 6.30pm until 7.15pm
During supper, the bids will be checked. In the event of a tie for the highest bid, one of the said bids will be picked randomly from a hat.
Please check if you have been fortunate enough to win any lots, and pay for them, once the evening’s formal proceedings are over.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Tracey (293734)
Mobile 07982 791657
Winwick P.C.C. & Village Hall Committee
cordially invites you to the
Winwick Harvest Festival
starting at
All Saints Church, Winwick
On Saturday 7th October 2023 at 6pm
And afterwards supper and a silent auction of harvest fare
in
Winwick Village Hall
From 7 pm onwards
We would welcome gifts of tinned food at the church anytime on Saturday 7th which will be given to the Sawtry Food Bank.
Donations for the Auction please to the Village Hall either afternoon of Friday 6th October or before 12 noon on Saturday 7th October.
Donation (same as last time) of £12 per adult/young person and £6 per child (aged 5 – 11 inclusive) is required as a contribution towards the food.
As space is limited tickets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis so please return the slip below and payment to Sue Fowler, Jane Capp or Alison German or email sue@fowleremail.co.uk and pay on the night, as soon as possible.
“
Name: would
like to attend the 2023 Winwick Harvest Supper and enclose the sum of
£ for Adults / Young Persons and Children
( 01832 293215 (Sue)
Wednesday 6th September
In the Village Hall
10.30 onwards
All ages welcome
Do come and join us