Notice of Vacancy – Sutton Benger Parish Council

Posted on by Parish Clerk

Notice is hereby given that due to the resignation of Glenda Woodville, a vacancy has arisen in the Office of Councillor for the Parish Council.

If by 4 February, 2016 (14 days after the date of this notice) a request for an election to fill said vacancy is made in writing to the Returning Officer at the address below by TEN electors from the Parish of Sutton Benger, an election will be held to fill the said vacancy, otherwise the vacancy will be filled by co-option.

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Clerk’s Report: December 2015

Posted on by Parish Clerk

Parish Council Latest News from Linda Bragg, Parish Clerk – December 2015

There is no Parish Council Meeting in December but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy….

Salt Bin – We have purchased a new high-capacity salt bin to ensure that the village has adequate supplies before the weather deteriorates.  It has been installed at the Village Hall on the left-hand side of the entrance (where the old recycling bins used to be).

B4069 Weight Restriction –Wiltshire Council is considering the implementation of a permanent 18 tonne weight restriction (except for access) for the route from Draycot Cerne to Lyneham.  However, prior to any final decision being taken, it has been decided that an informal pre-consultation process should take place, to ensure that there are no issues with the proposal and the Parish Council (PC) were asked to comment by 6th January 2016.  We have fully supported the proposal.

Draycot Cerne Chapel – Work was completed in early December 2015 on the new roof for the Draycot Cerne Chapel of Rest.  The result of the hard work by a small team of volunteers that set up a charity to repair and maintain this important and much loved, albeit abused feature of the DC community.

Many people don’t realise, but when the tiles were stolen from the roof, it became apparent that the chapel and graveyard is owned by the people of the village. It was given to the village in the late 1800’s. In the past it has always been maintained by village residents on a voluntary basis and since the early 1980s this has been done almost entirely by Rueben Couzens, to whom we are indebted.  The PC were pleased to support the repair of the roof by granting the Friends of Draycot Cerne Chapel £500 under the Community Grant Fund.

New Benches on the Rec – The PC has purchased two new benches costing £1,128, which are now installed on the Playing Field.  The benches were donated to the Sutton Benger Village Hall as part of the playground renovation project.

Arms Farm – the Appeal was Dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate on the 11 December 2015.

Read the Planning Inspectorate’s full decision. PDF icon

Vacancies – there are currently 4 vacancies on the PC and it would be great to have some new Councillors to join us.  If we cannot fill the vacancies there is a danger that Wiltshire Council may have to make direct appointments of people (from outside our community) as parish councillors.  Please contact the Parish Clerk for more information or tel: 07757 351584.

Overgrown Hedges –Land owners (including Wiltshire Council) and occupiers are required by law to trim any hedge or grass next to a road, footway, cycle way or public right of way where the growth is preventing the passage, or affecting the safety, of the highway user, including cyclists and pedestrians.  Report an Overgrown Hedge, Verge or Footpath to:

Wiltshire Council Highways / Street Care Service – 0300 456 0105

Email: localhighways@wiltshire.gov.uk

www.wiltshire.gov.uk/parkingtransportandstreets/roadshighwaysstreetcare/mywiltshireregister.htm

Or via the MyWiltshire app – available to download at both the App Store (for iPhones and iPads) and from Google Play™ (for Android phones).

The next Parish Council Meeting is on Wednesday 13 January 2016 at the Sutton Benger Village Hall, commencing at 7.45pm.

We would like to Wish You All A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

Draycot Cerne Chapel of Rest Has its New Roof

Posted on by Parish Clerk

Draycot Cerne Chapel of RestIf you’ve driven down the Draycot Straight during the hours of daylight you can’t have failed to notice that, after being in a state of disrepair for a number of years, the Draycot Cerne Chapel of Rest has a new roof.

This was completed in early December 2015 as a result of the hard work by a small team of volunteers that set up a charity to repair and maintain this important and much loved, albeit abused feature of the DC community.

Many people don’t realise, but when the tiles were stolen from the roof, it became apparent that the chapel and graveyard is owned by the people of the village. It was given to the village in the late 1800’s. In the past it has always been maintained by village residents on a voluntary basis and since the early 1980’s this has been done almost entirely by Rueben Couzens, to whom we are indebted.

The situation highlighted the need for a formalisation of the ownership of this village asset for a number of reasons. One of the fundamental issues is that the building was not insured and you cannot insure something you don’t have a legal claim to, i.e., a tenancy or legal title. The team set upon the road to achieve legal title of the property to be able to repair it, insure it and secure its future as a village asset for generations to come.

The charity was established, which subsequently made a successful claim to the Land Registry to hold the title of the chapel and cemetery.  This will give current and future residents control and security of what is our only communal asset, and primarily our ability to be in charge of our own place of rest for evermore, for those already resting there and those whose wish  to be there at some point in the future.

The Friends of Draycot Cerne Chapel’s sole purpose is for the maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery and chapel.

The target is £15,000 in order to get the roof repaired and to pay for insurance for several years. Whilst the team have raised the funds to repair the roof, which was the primary objective, the target has not been met and there are a number of other jobs that need doing. It is hoped that people may still be kind enough to donate in the future.

The Parish Council was pleased to provide £500 under the Community Grant Fund scheme to be used towards the repair of the roof.

For more information, or to make a donation, please contact the Trustees: Philip Greenhill, Richard Dutton or Jeremy Bent or by post to: Friends of Draycot Cerne Chapel, C/O Lake Farm, Draycot Cerne, Chippenham, SN15 4SQ.

Clerk’s Report: November 2015

Posted on by Parish Clerk

Clerks Report from the Parish Council Meeting held on Wednesday 11th November 2015.

Public Forum Session: The following issues were raised:

  • Concern about the removal of trees at The Old Farmhouse. Cllr Pope advised that the erection of a fence on top of a wall had been refused.
  • A request for the Parish Council (PC) to ask Cllr H Greenman to call-in the application for the dry stone wall at 66 High Street (15/09153/FUL). Cllr E Pope stated that following advice from Cllr Greenman the PC were not prepared to do this and that the application had in fact now been approved, subject to conditions, by Wilts Council.
  • Whether the PC would continue to address the matter of the grass verge fronting 62-68 High Street. Cllr E Pope advised that the PC had previously taken the decision not to pursue this matter any further.

Vacancies for Parish Councillors: Cllr Pope informed the meeting that Cllr G Woodville had resigned and that there are now 4 vacancies on the Council.  The Clerk has produced a leaflet that will be distributed, with the December Parish News, to every household in Sutton Benger and Draycot Cerne to raise awareness of the Parish Council and the vacancies.

Finance: The Cllrs were asked to prepare potential projects to be considered for next year’s budget.

Planning Applications:

15/09744/FUL 10 Manor Farm Drive, SN15 4RW Single & Two Storey rear extensions No Objection.
15/10044/FUL Lower Barn Kington Langley North to B4122, SN15 4SG Infill between Converted Barn and Garage, along with Minor Alteration No Objection.
15/10590/FUL 42 High Street, SN15 4RF Erection of Dwelling and Garage Block Object. Clerk to draft a response

Neighbourhood Development Plan: Cllr K Smedley gave an update and advised that the next Consultative Meeting was on Monday 23rd November 2015 in the Sutton Benger Village Hall.  It was agreed to provide seed funding from the Parish Council budget for 2015-16.

Highways & Wiltshire Council Matters: It was noted that the Parish Steward scheme would be resumed in April 2016 by Wilts Council.  It was agreed to support an application for a Speed Indicator Device to be shared with Christian Malford, East Tytherton and one other Parish Council.

Website: Cllr E Pope thanked Cllr K Pound, along with Cllr K Smedley and L Bragg, for the improvements to the Parish Council website.  It was agreed that Cllr Pound would liaise with the Village Hall Management Committee to provide a link to their website.

The next Ordinary meeting of the Parish Council is on Wednesday 13th January 2016 at 7.45pm in the Sutton Benger Village Hall.

NDP Consultation Meeting 23rd Nov 8pm

Posted on by Parish Clerk

Parish of Sutton Benger Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP)  

Consultative Meeting – 23rd November 2015 – SB Village Hall (8pm) 

Dear Parishioners

We are now in a position to report on the findings gathered during the Public Open Meeting that was held on the 30th September 2015.

We are therefore hosting a further meeting in the Sutton Benger Village Hall at 8pm on Monday 23rd November. The meeting will last for no longer than ninety minutes and will include Agenda Items such as:

  • Detailed report on information gathered at the meeting on the 30th September
  • Brief discussion regarding the initial Scope of the NDP
  • Call for volunteers to form working groups to address the areas within the initial Scope

The initial response has been amazingly positive and we hope that this continues until the NDP is finalised.

We look forward to meeting with all who are able to attend on the 23rd November.

Kind regards

 Baz Worth / Chairman of NDP Core Group

For additional info please contact us by email