On Tuesday 9th April meetings of Cheveley Parish Council and Cheveley Pavilion & Recreation Ground Charity were held in the Garden Room at Cheveley Parish Hall.  Six Councillors were present together with District Councillor and County Councillor Alan Sharp.   Apologies were received from District Councillor James Lay.

At 7.30 the meeting of Cheveley Pavilion & Recreation Ground Charity commenced.   Discussion at this meeting revolved around future plans for improvement of facilities at the Recreation Ground.   After listening to feedback from residents and users of the Sports Pavilion it was decided earlier in year that it was necessary to move forward with making the Pavilion accessible for disabled users including installing a footpath from the car park to the pavilion and play area. It was agreed that a professional consultation on the best way forward to progress this would be undertaken and sufficient funds set aside to enable them to be achieved.

It was reported that Cheveley Sports Club had set up a consultation questionnaire via their Facebook page asking for the views of parishioners on the possibility of installing a 3×3 basketball court at the Recreation Ground.

A meeting of the Parish Council immediately followed the Recreation Ground meeting at which Councillors were informed that it was most likely that the referendum to ratify the Neighbourhood Plan would be held sometime around September.

It was reported that the Farmers’ Market, held quarterly in the Parish Hall and organised by the Cheveley Community Group, continued to be a success.   The Parish Council agreed to help the organising team with managing the prevention of parking on pavements outside the hall by agreeing to purchase “No waiting” traffic cones subject to the necessary permission being granted from highways which the Parish Clerk would investigate.

A report from District Councillor Lay stated that the opening of the Citizens Advice Bureau in Newmarket on Wednesdays as well as Fridays was a step nearer to help with the vast number of enquiries that they were receiving.

In 2023 the Council paid £192 for a Host Premises Licence so that food vans could use the Parish Hall Car Park.   However, these had not proved as popular as anticipated and some vendors were concerned that it would not be viable for them to attend on a regular basis.   It was decided to renew the licence for another year so that the licence was valid for community events using the hall such as the Bingo evening where a food van would attend.  It was also confirmed that a different licence was required at any events where food or drinks were available to be purchased and no entrance fee had been charged.  The council would pay for this subject to agreeing the cost at the next meeting.

Parishioners are reminded that nominations for the McCalmont Cup and Young Volunteer awards should be sent to the Clerk – contact details as below.

The next meetings will be held on Tuesday 14th May at 7.30 p.m. in the Garden Room of Cheveley Parish Hall.   For information on this or any other matter please refer to the website (www.cheveley-pc.gov.uk) or contact via: clerk@cheveley-pc.gov.uk, or telephone 07483 107014.