On Tuesday 12th July meetings of Cheveley Parish Council and Cheveley Pavilion & Recreation Ground Charity were held in Cheveley Parish Hall.   Five Councillors were in attendance, together with District and County Councillor Alan Sharp and members of the public.

The Council was delighted to receive two applications from residents wishing to become Councillors.   Sue Willows, who had previously been a valued Councillor for the North Ward, had applied to represent that area again and Phil Nutt, whose role as a volunteer in the administration of the Parish Hall had contributed greatly to the success of that enterprise, had applied to represent the South Ward.   Both applications were approved and the new Councillors were warmly welcomed to the Council.

Although Councillor Day was unable to attend the meeting she had sent a report on the latest position regarding the production of the Neighbourhood Plan which was in the final stages of production and a funding application was being processed.

There was some concern that the planners had not taken into account the absence of a footpath on a section of Oak Lane at Little Green when considering the application for a new development of 22 houses in that vicinity.  This new development would mean that the residents of around 70 properties would have to walk in the road to reach the facilities in Cheveley village on foot.

A review of Council Policies continued with, at this meeting, councillors examining the form for members of the public to complete if they have a complaint against the Council or its staff.

It was agreed to proceed with a valuation of the Council’s properties via a Rebuild Cost Assessment.

A proposal to purchase bicycle anchors to be situated at the Parish Hall was considered and approved.

Fatima Malagueira was thanked for helping to organise the recent Farmers’ Market at the Hall.   There was a resounding positive feedback and similar events would be held later in the year.   There had been some comments about vehicles of attendees parked in the High Street which caused congestion and it was suggested that parking facilities at the Recreation Ground should be advertised in the future.   The possibility of changing the time of future events, if held on a Sunday, were also considered so as not to clash with services at the Church.   Regulations regarding permits and notices were also discussed and there is now much more clarity on what is required and it was felt that the Clerk would be the best person to help deal with these in the future, leaving volunteers free to organise events.

A new employee had been appointed as caretaker/cleaner with responsibilities for the Hall and also the Pavilion at the Recreation Ground.

A resident had pointed out that there was evidence of rotting posts on the Parish gateways and two councillors would examine these so that a decision regarding the best course of action could be taken.   It was not clear whose responsibility for any repairs or replacement would be.

A meeting of Cheveley Pavilion & Recreation Ground took place immediately after the Parish Council meeting and Councillors Willows and Nutt were appointed as trustees.

Vandalism had continued in the vicinity of the Pavilion so a quotation for 3 additional CCTV cameras to cover all aspects of the area would be obtained.

Now that rubbish was collected by ECDC early on a Monday morning new arrangements had to be made so that bags were not left out by the roadside for too long.

Weed spraying around the base of newly planted trees and spraying of ivy on the Recreation Ground wall would be undertaken.

The next meetings would be held on Tuesday 9th July 2022 at 7.30 p.m. in Cheveley Parish Hall.