On Tuesday 13th October meetings of Cheveley Parish Council and Cheveley Pavilion and Recreation Ground Charity were held once again using an online meeting platform. Parish Councillors, District Councillor Alan Sharp and members of the public were in attendance.
School girl Matilda Malagueira, who attended the meeting with her mother, gave a presentation to Councillors outlining plans for a group of local children to brighten up the Parish by planting flowers and bulbs. Initially they intended to plant some barrels of flowers around Cheveley village. They would undertake to plant, water and look after these. Councillors agreed to donate a budget amount of £220 towards their costs. If this scheme was successful they hoped to extend it to incorporate plantings in the North ward and to establish bird and bat nesting boxes at suitable sites. They intended to approach local studs to see if they could let them have any spare bulbs or plants in future.
The winners of the sunflower growing competition were announced. Siblings, 12 year old Sophie and 9 year old Samuel Fitsall, won the junior section and Jane Rabagliati the senior section.
The Parish Council’s Local Highways Improvement application for a speed limit reduction and entrance gates on Oak Lane in Cheveley had been submitted. It was reported that the speed reduction measures had almost been completed in the North Ward and favourable comments had been received. The Council’s website had been updated to comply with Accessibility Regulations.
Asset inspections had been carried out by Councillors in all areas of the Parish. Minor remedial work would be carried out where necessary.
A newsletter would be produced and distributed to all properties in the Parish in December.
The Council had been advised that some hedges along Coach Lane had overgrown which is making it difficult for members of the public to walk on the footpath. Owners of the relevant properties had been contacted and it was anticipated that the hedges would be cut back shortly. There was one small area adjacent to 1 Coach Lane where the ownership could not be verified.
District Councillor Alan Sharp said that he would follow up the position regarding the problem with a drain cover in Cheveley High Street which raised during heavy rain conditions. This had been reported and some attempts had been made to alleviate the issue but had not been successful. There were also drainage problems in the North Ward that had been reported. These will also be followed up by Cllr Sharp as no action had yet been taken to rectify the problems.
Following the decision by East Cambridgeshire District Council to ban the release of helium balloons and sky lanterns from land controlled by it, it was agreed that Cheveley Parish Council would follow suit with immediate effect.
Preparation work had been carried out at the cemetery to make the designated area ready for seeds to be sown in the second phase area of the wild flower meadow. It was agreed to purchase the seed to complete the process.
Councillors were updated on the completion of the purchase of the former URC Hall which will be known as the Cheveley Parish Hall. An Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the Council had taken place on 6th October at which it was agreed to apply for a loan of £120,000 to pay for the necessary building work and other items which were required to bring it up to a very high standard. These works would commence in November and it was hoped that by the time they were completed at the end of March 2021 the restrictions imposed because of the Covid-19 outbreak would have been relaxed sufficiently for Parishioners to make full use of the Hall. The inaugural meeting of the newly formed Management Team would be arranged shortly.
A meeting of the Cheveley Pavilion & Recreation Ground Charity followed at which it was heard that the play equipment inspection which had been undertaken by ECDC had found a fault which appeared to be minor. The clerk would check with them to confirm this. Other issues including with lights and a pot hole in the car park would be dealt with. The outside toilet would be closed for the winter after the half term break.
The next meetings of Cheveley Parish Council and the Cheveley Pavilion & Recreation Ground Charity would be held on Tuesday 10th November at 7.30 p.m. For further details please consult the website (www.cheveley-pc.gov.uk) or contact the Clerk (email clerk@cheveley-pc.gov.uk, telephone 01638780835).