Meeting of Hickling Parish Council 4th March 2025 – draft minutes

Meeting of Hickling Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 4^th March 2025 at the Village Hall, Hickling commencing at 7.00pm.

Councillors present:             Cllrs Playle (Chair), Conway, Green, Lamb, Rowe and Prosser

Also in attendance:              Cate Stokes (Parish Clerk) and 5 parishioners.

• Opening – Cllr Playle opened the meeting at 7pm

• Apologies – RBC Cllr Combellack

• Declarations of Interest – None

• Acceptance of Minutes – Minutes from PC meeting held on 21st January 2025

Agreed by all

Matters arising from last meeting – Hickling Pastures footpath, Clerk has contacted Cllr Cottee to request assistance with getting this foot path reopened. Cllr Rowe pointed out that it has been on going for over a year now. Cllr Playle to approach landowner directly to see if the matter can be resolved. Clerk to follow up Cllr Cottee.

• Open Session – To address matters raised by the public, limited to 15mins

• Parishioner wanted to make sure the PC had been made aware of the recent sewage leak on Harles Acres. Severn Trent have been out and removed a blockage of wet wipes from the pipes. Pipe also to be repaired between Harles Acres and Clawson Lane.
• Parishioner brought to the attention of the PC that the gate on the Walker’s Green playpark is not latching properly – Rob Holt kindly offered to have a look at this for the PC
• Parishioner requested that Via be contacted to request the spraying of the cobbles by the Wharf be done – Clerk to follow up

• Ward Member Reports
  • Cllr Combellack sent a report via email
• Local Government Reorganisation – Rushcliffe, together with the other Notts districts & County Council have met to agree a way forward, Government intends to do away with all upper tier authorities i.e. County and Borough and create unitaries with 500,000 people or more. In order to do this we shall have to draw up boundaries including other Districts and Nottingham City which is already a small Unitary Authority. This could well mean Districts, Borough or parts thereof, becoming part of the City. This is coausing concerns about the impact on taxes. The time line is for proposals to be in by the end of March and final decisions in November. Any proposals have to have the full agreement of all 9 Districts, the City and County, if not proposals will be imposed from Government.County Council elections have been shelved in some parts of the Country but are going ahead in Nottinghamshire at the beginning of May
• Traffic survey – Cllr Combellack wished to confirm tha Long Clawson Lane is also to be included – Cllr Green confirmed that it is
• Bridegate Lane Trees – Cllr Combellack passed on a note received from a parishioner raising concerns about the trees on Bridegate Lane. Cllr Conway confirmed, following extensive discussions with landowners and with the PC at previous meetings, that trees on Bridegate Lane would not be replaced since the landowners were concerned about them hindering ditch and hedge maintenance. Cllr Conway has met with landowners around the village and has many sites where tree planting would be welcomed when more trees become available.

• Items requiring a decision
  • To appoint DA Dixon for PC internal audit of financial year 2024/25 – All agreed and letter of engagement signed by the Chair

• Other Items
  • Flooding – Cllr Green reported that the land owners behind the Brambles have been contacted and they have agreed to clear out the ditch
    • Rob Holt reported that Dalby Brook has been dredged to speed up water passing through and away from the village
    • Meeting with Jim Freeman is being arranged – 13^th March date agree, Cllr Prosser to attend with members of the flood warden group
  • Bridegate Lane – Cllr Playle reported that the edges of the road are rapidly deteriorating – Clerk to contact highways to see when the road is due for its annual assessment.
    • Cllr Playle also reported that the funding he had applied for to manage the wildflower verges on Bridegate Lane had some back saying there are no funds. Discussion was had about what should be done about moving forward with reinstating the verge that has been neglected for several years. Cllr Playle has obtained quotes for mowing and ongoing maintenance and believes that around £500 would be needed initially – Clerk to contact Cllr Cotee and Cllr Combellack to see if they have any available funds for the project.
  • On demand Bus service – Cllr Prosser has had a further meeting with the coordinator of the on demand bus service and reported that due to a software glitch, the Keyworth bus stop, that had originally been moved as requested, had been moved back to next to the Church. This is now being moved back to where the bus shelters are. The ickling users are stillHiHickling users of the service are still keeping diaries and Cllr Prosser is monitoring the problems being reported.
  • Traffic Survey and 20s plenty– Cllr Green has produced a survey that has been printed (twoper household) – Cllrs to distribute. Clerk to put a notice on the noticeboard and in the Hickling Standard to remind people to complete and return the survey by 9^th May
  • VE-day – Clerk has been informed of a parishioner that would act as town Crier for the marking of VE-day 80. Some discussion was had about how to mark the occasion, it was agreed that a flag should be flown – Clerk to arrange
  • Annual Spring clean up (21^st March – 6^th April) – Litter pick date agreed for 23^rd March – Clerk to advertise. Parishioner requested that Faulks be asked to sweep Main Street as part of the Spring clean.

• Correspondence
  • Melton Road Bus stop towards Melton – Clerk reported a conversation with a parishioner who had witnessed a near miss accident with a wheelchair coming off the bus at this bus stop as the pavement is very narrow and falls into a steep ditch – Clerk to contact highways and ask what can be done about this
  • Have your say on control of dogs in public spaces protection order renewal – until 7^th March – Parishioner requested further signage about dog waste along the canal. Concerns were also raised about the bins by the Wharf being unable to cope with the amount of litter being put in them during sunny weather which brings an increase in visitors to the area.
  • Nominate Your Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator (or other groups) for the BBC Make A Difference Awards 2025 – information on facebook and website.
  • Wharf Tearooms enforcements – Cllr Playle reported a conversation with a parishioner who raised concerns about what was happening with the enforcement of the refused retrospective planning applications at the Old Wharf Tearooms – Clerk to contact planning with the reference numbers

• Planning

Reference Number: 25/00238/TPO

Applicant: Ann Carr

Development: Ash tree – Crown Reduction and thinning

Location: Ashtrees Main Street Hickling Nottinghamshire LE14 3AH

Comments by 4^th March

Discussed by planning group between meetings – No Objection

     Reference Number: 25/00269/CLUEXD

Applicant: Mr Mark Bond

Development: Application for certificate of existing lawfulness in respect of a replacement conservatory that was erected in 2010

Location: 14 Harles Acres Hickling Nottinghamshire LE14 3AF

Comments by 18^th March

No Objection

Appeal : ref APP/P3040/W/25/3359613

Planning ref: 24/01510/FUL

APPLICANT Mr Robert Oxby

PROPOSAL Single storey ‘self-build’ dwelling

ADDRESS Land South Of Hillcrest Bridegate Lane Hickling Pastures Nottinghamshire

Representations to be made by 25^th March

Cllr Rowe reported that correspondence has been received about the building of the stables on this site and concerns about this being to circumvent the rules on building new houses on un-developed land.

Mr Oxby was present at the meeting and wished to dispel some myths and rumours that he has heard surrounding the building of stables on this site – The PC thanked him for his comments and explained that their objection to the planning application was solely based on following the rules set out in the adopted Hickling Neighbourhood plan.

The PC resolved to respond to the appeal requesting that the original refusal for planning on the site be upheld inline with the Hickling Neighbourhood plan.

• Decision Notices

REFERENCE NO : 24/02171/VAR

APPLICANT : Mr Paul Frost

DEVELOPMENT : Variation of condition 2 (Plans) for 23/01651/FUL to raise ridge and

eaves heights by 400mm

LOCATION : A E Faulks Ltd The Wharf Main Street Hickling Nottinghamshire

LE14 3AH

Grant Planning variation

REFERENCE NO : 24/01384/FUL

APPLICANT : Mr & Mrs Christopher & Natalie Brown

DEVELOPMENT : Erection of domestic use stables for 10 horses, with feed and tack rooms. Change in ground levels and formation of menage with access drive and lighting. Change of use of from agricultural to paddock.

LOCATION : The Farmhouse Hilltop Farm Melton Road Hickling Pastures Nottinghamshire LE14 3QG

Grant Planning

REFERENCE NO : 24/01590/FUL

APPLICANT : Mrs Tracey Prosser

DEVELOPMENT : Replacement entrance gates

LOCATION : Bowling Green Cottage The Green Hickling Nottinghamshire LE14 3AE

Refuse Planning

• Finance

Balance of accounts: 24.2.25

Current Account: £13791.61

Reserve Account: £3945.04

Date of next meeting: TBC – proposed date 15^th April

Meeting closed 8.30pm