Annual Parish Meeting

WHEPSTEAD PARISH COUNCIL

Approved Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting 

held in the Community Centre on

Friday April 11th 2025 at 7pm

 

Attendees:

 

Parish Councillors:                                  Member of the Public:

Cllr. Garry Corcoran (Chair)                       Di Howe

Cllr. Nigel Aitkens                                        Gillian Aitkens

Cllr. Gordon Merrett                                     Lizzie Nutt    

Cllr. Louis Sergent                                       Roger & Thelma Quince

Cllr. Steve Nutt                                             James Reynolds

District Councillor                                     Jill Harper                 

Sarah Pugh                                                   Maureen Woollard

                                                                        Alan & Sue Perkins

                                                                        Mark & Sylvie Haley

                                                                        Nigel Bond

                                                                        Wendy and John Waugh

Clerk:                                                             Di Rix                                                                                                                                                                                                            

1. Welcome                                                 

Cllr. Corcoran welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked them for attending.

 

2. Apologies for Absence

Apologies were accepted from: County Cllr. Karen Soons, Parish Cllrs. Andrew Maddever and Vicki Skeels. Anne Robertson, Steve Bonney and Julie & Scott Munday

 

3. Minutes of the last Annual Parish Meeting April 12th 2024

It was proposed by Di Howe and seconded by Steve Nutt that the minutes were a true record.

 

4. Matters arising from the Minutes of the 2024 meeting

None

 

5. Presentation: How we can use land gifted to Whepstead for everyone’s benefit

Cllr. Corcoran explained that the southern half of the field opposite the row of houses on Rede Road and the small 3-acre field below Nunwick Barn had been gifted to the village by Theo Cutting. He had been keen to encourage wildlife on it, discourage any development and wanted it to be for the benefit of the whole village.

Steve Nutt explained that the half field would remain in agriculture (currently farmed by Andrew Maddever) and the small income raised from it would fund grass cutting and development of the 3-acre plot. The land would be managed by the Parish Council. A permissive path running alongside the agricultural field would be extended to reach the pub. Mr Nutt had created a basic tree plan, showing smaller ornamental trees at the top (nearest to Nunwick Farm), fruit trees, native trees and nut trees as the field dropped down to the River Lark. He welcomed ideas of what else could be included on the land. Suggestions so far had included a seating/gathering area near the river, a fitness/trim trail, an enclosed area for dogs to run in, a path all around the field and a wildlife meadow.

Cllr. Pugh suggested the PC speak to Clare PC which had done a lot of research on a similar project. Hartest had also created a millennium woodland. Mr Nutt’s vision was for no more than 50 trees, not to create a wood.

Considerations: Will access be allowed freely? Will the trees be protected from deer and squirrels? Wildflower meadows are difficult to manage, low density planting would leave a lot of other growth that would need cutting.

Clerk to circulate a map of the field (via whatsapp and email) for villagers to fill in their ideas for it. Asking for pluses and minuses of any suggestions. Cllr. Corcoran said that the land was still in the hands of the solicitors and any trees couldn’t be planted until the Autumn.

 

6. Public Forum

Mr Waugh was surprised the PC hadn’t advertised the public consultation on the proposed solar farm on the village website. Cllr. Corcoran explained he had done so on the village WhatsApp, but there had been no time to include it in the newsletter. He had included links to submit feedback on the WhatsApp Group. As yet, it was only a public consultation, no planning application had been submitted. The PC had complained to Quintas Cleantech that hardly anyone had received details through the post which it claimed had gone to over 500 homes. Over 85 people had attended the public consultation.

Cllr. Corcoran explained that ahead of a submission, Quintas had agreed to a proper full meeting with the village whereby everyone could hear one another’s questions and answers. Cllr. Pugh and Steve Nutt were having a meeting with a resident and our MP, Nick Timothy, in a week or so.

Mr Bond asked when Anglian Water were going to restore the visuals in the village after building the pipeline. Cllr Aitkens thought they needed to do some drainage work but it had been too wet over winter. Clerk to investigate.

 

7. District Councillor Report - Sarah Pugh

 

Cllr. Pugh had heard about the proposed solar farm before even West Suffolk Council had. On April 23rd she would meet a resident and our MP about it. The Govt. had cancelled this year’s May election and Suffolk and Norfolk were being fast tracked for Devolution. The timeline for this ‘seismic change’ in local government was incredibly short. The County Council believed there should only be one unitary council, the district council wanted two - a West and East Suffolk Council. As yet, ‘the devil was in the detail’. Who would be responsible for adult social care, special educational needs etc.? There would be a mayoral election for Suffolk and Norfolk in May 2026.

WS Local Plan was at inspection stage when the Government changed. So it could proceed. Other district councils were not as well prepared and have had to redo their plans based on 50% extra housing. The WS Local Plan comes into force in July and allows us to build 800 homes a year until 2040. The next Local Plan would be for 1,200 houses a year from 2041.

Having supported the WCA’s decarbonisation application Cllr. Pugh was looking forward to solar panels going on the community centre roof. Cllr. Corcoran said in making the application he discovered the building was not registered with the Land Registry. The Community Centre were in the process of registering it and in so doing, funding would still be available.

Waste collection alterations would come into effect next year. It would mean more bins. Laws were also changing to make it more difficult to evict a tenant. For private landlords, WS council offered a no-fee letting service and guaranteed rent to private landlords and letting agents. Information was on the council website. It aimed to prevent people falling into repeated homelessness. Changes coming to democracy were so huge that it was very fragile behind the scenes at WS Council with staff fearing losing their jobs.

 

8. County Councillor Report - Karen Soons

 

 

The quality of farmland for the proposed solar farm in the village was discussed. Cllr. Aitkens confirmed it was Grade 3 and therefore not prime agricultural land.

 

9. WCA Report – Kerry Richmond (full report attached)

Highlights: Income from events totalled over £9,000, hall hire revenue was over £9,000, income from bottle banks nearly £560 and advertising revenue £1,270. A new art school would be running classes from June. Wi-fi installation had proved a hit, they were awaiting solar panels on the roof and much needed lighting in the car park was planned. Carpet bowls equipment had been sold and a new large projector screen, microphone and BBQ bought. A big thank you to the Haleys who had provided new furniture for the committee room. The play area had been fixed and updated at a cost of £3,053. Huge thanks to Derrick King, the Doughnut Boys, Ian Lambert, Lee & Hana at the pub and WCA committee members.

 

 

10. Astronomy Club Report - Nigel Bond

The group went from strength to strength and met every two weeks on Wednesday evenings. The group was changing its name to the Bury St Edmunds Astronomy Club from the Athenaeum Astronomy Club as it had become apparent that ambitions to restore the observatory there would never happen. There had been an upsurge in membership, with 40 people attending some nights. Activities involved observing on clear nights, astro photography of distant galaxies and comets, visits - most recently to Cambridge Radio Astronomy Centre where the big telescopes just south of Cambridge discovered the black hole at the centre of our galaxy - and having guest speakers which had improved since the installation of wi-fi. As an astro physicist ‘geek’ Mr Bond said he’d seen the knowledge of the group grow and grow. They had invested in lots of new equipment and welcomed anyone who would like to attend.

 

11. Doughnut Gang and Wildlife Group Reports - Steve Nutt

The group started about 15 years ago and was a spin off from the Walkers Group which decided some of the footpaths needed cutting back. Currently 9 volunteers strim footpaths, prune and do odd jobs at the community centre and the church, keeping the village tidy.

The Wildlife Group exchanges emails on wildlife sightings, has presentations - most recently a fascinating one on wasps – and organises visits to wildlife areas. Cages Wood restoration was ongoing. The Robys had agreed to have an expert survey of their wood which showed it had been decimated by deer damage. As a result, it had been enclosed, some of it coppiced and the regrowth as a result has been amazing. The fencing was unlikely to ever be removed. The wood produced firewood.

 

12. Book Club, Walkers Group, Art Club Reports - Lizzie Nutt

Walkers Group - started 21 years ago in order to protest about 4x4 vehicles tearing up the surface of Darney Lane. The local press recorded our walk in a feature and marked the incident.  Since, the group has changed as people left or joined the village. We have some interesting and enjoyable walks in our parish and have met every month on either a Sunday or Friday morning for a village walk, usually with a refreshment stop along the route. We have 9 regular members along with 4 dogs and always welcome new members to join us in our adventures along our local footpaths.

“What the Dickens” Book Group - Every other month a group of 11 interested readers meet to review books selected by a group member. We meet and hope to continue at The White Horse Pub in the evening and discuss the book, aspects we have enjoyed or not and elements of interest or intrigue in the book along with the writing style of the author. We then enjoy a tasty buffet meal and the whole meeting becomes and enjoyable social event.

Art Club - We have a get together on alternate Friday mornings from 11am to approx. 1pm. We meet in the Red Shed behind Beith Cottage, and everyone brings an activity to do. Refreshments are provided and it’s a good opportunity to share ideas and skills or have a good chat!

 

13. Community Speed Watch Report – Steve Bonney (full report attached)

Cllr. Corcoran said that Steve Bonney could not be at the meeting but was a stalwart at getting out and using the speed camera to try and encourage people to slow down. New volunteers include Baber Yusaf, Vicki Skeels and Ian Kitson. Speeding was a perennial problem. White gates at the entrance of the village had been considered but they cost half of the PC’s total income for the year. Although we do have permission to put them up. We recently had a speed survey at the Brockley end of the village to see if we qualified for a 40mph buffer zone between Tuffields Road and the 30mph. But we did not meet the criteria. Northbound traffic to Bury has increased dramatically since 2023 from an average of 718 vehicles to 1,163 in 2025.

The ANPR would be in the village w/b 21st April. Police regularly monitor speeding at the bottom of Fern Hill. Mr Haley couldn’t believe the gates cost so much. Cllr. Corcoran said we could put our own gates up and it was something the PC was investigating.

 

 

14. Ladies Social Group Report – Anne Robertson (full report attached)

Highlights included a talk on April 22nd on Medical Detection Dogs. Other speakers booked covered topics like beekeeping, the history of toys and an American’s experience of living in Suffolk. A guided tour and coach outing were planned during the summer.  

 

 

15. Church News, Gillian Aitkens

During the last year there had been a change of leadership. Anita Rooney, formerly a curate at Bury Cathedral had been inducted and installed in the benefice after Christmas. The Easter service would be at 9.30am next Sunday. Throughout the year there had been a service every Sunday. Anyone wanting to join the Church’s electoral roll should contact her. A new electricity supply at the church had been provided by UK Power Networks. Necessary repairs to the tower and ringing platform had also been made leaving little left in the Church’s fabric fund. They hoped to upgrade the kitchen facilities in the vestry soon. Fundraising was necessary to pay the parish share supporting the Clergy and back up administration. This had included an annual talk and lunch in February and the Summer, plant sale and coffee morning in May and the annual Historic Churches Ride and Stride event in September. October saw the Harvest lunch and in November Whepstead, Brockley and the Baptist Chapel joined together for Remembrance Sunday. In December there was the village carol service. Safeguarding was an extremely important issue and guidance from the Diocese was followed and all members of the church community were up to date with training. She thanked the volunteers who kept the churchyard tidy, provided flowers and did the cleaning etc.

 

16. Chapel News Report – Sharon Steven (full report attached)

Highlights included the 180th anniversary weekend in June 2024. Following subsidence caused by tree roots the schoolroom and kitchen were repaired and decorated in July and August. A new septic tank had been installed and a path fixed. This year the annual trip to the coast would be on July 12th and costs £20. Plans were afoot for a memorial garden and a re-stoning of the car park.

 

17. Any Other Business

None

 

18. Chairman’s Closing Remarks

Cllr. Corcoran thanked everyone for coming and urged them to join him for some refreshments.

 

The meeting closed at 8.20pm