Freethorpe Parish Council, serving Freethorpe and Wickhampton: A meeting took place on Monday 24th June at 7pm at Freethorpe Village Hall. The Parish Council has championed affordable homes for local people but with only partial success. Norfolk’s Rural Housing Enabler visited, discussed concerns and will support us in the future. Our District Councillor is contributing part of his Ward Member’s Grant to the new church doors in memory of Janet Church. He advised on an initiative with artists getting involved with community projects. Tree wardens are dealing with some dead branches on a silver birch at the playing field. Parish Council finances are stable at the start of a new financial year. Accounts have been published for public inspection. A new website was approved and will be launched in August.
Speeding figures are for May 2024. At Chapelfield facing the Village Hall, 85th percentile speeds were down from 33.4 (2022) and 31.4 (2023) to 29.6 mph on lower volumes of 17,164 vehicles. 88% of people kept within the 30mph speed limit. At The Shop facing Reedham, where the work at the old garage site must have affected volumes and speeds, 85th percentile speeds were down from 29.4 to 28.9 mph on higher volumes of 33,115 vehicles. 92% of people kept within the 30mph speed limit. THANK YOU FOR DRIVING SAFELY IN OUR VILLAGE.
Resident concerns about the traffic safety impacts of the Green View Way development were discussed. The developer is being asked to explain the measures being taken to get the work done without undue inconvenience and managing traffic risks. Residents should note the Humpty Dumpty 10k run which is scheduled for Sunday 14th July and will have an impact on traffic that morning. There were no objections to a planning application for a new garage and workshop at 71 The Green. The annual Safety Inspection Reports for the play areas at Freethorpe and Wickhampton have been received. There are no significant concerns. Some minor equipment repairs are being carried out this week. A new subcommittee meets this week to deal with the restoration and management of Wickhampton Pond.
You may have noticed new displays of flowers at the Village Hall and the Flying Field memorial. These have been planted by volunteers as part of our Clean Up & Bloom project. Freethorpe Community Primary School have also tidied up the Pump. It was agreed to purchase a new World War Memorial Seat for the Village Hall. A meeting was held with Broadland District Council on 3rd June to discuss development plans and funding opportunities to enhance the Village Hall and Playing Field. Kitchen refurbishment is the first project. Recommendations for the football pitches have been provided by the county FA. The Parish Council approved funding two extra cuts of the football pitches and a start of season robotic pitch setting. We have numerous areas of grass in the parish, including the football pitches, which have historically been mown by volunteers, but they are no longer able to do so. Without the volunteers and with grass now growing prolifically, the basic service we have for grass cutting is not keeping on top of it, but neither can the Parish Council raise significant extra money from people’s council tax to pay for a much more comprehensive service. We are working on how to approach this. If anyone is interested in taking up a bit of grass cutting on a voluntary or part-voluntary basis, please contact the clerk.
The next Parish Council meeting is 15th July 2024. For further information please visit the Parish Council website or contact the clerk at freethorpe.pc@gmail.com or 07979 096892.