Freethorpe Parish Council

Don’t miss the flower show, this Saturday 24th August:

https://www.facebook.com/people/Freethorpe-and-District-Flower-Show/61552281853268/

News of September’s closures around the North Burlingham junction works:

https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/east/a47-blofield-to-north-burlingham/

The latest news and views from the Broadland Tree Warden Network:

https://freethorpe-pc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads//2024/08/Broadsheet-233-August-2024.pdf

Freethorpe Parish Council, serving Freethorpe and Wickhampton: A meeting took place on Monday 15^th July at 7pm at Freethorpe Village Hall. Our District Councillor reported that Broadland’s services have been carrying on alongside the work of the general election. An officer from Broadland will attend September’s Parish Council to discuss a Neighbourhood Plan. Opportunities for further support for the parish from Broadland are being explored. Parish Councillor Mike Blake reported on management and name changes at the school’s federation. Parish Council finances are stable. A new parish council website will be launched in August.

Parish Council approved extra one-off grass cutting and line marking for the football pitch to combat the problem of exceptional grass growing weather. These are funded by savings made on insurance this year. A tree surgeon will be working on the silver birch tree near the swings next week. The Parish Council is bidding for minor Highways improvements, such as extra signage and ways of making the 30mph speed limit more obvious to drivers entering the village. Bid to be finalised in autumn.

Parish Council noted the ‘Celebrating Nature’ event at Acle on 8^th September. It has requested a Housing Needs Survey to establish the level of affordable housing needed for our community to thrive. A World War I War Horse bench has been ordered for the Village Hall. A Tree Preservation Order on the Green was supported. Significant repair work has been completed to some of the play equipment at Wickhampton and Freethorpe play areas. A management plan for Wickhampton Pond was approved. Thanks to the Broadland Tree Warden Network, work is planned to start in the autumn with controlled removal of an invasive species, crassula helmsii. This will take several years to clear, but the long-term aim is to tidy up the pond and encourage biodiversity, enhancing the pond as a community asset.

The flowers planted by Parish Councillor Andrea Rowlands and helpers have made a lovely sight at the Village Hall and Flying Field Memorial. Further flowers and bulbs will be planted through the year. Parish Council is very grateful to the children of Freethorpe Community School who tidied up the Pump. A volunteer has also come forward to keep the Pump tidy. There are other tasks that people used to do in an unofficial capacity, such as mowing the front of the Village Hall and around the Flying Field Memorial. As the people are no longer able to do this, anyone who would like to take some of this on, either voluntarily or as paid work, should contact the clerk.

People are encouraged to use the bottle banks, paper bank and textile bank at Freethorpe Village Hall. This raises useful funds that are spent on facilities in the parish. People are asked NOT to put dog waste in the general bins at the Village Hall. There are dog bins in the vicinity on the Green and Chapelfield for this purpose. People are reminded that dogs are not allowed on the Playing Field at Freethorpe to protect the health and safety of adults and children who use it.

Speed management figures are for June 2024. On the Green near the Manor, 85th percentile speeds have crept up from 30.6 to 31.2mph on higher volumes of 32,487 vehicles, of which 6,010 broke the speed limit. Better news at the Common near 111, where 85th percentile speeds were down from 31.8 to 30.5 mph with 19,371 vehicles. 84% of people kept within the 30mph speed limit. THANK YOU FOR DRIVING SAFELY IN OUR VILLAGE.

Freethorpe Parish Council, serving Freethorpe and Wickhampton: A meeting took place on Monday 24^th 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 14^th 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 3^rd 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 15^th July 2024. For further information please visit the Parish Council website or contact the clerk at freethorpe.pc@gmail.com or 07979 096892.

On 15th January Freethorpe Parish Council set its budget for 2024-25.

Its operational expenditure of £17,412 is split as follows:

• Village Hall, 22%
• Staff, 18%
• Grounds maintenance, 16%
• Play Areas, 15%
• Cemeteries, 12%
• Running costs, 11%
• Donations to charities working in our parish, 5%
• Speed management, 2%

The Parish Council also obtains grants wherever possible to fund additional projects, such as the recent surfacing of the swings, for which money was received from the National Lottery and Broadland District Council. It also works with other authorities such as Norfolk County Council to pursue investment in our parish where needed, for example, the recent introduction of the school 20mph signs, which were funded by Highways in conjunction with our County Councillor.