News

Melton Messenger – A Note from Alan – April 2021

Sizewell C (SZC)

The Examining Authority’s (ExA) Preliminary Meeting for its “examination in public” of EDF’s planning application for SZC is scheduled for 23 March 2021.  A second Preliminary Meeting, if required, is scheduled for 14 April 2021.

The purpose of the Preliminary Meeting is to enable views to be put to the ExA about the way in which the application is to be examined.  The Preliminary Meeting is not an opportunity for Interested Parties to put forward their views about what they like or don’t like about the application. The merits or concerns about the application will only be considered once the Examination starts, which is after the Preliminary Meeting has closed.

The ExA is under a duty to complete the Examination of the application by the end of the period of 6 months beginning with the day after the close of the Preliminary Meeting (Thursday 14 October 2021).

A recommendation by the ExA to the Secretary of State will be issued within 3 months of the examination closing. The Secretary of State then has a further 3 months to issue a decision on the proposal.

Up-to-date information about the project and the Examination can be obtained from the project page on the National Infrastructure Planning website (NI website) from which copies of all Examination Documents can be accessed by the public:

https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/eastern/the-sizewell[1]c-project/?ipcsection=overview

Parish Council Website
We will be updating the website in the next few months. The new layout will improve accessibility and functionality. Hopefully it will be easy to navigate and find the information you need.

Support for Local Food Project
The Finance Committee (FERM) agreed financial support up to a maximum of £350 towards the costs of printing leaflets for distribution in Melton.

Signage for divested parcels of land
FERM agreed to:

  • Place signs on the more significant areas of land only e.g. the woodland adjacent to Burkes Wood, Hall Farm Road etc.
  • Ask the Council’s arboriculturalist for advice as to where signs might most usefully be placed
  • Put a map of all the Council’s land holdings on the website

Speed Indicator Device (SID)
The SID is currently located on Woods Lane and is working well and, from personal observation, it does encourage drivers to obey the 30mph speed limit on that road.  However due to traffic volumes we have decided to purchase a second SID with a solar panel which will be sited at Woods Lane and use the existing one for the other five sites we have in Melton.

Tennis Court Fencing
The tennis court fencing was replaced at the end of March. As a result, we had to temporarily close the car park from the 23rd to 30th March.

We have been wanting to do this for a long time as it has become quite tatty and numerous holes have been cut in it by various nefarious individuals.  The new fencing is much tougher and will look great.  The tennis courts have been very popular over the last year and it’s great to reinvest in this well used facility.

Burness Parish Rooms
Thanks to Colin Birkbeck, the Burness Parish Rooms have been made Covid-19 compliant with the necessary hand sanitizers and a one way system in place for entering and leaving. It has also had a new boiler installed and with the adjustments made to make it Covid-19 compliant, it is looking forward to greeting its usual customers once again when the rules allowed.

Playing Field Car Park
The car park is well used but the surface is in poor condition, it has been in need of resurfacing for many years.  We are taking the opportunity to square off the corners to get a few extra spaces without losing play space.  There will be a disabled designated parking space and the spaces will be properly marked out.  We are hoping the work can start soon.

Oak tree protected with rope ring

The Old Oak Tree
Our tree warden, Martin Wilks, and his band of volunteers were at the playing field in Burkes Wood recently. They placed a protective ring around the old oak tree at the entrance to the woods (from the playing field). I think it looks very good and makes the tree look even grander. We’ve had good feedback already.

Community Events
We have two dates for your diary. Firstly on Monday 5th July 2021 it is the NHS Thank You Day and various events are planned in Melton.  Watch this space for more details.

We are also planning on holding the Melton Village fete on Saturday 4th June 2022 which will coincide with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee long weekend – so save the date.

Annual Parish Meeting
This is usually a lovely event where I give a summary of the year and future plans are revealed.  We normally have some guest speakers and a few refreshments.  Of course, this year it will be a Zoom meeting but it will still go ahead on Wednesday 28th April.  The winner of the annual Melton Award will be announced.  Spoiler alert – this year there is more than one winner!

Land Divestment
After months of patiently waiting for the legalities to progress, I am pleased to say that the land divestment has now completed for all 21 pieces of land from East Suffolk Council.  The fact that one piece of land was actually on the land registry as two complicated matters further.  In order to ensure that we know what we have to manage, we have had a tree survey done for all of the land that we now own including existing assets.   We will be producing a schedule of maintenance to ensure public safety and the health of the trees.