Our first Full Council meeting in May is effectively our AGM. This is where all the roles are allocated to councillors such as chairs, vice-chairs and representatives to outside bodies. We also find councillor volunteers to put the posters in our notice boards. All the councillors have taken up roles but our planning committee is rather short of members for various reasons.
Firstly one of our councillors has resigned due to ill health and secondly a couple of the others have changed committees. So I am asking you dear readers to consider whether you would like to be co-opted as a full councillor and also to join our planning committee. This would bring up our strength back to 15 councillors which is our maximum number. If that is too big a role, then perhaps you would like to be co-opted as a non-councillor to the planning committee which meets every 6 weeks.
If you are interested in joining the council in either role please contact the office.
The government has stopped councils having the ability to hold remote online meetings from 6th May. I think it’s a shame that the government doesn’t allow us to do this all the time. It saves time & fuel and I don’t think that the public were deprived of making comments on our proposals. This style of meetings can continue in Wales & Scotland. Now Councillors will be meeting in person, but whilst there are restrictions in place there will be a limit on the number of attendees in the meeting room. We will continue to enable remote participation for members of the public and invite you to email/write in with any representations you wish to make.
The car park at the Recreation Ground
The car park has been in need of resurfacing for many years. There were no laid out places and people just parked inefficiently at random. We now have a 24 space car park with a designated disabled space. It did not open straight away to allow for the surface to cure. We have also erected temporary fencing until the new barrier is installed to prevent vehicles from driving on the grass. I think it looks great and will be a real asset to the village.
Here are some photos of the construction:
Meanwhile the planning application to replace the Pavilion is being processed by East Suffolk Council. We expect demolition to start soon.
As you can see we are a busy council and we actually get stuff done rather than talking about it.
Sizewell C
After years of talk and consultation, EDF’s revised planning application for Sizewell C has been accepted by the Planning Inspectorate, who will now subject it to 6-months of forensic examination. The Inspectorate’s examination timetable is intensive and fast-paced and includes the receipt of written and oral evidence from many interested parties, plus the findings from site visits. The topics identified for specific scrutiny include the two below, which are of special interest to Melton:
- The Transport Strategy, including the freight management strategy, rail freight path availability and deliverability
- Impacts of the operation of night-time trains along the East Suffolk Line
Because of Melton’s geography, any land-movement of freight to Sizewell C would impact on our residents. MPC is especially concerned about EDF’s plans for multiple overnight freight trains. MPC leafleted all households in Melton on this proposal and encouraged residents to have their say.
NHS Thank you day Monday 5th July 2021
We hope members of the public will join us on the day to show appreciation for the NHS and frontline workers who have contributed so much to the community during the pandemic. Here is the outline plan for the two public events on Melton Playing Field, Melton Road.
- At 10am we will raise the NHS Rainbow Flag which will fly for one week in tribute to the NHS.
- At 11am there will be a national Two Minute Silence which Melton will observe in a short ceremony led by Father Paul Hambling on the playing field.
- Residents are welcome to assemble on the playing field to join the parish council for either or both of these events.
- At 8pm, there will be clapping and the church bells of St Andrew’s and Melton Old Church will ring out 73 times to commemorate the “birth” of the NHS on 5th July 1948.
Speed Indicator Device (SID) – Woods Lane
Woods Lane now has a permanent SID of its own complete with a solar panel to keep it powered. The original SID will be moved around the other five locations in Melton. Let’s hope its sunny enough to keep the battery charged.
Keep In Touch
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