Parish Council News
This page will not be used to publicize the minutes or agenda of the Parish Council - those may be found on the Brookenby Website (parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/brookenby) and on the Parish Council Notice board beside the shop. What this page will attempt to do is update residents of Brookenby of the activities of Council in a less formal format. But do not forget, Council meets on the first Tuesday of every month and the first ten to fifteen minutes are available for residents to air their views on any agenda item, or propose new items for the following month's meeting.
STOP PRESS:
- Parish Council resolves to take over trusteeship of the Community Centre
At the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Parish Council held on 3 November, the resolution proposed by Councillor Purdy that the Parish Council would be prepared to take over the current BCCMC Charity, seconded by Councillor Hitchcock, was carried unanimously.
Although the Parish Council has resolved to take over trusteeship, it must wait until the membership of the BCCMC resolves to hand over the trusteeship at its meeting on 24 November.
Top Stories
- Snow clearance in Brookenby
With rumour control going into overdrive regarding this winter's likely snowfalls, volunteers will be required to be available for snow shovelling, grit dissemination and transport duties. Shovels and wheelbarrows are available in the Community Centre so snow can be removed and roads within the village gritted - but unless we get volunteers to push wheelbarrows and shovel snow, they will remain inside the Community Centre and the snow will pile up on the roads. So, volunteers please to any member of the Parish Council as soon as possible.
Drivers of 4x4 vehicles will be especially welcome to enable the less mobile villages to keep medical appointments and take them shopping - or just to be willing to shop for them.
Council is negotiating with a local contractor who could clear roads of snow, but legal and insurance requirements have still to be resolved - as well as the use of red diesel by such contractors for road clearance duties. With luck we should be able to keep our local roads clear this year. Council is also aware that there could be an extra supply of grit for our use - as long we can collect it from a local dump. So, procedures are slowly gaining momentum - let's hope we can maintain that momentum...
And now my usual drivers' brief - have you fitted your car with winter tyres? Do not think you are safe on the roads with normal summer road tyres - they lose braking efficiency when temperatures drop below 7°C as the rubber compound becomes harder at these low temperatures. Most tyre centres now stock winter tyres and will be willing to fit them. Look for the snow flake or mountain symbols on the tyre sidewall to be sure you are buying the correct tyre - some tyres marked M+S are not winter tyres as they are constructed to deal with summer temperatures.
- Grass Areas
Update:
Council has been in negotiations with North Developments regarding the purchase of the grassed areas around the village and has therefore had the land under consideration professionally valued by the Local Government valuer. Council then offered to purchase the land using this valuation as the basis for an opening bid. However, North Developments has rejected the offer without sending Council its counter-offer. This situation means that Council's hope of purchasing our green lands has had to be put on hold.
- Officers' Mess and Annex
Demolition update
Good news for all of us who have been waiting for contractors to start work on the demolition of the Officers' Mess and Annex. Work has now started under supervision of the Health and Safety Executive and West Lindsey District Council officers. Whilstb this work is being carried out, it would be sensible to stay away from the site as there is still the possibility, although slight, that a small amount of asbestos may be present - certainly the contractors are wearing protective suits and breathing apparatus whilst working on the site.
All work should be complete by the end of the year.
Our Parish Council should be congratulated for its tenacity over this long running saga. Results are now being seen after nearly four years of pressure that Council has put on West Lindsey District Council to get something done. And a vote of thanks to those at West Lindsey, (especially our County Councillor, Mr Burt Keimach, amd our own Ward Councillor, Mr Tom Regis, for the support they have given Council over this issue) for getting things moving.
- Empty Properties
Update
Mr Grant Lockett, senior officer in charge of the Caistor area, of which Brookenby is a part, is to present a paper on empty properties to West Lindsey District Council. The top 100 p[properties listed are based on the length of time they have been empty and the impact these have on the environment. Several properties in Brookenby are on this list and because many of these are owned by a single landowner, these may be looked at as a special priority, particularly as WLDC is prioritizing former MOD sites. The Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Clerk to the Council and some residents are involved in regular seminars with representatives from other former MOD sites, WLDC and LCC officers and councillors to improve life for communities living in these villages.
However, more volunteers and residents are needed to assist in progressing these seminars. Dates of future meetings will be promulgated both in 'The Defiant' and the parish notice board.
- The Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
- 2 June 2012
Brookenby Celebrations
An application has been submitted to RAF Northolt on Brookenby's behalf for the Battle of Britain Flight to overfly Brookenby on 2 June 2012 during our celebrations. We will have to wait to learn whether or not we have been successful - we are bid No 72!
For those who spotted the change, the original request was for 3 June; however, plans are now afoot for the celebrations to take place on 2 June, based on the Community Centre. A date change was requested and has been accepted - but we will still have to wait to see if we get the actual flypast as we are bid 72...but I suspect that is nationwide.
- Commercial applications:
PlanesTV
At a recent Parish Council meeting PlanesTV, a video film business which operates from the airfield site made a presentation of its work to the Parish Council. One of Brookenby's least known, but most successful, companies, PlanesTV produces all the videos for the 'Vulcan to the Sky' charity and appears at most air shows to produce some excellent videos, many of which may be seen through the internet. (You can watch many of its full length programmes over the internet ON Demand - just register on www.PlanesTV.com.)
- Village name sign
Competition:
We have the budget; we have the finance; we do not have the ideas! If you have an idea of what you want the Brookenby name sign to look like - enter the competition and pass your idea to the Parish Clerk. The competition will be judged by our District Councillor (Mr Tom Regis) to ensure impartiality and is open to all.
There will now be a short hiatus as there is a wider area initiative within the Wolds Villages Area of Natural Beauty. Over the coming months, all the Wolds villages will be consulted by representatives of the Wolds Countryside Agency and West Lindsey District Council with a view to supporting localo tourism within the Wolds. The plan would include village signs and notices with a unique theme promoting the Wolds villages as a separate unity.
Early days, but the competition winner will be incorporated in the village sign once the theme has been agreed and finalised.
- Village road signs:
Update
Moves are afoot to get new and replacement street and road name signs around the village. As replacements will take place over the next year or so, we will only see a slow improvement. Still, slow is better than nothing!.
- Planning applications:
Fish Restaurant
At a recent Parish Council meeting an application for the establishment of a Fish Restaurant as part of the village shop was approved with certain conditions regarding pollution and waste.
Winchester Marine
At a recent Planning Committee meeting at the Lincolnshire County Council meeting the application for the establishment of a waste management station applied for by Winchester Marine was rejected. Further details will be available shortly - but this is a good result as far as the transport issues are concerned along the road between us here at Brookenby and the school in Binbrook.
Apparently the decision was based on various statutory requirements of Lincolnshire County Council and West Lindsey District Council that had not been satisfied by the appellant. One issue was the feeling that a Waste Management site was not appropriate for an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty such as the Lincolnshire Wolds and that the number of extra heavy lorries using the road past Binbrook school was too high and thus at an unacceptable level.
It has yet to be ascertained whether or not Winchester Marine will appeal against this decision.
- Useful information:
Children's play area
The annual RoSPA safety inspection of the children's play area has been carried out and all recommendations will be carried out before the final payment is made to the contractors. This is an annual inspection to ensure that all the equipment is safe to use.
Fly tipping and Dog FoulingIrresponsible dog owners and fly-tippers can be reported to West Lindsey District Council on 01427 676676. There are many dog litter bins placed around the village for the use of dog owners, please use them.
PotholesPotholes and other road matters can by reported to Lincolnshire County Council Highways Division on 01522 782070.
Litter PickerA new litter picker has been appointed. Congratulations to Dan Stephenson who was one of over ten applicants and who impressed the final appointments panel, chaired by West Lindsey, enough to get the job.