Your Village Paper

Page 20 of 20 Q2 – April - June 2017

Your village paper

Editor:
Lorraine Jackson
101 Stanton Road
Sapcote
Tel: 274733
E-mail: /

SAPCOTE NEWS
·  Published by SRGMC
(Sapcote Recreation Ground
Management Committee)
·  SRGMC has no opinions on the articles in this edition
·  All articles submitted will be
included in the earliest edition where possible, and the editor on behalf of the SRGMC reserves the right NOT to publish any material deemed to be unsuitable.
·  The views and opinions
expressed in this and any edition are NOT those of the editor unless detailed accordingly
DEADLINE FOR NEXT SAPCOTE NEWS
All articles and adverts to be forwarded to the editor by:
12th August 2017
/
Stitch in time ………….
Jeans & Trousers shortened
from £8.50
Dresses shortened from £10
Zips replaced from £10
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31 Castle Close, Sapcote
Tel: 01455 273135
or email

for appointment
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SAPCOTE PARISH COUNCIL
Annual Report of the Chairman
Mrs Davies welcomed those present to the 2017 Annual Parish Meeting and presented her summary of the year’s events as follows:
In May we welcomed back Mrs Diane Brannan who was co-opted to the Parish Council.
On 26 July last year Sapcote Community Library became a reality. Thanks to the hard work of the management committee, the library was now up and running and slowly increasing its users. The Parish Council continues to support for the library with an annual financial contribution and, from last month, the cost of grounds maintenance works.
Since 2011 Sapcote has grown from 1,062 houses to 1,481 built or approved and this represents an increase of 39%. To make matters worse, during the year, we were notified of a new development proposal on the land next to the Limes and subsequently considered the formal application for outline permission for 125 houses at our April meeting. While we objected to this proposed development on a number of grounds we are not confident that that this development will be refused given the existing government guidance on housing development. If this development does go ahead, it will bring the number of houses built or approved since 2011 to 1,606 which represents a 51% increase in housing without any corresponding improvements to the village infrastructure.
Both the Grace Road and Limes sites are substantially completed and occupied. The Parish Council has resolved, in principle, to adopt the land to the rear of the Grace Road site and is currently talking to David Wilson Homes to ensure that there is adequate drainage on the site and that a number of other issues are resolved. On the third major site, Jelson had now commenced the construction of houses.
It was reported earlier this year that, thanks to the vigilance of residents in Sapcote Road, Jelson, was stopped from removing the hedgerow along the / western side of Sapcote Road in preparation for the widening of the footpath to accommodate a cycle path. The widening of the footpath, (which necessarily required the removal of the hedgerow), was a requirement of Leicestershire County Council even though it conflicted with the planning consent for the development which required the retention of the hedgerow. Following a prolonged exchange of correspondence, the County Council reluctantly agreed to the cycleway being included within the development thereby ensuring the preservation of the hedge. Special thanks go to Mike Lee of Sapcote Road who had very effectively mobilised local opinion to oppose this proposal and fought for the retention of the hedge. We thank him for his invaluable input.
During the year, we became aware of a proposal for a huge employment, housing and rail freight hub on agricultural land, a substantial part of which would be located in the western part of the parish. The developers were proposing a rail interchange between the B4669, B581 and the railway on a 780 acre site which was dissected by the M69. The concern is that as it is a nationally significant project, any future planning application will not be decided locally, it would be dealt with by the Planning Inspectorate rather than local councils with the Secretary of State making the final decision on whether to grant or refuse development consent. It was clear from the recent Neighbourhood Plan consultation exercise that residents were substantially opposed to this proposed development.
For some time, the Parish Council has been uneasy about the location of the new Jelson site which straddles the border of the parishes of Sapcote and Stoney Stanton. In view of the fact that all of the traffic from the site is visited on Sapcote and that it is highly likely that All Saints primary school would be the preferred school for the residents, we have requested that a boundary review be carried out with a view to bringing the whole site into the parish of Sapcote. This would additionally aid the re-instatement of an area of separation between the parishes of Sapcote and Stoney Stanton. This matter is now under consideration by Blaby District Council.
SAPCOTE PARISH COUNCIL cont’d
There is concern in local communities about the sharp rise in fly tipping. In addition to the ongoing incidents of small scale fly tipping, over the past 6 months Blaby District has seen three incidents of major fly tipping two of which were in our locality, one in Sapcote at Sapcote quarry and one at Fosse Meadows. Everyone is encouraged to be vigilant and immediately call the police if such an incident is witnessed.
An ongoing major issue has been the activities at Granitethorpe and Sapcote Quarries. I reported last year that at Granitethorpe Quarry there had been unauthorised dumping into the quarry, the importation of construction waste onto site for dumping into the quarry, the levelling and tipping onto land, storage of vehicles and wide spread damage to the landscape, as well as breaches of planning regulations and damage to the access road and a property at the entrance of Leicester Road.
Following the pressure from the Parish Council, and importantly, members of the Sapcote community, brought to bear on Blaby District Council, Leicestershire County Council and the Environment Agency, most of these activities have been brought to an end, although some matters are still subject to ongoing investigations by the relevant authorities. It clear that without the vigilance of the local community it would have been much more difficult to have brought an end to these activities. What has happened at these sites clearly shows the impo.rtance of remaining vigilant to activities in the village.
There has been much concern over a number of years about the decreasing service provided by the X55 bus and a number of representations have been made to Arriva about this declining service. Consultations were carried out in local villages by Arriva, to ascertain exactly what the public wanted from the service. Following the survey, some adjustments were made to local services which Arriva said were to ensure its long-term sustainability. It is of concern that Arriva had emphasised that the service still remained at risk if it could not sustain a viable level of patronage. / The new Commbus service to the area however is having a positive effect on travel and mobility for the elderly and this includes a service to Fosse Park. While this service is not a substitute for the scheduled bus services it nevertheless is of great assistance to the elderly.
You will all be aware that the Parish Council has been spearheading a drive to obtain defibrillators for the village and thanks to the British Heart Foundation and the East Midland Ambulance Service (EMAS) as it being a nationally significant project,first responders we are on the verge of achieving this objective. We have now also acquired the telephone box outside the Post Office which has been decommissioning by BT and will in future house the defibrillator provided by the British Heart Foundation following a successful grant application by the Parish Council. The second defibrillator has been purchased by the Parish Council on a special EMAS deal and it is now installed on the external wall of the Pavilion on Sapcote playing fields. Both will be accessible 24/7 365 days a year and their locations will be advised to anyone dialling 999 to enable resuscitation to be carried out prior to emergency services arriving on scene. The defibrillator on the playing fields needs a code for access which will be provided by the 999 operator. The defibrillator in the phone box is not code protected.
I would like to thank Vic Howell for the sterling work he has done in bringing this initiative to fruition, not only in acquiring the defibrillators and ancillary equipment but also in acquiring the telephone box and grant aid.
I reported last year the Parish Council had agreed to support the Sapcote Good Neighbour Scheme which was being organised by the Rural Community Council in conjunction with Blaby District Council and supported by the Parish Council. This is a community initiative, run by volunteers from Sapcote, aimed at improving the quality of life of the more vulnerable members of the village and it was now up and running. The type of assistance provided included support with transport, visiting and befriending, emergency dog walking, letter writing/form filling/emails, occasional gardening or
SAPCOTE PARISH COUNCIL cont’d
cooking, minor household assistance and collection of pensions and prescriptions etc.
The cost of getting the scheme off the ground was wholly funded by grants which were successfully applied for by the Parish Council. This is a scheme that the Parish Council is glad to be able to support as it provides a valuable service for the more vulnerable people in our village and accordingly we now contribute £500 annually to its running costs. Special thanks goes to all the volunteers who willingly give up their time to provide this valuable service.
Heavy vehicles using the roads through the village continues to be an issue but without any resolution in sight. The increase in housing, both in Sapcote and in neighbouring villages, without any compensating improvement in the highways network, puts more and more pressure on our roads. We are continuing to put pressure on the County Council implement improvements which will make our roads safer. Over the past 5 years or so, official estimates show that the new development has put an estimated additional 682,000 traffic movements onto the roads of Sapcote. This will increase to 898,000 once the Jelson development becomes fully operational and in excess of 1,100,000 should the new proposed development on Hinckley Road be approved. This is without any corresponding improvements to the highway network.
A formal consultation exercise on the Fosse Villages Neighbourhood Plan was carried out in March. While every effort was made to maximise the response rate giving the options of both online and hard copy submissions, the response rate was only 10% when compared with the number of persons on the electoral roll. I would like to take this opportunity to pass on my thanks to Mike Lee, chairman of the Fosse Villages Neighbourhood Plan Group for his ongoing efforts on behalf of the ten Fosse Villages to manage the preparation of the Plan.
The Parish Council continues to support the Recreation Ground Management Committee both with an increased allocation of grant aid in the sum of £7,930 per year and with the general / assistance of the Clerk. I would like to thank Peter Bradbury and his committee for the excellent work they do in keeping the playing fields and its buildings operational throughout the year.
The Parish Council at its January meeting resolved to increase the parish precept by 3.89% to £91,442. This increase reflects the additional costs being incurred in supporting Sapcote Community Library, Sapcote Good Neighbour Scheme, Sapcote Recreation Ground Management Committee and other miscellaneous items. This would increase the average precept by 26p per month per household. Also, as part of the financial package, in future there will be no charge for the burial of persons under the age of 18 in Sapcote cemetery.
The Parish Council is continuing with its fund for the allocation of grants to organisations for children and young people in the village as we recognise the valuable and important role of these groups in the development of young people. We also continue to fund the running costs of the youth club (£3,500 per year) which I am pleased to say is still thriving. I would like to thank Kelly Ireland and her leaders and helpers for making the club the undoubted success it is.
Again, this year we saw wonderful flower displays in the centre of the village thanks to the work of Diane Brannan and the Sapcote Bloom Group. We were treated to magnificent floral displays throughout the year and it is clear that the hard work of the group deservedly attracts much attention and admiration from neighbouring villages. I would also like to thank Roger Towers for his work in support in support of the Bloom Group in maintaining the verges at the centre of the village. Special thanks also go to those members of the community who continue to pick litter on the outskirts of the village and contribute to the appearance of the village and keep the Sapcote looking at its best.
Congratulations and thanks from the Parish Council go to Jennifer Hooke after completing 40 years as school crossing warden. Mrs Hooke has served the village well in all weathers, keeping the children of the village safe.
The thanks of the Parish Council also go to PCSO
SAPCOTE PARISH COUNCIL cont’d
Katie Hudson who has been the police support officer for the Fosse villages for past eight years. PCSO Hudson had now moved to other duties with the police so we would pass on our thanks to her for her dedicated service over this period and wish her well for the future.