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Rivenhall Parish Council, Park Road Rivenhall, Witham (2026)

03/05/2023

RIVENHALL PARISH COUNCIL
NOTES OF MEETING HELD ON 4TH APRIL 2023
At RIVENHALL VILLAGE HALL

These notes are an abridged version of the minutes

Present: Cllrs. Abbott (Chairman), Wright (Vice-Chairman), A’Lee, Elliott, Prime and Turner.

Also present: Parish Clerk and ECC Cllr. Playle.

Chairman’s Report

There was no report due to the election purdah period.

Public Forum

ECC Cllr. Playle reported on items relating to local highways problems and the A12 widening and detrunking proposals, and he was advised by parish councillors of the concerns about the repeated flooding of local roads.

Matters for Discussion

Annual Report - The content of the Annual Report was agreed for publication – 400 copies - with distribution prior to the meeting on 12th May 2023.

Grant request re defibrillator at Rivenhall End - Grant request yet to be received.

Flooding of local roads - The Chairman has again reported (twice and with photos) to ECC the urgency of highway work needed to prevent the flooding of local roads. It was agreed that a formal letter be sent to the ECC Chief Executive listing the various sites that continue to flood within the parish and requesting that action be taken to rectify the faults that cause the flooding and inconvenience to local residents, motorists and cyclists.

Highway Maintenance

BDC dates for street gulley cleaning are 19th April ’23; 24th July ’23; 24th October ’23 and 26th January ’24.

BDC has been requested to clear the footways of silt left by the recent flooding in Rivenhall End (Post meeting note – work completed).

The Clerk and Chairman will liaise to write to National Highways regarding the continual number of crashes, including damage to local property, due to the high speed of vehicles leaving the A12 into Oak Road. Additional advance warning signs are required informing drivers of the short and acute exit from the A12 into Oak Road.

General Maintenance - The vandalised A12 bus shelter has not yet been removed by the maintenance contractor – the Clerk will send a reminder.

Planning Applications

23/00479/FUL: Retention of mobile home and siting of 6 shepherd’s huts – Colemans Cottage, Little Braxted Road. A “no comments” letter sent to BDC on 18th March 2023.

Ongoing Planning Issues

A12 to A120 widening

The council’s formal view on the DCO has been communicated to ECC but they continue to press ahead with a completely different plan.

Bradwell Quarry

An agreed reply has been forwarded to ECC re the Pre-Application Request for the construction of a replacement bridge over the River Blackwater. The parish council broadly supports this proposal as it should remove any need for waste site related HGVs to come through local villages.

Rivenhall Airfield Major Waste Site

The Condition 66 Appeal has been postponed until October 2023.
Colemans Quarry

An agreed response to the proposal to move the quarry processing area to Appleford Farm was sent following the Community Consultation Information Event held on 10th March 2023.

Highways Panel

The 23rd March meeting has been postponed until 19th April 2023.

Finance

To agree the 2022/23 Final Accounts

As both the parish council’s annual gross income and expenditure during 2022/23 did not exceed £25,000, the External Auditor’s Certificate of Exemption and the Annual Governance Statement 2022/23 were agreed and signed by the Chairman. The accounts for that year will be internally audited ready to be finally signed off at the May meeting.

Information exchange and items for the May agenda

The License/Consent form for the 5 roadside verges rewilding areas has been agreed by ECC and will be signed by the Chairman and Clerk subject to satisfactory settlement of minor queries by the Chairman.

Dates of future meetings

12th May and 6th June at Henry Dixon Hall, both starting at 7.30pm.

17/04/2023

Following the latest flooding in Rivenhall End, work has been done by the parish council to clear the path near the parish council noticeboard of mud left by the water, and also, Braintree DC was asked to clear the accumulations of silt around the pedestrian crossing in the road and the overgrowth of the adjacent footway near the post box. Thank you to DC for doing such a good job.

The parish council resolved at its April meeting to write to the Chief Executive of County Council about the repeated flooding at the railway bridge and the other locations in the parish, which are due to blocked gullies and failed pipes underground. Despite reports over a period of years being made to ECC the flooding keeps occuring and appears to be getting worse.

Also the potholes in Rivenhall End at the Oak Road/Henry Dixon Road junction have each been photographed and reported to ECC Highways.

14/04/2023

There has once again been abuse of the recycling bring banks at the layby on Oak Road, with types of waste materials left there on the ground that are clearly not meant to go in any of the bins (soiled clothes and polystyrene packaging for example).

Braintree District Council, which manages the recycling bins there has been informed.

Parish Council works with BDC to deter flytipping and littering and any evidence as to who is abusing the recycling facility could be used by BDC to prosecute under the relevant laws and regulations.

03/04/2023

The next Parish Council meeting will take place at 7.30pm on Tuesday 4th April at the Village Hall, Church Road, Rivenhall.

02/04/2023

RIVENHALL PARISH COUNCIL
NOTES OF COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 7th MARCH 2023
AT HENRY DIXON HALL, RIVENHALL END

These notes are an abridged version of the minutes

Present: Cllrs. Abbott (Chairman), Wright (Vice-Chairman), Cairns, Elliott, and Prime.

Also present: Parish Clerk and ECC Cllr. Playle plus one member of the public.

Chairman’s Report

Parish councillors met recently with the Wilder Communities Manager for the Essex Wildlife Trust to review on site the tree planting and rewilding projects already undertaken or being planned in the parish. This was a very helpful meeting at which the Wildlife Trust offered to assist with future public engagement the parish council may wish to undertake as well as giving practical advice on how best to encourage wildflower regeneration in the agreed areas.

Rivenhall Parish Council is now engaged with three of the district-wide projects to improve biodiversity; tree planting, rewilding and roadside verges enhancement.

At the site meeting with Essex Wildlife Trust, and at a recent meeting of the Braintree District Council Climate Group, it was discussed as to how best parishes can link up who are doing similar work; that is being looked into.

Public Forum

The potential installation of a defibrillator at Henry Dixon Hall was raised by a resident, with a request for grant funding from RPC.

ECC Cllr. Playle raised the following: ECC Precept increase for 2023/24 is 3.5%; increased funding for the Highways pothole repair programme; street lighting upgrades; ECC councillor grant funding and the ECC trial of the Recycling Centre booking system.

Matters for Discussion

Annual Parish Council Meeting, Annual Parish Assembly and Annual Report

The draft Annual Report will be approved for final printing at the April meeting.

Replacement defibrillator batteries

Cllr. Wright reported on the cost of replacement batteries and it was then agreed that Cllr. Wright obtain the necessary batteries on behalf of RPC.

Installation of defibrillator at Rivenhall End

Following the discussion in the Public Forum, a grant can be considered on receipt of a request with costings from The Henry Dixon Hall trustees.

Highway Maintenance

It had been reported that staff at the Chatten School on Rickstones Road have been smoking on the public right of way than runs past the school and dropping cigarette butts there. The Chairman had contacted the school requesting that their staff be aware of the public right of way there and that they provide their own cigarette bin on their property.

The dangerous pothole, filled with a line of traffic cones, remains on Park Road. That has once again been reported to ECC along with others such as those on the slip road from Braxted Road to the A12.

The Chairman is still discussing with Eastlight CH the various issues they agreed to address including the missing street light at the Beech Road garage site.

General Maintenance

The maintenance contractor had been requested to quote for the demolition, and removal of the badly vandalised bus shelter on the southbound carriageway of the A12. The quotation has been accepted.

The Clerk will ask the maintenance contractor if he has the equipment to cut and collect the grass along the rewilding strip on the north boundary of the playing field when that work is due next autumn.

Planning Applications

23/00365/VAR: Variation of Condition 2 (22/02006/LBC) – Rivenhall Primary School. A “no comment” letter was sent to BDC on 21st February. Permission has been granted by BDC.

Planning results

21/03025/FUL: One 5-bedroom dwelling at Colemans Cottage Fishery, Little Braxted Lane. Permission granted by BDC.
The meeting with Bellway regarding the next stage of planning re their ‘Phase 4’ development will be held virtually, to be arranged via Cllr. Wright.

Ongoing Planning Issues

A12 to A120 widening

ECC has been notified of the RPC requests re the A12 de-trunking.

(Post meeting note: And National Highways has now acknowledged the Parish Council’s Designated Funds request).

Rivenhall Airfield Waste Site

Further applications have been submitted to BDC for the Woodhouse Farm complex: a Listed Building Consent (LBC) application for refurbishment of the Grade II listed Woodhouse Farmhouse, Brewhouse, Pump and well, Pigsties, and ancillary structures, yards and gardens. Along with the LBC application, a Full Planning application was submitted for the same works. This was required due to the change of use proposed by the works. Temporary non HGV vehicle access via Woodhouse Lane has been granted by ECC for 22nd and 23rd April for staff and visitors to the Information Hub. The next Liaison meeting is scheduled for 16th March.

Colemans Farm Quarry

Brice Aggregates have given prior notice of a forthcoming planning application for the relocation of the mineral washing plant and associated infrastructure to land at Appleford Farm on Braxted Road. Company representatives will be holding an information event on Friday 10th March at Henry Dixon Hall.

Information exchange and items for the April agenda

The Chairman reported that Chatten School had responded regarding the issue of staff smoking on the footway and dropping cigarette butts, to say that this issue would be dealt with.

Cllr. Prime reported further tree cutting in Tarecroft Wood.

Dates of future meetings

4th April and 12th May at Rivenhall Village Hall, both starting at 7.30pm.

29/03/2023

The April Parish Council meeting will be considering what further steps can be taken to try to get County Council to deal with the 6 flooding hotpots in the parish, which ECC is well aware of after years of reports and photos being submitted, as well as more detailed investigations and site visits.

Tonight the flood at 'The Oak' junction is particularly bad and is right across the road and the footway so residents are advised to take care in that area.

27/03/2023

A selection of locations in with spring flowers now in full bloom, which over the years have been planted by Rivenhall Parish Council and by local residents.

15/03/2023

Following the quarry information event on 10th March held at Henry Dixon Hall, Brice Aggregates are inviting feedback on their proposals to Friday 17th March.

At this stage the proposal is not a planning application, but comments submitted are reported as part of the application process which will follow.

The main part of the proposal is to move the quarry processing area from its current location near Little Braxted Lane within the existing Colemans Farm Quarry area, to land at Appleford Farm, near Braxted Road.

It is stated by the quarry company that this is needed because of the A12 widening scheme which is due to start in 2024.

The proposal includes that minerals to be processed would be transported from the existing quarry via a conveyor belt on a tall bridge over Braxted Road and then into the relocated reprocessing area.

The proposal also includes a further increase in HGV movements with access to the A12 relying on the existing junction at Rivenhall Hotel until the new A12 is built and open.

The company states that they will not be removing all of the hedges along Braxted Road, but some cutting may be needed for sight lines.

Comments can be sent to:

By e-mail

[email protected]

By post

Colemans Farm Quarry Consultation, c/o TALA, Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Banbury, OX15 4FF

10/03/2023

RIVENHALL PARISH COUNCIL
NOTES OF MEETING HELD ON 7TH FEBRUARY 2023
AT RIVENHALL VILLAGE HALL.

These notes are an abridged version of the minutes

Present: Cllrs. Abbott (Chairman), Wright (Vice-Chairman), A’Lee, Cairns, Elliott and Prime.
Also present: Parish Clerk.

Public Forum

There were no members of the public present.

Matters for Discussion

Annual Parish Council Meeting, Annual Parish Assembly and Annual Report

The Annual Parish Council Meeting and the Annual Parish Assembly have been re-scheduled for 12th May at 7.30pm at Henry Dixon Hall and 23rd May at 6.45pm at the Village Hall respectively.

The Annual Report for 2022/23 will be drawn up and delivered to each address in the parish.

De-trunked section of A12

Councillors met informally on Monday 30th January to discuss and agree the council’s position regarding the de-trunking proposals for the “old” A12 that will be left in the management of Essex County Council after the new A12 is built.

The following were agreed:

* Oak Road should be closed off from the de-trunked “old” A12 with no vehicular access (but allowing for cyclists and pedestrians).

* 4 lanes should be retained on the de-trunked “old” A12 including the footway/cycleway, and to include suitable structural planting to the central reservation. Retaining 4 lanes will allow for more space for the bus services to return in full, including access to the new bus stop laybys.

* To request a new open space/play area for Rivenhall End to the East of Henry Dixon Hall on the land that is within the A12 works envelope (the area to be used for soil extraction) and to provide a safe pedestrian crossing on Henry Dixon Road for access to that new facility.

* To introduce a 40mph speed limit along the whole length of the de-trunked “old” A12 from Witham, through Rivenhall End, to Kelvedon.

These proposals were unanimously agreed to be communicated to Essex County Council and to the A12 DCO process.

King Charles III Coronation memorabilia for primary school children

Following communication with Rivenhall Primary School, it was unanimously agreed to purchase Coronation mugs to be given to the school for distribution to the school children.

Speed sign, Church Road

An initial quotation from Solagen Ltd to replace the existing sign with a solar powered Speed Indicator Device (SID) has been received. Subject to the existing post being suitable to be used to support the sign it was unanimously agreed to apply for local grant funding to replace the signs at Church Road and also at Henry Dixon Road.

Highway Maintenance

ECC has agreed that the damaged Church Road speed warning and school signs will be replaced/repaired but they do not give a timescale.

ECC have to re-assess the flooding issues on Rickstones Road, opposite Rectory Lane, due the presence of a gas main.

A large ‘edge breakaway’ pothole has been cordoned off at the northern end of Church Road with cones placed in it. The defect has been there for several years.

Complaints have been received, and forwarded to ECC Highways, regarding the replacement white LED streetlights shining into local dwellings.

The Chairman reported that Eastlight CH is to ascertain the ownership of the streetlight at the entrance to the Beech Road garage area (that was smashed and removed when the wooden pole there collapsed in 2022). Eastlight CH will reinstate the locking bollard on the smaller village green.

General Maintenance

A reply from ECC indicates that the existing bus shelters located on the A12 are the responsibility of the Parish Council. Therefore, and given the decision taken at a previous meeting, it was unanimously agreed that the southbound carriageway shelter be removed due to the severe vandalism that took place in 2022. The Clerk will ask the maintenance contractor if he is able to provide a quotation for this task.

The Parish Council continues to discuss with National Highways the installation of new permanent bus stops and shelters at the same/nearby locations both sides of the road in association with the forthcoming new A12 construction.

Planning Applications

Retrospective application 23/00075/HH – detached double garage at 321 Rickstones Road - BDC indicates that this application is invalid due to some details being missing; it will be re-submitted in due course.

Ongoing Major Issues

A12 widening

The DCO process continues and the Chairman will submit the Parish Council position to ECC and the DCO Inspector in due course. The applications for Designated Funds projects have been submitted to National Highways.

Rivenhall Airfield Major Waste Site

The Public Inquiry in relation to Condition 66 of ESS/34/15/BTE has been postponed from January to May 2023 due to the Inspector being unavailable.

Colemans Quarry

The next Liaison Meeting is scheduled for 9th February 2023.

Finance

The Chairman reported that BDC, for one year 2023/24, has reviewed its position and will not now reduce the amount of Street Cleaning Grant to parish councils.

Information exchange and items for the March agenda

* Replacement batteries for the Village Hall defibrillator – to be discussed at the March meeting.
* Compilation of the Draft Annual Report for the March meeting.
* The Chairman has inspected Tarecroft Wood and reported that the condition remains of concern with more tree felling and brush from the work in early 2022 still in places lying on the ground preventing the emergence of some of the spring wild flowers.

Dates of future meetings

7th March at Henry Dixon Hall and 4th April at Rivenhall Village Hall, both starting at 7.30pm.

09/03/2023

An information event takes place on Friday 10th March at Henry Dixon Hall, from 3pm to 7pm, about the latest planning application for Colemans Farm Quarry.

06/03/2023

The next Parish Council meeting will take place at 7.30pm on Tuesday 7th March at Henry Dixon Hall, Rivenhall End.

23/02/2023

Notice of meeting on 10th March about a further planning application at Colemans Farm Quarry

There will be a planning application to allow for the relocation of the mineral washing plant and associated infrastructure at Colemans Farm Quarry to land at the neighbouring Appleford Farm.

Brice Aggregates Limited will be holding an exhibition to show the proposals:

Friday 10th March 2023 - 3pm to 7pm
Henry Dixon Hall, Henry Dixon Road, Rivenhall, Witham, CM8 3HR

Comments can be sent to:

[email protected]

or write to:

Colemans Farm Quarry Consultation, c/o TALA, Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Banbury, OX15 4FF.

- preferably by Friday 17th March 2023.

Rivenhall Parish Council

03/05/2023

17/04/2023

14/04/2023

03/04/2023

02/04/2023

29/03/2023

27/03/2023

15/03/2023

10/03/2023

09/03/2023

06/03/2023

23/02/2023

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