Parish Council Meeting of 17th September 2015

The Parish Council meeting on 17th September 2015 was attended by Councillors Brian Frith, Beverley Humphreys, Jackie Bowers, Gilly Barnes and Andrew Coleman. Also present were District Councillor Barry Duffin and eight members of the public.                   

Some of the main items discussed at the meeting are mentioned here. Full minutes of the meeting are available here - in draft form until agreed by the Council at the next meeting (15th October 2015).

 The following planning applications were discussed:

• 2015 / 1887 – The Last Homely House, Tabernacle Lane – Rear extension – no objections were raised.

• 2015 / 1999– Tawny Farm, Station Rd – Change of use to an existing outbuilding, to be used as games / sitting area - no objections were raised.

Many villagers will be aware of the parish council meeting which took place on 20 August, primarily to discuss planning applications. This was extremely well attended, with seventy two members of the public present, although not all Forncett residents, as neighbours from Great Moulton and Aslacton were also in attendance. One of the planning applications being discussed was the “Hope Valley” (formerly Tas Valley vineyard) application. It was widely agreed that the site is completely unsustainable, for several reasons and it was subsequently agreed to object to the plans This application was heard at the planning committee at South Norfolk Council on 16 September and Councillors unanimously agreed to refuse the application. They also agreed to commence enforcement action, requiring the applicant to leave the site within one year.

Although the site at Laynes Farm has been referred for appeal by the applicant’s agent, South Norfolk Councillors indicated that they would have also refused planning permission in this case and would also have recommended vacation of the site within one year.

Hopefully residents have noticed the two new stretches of pathway near the school, purchased as part of the parish partnership scheme with Norfolk County Council. The aim was to make this difficult junction safer for everyone, especially children making their way to and from school, so it is extremely disappointing to see cars parked well up onto the paths at school time, blocking access for parents with prams and forcing people back into the road, the very thing it was intended to avoid. Please park considerately and respect the Highway Code, that includes not parking on a bend or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction.

Cllr Claire Jordan resigned this month and our sincere thanks go to Claire for all of her hard work. This means a vacancy for a parish councillor will be available, please make initial contact with the clerk if you are interested in joining the parish council. 

The next meeting will be on Thursday 15th October 2015. The agenda will be published about a week before the meeting, but if you have any matters to bring to the attention of the Parish Council in the meantime, please contact the clerk, Anne Rayner, on 01508 570700 or by email