Chair’s Welcome
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.
- Present
- Cllr. James Hardy (Chair) Cllr. Chris Hurlock Cllr. Leslie Judd Cllr. Terry Mee Cllr. Linda Montgomery Cllr. Alan Perry Lydia Kindred (clerk) 11 members of public, some of whom left before item 4.
- Apologies
- County Cllr Stephen Molyneux and District Councillor Sally Noble sent their apologies as attending East Suffolk Council’s meeting.
Cllr. Hurlock expressed an interest in items discussing DC/25/2997/FUL and left the meeting when this was discussed during the public forum and at item 10.
Cllr. Perry expressed an interest in DC/26/2106/VOC and left the meeting during discussion of this item.
Minutes of Meeting held on 20th May 2026
These were approved as a true record.
Matters Arising
None
Public Forum
There was an extended public forum during which concerns were raised about the volume and speed of traffic passing through the village. A significant car crash along The Street last week was also discussed. The PC will try to organise a meeting with the new County Councillor and an SCC Highways Liaison Engineer to see what can be done. Data from the recently installed additional Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) can be used by Suffolk Police and can also be used to request a visit by SCC’s ANPR team. The Parish Council will produce a flyer advising residents of who to contact if they witness speeding or a crash and the Village Hall Committee kindly agreed this could be printed on the back of their next flyer which they will be delivering across the village.
Other members of public raised concerns about application DC/25/2997/FUL which will be considered by ESC’s planning committee next week. It was agreed that the Parish Council will contact ESC about some of these concerns and will request that if consent is granted, some additional conditions are added to offer further mitigation for the nearest residents.
Chair’s Report
The Chair was pleased to report that the solar panel powered Speed Indicator Devices are now in situ outside Garnetts Gardens and near the church. The battery powered SID outside the Village Hall is now working again, but he advised that the battery needs changing frequently. He will need assistance to put the SID up at Lower Hacheston due to safety and access issues with there being no pavement here.
Clerk’s Report
Glevering Park Solar Application: East Suffolk Council’s Planning Committee will consider the Glevering Ancona Solar application (DC/25/2997/FUL) on 28 July. A site meeting was held on 13 July.
CIL Funds: East Suffolk Council has confirmed that Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds cannot be used for the village lunch donation.
SALC AGM: The Clerk attended the Suffolk Association of Local Councils (SALC) AGM on 9th July, which included a presentation on the use of AI in councils. Jonathan Agar was elected as the new SALC President.
AGAR: The Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) and all related statutory documents have been submitted and published. The public rights inspection period ran from 3rd June to 14th July, and no requests to inspect the accounts were received.
HMRC Mileage Rates: The approved HMRC mileage allowance rate has increased to 55p per mile.
Register of Interests: Councillors are no longer required to publish their home address on the public Register of Interests and may replace it with the prescribed statutory wording if they wish.
Local Government Reorganisation: Suffolk County Council has voted to legally challenge the Government’s proposals for local government reorganisation, which would create three unitary authorities in Suffolk.
Better Recycling Rollout: Some initial issues have been reported following the introduction of East Suffolk Council’s Better Recycling service. Residents are encouraged to use the East Suffolk Council app for updates and collection information and are thanked for their patience.
Village Hall: Jennie Giesen has taken over as Chair of the Village Hall Committee.
Community Governance Review (CGR): Parham Parish Council does not wish to pursue a Community Governance Review presently, but Councillors are happy to work collaboratively on shared issues.
Financial Matters
- The following payments were considered. It was agreed to make all payments, including the mowing one when the invoice is received:
Amount Payee Details £100.00 G. Whiting Mowing carried out July 2026 £301.12 HMRC PAYE to 05.07.2026 £1,194.93 L. Kindred Pay to 30.06.26 £400.00 Hacheston Church Donation towards churchyard upkeep - Receipts were noted:
- 08/02/2026 Barclays- Interest £14.53
- Payments since the last meeting were noted:
- 08/06/2026 Net World Sports – Basketball Hoop £683.00 (CIL)
- 08/06/2026 Core Leisure Ltd- Table tennis table £979.78 (CIL)
- Bank balances & CCLA deposit funds as at 30.06.2026:
- Community Account: £3,382.24
- Deposit Account: £5,781.89
- CCLA funds: £27,384.11
- The bank statements and bank reconciliation were received and signed by the Examining Councillor.
- The year-to-date accounts were received and these were in line with the budget.
- The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding statement received from East Suffolk Council, together with the associated expenditure deadlines, was noted. The next tranche of funding (£3,272.79) is not due to expire until April 2027 and has already been allocated to approved projects. The Council currently has in excess of £6,000 of committed CIL expenditure awaiting invoicing. The next uncommitted allocation is not required to be spent until April 2028.
Village Sign Project
It was agreed that a working group be established to progress the Village Sign Project. Cllrs Hurlock, Judd and Perry volunteered to be on the group and will meet to consider options and report their findings and recommendations to the Council.
The Clerk will try to obtain quotes for the renovation of the existing village sign, including options for retaining it in its current location or relocating it elsewhere within the village.
Traffic Calming Measures
This was discussed at length during the public forum. The clerk will carry out the actions as agreed.
Planning Applications
The following planning applications were considered:
- DC/26/2294/FUL Ivy Cottage, The Street, Hacheston, IP13 0DT Two storey rear extension- it was agreed not to submit a comment on this application.
- DC/26/2106/VOC Land Rear of Phoenix House and Fieldgate House The Street Variation of conditions 2, 3 and 5 of DC/24/3484/FUL - Demolition of existing outbuilding and erection of new single storey dwelling - Amended design and amended layout- It was agreed to support this application.
The following recent planning decisions were noted:
- DC/26/1277/FUL Ivy Cottage The Street Hacheston Woodbridge Suffolk IP13 0DT Domestic annexe and domestic workshop Status: Refused
- DC/24/4527/FUL Land At Blomvyle Hall Easton Lane Hacheston Status: Permitted
The Chair sought Councillors’ permission to extend the meeting, as per Standing Orders.
Correspondence Received
River Ore Water Quality Report June 2026 – 4 Rivers Recovery Project – Noted and this will be published on the village website.
Offer of a painting of All Saints Church, possibly to be raffled or auctioned for the benefit of the Church or Council. The clerk will respond thanking the resident. If the painting is still available, the Parish Council would seek an estimated valuation and would then make a donation to the Church for it and offer it on long-term loan to the Village Hall to be displayed for the benefit of the village.
A complaint regarding the condition of the churchyard - It was noted that improvement works have been carried out last week. Whilst the Parish Council is not responsible for the maintenance of the churchyard, it had approved a donation earlier in the meeting towards the cost of the works to support the church.
Various items of correspondence regarding Battery Energy Storage Systems and bat surveys regarding the Ancona planning application- This was discussed during the public forum.
Planning consultation DC/26/2218/FUL Proposal: Change of use of existing barn to Padel Courts and associated works Bridge Farm, Ashe Road, Lower Hacheston, (Consultation expired 15th July)
Planning Consultation: DC/26/2203/FUL New Self Storage Building with parking area Bridge Farm Ashe Road Lower Hacheston IP13 0AA (Consultation expired 15th July)
Objections from a resident to planning applications DC/26/2218/FUL and DC/26/2203/FUL- these were noted. The resident also responded directly to ESC.
Email concerned that SCC’s verge cutting and maintenance is happening in summer and the detrimental impact on wildlife of this- SCC has been contacted although it was noted that due to the amount of verges across the county that need cutting, the mowing has to extend over several months and some areas will have to be cut later in the season.
Parish Councillors’ Reports on Any Actions
Cllr. Montgomery attended the latest Sizewell Transport Forum.
The Village Hall’s recent application for Sizewell C Community funding was unsuccessful, due to the Park and Ride in the Village not yet being in full use and it therefore not being considered that Hacheston is sufficiently adversely affected by the development yet.
Cllr. Perry will be conducting a Remembrance Service at the Church on 8th November and everyone is warmly invited to attend.
Matters to be Raised at the Next Meeting
- Update from the working group on the village sign
- ESC Planning Committee’s response to application DC/25/2997/FUL
The next meeting was confirmed as being 7pm on 16th September 2026.
The Chair thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting at 9.25pm.
Signed ……………………………….
Date ………………………………….