PARISH OF GREAT FINBOROUGH

Report of the April Parish Council Meeting
The Parish Council voted for Richard Brice to continue as Chairman and Mark Brewster to continue as Vice Chairman. Rodney Self will continue as Tree Warden. The footbridge to develop a circular village walk has been constructed by a working party at Pear Tree Place. PC Support Officer, Claire Cox, has issued parking tickets to those who park inconsiderately or dangerously in the village, especially when dropping off or collecting children from school. She has also been following up complaints about dog fouling.

The next two Parish Council meetings will be on Monday 7 July and Monday 1 September 2008 at 7.30pm in the main hall at Pettiward Hall.
Lucinda Rogers

Coming soon…..
Village Appraisal 2008
It’s now ten years since the last Great Finborough Village Appraisal. Much has changed and much hasn’t, but as we consider the management of our community facilities anew - including the Pettiward Hall – it is important that the Parish and Community Councils have up-to-date information on what residents think. Watch out for the appraisal questionnaire which we expect to drop through your letterbox during September.
Richard Brice

Great Finborough Community Council
At the meeting on 27 May 2008 Debbie Ball was elected as Treasurer. Work on the village appraisal questionnaire was discussed. The sub-group was meeting to review a draft. Progress towards grant approval for the village play area was noted. The Youth group was discussed. The sub-group dealing with the Pettiward hall reported on a recent examination of drainage and noted an architect has submitted a report. A second architect’s opinion may also be sought. The conservation area and grass cutting were discussed.
Mark Brewster

Date of next meeting: see Village Diary.

News from your District Councillor - John Matthissen
Aircraft Flight Paths and Stacking - NATS
It is becoming clear that the proposal to stack over Suffolk aircraft awaiting permission to land at Stansted may impose considerable noise on our villages, which are at the edge of the circuit put forward. Information is available at libraries or from www.nats.co.uk/TCNconsultation or TCN Consultation, NATS, Freepost NAT22750 Reading RG1 4BR. Mid Suffolk District Council have now formally objected. The consultation period has been extended to 19 June, so there is still time to add to the volume of objections.

Planning Applications - If you are considering work that may require planning permission, please get in touch with the planning department at Needham Market at an early stage. We encourage a scheme called "pre-application discussion." This usually involves a planning officer, a member of the parish council and me meeting with the applicant and architect or agent on site, so that everyone understands what is being proposed. Guidance can be provided as to what is likely to be approved, and what is against policy and likely to be refused. There is no fee for this, and it can save the applicant time and money in not submitting applications that will fail, whilst helping to shape schemes with a good chance of acceptance.

Suffolk Car Share - You could make your contribution to a greener world and save yourself money in the process by trying car-sharing!

SuffolkCarShare.com is a car sharing website administered by Suffolk ACRE and is the best way to find a match for a journey within Suffolk, or starting in Suffolk. It is FREE to register with SuffolkCarShare and the website provides a FREE matching service for you to find someone, or more than one person, with whom to share your journey. That journey may be for daily travel to and from work, or perhaps a one-off journey to a concert or other social activity. You can make significant savings on the annual cost of running a vehicle by sharing just a couple of times a week – possibly up to £1,000 a year. . .

There are already some 950 members registered with SuffolkCarShare.com and this number continues to grow, improving the chances of successfully finding a suitable match for your journey. To learn more just log on to www.SuffolkCarShare.com where you can register and start sharing!                                                  

Key Safes - Suffolk Acre offers a keysafe supply and fitting service. Firstly those people who receive free care through Suffolk County Council will be eligible for a free keysafe and fitting. Enquiries for this should be directed to their social worker or Suffolk County Council. For those people not receiving free care from the council and therefore not eligible for a free keysafe they operate a supply and fitting scheme. See pricing structure below:

John Matthissen

Please get in touch if you have a problem with which I, as your District Councillor, may be able to help. Telephone between 9am and 9pm, on 01449 771742, email to john.matthissen@midsuffolk.gov.uk or write to me at 3 Wash Lane Corner, Great Finborough, Stowmarket IP14 3BJ