16 October 2024 Minutes

At the Meeting of Firsby Group Parish Council held at 7.00 pm on Wednesday 16 October 2024 in Little Steeping Village Hall.

Present: Mr R. Kidd, who took the Chair;

Mr R. Heane; Mrs S. Wilford; Mr S. Roachford; Mr R. Currie; Mr G. Holmes and two members of the public.

Apologies were received from Mr C. Moore; Mr R. Harman; Miss H. Smithson Whitehead; Mr A. Brewer; Mrs C. Brewer and LCC Cllr Mrs W. Bowkett.

Mr Siddon addressed the Council regarding the licence for Kelsey Wood Country Park.  Despite numerous requests to ELDC, LCC and Wendy Bowkett he is not getting anywhere.  He stated that he is trying to sell his lodge and has been informed by his solicitor that a copy of the licence will need to be included in his legal pack.  The solicitor also told Mr Siddon that a normal transfer of a site licence should take no longer than 30 days and as this has not been done, the site should not be trading.  Mr Siddon asked if the Parish Council could intervene on his behalf.  It was agreed to write to ELDC and ask questions on Mr Siddon's behalf with a request that a reply should be received within 14 days of receipt of the letter.  It was also agreed to copy Wendy Bowkett and Richard Tice MP into the letter.

1.  Minutes of the last Meeting

With the amendment to paragraph 7 item 2: £80 for the year should read £80 per acre.  It was agreed that these be signed as a correct record of the proceedings.

2.  Matters arising from the minutes of the last meeting

Miss Smithson Whitehead has circulated and submitted a response to the National Planning Policy Framework Consultation on behalf of Bratoft and the Firsby Group Parish Council.

An email has been received giving the owner of the land near Meadow View, Summergates Lane, Bratoft permission to access the land to clear the ivy from the overgrown Horse Chestnut tree.

3.   County Councillor's Report

Cllr Bowkett sent her apologies and the following report:

"LCC are challenging National Grid, they have sent a list of questions with a timeline for a response,  they will instruct legal action if not responded to.

There is public meeting for the proposed nuclear waste site in Theddlethorpe, it is being held at the Dunes in Mablethorpe Saturday 19th October and Wednesday 23rd October.

There is a fake universal credit app and text messages that are going around at present people are being warned if they receive a text message from Universal Credit UK this is a scam.

After the over topping of the beck two weeks ago, I met with the EA and Lindsey Marsh in Great Steeping. The EA's officers took levels from upstream to downstream, we spoke to residents both in Sandy Lane and Old Church Lane.

The findings will be added to the section 19s from October, we will await to see the results which should be published by next month.

If you would like to discuss the events please get in touch and I can arrange to come out to great steeping.

Lindsey Marsh should be starting with their machine on the Lady Wath for the other sections either next week or at the latest the following week."

4.   Correspondence

a)  Email received from Lincolnshire County Council, Samantha Hardy, regarding a joint letter of thanks regarding the Greater Lincolnshire Devolution.  No action taken.

b)  Email received from the Quickline Community Engagement Team regarding introducing themselves as a company who will be rolling out of full fibre broadband in the surrounding areas. Email sent forward to Parish Councillors for information.

c)  Email received from Steve Eason-Harris regarding a community resilience program.  It was agreed to invite him to the next Parish Council meeting.

5.   Plans

Application No S/064/01319/24 by Ladywath Ltd for Planning Permission - Erection of 3 no. dwellings on site of an existing agricultural building which is to be demolished at Poplar Farm, Great Steeping Road, Monksthorpe.  It was agreed to support this application.

Application No S/020/01340/24 by Mr & Mrs Everard for Planning Permission - Change of use, extensions, alterations and partial demolition of existing agricultural building to provide a dwelling at Grove House Farm, Burgh Lane, Bratoft.  It was agreed to support this application.

Amended Application No S/051/01339/24 by Mr P Gilbert for Panning Permission - Erection of a calf shed at Barn View, Wainfleet Road, Firsby.  It was agreed to support this application.

Application No S/064/01297/24 by Mr W Grant for Section 73 application to vary condition no. 2 (approved plans) as previously imposed on planning permission reference S/064/02495/23 for extensions and alterations to existing dwelling to provide additional living accommodation at Poplar Farm, Great Steeping Road, Monksthorpe.  It was agreed to support this application.

Application No S/051/01441/24 by Mr & Mrs Gilbert for Planning Permission - Extension to existing dwelling to provide additional living accommodation including extension to domestic garden at The Shambles, Wainfleet Road, Firsby.  It was agreed to support this application.

Full Planning Permission has been granted on conditions - erection of a calf shed at Barn View, Wainfleet Road, Firsby.

Refusal of Planning Permission - Erection of a bungalow with the construction of vehicular access at Bridgewood, Fendyke Road, Firsby.

Refusal of Planning Permission - Change of use of land to provide 8 no. glamping pitches, excavation of land to form a wildlife pond and an embankment and internal access road at Woodlands, Summergates Lane, Bratoft.

6.   Highways

Notification has been received for temporary traffic restriction Little Steeping for level crossing maintenance.  Road Closure Little Steeping Level Crossing (Station Road) during the period 19/10/24 - 23/10/24.

It was agreed to re-report the following matters:

Burgh Lane, Irby in the Marsh, there are several potholes that need repairing.   This is a well used road and is not fit for purpose.

Oxlands Lane, Irby in the Marsh, South side has several deep potholes and rising in the middle of the road that needs repairing.

Mill Lane, Irby in the Marsh, the passing places, on this busy stretch of road need repairing.

It was agreed to inform Highways that the Parish Council totally disagree that the dip in the road on the B1195, Irby in the Marsh, just before Brickyard House is not bad enough to repair and agreed to re-report it as drivers are using the oncoming carriageway to avoid driving over the dip.

It was also agreed to ask Highways whether the undulations are going to levelled out before the scheduled resurfacing of the Little Steeping to Thorpe road

7.   Any Other Business

Mr Heane addressed the Parish Council about the recent flooding in Great Steeping.  He stated that the Lady Wath Beck came over at the back of Sandy Lane, Great Steeping flooding the campsite, Anthony Marston's home again and other properties in Sandy Lane and Old Church Lane.  It was a different scenario this time. The doors at Havenhouse were left closed.  The pumping station was pumping all the time and there was room in the Steeping River to take the extra water.  Mr Heane stated understandably, that these flooding events have a devastating effect on the residents of Great Steeping.

Mr Heane stated that the reeds in the Lady Wath Beck are not being removed, just the tops are being chopped off.  This is a particular problem where the Lady Wath Beck meets the Steeping River as the junction is blocked up with reeds. Mrs Wilford produced a copy of the EA's silt survey dated 20 October 2019 which showed the silt levels in the Lady Wath Beck were high and it was supposed to be cleared out.  Silt is also not being removed. 

Mr Heane also stated that since the flooding in Great Steeping the sandbags have been removed but the road closure signs were left behind.  These have been placed against the hedge.

Miss Smithson Whitehead reported that she attended the Ossian consultation at Aby.

Ossian is a proposed floating wind farm development offshore to be located off the Scottish coast. It is proposed electricity from this development be transmitted subsea and come onshore in the Anderby area, go underground to the proposed Alford substation with some of the power then split with some transmitted in the Grimsby to Walpole pylon network to the Spalding infrastructure and the rest put underground to Spalding infrastructure. They are investigating working in collaboration with EG3 & 4 underground route. They will need the pylon network too to cope with high generation days of wind power production.

They are also looking at Hydrogen power storage and electricity generation at the land fall substations (Alford?) so they can fully utilise all wind energy generated, although it is widely agreed hydrogen generation via electrolysis is not economically viable!

Ossian have been told they cannot go subsea to Spalding area -Weston Marsh as the salt marsh approach would need to be trenched not underground, due to the geology, a trench would disturb the bird life. Also, it could have an adverse effect on the mollusc population.

Feedback requested to:

Website: ossiantransmission.com  

Email: info@ossiantransmission.com

Write to freepost Ossian transmission

Mr Currie also attended a meeting in Spalding and stated that there was no information and they had not looked at any routes yet.  Mrs Wilford stated that this was because there was no planning permission at the moment so nothing can be decided.

Mr Kidd asked if the Parish Council were agreeable to place a wreath at the RAF Memorial, Spilsby at the Remembrance Day service on 10 November.  It was agreed that this should be done.

8.   Accounts

It was agreed to pass the following accounts for payment: 

Little Steeping Village Hall  for use of room £24

Little Steeping Village Hall, Rental received for land on Ings Lane £80

Remembrance Day Wreath £24.49.