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BELCHAMP ST PAUL & BELCHAMP OTTEN PARISH COUNCIL |
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Welcome to the Belchamp St Paul and Belchamp Otten Parish Council website
Contact Clerk: Diane Smith
Tel: 01787 279288 / 07773 393513
E-mail: belchamps.pc@gmail.com
Belchamp St Paul and Belchamp Otten are situated in the beautiful Stour Valley on the Essex/Suffolk border.
A distintive landscape with many ancient villages that has inspired such famous artists as John Constable and Thomas Gainsborough. The Belchamps are mentioned in the Domesday Book.
These two beautiful villages, deep in the heart of East Anglia, each have a public house and Belchamp St Paul also has a very well respected Primary School and The Community House.
PARISH NOTICE BOARD
2023 PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS ON 4 MAY (Posted 6 April 2023)
BDC has published the Nomination Lists for Belchamp St Paul and Belchamp Otten parishes and in both cases this will be an uncontested election. 6 valid nominations were received for BSP and 7 seats are available so the final seat will be filled by co-option. 4 valid nominations were received for Belchamp Otten and there are 4 seats available so all are filled. With effect from 8 May the Councillors for BSP will be Harvey Bamford, Ruth Carter, Robin Lock, David McKee, David Middleditch and John Pheby and for Belchamp Otten the Councillors will be, Holly Chaplin, Sarah Mardon, Tony MOney and Hannah Rumsey.
ANNUAL REPORTS FROM OUR COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLORS
(Posted 29 March 2023)
These Reports can be found under the 'Minutes' tab of the website.
PARISH COUNCILLOR ELECTIONS ON 4 MAY 2023 (Posted 25 March 2023)
Parish Councillor elections take place every 4 years and the next election is on Thursday 4 May 2023. If you are interested in standing for election Nomination papers may be obtained from the Returning Officer at Braintree District Council, Causeway House, Bocking End, Braintree CM7 9HB during office opening hours (9am-5pm Monday to Friday).
Completed nomination papers must be delivered by hand to the Returning Officer during office opening hours not later than Tuesday 4 April 2023 at 4pm.
PC MEETING DATES FOR 2023 (Posted 29 December 2022)
Parish Council meetings will be held on the following dates in 2023: 17 January, 28 February, 4 April (starting at 8pm as it follows the BSP Annual Assembly), 16 May (Annual Council meeting), 4 July, 5 September, 17 October and 28 November.
The Annual Assembly meetings will be held on Monday 3 April for Belchamp Otten (in The Red Lion) and on Tuesday 4 April for Belchamp St Paul (in The Community House).
All meetings will start at 7.30pm unless stated otherwise. The public are welcome to attend all meetings.
DISTRICT AND COUNTY COUNCILLOR REPORTS TO BE PUBLISHED ON THE PC WEBSITE (Posted 31 October 2022)
Following a suggestion from a resident at the last PC meeting, the PC will in future be publishing the reports from our District Councillor Iona Parker and County Councillor Peter Schwier which are provided for each PC meeting. These can be found under the 'Minutes' tab.
PROPOSAL TO SITE A SOLAR FARM OFF BAKERS ROAD, BELCHAMP ST PAUL (Posted September 2022)
You will all have recently received a hand delivered leaflet from the developers (BSR Energy) providing details about their proposed solar farm off Bakers Road, Belchamp St Paul.
BSR Energy are holding their own consultation, to obtain the views of residents of Belchamp St Paul and neighbouring villages, which runs until 16 October 2022.
The Parish Council urge all residents to take the time to study the proposal. It is important that as many local people as possible take part in this consultation and provide feedback, as this could influence the details in the final planning application when it is submitted to BDC.
Details of the scheme can be found online at www.BSRknowlgreen.co.uk .
NEW COUNCILLOR FOR BELCHAMP OTTEN (Posted 6 September 2022)
At the September PC meeting, Hannah Rumsey was co-opted onto the PC, to fill the vacancy to represent Belchamp Otten. We hope that she will enjoy her new Parish Councillor role.
PC ACCOUNTS FOR 2021-22 (Posted 11 June 2022)
The PC Accounts for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 were approved at the Parish Council meeting held on 24 May 2022. Please go to the "Accounts Documents" tab on this website to view all the Accounts and Audit documents.
BDC ROAD SWEEPING SCHEDULE FOR 2023 (Posted )
BDC will be carrying out road channel sweeping in both Belchamp St Paul and Belchamp Otten on the dates listed below. They request that residents avoid parking on the road on these days so that the sweeper has clear access to the road channels. Thank you for your co-operation.
Dates will be published as soon as they are confirmed.
VILLAGE DESIGN CODE WORKING GROUP (Posted 12 June 2022)
The PC are producing a Village Design Code and are in the process of setting up a Working Group to take the project forward. Help is required to cover many aspects of the project, from becoming a member of the Working Group, to taking photos of village views and features, to drafting a Questionnaire, to delivering leaflets, the options are endless. If you are interested in getting involved with the project, in whatever capacity, please get in touch with the Clerk.
PRODUCTION OF A VILLAGE DESIGN CODE FOR BELCHAMP ST PAUL AND BELCHAMP OTTEN (Posted 10 October/ Revised 30 December 2021)
The PC are keen to produce a Village Design Code (VDC) for our two villages but they will need the involvement of as many residents as possible to assist with the process. A VDC enables a parish to have greater influence in the planning process and in particular the appearance of any new development/ extension in their area. This includes specifying materials to be used, proportions, energy saving features and ground surfaces. Whilst it is not a Statutory Document a VDC is a ‘material consideration’ which Braintree District Council will take into account when considering all local planning applications.
The first step will be to hold a Community Workshop in Spring 2022 and a Working Group will then be formed to take the project forward. The Working Group will seek the views of all residents before producing the VDC.
Whether you would be willing to become a member of the Working Group, or be happy to do ‘the legwork’ (delivering household survey forms, taking photographs or maybe setting up displays for Drop In sessions) we need your help. Perhaps your talents lie in graphic design, social media or the collation of data? If maintaining the character of our villages is important to you and you would be interested in helping with this project, in whatever capacity, please contact the Clerk.
PC ACCOUNTS FOR 2020-21 (Posted 7 June 2021)
The PC Accounts for the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 were approved at the Parish Council meeting held on 18 May 2021. Please go to the "Accounts Documents" tab on this website to view all the Accounts and Audit documents.
DEFIBRILLATOR AT BELCHAMP OTTEN
Following a successful application for funding to the National Lottery, a defibrillator has been installed in the former Telephone Box, The Street, Belchamp Otten CO10 7BG for use by residents in an emergency (to restart someone's heart). The defibrillator is in a locked cabinet and in an emergency you need to dial '999' (from your mobile phone) to obtain the code to release it. The machine then 'talks you through' exactly what you need to do, step by step, to operate it successfully. Anyone can therefore use it at any time.
Please note that there is also a further defibrillator on the outside wall of The Community House in Belchamp St Paul which was installed a couple of years ago.
PLEASE NOTE THAT TRAINING IS NOT ESSENTIAL TO USE THE DEFIBRILLATOR AS DETAILED VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS ARE PROVIDED DURING OPERATION.
EMERGENCY SUPPLY OF BDC RECYCLING RUBBISH BAGS (Posted 2016)
All households receive a regular supply of Recycling Bags direct from BDC. If however you run out before the next scheduled delivery you can obtain an emergency supply from the Clerk.
ANGLIAN WATER LAUNCH "POLLUTION WATCH" (Posted 2016)
AW have launched a new campaign to ensure that all incidents of sewage pollution are dealt with as quickly as possible to minimise the impact on the environment. They are investing £5.5m in network maintenance but if you spot any potential sewage pollution issues you can ring their dedicated Pollution Hotline 03457 145145 to report them and so enable them to respond sooner and look after our rivers and waterways.
UK POWER NETWORKS - PRIORITY SERVICES REGISTER FOR VULNERABLE RESIDENTS (Posted 2016)
UK Power Networks are the people who are responsible for keeping the electricity on in our area, regardless of your chosen energy supplier. They own and maintain all the electricity lines and cables. They keep a list of ‘vulnerable residents’ on their Priority Services Register so that if there is a power cut they can ensure that those who need it will receive extra support. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they can get the power back on more quickly but they can provide a priority 24 hour telephone number/ regular text or phone updates/ extra support from the British Red Cross to visit your home during an emergency (they’ll check with you first).
If you are elderly or disabled, have young children or rely on specialised medical equipment then you can apply to go onto the Priority Services Register at www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority.
DEFIBRILLATOR AT THE COMMUNITY HOUSE, BELCHAMP ST PAUL (Posted 2015)
A defibrillator has been installed on the front wall of The Community House for use by residents in an emergency (to restart someone's heart). The defibrillator is in a locked cabinet and in an emergency you need to dial '999' (from your mobile phone) to obtain the code to release it. The machine then 'talks you through' exactly what you need to do, step by step, to operate it successfully. Anyone can therefore use it at any time.
The Parish Council organised a defibrillator training session, run by Essex Ambulance Service, on 25 February 2016 to allow local residents to familiarise themselves with the defibrillator and receive some basic First Aid advise. Everyone who attended found this very useful. If you missed this training session but would be interested in future sessions please contact the Parish Clerk Diane Smith. If there is sufficient interest more training sessions may be arranged.
PLEASE NOTE THAT TRAINING IS NOT ESSENTIAL TO USE THE DEFIBRILLATOR AS DETAILED VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS ARE PROVIDED DURING OPERATION.