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BELCHAMP ST PAUL & BELCHAMP OTTEN PARISH COUNCIL
     

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 

 

VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT CODE EXHIBITIONS (Posted 20 September) 

In April 2022 the PC held a Public Meeting to discuss the production of a Village Design Code. A Working Group was set up to progress the project but in the meantime the National Planning Policy Framework has been amended so what was the Village Design Code is now to be known as the Village Development Code, to mirror the terminology used in the revised NPPF.
The PC would like to invite you to either one of the Local Development Code meetings being held over the next couple of weeks. These will be interactive exhibitions where we will be sharing the information gathered so far by the Working Group, with the intention of receiving village participation and feedback. The information we hope to receive will be valuable in directing the focus of our final Belchamp St Paul and Belchamp Otten Local Development Code document, making sure that we are actively voicing the views and opinions of the entire community.
You may have seen the roadside signs that have been put out on Cole Green, BSP and at The Street, Belchamp Otten but if you haven't then please note the following dates:
Belchamp St Paul Exhibition - 28 September 2023 from 7:30pm, at The Community House
Belchamp Otten Exhibition - 4 October 2023 from 7:30pm, at The Red Lion
The Exhibition events will follow a 'Drop In' format so please just pop along at a time to suit you. 

If you could spread the word then that would be great. We hope to see you all there!!

 

ECC PROPOSAL TO WITHDRAW THE DaRT3 MINIBUS SERVICE IN NORTH WEST ESSEX (Posted 12 September)

ECC are undertaking a review of all their bus services via a Passenger Transport Consultation which runs until 5 October 2023. For the last few years our villages have been serviced by the 'demand responsive' DaRT3 minibus scheme rather than by a conventional bus service. The current ECC review is proposing to withdraw the DaRT3 scheme because of a lack of passenger numbers. This will leave our villages with no public transport service. It is unlikely that we can stop the cessation of the DaRT3 service but it might be possible, if enough people request it, for ECC to replace it with a much more limited timetabled service consisting of just 1 or 2 buses a week. This would mean that they need to know what day(s) and time(s) people would be most likely to use a bus service and for what purpose.

We are asking residents who currently use the buses, or who may wish to do so in future, to complete the ECC Consultation Survey. This can be found at the dedicated website 

  https://consultations.essex.gov.uk/iptu/2023/consultation/subpage.2023-06-16.4450127625/ 

Paper copies can be obtained from ECC by ringing 0345 743 0430. These need to be returned by post by the 5 October deadline.

It is very important that we get as many people as possible to respond to this consultation, effectively stating when they wish to travel, where they wish to go and for what purpose. The hope will be that ECC can then design a service which fulfils people's needs and is used by enough people to make it viable. 

 

SOLAR FARM PLANNING APPLICATION 23/01413/FUL - NOTIFICATION OF A RE-CONSULTATION (Posted 7 September)

On 5 September, BDC publicised a re-consultation on the application because BSR had submitted revised documents consisting of:
1. A revised Location Plan which now shows the red line defining the site boundary, being extended to include the route of the trench for the feed cable to the substation. 
2. A revised Layout Plan which incorporates an enlarged view of the site compound "for clarity"
3. The applicants have also changed the official description of the proposal from "Erection of solar photovoltaic (PV) array with a total export capacity of up to 49.99MW" to " Installation and operation of a renewable energy generating station comprising ground-mounted photovoltaic solar arrays, together with switchgear container, inverter/transformer units, Site access, internal access tracks, security measures, access gates, under-ground cabling, temporary construction compound and other ancillary infrastructure and landscaping and biodiversity enhancements".
 
BDC have confirmed that the revised description and red line change gave rise to the need for a new site notice which in turn made it necessary to perform a re-consultation. BDC have also confirmed that they expect further revisions from the applicant in due course but that they hope to combine all these into one final re-consultation on the further changes in due course. 
The current revisions do not materially affect the application from the PC's point of view so it is not considered necessary to submit any further response at this time. Resident's who have already submitted individual comments to BDC on the application are likely to be in the same position, although this is a decision each resident must take for themselves.

NEW COUNCILLOR FOR BELCHAMP ST PAUL     (Posted 7 September)

At the September PC meeting, Dominic Curran was co-opted onto the PC, to fill the vacancy to represent Belchamp St Paul. We hope that he will enjoy his new Parish Councillor role.

DEFIBRILLATOR AT THE COMMUNITY HOUSE, BSP - OUT OF SERVICE (Posted 5 September) 

Please note that the defibrillator on the front wall of The Community House is currently out of service because of a battery problem. The PC have been liaising with the East of England Ambulance Trust to rectify the issue but this is taking longer than expected to resolve. The nearest alternative defibrillator can be found in the former Telephone Box, The Street, Belchamp Otten (about 1.5 miles away). This website will be updated as soon as the defibrillator comes back into service.

SOLAR FARM PLANNING APPLICATION 23/01413/FUL - PC SUBMISSION TO BDC

The PC submitted their objection to the above planning application to BDC on 23 August. Full copies of the 'main submission' and '2 supplementary comments' can be found on the BDC Planning Portal website by searching for the application number (as above) and then pressing the 'Documents' tab.

SOLAR FARM PLANNING APPLICATION _ RESULT OF VOTE

The Clerk and the Chairman have checked the voting slips relating to the planning application for a solar farm in Bakers Road, BSP and the result is as follows:

Total number of valid voting slips     130

Number of votes supporting the solar farm application    31

Number of votes opposing the solar farm application      99

The PC will therefore be submitting a letter of objection to the solar farm application to BDC.

The Parish Council would like to thank everyone who participated in the consultation process by either attending the public meeting and/or submitting a voting slip.

All residents are strongly encouraged to submit their individual comments on the application, be they in support or in opposition to the proposal, direct to BDC via the Planning Portal. The application reference number is 23/01413/FUL and the deadline for comments to be submitted to BDC is 25 August 2023.

SOLAR FARM PLANNING APPLICATION - PUBLIC MEETING ON 3 AUGUST 

A planning application has been submitted to BDC, by BSR Energy, to construct a Solar Panel Array on 52.88 hectares of land off Bakers Road, Belchamp St Paul. The application number is 23/01413/FUL and copies of all the documents submitted can be accessed via the Braintree District Council website Planning Portal. It will be BDC who make a decision on the application but the PC are able to submit their comments on the proposal for consideration by the BDC Planning Committee.

The Parish Council invite all residents of Belchamp St Paul and Belchamp Otten, to attend a Public Meeting on Thursday 3 August to discuss the application and obtain resident's views on the proposal, prior to submitting their comments to BDC. The meeting will be held in St Andrew's Church, Church Street, Belchamp St Paul  CO10 7DJ at 7.30pm and the PC hope that as many residents as possible will take the opportunity to attend and provide their views.

During the meeting a Voting Slip will be provided to all attendees and the PC will adopt the position expressed by the majority of those who have voted in their response to BDC. For anyone who is unable to attend the meeting in person but wishes to record a vote, you can ask a friend or neighbour to pick up a Voting Slip for you at the meeting or alternatively a Voting Slip can be downloaded/printed from the PC website after 3 August. These paper forms must then be returned to the Clerk (The Bays, Gages Road, Belchamp St Paul CO10 7BX) by 5pm on Thursday 10 August. The result of the vote will be published on the PC website on 12 August.

Residents are also strongly encouraged to submit their individual comments on the application direct to BDC via the Planning Portal. At the request of the PC, BDC has agreed to extend the deadline for comments from residents to 25 August 2023 (although at the present time the deadline showing on the BDC has not yet been updated).

Please come along and HAVE YOUR SAY !

PARISH COUNCIL ACCOUNTS AND AUDIT FOR 2022-23  (Posted 4 June 2023) 

The PC Accounts and Audit Return, for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, were approved at the Parish Council meeting held on 16 May 2023. Please go to the "Accounts Documents" tab on this website to view all the Accounts and Audit documents.  

2023 PARISH COUNCIL ELECTION ON 4 MAY - RESULTS (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.

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 on the website 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.

BDC ROAD SWEEPING SCHEDULE FOR 2023   (Posted 6 March 2023)

 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.

Monday 20 February,  Friday 26 May, Tuesday 29 August and Tuesday 28 November 2023.

VILLAGE DESIGN CODE WORKING GROUP (Updated 4 June 2023)

The PC are producing a Village Design Code and have set 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. 

 

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.