Meetings
All meetings of Birch Parish Council are open to the public and the Council particularly welcomes the attendance of residents in the Parish. At meetings, members of the public may ask questions relating to the work and services of the Council. Questions cannot always be answered immediately but will be dealt with appropriately.
Anyone wishing to have an item placed on the agenda for discussion at a Parish Council meeting should notify the Clerk not less than seven days prior to the meeting.
Parish Council Meetings in 2012
Meetings are usually held on the first Tuesday of each month except August.
They are held in Birch Memorial Hall, starting at 7-30pm.
Meetings are scheduled to take place on the following dates:
February 7th.
March 6th.
April 10th. (to include the End of Year Meeting)
May 1st. (to include the Annual General Meeting of the Council)
June 12th.
July 3rd.
(No meeting in August)
September 4th.
October 2nd.
November 6th.
December 4th.
Press Releases
After each meeting the Parish Council issues a press release summarising the discussions and decisions taken at that meeting. The texts of recent press releases are reproduced below.
3rd January 2012 • 6th December 2011 • 1st November 2011
The formal minutes of a meeting are not available until they have been approved at the next meeting of the Council. Approved minutes of previous meetings are available as downloads, in MS Word format, from the Minutes page of this website.
Press Release following the Meeting held on 3rd January 2012.
At the recent monthly meeting of Birch Parish Council the following items were discussed and agreed:
The next "Police Beat Surgery" meetings will be held at Birch Tea Room and Gallery on 27 January, 24 February, 23 March & 20 April, between 11.30 and 1 pm.
The Police reported that there had been a total of three recorded crimes in the Birch and in Layer de la Haye areas since the last meeting.
There were no new planning applications to discuss. Three previous applications at 1 Hollingtons Row, Birch School & 16 Birch Street have been approved by CBC. An application for an extension at 10 Birch Way has been refused.
Work on the Birch Wildlife Initiative has started at the Play Area site. So far the fence and notice board have been installed. A new grant application to the "Woodland Trust" for 430 hedge plants has been successful and delivery is expected at the end of January. The new hedging will be installed at the Play Area and to the rear of St Peters Graveyard.
Incidents of Fly Tipping were reported this month in Luard Way, Birch Street and Pudding Lane. The incident in Pudding Lane included a large amount of asbestos guttering which has been reported to CBC for clearance as soon as possible.
The poor condition of the road surface in Pudding Lane has been taken up with Highways by Cllr Bentley. Its present condition is not ideal for vehicles, cycles or pedestrians due to the many holes and uneven edges.
Though many issues of dog fouling have been addressed it still remains a problem and discussions have taken place with CBC to reduce the instances from a health and safety perspective. From January the Parish Council will give CBC a contract to undertake the clearance of litter and dog fouling in and around the Play Area. This will include fines for persistent offenders.
Residents are reminded that the Mobile Library has changed its visiting times into the village from the 3rd of January. There will still be a fortnightly service each Tuesday but visits will be at Luard Way from 10.00 to 10.30 and outside of the school 10.35 to 11.20
It was agreed that the Parish Budget Precept for the coming year should remain unchanged
ECC have reported that Birch Bridge/Dam is no longer suitable for vehicles of 7.5 tons and over. A proposal by ECC to restrict the weight of vehicles using the Bridge/Dam to a weight of 3 tons with a width restriction of 6'- 6" was supported by the Parish Council. A letter will be sent to ECC to clarify various issues relating to the proposal. Any resident who wishes to comment on the new proposal should contact ECC directly by 27 January.
The next Parish Council Meeting will be held at the Village Hall on Tuesday 7th February at 7.30 pm.
PRESS RELEASE ENDS
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Press Release following the Meeting held on 6th December 2011.
At the recent monthly meeting of Birch Parish Council the following items were discussed and agreed:
The next "Police Beat Surgery" meetings will be held at Birch Tea Room and Gallery on 27 January, 24 February, 23 March & 20 April, between 11-30 and 1-00 pm.
The Police reported that there had been two reported crimes; both were cases of fraud involving internet purchases.
Three planning applications were discussed, and no further action was deemed necessary. One previous application at The Old Rectory, School Hill has been approved by CBC and application for an extension at 3 Mill Lane has been declined.
Cllr Ellis reported that the Luard Way footpath was owned by Colchester Borough Homes, who have been asked to correct any damage on the path. As far as it is known all other pedestrian footpath issues have now been resolved. There is still one outstanding issue regarding a local bridleway.
Cllr Bentley reported that as part of the overall cost savings needed to reduce the ECC budget, all highways work is now prioritised with work on large pot holes, flooding and safety issues being addressed first. Other more minor issues will be done when possible but not necessarily straight away.
Following a further grant application for hedging plants, work on the "Birch Wildlife Initiative" has been delayed but should begin at the Play Area during December.
Problems with the school flashing warning signs and the electronic speed sign have been added to a list of other traffic road sign issues that have been brought to the attention of the Highways Dept.
The Parish Council has been unable to find secure storage, suitable locations and someone to take responsibility for distribution of salt during the winter months so will not be participating in the Highways salt bag initiative. After investigation it was noted that a number of other Parish Councils have ordered a salt bag to be stored at local farms but have yet to decide how to distribute the salt throughout their Parishes.
Cllr Bentley reported that the missing salt bin at the junction of Luard Way and Birch Street had been removed by highways and would not be returned as Birch Street was on the list of roads that are gritted by the Council during bad weather.
Though many issues of dog fouling have been addressed, it still remains a problem and further discussions will be held with CBC to see the best way forward to reduce the instances from a health and safety perspective.
There was a good turnout at this year's Remembrance service. The Chairman recorded thanks to the Police for controlling the traffic during the period of silence.
It was noted that ECC are holding a consultation and are reviewing the local bus services and that changes may be made to the number 50 service via Layer Breton.
A letter from RCCE regarding rural housing was discussed but the meeting decided that no further action is necessary at the moment.
The Mobile Library will change its visiting times to the village from the 3rd of January. There will still be a fortnightly service each Tuesday but visits will be at Luard Way from 10-00 to 10-30 am and outside of the school 10-35 to 11-20 am.
The Parish Council has been granted one of the 13 Container Grown Trees (Silver Birch) as part of CBC Greener Parish Initiatives. This will be positioned at Pudding Lane Green to replace a mature tree which was broken at its base during the weekend 5th/6th November.
A large number of tyres has been fly-tipped in Capers Lane near the Maldon Road junction which has been reported to CBC for removal.
Residents are reminded that the disabled car parking bays at the Play Area is on land owned by the Parish Council and is not part of the highway. They have been put there for visitors to the Play Area, not as general parking spaces for residents (or their visitors) who may live near to the children's facilities.
The next Parish Council Meeting will be held at the Village Hall on Tuesday 3rd January at 7.30 pm.
PRESS RELEASE ENDS
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Press Release following the Meeting held on 1st November 2011.
At the recent monthly meeting of Birch Parish Council the following items were discussed and agreed:
The next "Police Beat Surgery" meetings will be held at Birch Tea Room and Gallery on 4 November, 2 December, 27 January, 24 February, 23 March & 20 April, between 11.30 and 1 pm.
The Police reported that there had been only one reported crime in the past two months but asked that residents remain vigilant in reporting any suspicious activity.
Two planning applications were discussed, and no further action was deemed necessary. One previous application at 16 Birch Street has been approved by CBC.
Cllr Ellis gave a report on behalf of himself and Cllr Bentley on an outstanding issue regarding the ownership of the Luard Way footpath. As far as it is known all other footpath issues have now been resolved.
Following further discussions with the Essex Wildlife Trust regarding the infrastructure of the site, work on the "Birch Wildlife Initiative" should begin at the Play Area during November.
Problems with the school flashing warning signs and the electronic speed sign has been added to a list of a number of other traffic road sign issues that have been brought to the attention of the Highways Department.
Highways have now re-filled all the yellow salt bins throughout the Parish. A missing bin on the corner opposite the doctor's surgery in Birch Street has been brought to the attention of Highways by Cllr Bentley.
It was suggested that the Parish Council consider again the opportunity of having a bag of salt from the Highways Department for distribution on the "Highway" during the winter months. Issues of secure storage, the best location and distribution remain a problem however, but the Parish Council will speak to a number of people to see if anything can be done.
Since the presentation given by CBC Street Services at the last meeting they have been very active in the Parish. Issues relating to dog fouling, litter, graffiti, play area damage and fly tipping problems have been actioned. Many highway issues have also been chased with the relevant officers at both ECC & CBC. A regular visit to an elderly resident, as well as a shopping service has been established. These types of services are available to all residents who may need some help.
Though many issues of dog fouling have been addressed it still remains a problem and further discussions will be held with CBC to see the best way forward to reduce the instances from a health and safety perspective.
Residents are reminded that on Remembrance Sunday 13 November, the village hall will be open for tea and coffee prior to the service. The hall will open from 9.30 am for tea and coffee before residents make their way to the service. Traffic will be held back by the Police during the two minutes silence at 11 o'clock.
The next Parish Council Meeting will be held at the Village Hall on Tuesday 6th December at 7.30 pm.
PRESS RELEASE ENDS
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