Grundisburgh & Culpho Parish Council Meeting 19 July, 2021 7.00pm Parish Rooms, Grundisburgh NOTES AGENDA 1. Apologies for absence Mark Rankin - holiday. District Councillor Colin Hedgley. Tony Fryatt will deputise.

2. To receive member’s declarations of interest

3. Minutes - To approve the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on the 17th May, 2021. and matters arising.

4. Public Open Forum

5. Quiet Lanes Mr.Caryer reported. Response to notice to designate quiet lanes As a result of the “notice of proposal to designate roads as quiet lanes” one response was received. This response from Hopkins Home’s agent, although supporting quiet lanes, proposed removing most of Park Road from the scheme. The proposal was to exclude the section of Park Road from Ipswich Road to just past the entrance to the proposed development. A reply was sent to Suffolk CC Highways analysing and declining to accept the proposal. Highways accepted our argument and agreed to include the whole of Park Road. We are now awaiting for information on when the signage will be installed. • Quiet Lanes Wave 2 - Grundisburgh Road (between the junction with Park Road/Lower Road/Chapel Road and Boot Street is part of wave 2 of quiet lanes and formal notices have been distributed to all residences in Grundisburgh and Bealings parishes. The official consultation has ended and we are awaiting information from Suffolk Highways. • Quiet Lanes Wave 3 - Newton Hall Lane, being progressed with Swilland, will form part of wave 3 later in the year

6. Chapel Field development

7. Meeting Lane Verge

8, Stop Sizewell “C” Campaign To debate and decide.. (a) whether or not the Parish Council should sign the Campaign’s letter to the Secretary of State. (b) if the Parish Council should join the Campaign

9 Planning Report To review the Parish Council’s policies for responding to Planning Applications APPENDIX “A”

10. District Councillor’s Report APPENDIX “B”

11. County Councillor’s Report APPENDIX “C”

12. East Suffolk Community Partnerships

13. Financial Matters Letters & Expressions of thanks received Citizens Advice Bureau Disability Advice Service Grundisburgh Baptist Church Lighthouse Womens Aid St.Mary’s Church PCC Suffolk Accident Rescue Service Suffolk Family Carers Suffolk Wildlife Trust Fynn-Lark News East Anglia Air Ambulance

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Ratification of payments made since the last meeting and approved at the time Grundisburgh Playing Field £300.00 At the request of Paul Garwood & Lucy Nightingale who cleaned the bus shelters and telephone kiosk during the past 12 months. The cheque for £300 Ipswich Survivorship Fund authorised at the previous meeting has been cancelled. Suffolk Coastal Norse Ltd £56.40 St.Mary’s wheeled bins – emptying Suffolk Cloud £110.00 Web Site Hosting 2021/2022 Mr,R. Fletcher £160.00 Village Green Grass Cutting Vertas Group Ltd £216.72 Playing Field Grass Cutting HM Revenue & Customs £256.40 Income Tax Vertas Group Ltd £227.56 Playing Field Grass Cutting 01/04/21 to 30/06/21 Citizens Advice Bureau £50.00 Donation Disability Advice Service £50.00 Donation East Anglian Air Ambulance £100.00 Donation Lighthouse Woman’s Aid £25.00 Donation Suffolk Accident Rescue Service £100.00 Donation Fynn Lark News £100.00 St. Botolph’s Benefice Magazine Suffolk Family Carers £50.00 Donation Suffolk Wildlife Trust £75.00 Donation St.Botolph’s PCC £195.00 Grant towards cost of maintaining church yard St.Mary’s PCC £640.00 Grant towards cost of maintaining church yard Grundisburgh Baptist Church £195.00 Grant towards cost of maintaining church yard SALC £559.77 Membership Subscription 2021/2022 Suffolk Coastal Norse Ltd £49.28 St Mary’s wheeled bin - emptying £28.91 St.Mary’s wheeled bin - emptying Mr.R.Fletcher £123.68 Village green Grass Cutting – Fence repair Mr.J.Ager £513.05 Clerk’s Salary April - May 2021 £55.84 Clerk’s Expenses

Emergency payments made prior to the meeting under Section 4 of Financial Standing Orders A.J.Pryke & Son £420.00 Snow clearing Anglia Water Business (Nat) Ltd £41.51 Water charges – allotments HM Revenue & Customs £128.20 Income Tax Suffolk Coastal Norse Ltd £57.82 St.Mary’s wheeled bin - emptying Tree Frog £666.00 Removal of tree behind Village Green Bus Shelter which was Damaging the shelter/ Mr.R.Fletcher £240.00 Village Green Grass Cutting Mr.J.Dunnett £42.69 Millennium Meadow expenses Vertas Group Ltd £227.56 Playing Field Grass Cutting

Other payments requiring approval Mr.R.Fletcher £240.00 Villa e Green Grass Cutting Suffolk Coastal Norse Ltd £57.82 St.Mary’s wheeled bin - emptying Mr.J.Ager £513.05 Clerk’s Salary June/July 2021 £79.80 Clerk’s Expenses £145.00 Planning Fee – Children’s Play Area *Village Hall £369.12 Balance of £1,000 grant awarded in 2008 for new hall expenses £450.00 To purchase items for new hall – Prize money Village of the Year 2015 £5,181.20 CIL receipts to be spent on PV solar panels for new Village Hall *Explanations from Earmarked reserves New Village Hall To provide funds to the Trustees of the Village Hall for expenses associated with the provision of a new Village Hall New Village Hall Prizes Village of the Year Prizes allocated to purchase items for the new village hall

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Account Balances as at 19 July, 2021 Business Tracker Account £62.63 Current Account £21.889.40 Post Office Investment account £21,374.50 VAT to claim £366.11 TOTAL £43,692.64

Budget Report

14. Roads & Transport Report To consider a proposal from Mr.J.Dunnett that the Parish submits a request to Suffolk County Council that a passing place be constructed on Gull Lane, Grundisburgh (3302) between the entrance to Brook Farm and the junction with Stoney Road C365).

15. Footpaths & Conservation Report Mr.Caryer reported

Grundisburgh Speed Control Speed Indicator Device (SID) The SID post on the Ipswich Road (next to new village hall) has been removed. Suffolk Highways say it was not removed by them. Colin Hedgley suggested it could have been removed by contactors as part of the EA1 and 2 clean up. Highways are checking with Scottish Power. Requested Action If we are unable to recover the SID mounting bracket, Grundisburgh and Culpho Parish Council are requested to authorise the expenditure of £50 to purchase a replacement, bracket which can be used at another approved location. Bealings and Playford have now activated their SID post so we will now be sharing the SID between 4 parishes, with the possibility of more SAVID parishes coming on stream later in the year. This means each of the SID posts in Grundisburgh will be empty for most of the year. However a possible alternative use for these posts has been identified, see item 2 below.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Suffolk County Council in partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Suffolk Roadsafe Partnership, are trialling the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to tackle speeding hot spots across the county. This pilot which is funded from SCC’s 2020 fund will run for 2 years. We have been advised that these devices can be mounted on the SID posts and that the Parish Council will need to request inclusion in the trial. Following an email exchange 100% of councillors responses were positive and a request has been submitted for the temporary installation of ANPR devices on the SID posts in Grundisburgh.

Speedwatch Speedwatch activities have restart following the end of lockdown. The police have now authorised 3 additional locations within the village where Speedwatch sessions can take place. The team are currently using a large and heavy speed gun on loan from the police. We have been advised that the police have identified suitable smaller lighter and cheaper devices. The Bushnell Velocity Speed Radar Gun (101911) is available for about £200-£240. The cases are generally about £20. Requested Action . Grundisburgh and Culpho Parish Council are requested to authorise the expenditure of up to £260 to purchase of a Bushnell speed radar gun and case for Grundisburgh Speedwatch team.

SAVID A SAVID meeting was held on 9th July via Zoom. Plans are underway to analyse SID data from all locations to provide a better picture of vehicle movements within the SAVID area. Co-ordination of Speedwatch between villages is being considered. In view of the number of villages using the SID, the topic of acquiring a second device will be pursued.

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Footpaths and Environment Issues

Meetings The Footpaths and Environment subcommittee has not met.

Millennium Meadow Regular working parties have restarted. The fence next to footpath has been repaired (supporting posts rotted off at ground level). Repair of observation platform over stream is underway. Rotten wood has been removed

Grass Cutting Complaints have been received about the state of grassed areas and verges within the village. Following correspondence with Colin Hedgley, Suffolk NORSE have cut the overgrown grass on the grassed areas in Grundisburgh (including Gurdon Road and Lyttleton Meadow), the verges within the village and mowed a path within the conservation area of Lyttleton Meadow.

Lyttleton Meadow At the last parish council meeting the state of the Lyttleton Meadow conservation area was raised. The only formal responsibility we have is to organise the annual cut and removal of the cuttings with the help of Greenways Countryside Project volunteers. The agreement we have with East Suffolk Council is that they will mow and keep clear the access paths. All other maintenance, trees ponds etc. are their responsibility. However, if councillors, or members of the public are keen to assist East Suffolk, I am happy to act as a co- ordinator and act as liaison with East Suffolk.

Benches Maintenance continues Bench Donation - The Parish Council have been contacted by the family of Joan Hepburn who would like to gift a memorial bench to the Parish. Proposal - It is proposed that, if we accept the donation, the new bench is situated on an existing base on Lyttleton meadow (replacing damaged rustic bench). The family have been advised of costs of a number of possible benches (wood and recycled plastic).

Footpaths The reporting of damaged signs and blocked footpaths continues. Discovering Suffolk Project - As part of this project, Suffolk County Council are looking to install new plaques onto roadside Right of Way (ROW) fingerposts. These will provide links to both the Discover Suffolk website and promote the countryside code. I have registered as contact point for Grundisburgh. Geoff Caryer

16. To receive reports from Council representatives to village organisations Playing Field Management Committee Mr.Caryer reported

Meetings The Playing Field Management Committee met on 21st May and held its AGM on 5th July 2021. The committee confirmed the “No Dogs on Field” policy. COVID - The Football club have been using the facilities in line with the Government roadmap. Newer Carpet tiles have been laid in the main area. These were donated by the Gurdon Trust and laid by committee members. The role of booking secretary is vacant. Volunteers are invited.

Play Area Improvements Fundraising continues for improvements to the Play Area. The existing playground is now 17 years old and is in need of improvement, it is also lacking equipment aimed at the 7 – 14 years age groups The funding bid is for £50,000 towards new equipment. Local children have been consulted through the Primary School and an online consultation has been carried out.

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In addition to adding play equipment and improving the state of the existing, the aim is to plant up the areas of the playground for wildlife, making it climate resilient with a sensory garden and offer volunteering opportunities for young people aged 16-25 in helping us maintain it. The Grundisburgh Horticultural Society are going to be working in partnership with the primary school in designing this, bringing together all ages of our community. It's a really exciting element to this project! Thanks are extended to the Parish Council for submitting a request for planning permission, a prerequisite for a number of grant providers.

Village Hall Management Committee Mr.Cook reported.

New Village Hall Update There isn’t a great deal of “headlines” to report on, as much of the big decision making and design is behind us, and in fact I think the best way to know where we are at, is to go and take a look !

Having said that, the main bullet points that are most definitely of importance to us all, are as following. • We remain on budget!!! • Programme of works was about a week behind following the contractors steel supplier having an issue, this was resolved quickly and DAB are confident they will be back on track shortly. • We are currently tying up the final legal details to get the £200,000 Lottery funding released • Mr.Cook is continuing to raise the public profile of the build, to help with fund raising etc. The EADT have covered the story of Suffolk New College students gaining their work experience on site, through Mr.Cook, and DAB Construction. He is working hard to try and secure some funding from the college that is in line with their planned green energy courses and diplomas for next year. This press release will be in the Business east Monthly supplement on 20/07/21, and also has been sent to the Grundisburgh News. • The Committee are still looking to raise money for the completion of the fit out, for tables and chairs etc. • Mr.Cook’s children have delivered 350 solar panel fund raising flyers through letterboxes, they will be gainfully employed again this wknd to deliver the next 350. • Big thankyou to Julian Brook for designing and wording the flyer.

17. Election of members to Committees Current Committees Planning Messrs.G.Caryer, B.Cook, D.Higgins, J.Lapsley, Mrs.A.Willetts

Finance Messrs.S.Barnett, D.Higgins, R.Youngman, Mrs.J.Bignell Footpaths and the Environment Messrs.A.Dunnett, J.Dunnett, G.Caryer. Roads & Transport Mr.C.Burch, Mrs.J.Bignell, Staff Mesrs.S.Barnett, J.Lapsley, Mrs.J.Bignell, Mrs.A.Willetts

18. Appointment of representatives to Village Organisations Current Representatives Village Hall Mr.B.Cook, Mr.P.Kendall Playing Field Mr.G.Caryer, Mrs.A.Willetts Grundisburgh Charities Mrs.Bignell SALC Mr.S.Barnett SAVID Mr.G.Caryer, Mr.R.Crouch

19. Parish Council appointments Current appointees Internal Auditor Mr.C.Grimwood Backup data storage Mr.G.Caryer Tree Warden Mr.K.Muttitt Millennium Meadow Warden Mr.J.Dunnett

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20. Public Open Forum

21. Items for next meeting

22. Any other business 2021 Council Meetings September 13th, November 8th.

23. Co-option of new member for Culpho – closed session

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APPENDIX “A”

Grundisburgh & Culpho Parish Council Planning Report 19th July 2021 Applications approved by East Suffolk since last Parish Council meeting DC/21/2038/TCA. The Coach House The Green Grundisburgh Suffolk IP13 6TA Trees to rear of bus shelter: T1 Hawthorn - to be coppiced. T2 conifer - to be felled rees are impinging on the bus shelter.

DC/21/1904/FUL. 28 Stoney Road Grundisburgh Suffolk IP13 6RD Demolition of existing single storey side outbuilding and erection of new 2-storey side extension with fenestrational alterations to rear elevation

Applications refused by East Suffolk since last Parish Council Meeting DC/203284/FUL & DC/20/3362/FUL. Land to the west of Chapel Road Grundisburgh Chapel Field. The 2 Applications were refused against officers recommendation 5 vote to 4 at the Planning Committee of East Suffolk Council on June 29th. As the applications were refused mainly on access grounds, both vehicular pedestrian and cyclist ESC are seeking an independent highway and traffic assessment before the refusal is issued. (Attached at the end of report is a copy of G&CPC letter hand delivered to all members of ESC Planning Committee before the meeting)

Applications awaiting a decision DC/21/1458/FUL Hill House Woodbridge Road Grundisburgh Suffolk IP13 6UF Change of Use of garage and playroom to online shop. Change of Use of part agricultural Land to extended residential curtilage. Comments sent

Applications received since last Parish Council DC/21/2315/FUL. 19 Cranworth Close, Grundisburgh. Proposed single storey rear extension and first floor extension to side of dwelling Comments sent Grundisburgh & Culpho Parish Council object to the flat roof on the proposed first extension, it would be obtrusive in the street scene. There is no objection to the ground floor element of the proposal.

DC/21/2799/FUL. Grundisburgh Playing Field Ipswich Road Grundisburgh To improve the existing playground which currently caters for Under 7s only and is over 17 years old. We are looking to install either a Nest Swing or a Pendulum Swing, a small pyramid climbing net or a multiplay, plus 4 low level spinning items and an inclusive play piece. A sensory garden is also hoped to be built. None of the items will be over 4m and there is a large distance between the play area and nearest residential boundary. We are applying to Viridor for funding of £50,000, with a deadline of 19 July (which we also need to submit planning outcome to) Once we know what funding we have, we will be able to choose the exact items.

DC/21/3138/FUL Retention of Ancillary Building, Greenways, Meeting Lane, Grundisburgh The Parish Council objects to the retrospective planning application to retain the new ancillary building adjacent to the front boundary of Greenways, Meeting Lane Grundisburgh. The Summer House is built back of footpath on Meeting Lane close to the cross roads in the historic centre of the village and the conservation area. There are 5 bungalows, built on rising ground at this point of Meeting Lane. All are set back from the road with long front gardens. Greenways is the centre property and the new outbuilding is prominent in the street scene when viewed from the junction with The Green. If approved this would set a precedent for similar negative developments in the other long front gardens in Meeting Lane. The applicant states on their application form that no hedges or trees need to be cut down for this development. In fact, when they built this outbuilding they removed a mature laurel hedge along the front boundary and felled a mature "monkey puzzle" tree that was immediately adjacent to the new outbuilding. This tree, which was over 40 years old, was a prime example of its kind and its loss has had a major impact on the local scene.

DC/21/3247/TCA Hillside Cottage The Street Grundisburgh Suffolk IP13 6TD Apple Tree - Requested fell due to low fruit produce and quality. Home owner wants to plant some more promising apple trees in its place but fear they will not do well due to the shade of current apple tree.

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NOTES OF A PLANNING SUB-COMMITTEE MEETING Date: 6th May 2021 Venue: St Mary’s Church Grundisburgh Attendees: Geoff Caryer, Benjamin Cook, David Higgins, John Lapsley, Ann Willetts 1. Sub-Committee Processes The meeting reviewed the sub-committee process document as published on the parish council website. 1.1. Categories of Applications. Whilst the meeting agreed with the general wording of the 3 categories of applications, there was concern that the definitions were too rigid. There would be occasions when the sub- committee legitimately wanted to escalate an application to a higher level or vice versa. Decision: In the opening paragraph 3 of the documentation, the wording ‘The Parish Council have agreed the following process for dealing with Planning Applications:’ should be amended to read ‘The following processes are guidelines for dealing with planning applications’. 1.2. Site Visits. When carrying out on-site meetings with 2 or more councillors, there was a risk that engaging in conversation with applicants could be interpreted as councillors being personally influenced by the applicant. The option to refuse to speak to the applicant was seen as being extreme. Strictly limiting conversation to seeking clarification of plans would be acceptable. Decision: Site visits by members of the parish council to sites contained in planning applications must be by 2 or more members of the council. Conversations with the applicant are discouraged and limited to clarification of plans. No changes to wording of the process document. 1.3. PC Response to ESDC. The parish council can object to an application or have no comment. The published documentation wording refers to the sub-committee agreeing objections, and this could be interpreted as ‘only negative’ comments coming from the sub-committee. Decision: The word ‘objections’ in paras (e) & (g) to be replaced with ‘comments’. 1.4. Sub-Committee Voting. There was discussion as to whether decisions within the sub-committee would be subject to a majority vote or must be unanimous. The meeting agreed that the decisions should be based on a majority vote. Decision: DH to amend flow chart. 1.5. Attendance at Sub-Committee Meetings. Attendance by the public at the sub-committee stage could lead to lobbying by 3rd parties which would be considered as a conflict of interest. Decision: No change to documentation. 1.6. Clarification of documentation: • Para (a), reword to read ‘ review the application online and recommend whether this should be categorised as a minor, significant or major application’. • Para (d) move the words ‘as far as practicable’ so that the 2nd and 3rd sentences read: … members of the Planning Committee carry out an inspection of the location(s) as far as practicable, as an information …. • Paras (e) & (g), replace ‘objections’ with ‘comments’. 2. Tree Preservation Orders The meeting discussed the apparent difficulty on getting TPOs processed by ESDC. Unless a tree was overtly at threat, the district council were reluctant to agree a TPO. Where developer submitted a risk management plan for trees, ESDC took the view that this was valid and no TPO was required. Decision: no change to current parish council processes but more diligence was needed from councillors to spot trees at risk. JCWL 14/05/2021

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The recommendation of the Planning sub-Committee to approve the changes marked in red to Grundisburgh & Culpho Parish Council Guide Lines for dealing with Planning Applications.

Grundisburgh & Culpho Parish Council The Parish Council is a statutory consultee for all planning applications in Grundisburgh and Culpho. In effect that means that East Suffolk Council informs the Parish Council of all planning applications in the villages and invites the council to make comments within a very limited timescale. Although the Parish Council is a statutory consultee any member of the public can object to, or support, applications. It must be remembered that planning permissions are granted, or refused, by East Suffolk Council and not Parish Councils. The Parish Council have agreed the following process as Guide Lines for dealing with Planning Applications.

Minor Applications -: Planning Sub Committee • Domestic Extensions • Change of Use – Land and/or Buildings • Work on trees covered by Tree Preservation Orders • Work on trees within the Conservation Area • Infill- one property Significant Applications-: Extraordinary Meeting of Parish Council • Infill more than one property • Applications that affect the road layout • Any Industrial application • Any Commercial Application Major Applications, Local Plan issues, Major Projects-: Village Meeting • Any large-scale application The Planning Subcommittee will……… • Look at each application on its merits ensuring that it complies with the East Suffolk Local Plan and Grundisburgh and Burgh Joint Conservation Area Appraisal Supplementary Planning Document 2010. • Ensure all Planning Applications for Grundisburgh and Culpho are published by the Parish Clerk on the Parish Council website https://grundisburgh.suffolk.cloud/ and notification placed in the Parish notice boards. • Endeavour to be proactive in finding trees worthy or in need of a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) within or close to the physical limits boundary of the village. • Endeavour to be proactive in keeping the list of non-listed heritage assets within the village up dated.

The Planning Subcommittee will not engage in any pre-application consultation with applicants, but will inform applicants that pre application advice can be obtained by contacting East Suffolk planning dept.

The Planning Subcommittee Chair to provide a planning report for the Clerk to issue to all councillors before each bi-monthly Parish Council meeting, with an update of the position at that meeting. The Planning Subcommittee will meet as needed between the bi-monthly Parish Council meetings for the purpose of discussing specific PAs or other important planning matters. Set out below are the procedures that need to be followed to access Planning Applications online East Suffolk Council no longer issue hard copies of plans to Parish Councils. All planning application information is communicated online. The Parish Clerk is notified by East Suffolk Council of Planning Applications submitted for Grundisburgh and Culpho. The Clerk in turn notifies the chair of the Parish Council’s Planning Subcommittee and uploads new applications onto the Parish Council’s website and posts onto the Parish Council’s noticeboards. Currently the Parish Council has 21 days in which to provide a detailed response to East Suffolk Council. For members of the public the procedure to find and access any application is as follows: 1. go online to East Suffolk planning http://www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/ 2. go to View planning applications 3. search for planning applications on Public Access 4. Planning – simple search – enter Planning Application number at Keyword then press Search 5. Alternatively go to weekly/monthly (recommend you use monthly) Parish – Grundisburgh or Culpho (treated separately) to access any new applications if you don’t have a number. Chair of Subcommittee will

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a) review the application online and recommends whether this should be categorised as a minor, significant or major application. b) in the case of minor applications, the Chair initially identifies any issues/queries. c) notifies the Subcommittee by email of the reference number of the application with a request to access East Suffolk Council’s website and advise of any other queries or objections they have to all members of the subcommittee. d) if any member of the Subcommittee considers the need for a site visit at least two members of the Planning Subcommittee, as far as practicable, carry out an inspection of the location(s), as far as practicable, as an information gathering exercise to be shared with all planning subcommittee members.

e) subsequently the Chair or any member, by agreement, to collate agreed objections comments with reference to: ▪ Local Plan policies ▪ Conservation Area/listed building status ▪ Local knowledge. ▪ and circulate to Planning Subcommittee and Parish Council chair. f) when agreed, the Clerk to send to East Suffolk Council with copies to both local District Councillors g) if the application is considered Significant the procedure is the Chair of the Subcommittee to liaise with Parish Clerk to arrange for posters to be prepared to inform the community of an Extraordinary Parish Council Meeting to consider the application. When objections comments are agreed, the Chair of the Subcommittee will draft a response for the Clerk to send to East Suffolk Council with copies to both local District Councillors h) If the application is considered Major the Chair of the Subcommittee to liaise with the Clerk to arrange for posters to be prepared to inform the community of an Extraordinary Parish Council Meeting /or Village Meeting to consider the application/proposal. When a Planning Application Is approved or refused by East Suffolk Council the decision to be posted on the Parish Council’s website as soon as possible. The Planning Subcommittee will meet as needed between the bi-monthly Parish Council meetings for the purpose of discussing specific Planning Applications or other important planning matters. Approved at a Council Meeting held on 14th September 2020 10.1 Resolution - Draft Planning Policy Statement Mrs.Willetts proposed seconded by Mr.Kendall, to unanimous approval, that the Parish Council should adopt the revised Planning Policy Statement (see Appendix “D”) circulated by the Planning Sub Committee to councillors prior to the meeting.

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Grundisburgh and Culpho Parish Council John Ager 8 Post Mill Close Grundisburgh IP13 6UU 25th June 2021

Re: Planning Applications DC/20/3362/FUL and DC/20/3284/FUL Land to West of Chapel Road To members of East Suffolk Council Planning Committee South Dear Councillor

It is with some hesitancy that we write to you, but we feel so strongly about the above planning applications and the dangerous precedent they could set if approved, that we had no choice but to reach out in the hope that as you discharge your duties as a member of the Planning Committee you may lend a sympathetic ear to a very distressed and upset parish and take more into account than we could possibly put across in the three minutes we have allocated. We also hope to show that there are numerous grounds on which to base a robust and defensible refusal of permission, in contrast to the views of the Local Highway Authority in particular.

We are very proud to represent our village; it is a wonderful place with a rich history and strong community spirit that has seen its population swell greatly over recent years through well-placed, larger, housing schemes and a significant number of windfall sites. Grundisburgh has always welcomed thoughtful development but as you may be aware, over 1000 objections have been received by East Suffolk Council in relation to the above applications. Amongst a wide variety of reasons put forth, the primary concern of almost all residents are the dangers to pedestrians and motorists alike posed by the huge increase in traffic volumes along historic lanes whose design and layout date back to the time of horse and cart.

Lower Road is proposed as a primary access road but has no footways, carriageway widths of between only 2.7m and 3.7m, on-street parking and an S-bend with insufficient visibility or width to allow for even 2 small cars to pass without one having to reverse. The informal passing places referenced in the case officer’s report are actually resident’s private driveways and are, on their face, inappropriate for consideration as an aid to traffic flow but are also insufficient for allowing any more than one car to pass another at a time. Because of the limited dimensions of the lane and poor visibility, Lower Road’s junctions have already seen a number of serious car accidents in recent years with injuries involved. More traffic will undoubtedly mean more accidents.

Park Road is the other primary access, has carriageway widths of between 3m and 4.9m, but an average width well short of that needed to allow two cars to pass at normal speed. Not all properties have driveways, resulting in on-street parking narrowing the lane even further. Although limited road widening is proposed, the plans do not take into account the change of level from the elevated carriageway and the lower level of the land at Grundisburgh Hall Historic Park - which could result in the loss of trees and hedges to provide slab revetment support for the bank. Don’t just take our word on this; it was the verdict of the applicant’s own civil engineers during the Local Plan examination, but sadly those drawings were withheld at the time and have been suppressed since (see later for detail).

As with Lower Road, there are no footways or provision for pedestrians to enter or leave properties on Park Road or to reach the bus stop at Park Road/Ipswich Road without having to walk in the road.

Chapel Road/Meeting Lane is the direct access, the desire line, to the village centre. This lane was rejected as an access to the site by the Planning Inspector during the Local Plan examination because it is too narrow with no continuous footway. But it will undoubtedly be used, as it is now, as the direct access to the village centre, primary school, playgroup, shop, pub and church as it is some 500m shorter than the proposed pedestrian access.

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This development will increase conflict on these narrow lanes between pedestrians, those in wheelchairs, cyclists, equestrians and those in cars, emergency vehicles, farm vehicles and delivery vehicles. We anticipate that pedestrians could be deterred from using these routes (currently in the process of being designated ‘quiet lanes’ by the County Council) altogether and would resort to driving the short distance into the village thus adding even more to congestion, harmful emissions, and parking problems in the historic village centre. Highways have acknowledged these risks, and demanded companion footpaths along Chapel Road and the eastern section of Park Road. But why not on the adjoining western section of Park Road, Lower Road and Meeting Lane where both new and existing residents will arguably face a far greater risk by walking in the road? We simply do not understand how this verdict was reached, particularly when you look at the map below which shows how limited the footway improvements are:

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Much seems to rest on the trip rates in the applicant’s Transport Assessment which did not use the industry- standard TRICS method and we feel have seriously underestimated the volume of traffic that will be generated by the development. We do not believe that 70 homes, with parking provision for over 200 vehicles will only generate 47 return car journeys per day. Using TRICS we would see an estimate 4-5 times higher which would equate to an 80-100% increase in traffic volumes per day, not the 20% often quoted. Furthermore the original traffic surveys were undertaken during the COVID lockdown and are therefore unrepresentative of the reality. GCPC strongly recommend that the Council commissions a truly independent highway assessment before making a decision on this application, if only to be certain about such an important issue as road safety where a mistake could mean serious injury or death.

Of significant concern to us was Highways’ statement in answer to a question posed for GCPC by County Councillor Elaine Bryce “that in this case, whilst we do not necessarily support the provision of development of this scale in this location, subject to the required mitigation measures, there is not sufficient evidence to enable us to uphold an objection in the planning process, particularly as the site is allocated within the current Local Plan.”

We disagree strongly with Highways’ assessment, and are confident that a review of the true highway conditions on all impacted lanes (and using accurate traffic forecasts) would demonstrate an unacceptable impact to road safety from the proposals, quite irrespective of the site’s allocation in the Local Plan.

On this subject, how this site came to be allocated within the Local Plan formed the basis of a complaint reference CCCT278612462 to ESDC and SCC. Following a Freedom of Information request GCPC discovered new information that led us to believe that key detail was withheld from both the Planning Inspector and the general public by ESDC, SCC and the site promotor during the Local Plan Examination that may have had a material impact on the assessed deliverability of the site.

During the Local Plan examination, Ingent (a civil engineering company) in their technical note for the site proposer, dated July 7th 2019, gave detailed reasons why access to 'Land West of Chapel Road’ was not possible via Chapel Road / Meeting Lane, stating that: “Park Road and Lower Road present more suitable routes for access to the site. Limited improvements to Park Road would appear achievable subject to clearance within the highway boundary”. After the Planning Inspector had determined that Chapel Road and Meeting Lane were unsuitable for access to the site, and therefore found Policy SCLP12.52 unsound, for him to make a proper assessment about the site’s deliverability the further detail produced by Ingent in Plan 1812-296-001C (excerpt below) would have clarified his assessment, but this information was deliberately withheld from his scrutiny with the agreement of ESC, Suffolk County Council and the site promoter. Although this information would have undoubtedly also been useful in this planning application, it has not resurfaced despite the trees and hedgerows of Park Road being a

major point of contention.

To understand why this critical assessment came to be removed from subsequent versions of the technical drawing, one should refer to an email exchange between the site promoter and SCC dated 10th October 2019 which states: “Please find attached an amended site access plan for Grundisburgh following further discussion with Andrea McMillan at East Suffolk. Andrea requested that the text boxes which referred to tree/hedge removal to be omitted as this is too much detail at this stage.”

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We argue that it should have been explained in the Statement of Common Ground (SoCG) that the only remaining option for ‘safe and suitable’ access, (Park Road and Lower Road), required improvements that were contingent on the removal of veteran trees and hedgerows from Grundisburgh Hall Park, a Non-Designated Heritage Asset specified by ESC. The Planning Inspector, in his final report, was anxious “to safeguard the setting of the nearby Grundisburgh Hall Historic Park and Garden”. GCPC cannot understand how East Suffolk can claim as part of their complaint response that “it is not clear what benefit there would have been for the Inspector or for the public in the submission or publication of earlier, unagreed, drafts of the SoCG”. It is because the earlier plan 1812-296-001C contained the detail needed to make a decision, not the sanitised version ‘E’ that was included within the SoCG that ESC and SCC officers knew the removal of the trees and hedgerows from Grundisburgh Hall Park may be required, and it was they who withdrew version C from scrutiny. SCC subsequently claimed in an email to GCPC chair Peter Kendall dated 24th December 2020 that: “there is no evidence that information was consciously suppressed” but we do have this information and felt compelled to make this information public. We raise this information again as there is a very real chance that approval of these planning applications presents a very real possibility of liabilities for SCC should the road widening not be carried out correctly by the applicant in an attempt to minimise the impact of the works. We also wish to highlight one final issue which may be downplayed by the applicant during the forthcoming committee meeting and could take us too long to explain in that setting. This matter relates to the sole pedestrian link proposed to the wider village via Footpath 20 on the northern perimeter of the site. Footpath 20 requires significant upgrades to suit the nature and scale of the development, but it runs through the rear gardens of the six bungalows on Post Mill Crescent. To date none of these landowners have been served notice by the Planning Authority or the applicant and all ferociously oppose works on their land outside of the defined limits of the footpath.

Although the applicant claims that SCC possess the statutory powers necessary to enforce the improvements this is far from resolved and will be subject to a very strong challenge, particularly as the applicant wishes to remove ornamental trees and hedges owned by the third party landowners. From these gardens, the path continues westward across Grundisburgh Playing Field, to Ipswich Road. The playing field is owned by Fields in Trust who, incidentally, have also objected to the proposals. We can confirm, contrary to claims by the applicant, that at no point does Footpath 20 run through land under the control of the applicant, nor has it ever. Nor do we believe that the footpath is immediately accessible from the site without first crossing a small sliver of third party land, rendering any improvements undeliverable without the consent of the landowners. We are aware that at least one of the Post Mill Crescent residents has presented their original 1960s title plan to ESDC as evidence of ownership, but are unsure if the Planning Committee will be made aware of this fact, so we thought apt to do so. We understand that our highlighting these issues outside of the setting of the committee meeting is an unusual step, and we hope that you may forgive our intrusion. But we have a duty to represent our Parish to the fullest of our ability and given their passionate objection to these proposals we felt no option but to explore every avenue to help them, by raising awareness of important issues which may not be given proper consideration otherwise.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Kendal Chair, Grundisburgh & Culpho Parish Council

Ann Willetts Vice Chair,Grundisburgh & Culpho Parish Council

Below is a link to a short film Produced by Summer Isles Films https://f.io/Yq8v-Fuf

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APPENDIX “B” District Councillors Report to Grundisburgh and Culpho Parish Council For July 2021 Carlford and Fynn Valley Ward. Rushmere Village, Great Bealings, Little Bealings, Playford, Bredfield, Grundisburgh & Culpho, Witnesham and Swilland, Westerfield, Hasketon, Clopton, Charsfield, Dallinghoo, Tuddenham, Boulge, Burgh, Debach, Otley.

From District Councillor Cllr Colin Hedgley Cycling Sessions The Suffolk Road Safe Team are now delivering sessions for families who want to cycle more regularly, whether to keep fit, to commute to work or school, or to go and visit friends! The team can work with you to support your efforts by making sure that your riding skills are refreshed, and you have strategies for dealing with road situations that might concern you. The session will be about 3 hours long and free of charge. They will come to you, chat about what you are trying to achieve, and then work on your route or specific challenges that you have. Based on the National Standards for Cycling, and appropriate content from the Bikeability scheme, our fully qualified National Standard Cyclist Trainers will:

 show you how to ride with your children so that you can help them gain confidence;  teach you a simple system for remembering how to deal with different road scenarios;  work with you to improve your safety at any junctions you use;  guide you in using your road position to control other road users and enhance your safety.

Priority will initially be given to families who want to cycle with their children, but whatever you require Suffolk Road Safe will endeavour to make it happen! Please note: To ensure maximum safety during the sessions, the team have had to limit the age at which we can allow youngsters to be on the road. If you have children of 8 years old and above , the team can ride with you and them on the roads. For children 7 and below, the team will ride with parents and tell you how to ride correctly and how to protect the children as they cycle. To book your free session, please email : [email protected] , and John Showell - Road Safety Officer (Bikeability) - will arrange for a trainer to contact you. For more information please visit - https://www.suffolkroadsafe.com/family-cycling-sessions

New campaign aims to get people recycling right As part of an ongoing drive to build the right environment for East Suffolk, a new campaign is being launched to help people get their recycling right. East Suffolk Council is launching a new recycling campaign across its social media channels to get a better understanding of how much residents know about recycling in East Suffolk and what the Council can do to help when it comes to knowing what goes into what bin. This comes after more than 5000 tonnes (about 24%) of recycling in East Suffolk is rejected annually due to the wrong items being placed in kerbside recycling bins, including glass, black sacks, food waste, cartons and nappies.

Cllr James Mallinder, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “The majority of households in East Suffolk are good at recycling, but as we continue to deal with the challenges of climate change there is still a lot more we need to do to ensure we’re recycling the right items and all doing our bit for the environment.

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“Confusion can cause contamination, so we are determined to help households reduce the amount of wrong items they put in their recycling bins by making sure they know what can and cannot be recycled. This is important because there is a threshold of how much contaminated waste a truck load can have before it is rejected, so we need to make sure we are recycling right. “The environment is one of the key principles of our strategic plan and this commitment has been further highlighted by our declaration of a climate emergency in 2019, and we all have a role to play in making better decision for the sake of our environment. By thinking about how we dispose of our waste and making the right decisions, we all contribute to a solution. These small changes in our behaviour will make a big difference over time and help us build environmentally sustainable communities.”

For more information on what can be recycled through your kerbside recycling bin or at your nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre, go to www.suffolkrecycling.org.uk/a-z-of-recycling

Dentists You will be aware that routine dental services are being restored following closure due to Covid-19. However, these are based on clinical need as set out by national guidance that the sequencing and scheduling of patients for treatment as services resume, should take into account and consider: • The urgency of need; • The particular un-met needs of vulnerable groups; and • Available capacity to undertake activity. NHS dentists are following the advice of the Chief Dental Officer which is to prioritise urgent cases and those with outstanding treatments. Therefore, very few dental practices have the capacity to see routine examinations at the moment. Due to Covid-19 restrictions and the difficulties Covid-19 presents for dental care, the day-to- day capacity of dental practices is significantly reduced, and this is reflected in their contractual requirements which is determined nationally. The provision of NHS dental services across the country has been limited since the 8th June and dental practices are currently providing a minimum of 60% of their activity in return for being financially remunerated at their normal pre-Covid value in accordance with national guidelines. Patients requiring both urgent and routine NHS dental care can access services from any dental practice holding an NHS dental contract. Please note that dental practices are independent providers who hold a contract to provide NHS dental services. Dental providers manage their own practice including capacity and determine whether they are able to accept additional/new patients and therefore their lists can open and close on a frequent basis. In addition, for those patients experiencing pain and/or discomfort who may require urgent dental care, urgent dental centres (UDCs) can be accessed via NHS111. Attending planning meetings Due to current restrictions, there is limited public seating space at our planning meetings and therefore members of the public are encouraged to instead watch the livestream, via YouTube.Anyone who believes it necessary to attend is asked to email [email protected] no later than 12 noon on the working day before the meeting so that the meeting can be managed in a Covid-secure way. The Democratic Services Team can endeavour to accommodate you and advise of the necessary health and safety precautions. Please note this does not guarantee a place or admittance to the meeting room.

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Protecting East Suffolk’s historic environment A new planning document has been adopted in East Suffolk to help conserve and enhance the District’s historic environment.

East Suffolk Council has adopted a new Historic Environment Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), which will seek to facilitate change in a way that protects and enhances the historic environment, to support existing policies used when determining planning applications.

East Suffolk has an historic environment which is widely recognised as being of very high quality and importance, with approximate 4,000 listed buildings and 52 conservation areas. Its local character and distinctiveness are derived from the diversity of architecture, landscape and coastal settings, which have given rise to an architectural typology of farmhouses, picturesque cottages and churches as well as resort tourism, military research and defence, fishing and agri-industry, park and garden structures, energy and landed estates.

Buildings and structures that typify the East Suffolk area range from 16th century moot halls, a wide representation of 16th and 17th century farmhouses, the grandest Georgian country house in Suffolk, designed 18th and 19th century landscapes and 19th and 20th century military airfields, towers and pagodas.

The Historic Environment SPD provides comprehensive guidance on a range of topics including conservation areas, listed buildings and non-designated heritage assets and sustainable construction and renewable energy. Guidance is included about making changes and alterations to historic buildings, including extensions and alterations to a historic building, development within the setting of a historic building and replacing windows and porches.

The SPD also addresses how maintenance and repair can be undertaken in a way that protects the historic significance of a building, including repairs to different materials, such as brick, timber, thatch, wattle and daub and tiles. It also includes guidance and information about shopfronts and historic gardens, which form part of the varied heritage of East Suffolk.

Cllr David Ritchie, cabinet member for Planning and Coastal Management, said: “In East Suffolk we are fortunate to have a rich historic environment which includes a wide range of different buildings, structures and landscapes. The new Historic Environment Supplementary Planning Document will help us protect and enhance this environment by providing guidance on a range of topics to assist those undertaking repairs, alterations or extensions of historic buildings or developments that could affect such buildings.”

Two rounds of consultation have informed the preparation of the SPD. The first was an initial consultation in September/October 2019 which helped to inform the scope and content of the SPD, and this was followed by public consultation on the draft SPD between December 2020 and February 2021.

View the Historic Environment Supplementary Planning Document and supporting document at www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/supplementary-planning.

Specialist accommodation created to support former rough sleepers As part of its commitment to supporting people facing homelessness, East Suffolk Council has transformed a property in Lowestoft into specialist accommodation especially for former rough sleepers. Following a successful bid to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, East Suffolk Council received £93,312 in September 2020 through the Government’s Next Steps Accommodation Programme (NSAP), to provide accommodation and support to rough sleepers during the pandemic.

An additional £389,482 was then secured from the NSAP earlier this year to provide support to rough sleepers in East Suffolk through the delivery of longer-term ‘move on’ accommodation. This has enabled the Council to purchase a large property in St Peter’s Street and over the past few months, the Housing Maintenance Team have worked tirelessly to transform the building into a seven-bed unit of specialist, supported accommodation specifically for former rough sleepers and single homeless people.

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The accommodation will be managed by Orwell Housing, who will also provide care and support for residents, many of whom need a higher level of support before they are able to live independently and sustain a tenancy of their own. The tenants will be able to stay for up to two years, ensuring they have a roof over their heads and can access the support they need to ensure they do not need to return to the streets. Cllr Richard Kerry, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for Housing said: “East Suffolk Council is committed to ending homelessness and rough sleeping and this new ‘move on’ accommodation will assist some of the most vulnerable members of our community, enabling them to stay safe, access support and develop the skills needed to live independently.

“This project has been delivered in an incredibly short space of time, from securing funding, to sourcing a suitable property and then carrying out extensive refurbishments and we are grateful for everyone’s hard work. We will continue to work closely with our partners to create appropriate and affordable solutions for those in housing need.” Orwell’s Chief Executive, Wendy Evans-Hendrick said: “We’re really proud to be part of this fantastic project working with East Suffolk Council. The accommodation will not only provide a secure home, but also support for people to get back on their feet and make positive steps towards independent living.

“With our support, some of the most vulnerable people in the area can set foot on the path to a safer and more secure future. The benefits to those we will be supporting and the local community are great, and the speed at which this has all come together is testament to the excellent partnership working and commitment of all those involved.”

Following a successful ‘change of use’ application to convert the property in St Peter’s Street from a residential dwelling to a house of multiple occupation (HMO), substantial refurbishment works have been carried out. These include a new central heating system, rewiring of the electrics, installation of a fire protection and secure entry system, internal insulation upgrades, creation and installation of 7 ensuite shower rooms, a new kitchen, plastering, flooring and redecoration throughout. There is also an office for staff, a communal kitchen and living area and an outdoor amenity space. An official opening event was held on Monday 28 June and was attended by representatives from East Suffolk Council and Orwell Housing.

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Free parking scheme extended to support vaccination staff To support the Covid-19 vaccination programme, East Suffolk Council will continue to offer free parking for healthcare staff working in vaccination centres across East Suffolk until the full easing of current restrictions, currently expected to be 19 July.

The extension to the parking pass only applies to those working at vaccination sites and does not extend to wider health and social care staff. Health and social care workers who need to park in resident parking zones can register for permits, known as ‘carer vouchers’ at www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/parking

New virtual hub for Lowestoft creatives To enable the growing creative sector in Lowestoft to reach its full potential and attract further investment, a new Virtual Creative Hub has been launched.

Developed in response to feedback to the Council’s Cultural Strategy, ‘Celebrating Culture on the Edge’, the Virtual Creative Hub will provide creatives with a way to network, feel more connected and access information, training and funding opportunities. These were all key requirements raised by local creatives during a consultation last year.

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Funded through Arts Council England, the Virtual Hub is open to creatives who are based in Lowestoft or deliver work in the town.

Working in partnership with Suffolk County Council, a small grant scheme, part of Creative Unlimited, funded by Suffolk Inclusive Growth Investment Fund, will be available for people who engage with the Hub. Awards of up to £1,000 are available to fund materials, exhibition equipment through to digital development, marketing and promotion.

Find out more! www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/lowestoft-virtual-creative-hub/

New policy for commemorative benches in East Suffolk We have introduced a new policy for ‘commemorative’ benches, the service which allows people to sponsor seating at locations in the district to remember a friend, relative or colleague who has passed. People can sponsor a new bench with a commemorative plaque for a period of ten years in numerous locations on council land, mainly replacing existing benches that are coming to an end of practical use. The benches are located in places where everyone can sit, rest and reflect. Members of the public who choose to commemorate someone in this way will also be encouraged to not attach any additional items to the benches. Unfortunately, these items, which can often include flowers, wreaths and balloons, can either prevent people from sitting, or make them feel uncomfortable about doing so. Items can sometimes be left for a long period of time and can also cause environmental issues, particularly if they are not degradable. With this in mind, we are now also kindly asking people to collect and take care of any items they may have placed on benches on council land, which they would like to keep.

New recycling campaign aims to get people recycling right We’ll be launching a new recycling campaign across the Council’s social media channels soon to help our residents dispose of their waste correctly.

As part of this, we’re currently carrying out

a short recycling survey which all residents in East Suffolk are invited to participate in. It should only take a couple of minutes to complete and as a thank you, those taking part can opt in to enter a fantastic prize draw for a chance to win a goodie bag full of eco-friendly homewares, including metal straws, food covers and wax food wrappers, worth £42.

The survey is open until 5 July at https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/RecyclinginEastSuffolk

This comes after more than 5000 tonnes (about 24%) of recycling in East Suffolk is rejected annually due to the wrong items being placed in kerbside recycling bins, including glass, black sacks, food waste, cartons and nappies.

New grant scheme puts nature first As part of our ongoing drive to build the right environment for East Suffolk, the Greenprint Forum has launched a funding scheme for voluntary and community groups who are planning projects that help promote biodiversity.

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Eligible projects could include work to restore existing habitats or create to new ones, provision of nesting/roosting places for birds, pollinators and other animals, or activities to help local people of any age learn more about and enjoy their local biodiversity.

The scheme will run over four phases during 2021/22, offering grants of up to £1,000.

The first application period is now open until 28 July 2021 and full details, including eligibility and how to apply, can be found at www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/environment/east-suffolk-greenprint-forum/supporting- community-environmental-action/nature-first-small-grants-scheme/

Free community Health and Wellbeing drop-in events Families and residents of all ages are invited to free Health & Wellbeing events to meet their local groups, organisations and service providers to find out more about the help and service available in their local communities.

The events will be taking place across the south of the district, with the first one in Framlingham on Monday 26 July, followed by events in Kesgrave, Felixstowe, Saxmundham and Melton.

For more information, including dates and venues, go to www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/news/free-community-health- and-well-being-drop-in-events/

Surveys and consultations We are currently running a number of surveys and consultations and, as always we want to encourage participation as feedback from people in East Suffolk is invaluable and helps us ensure we’re making the right decisions for our communities.

• Supporting older people’s housing needs This survey will help develop a new Older People’s Housing Strategy to support older people’s housing needs in East Suffolk so they can continue to live fulfilling lives in the right type of housing. The survey is open until 5pm on Friday 9 July at https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/ESC_Survey_OPHS_May2021

• Vote for your favourite name for proposed beach village We have submitted a planning application for a new beach village in Felixstowe, aimed at improving the beach hut experiencing by creating accessible facilities that enables families and groups to enjoy everything the beach and town has to offer. As part of this, we’re looking for a new name for the site and are asking local people to vote for their favourite out of 5 suggestions in a survey which closes at 5pm on Friday 30 July at https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/BeachVillage

• Improving recycling in East Suffolk As part of a wider social media campaign, we’re currently running a recycling survey to get a better understanding of how much people in East Suffolk know about recycling and what we can do to help when it comes to knowing what items go into what bin. The survey is open until 5 July at https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/RecyclinginEastSuffolk

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Social media We keep our communities up to date in a variety of ways and social media has an important role to play. Please follow us and share our posts with your audiences! Facebook: www.facebook.com/eastsuffolkcouncil Twitter: https://twitter.com/EastSuffolk

Cllr Colin Hedgley Cllr Tony Fryatt

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APPENDIX “C” @SuffolkTories

Suffolk Tories Suffolk

For more information on all stories visit: Suffolk County Council | Conservative Group (suffolkconservatives.org.uk)

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Introduction from Cllr Elaine Bryce

As I continue to settle in my new role as Suffolk County Councillor for Carlford Division, I have been really humbled by the great many messages of support received from Parish Councils and residents alike and I am very much looking forward to working alongside you to support our communities in Carlford Division.

This month, I have now taken up my position on Suffolk County Council’s new Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board, alongside my role on the county council’s Corporate Parenting Board. These are two incredibly important forums from my perspective and I am looking forward to getting more involved in this important area of the council’s work and making a positive difference for our children and young people across Suffolk and particularly, across Carlford Division.

Highways related issues continue to dominate my caseload at the moment, but I am pleased to be able to report a number of successes across the Division. That said, if there are any particular issues or queries remaining in your Parish, please do not hesitate to contact me and I shall do my very best to expedite them on your behalf. My door is always open and I shall do my best to try and help.

As we look ahead to the ending of Covid restrictions a little later this month, I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible out and about across Carlford, but if there are any events taking place in your Parish – Fetes, garden shows and the like, do please let me know and I’ll do my very best to come along and support you.

With best wishes,

Elaine

Cllr Elaine Bryce Carlford Division Suffolk County Council, Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 2BX

Tel: 07955 434440 Email: [email protected]

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Independent review of aspects of Suffolk’s SEND services to be carried out by experts from Lincolnshire

It has been announced that a multi-agency team from Lincolnshire will carry out an independent review into SEND provision.

This review will be carried out by a senior professional with no links to, or direct involvement with, Suffolk’s provision and will focus on the processes, communication protocols and family-facing elements of SEND services within Suffolk County Council.

The SEND (special educational needs and disability) review will focus on the processes, communication protocols and family-facing elements of SEND services within Suffolk County Council. It will not look at specific cases or the provision given to specific children.

The review will start next week and will be completed within six weeks. The report, with any recommendations, will be published on Suffolk County Council’s website, shared with those who contributed to it and also scrutinised, in public, by the council’s Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee.

The review team from Lincolnshire will consist of two senior officers from Lincolnshire County Council, performance analysts and the chair of the county’s parent carer network.

Councillor Rachel Hood, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for education, SEND and skills, said:

“Lincolnshire has excellent SEND provision and the team has kindly agreed to review certain elements of our service and will make recommendations based on their findings which will be of great value to us.

“Families with experience of Suffolk’s SEND may share their feedback of the communication process for the review, but we ask that this is relevant to the scope of the review. We have set up an email account for families to feed in their comments. It is important that a range of stakeholders are heard so we can fully understand our strengths and weaknesses and identify next steps. Ofsted have confirmed that we have made significant improvement in this area, and the findings of this review will enable this improvement to continue.” SEND services in Suffolk are delivered in partnership by Suffolk County Council, Suffolk’s NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups and education settings. The review will look at:

• The effective flow of cases • Communication with young people and families • Processes for dealing with incoming enquiries from young people and families in a timely manner • A focus on the family-facing elements of the service • The allocation of provision and, where appropriate, placement in a timely way for children

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In recent weeks, there have been calls from some parents and carers of children with SEND - known as the Campaign for Change (SEND Suffolk) - for a lawyer-led audit of the council’s compliance with the legal requirements set out for the service. Suffolk County Council has considered this request, but has decided not to move forward with it because:

1. It is the role of Ofsted to inspect all aspects of SEND provision, including those that would be included in such an audit. Ofsted and CQC has already made two monitoring visits to Suffolk and have identified areas of progress as well as areas of improvement 2. A new national SEND inspection framework is being launched, meaning further detailed inspections will take place 3. The county council already has an internal and external auditing process for Education, Health and Care Plans 4. There is an established complaints procedure for parents and carers who feel that the service they are receiving is not appropriate or sufficient

Suffolk County Council is eager to work collaboratively and productively with the Campaign for Change group, and parents and carers not involved or represented by the group, to make improvements in SEND services.

Councillor Hood added:

“We know that every parent and carer wants the best for their children, especially when it comes to education and care. Suffolk County Council wants the same and must strive to provide the very best services we can.

“This review will be immediate, in depth and independent and we will act on the recommendations made as swiftly and thoroughly as we can.

“We want to reassure parents and carers that this is a priority and we will make improvements where they are needed as quickly as possible.” In Suffolk nearly 18,000 young people are supported in some way through local SEND services, including 5,900 with Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) or those receiving support in education settings. Demand has grown very significantly. Prior to the 2014 national SEND reforms, Suffolk held approximately 3,000 statements of SEND.

If you would like to participate in this review then please share your experiences of the processes, communication protocols and family-facing elements of SEND services within Suffolk County Council at [email protected].

Suffolk County Council launches the new Cassius service On June 1st, Suffolk County Council launched the new Cassius service. We're partnering with Alcove, Rethink Partners and Provide CIC to deliver their innovative care technology service to people in Suffolk over the next 3 years.

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From July, the Cassius service will give our social work practitioners, occupational therapists and other front line professionals, new ways to support people to live better and independent lives.

Initially the service will launch with a high impact, targeted range of technology that will continue to grow into the full Cassius collection. This means that the technology can be customised to meet people’s needs and to address individual challenges which will help them live independently at home for longer.

Cllr Beccy Hopfensberger, cabinet member for Adult Social Care at Suffolk County Council said:

“We’re really excited to launch this new service with our partners. It will offer a simple, accessible, seamless and flexible approach which will help people to embrace the benefits of care technology and provide better outcomes.

“Our teams have worked hard over the last couple of years to create a vision of how we would like our digital care model to be – setting us aside from other local authorities. As we move away from the traditional analogue approach, we are embracing this opportunity to provide a pioneering and intelligent service that will evolve and adapt alongside societal needs.”

Cassius will focus on technology that promotes independence and provides monitoring and assessment in the first instance, but that is data driven to provide impactful insights into people’s needs – this will help inform more targeted care and support where it is needed, and give people, loved ones and care providers peace of mind, real-time information and back-up support if it is needed.

In the coming months, this will develop into a wider, more integrated package of technology that will support additional needs and opportunities.

Just one jab is half a job – keep testing and get second vaccination

Suffolk residents are being encouraged to jab, test, protect the rest as lockdown easing is delayed by four weeks.

Health bosses in Suffolk are urging people waiting for their second COVID-19 vaccination to take regular tests to help curb the spread of the virus.

People are being asked to test twice a week and to take their vaccine as soon as it is offered to them.

Of the Suffolk population of 761,350, a total of 629,889 are eligible to receive the vaccine.

NHS vaccination figures show that of those eligible, 62% (393,477) have had two doses, but 38% (236,412) have only had one dose - or no vaccine at all. That figure does not even include children who are not eligible for a vaccine but can - and do - get infected.

This means that almost four in ten people in Suffolk have had either one or no jabs at all and therefore risk catching the virus or passing it on to other people.

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The Delta variant of the virus is now the most prevalent in the UK and the concern for health bosses is that although the vaccine is highly effective - more than 80% after two doses – one dose is only around 33% effective. (2)

The figures do not record how many eligible people have refused a vaccine, but Stuart Keeble, Director of Public Health for Suffolk, said they showed the importance of getting both vaccinations when offered and testing regularly to break its spread.

“If you have both vaccinations you reduce considerably the chances of it harming you but if you only have one and think you are safe then my advice would be ‘please think again’. A single vaccine on its own is not enough.

“The Delta variant is now widespread in the UK and the data shows you are more likely to need hospital if you develop it, so please make sure you get both vaccinations.

“Everyone can also do their bit in curbing the spread by testing regularly. The more cases of infection that can be identified and isolated the harder we make it for the virus to spread throughout Suffolk.” Councillor Matthew Hicks, leader of Suffolk County Council and chair of the Local Outbreak Engagement Board, said the decision of the government to delay the easing of restrictions was the right one.

“We must be realistic. However much we were looking forward to the easing of the rules, the fact remains that the country was not ready and the Government has been clear that to have gone ahead as planned would have been the wrong path,” he said.

“The delay gives us more time to vaccinate as many people as possible with both doses, thus ensuring more of us who are potentially at risk are protected.”

Suffolk County Council launches Ipswich’s first Park & Cycle initiative

On June 15th it was announced that commuters are now welcome to park at Martlesham Park & Ride site for FREE and cycle into Ipswich Town Centre.

Working in partnership with First Eastern Counties, the Park & Ride site has put in place a cycle map which details three dedicated routes into the centre of Ipswich, and there is a route suitable for every ability:

• Green route – direct route into the town centre. 29 mins – 8.5km / 5.3 miles • Yellow route – direct /low traffic route into the town centre - 32 mins – 9.3km / 5.8 miles • Blue route – low traffic route into the town centre - 39 mins – 11km / 6.8 miles

As part of the scheme, there is also available for use Sheffield bike stands, and 24hr security patrols complemented by CCTV coverage for bikes left over night.

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Councillor Richard Smith, Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet Member responsible for Transport Strategy, Economic Development and Waste, said:

“Park & Cycle is another way Suffolk County Council is supporting more sustainable travel in to Ipswich as we ease out of lockdown.

“The dedicated cycle routes will reduce some of the barriers members of the public have said stops them choosing to cycle into the town centre.

“By embedding cycling as a regular option for travelling into Ipswich’s town centre many will reap the associated health, air quality and congestion benefits of sustainable travel.”

To find out more details visit www.suffolkonboard.com/parkandcycle and follow @suffolkonboard on Twitter.

Refurbishment of Bailey Bridge set to begin On June 17th it was announced that the bailey bridge crossing the River Blyth and connecting Southwold with Walberswick is set to close on Friday 2 July 2021 to enable vital refurbishment works. Since Suffolk County Council and its local elected members committed funds to undertake this major refurbishment, concerted efforts have been made to engage with key stakeholders and identify ways of mitigating the impact this closure will have locally. It has been fully recognised that the closure of this bridge at a time where lockdown is easing will present a challenge to local residents, businesses and visitors to the town. However the safety of those using the bridge has to be the priority.

In light of the impact that this closure could have on local businesses and those using the bridge for commuting purposes, a number of mitigation measures have been explored to take place during the closure. These include:

• A support package of £5k per month, for the programmed duration of the works, for local residents directly impacted by the closure of the bridge – to be administered by the local councils • Longer working hours and a longer working week so the work can be completed as quickly as possible – shortening the programme of work from 16 weeks to 12 weeks • Temporary traffic measures in Walberswick for the duration of the work to better support those travelling into the area.

Councillor Paul West, Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet Member responsible for Operational Highways and Flooding, said:

“The Bailey Bridge connecting Walberswick with Southwold is an incredibly important structure in the east of our county. Refurbishment of this bridge is vital for the thousands who use it, whether they’re visitors when exploring our coastal walks; or locals who shop and work between the two communities.

“We are pleased that the bailey bridge has continued to serve our communities over the past couple of years since the temporary repairs were carried out, however now it is time for a full refurbishment. Refurbishment of this bridge is one of Suffolk Highways’ top priorities, and we will continue to work closely with officers to ensure this can happen in a way that minimises impact where possible and bring lasting benefits.

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Have your say on the potential permanent closure of Upper Brook Street to motorised traffic

Suffolk County Council launched its consultation to gather local views on maintaining a permanent closure of Upper Brook St in Ipswich to motorised traffic on June 22nd.

The short cut-through from Tacket Street to Buttermarket was closed to motorised traffic on a trial bases last summer as part of measures introduced to encourage cycling and walking in and around Ipswich town centre in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Following feedback from this trial, the council is now proposing that the closure remains in place to provide more space for walking and cycling between Tacket Street and Carr Street.

You can take part in the consultation now by visiting www.suffolk.gov.uk/walkingandcycling or by scanning the QR code on the signage at the road closure. The consultation is running until Friday 30 July 2021.

Councillor Paul West, Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Ipswich and Operational Highways, said:

“Following a range of feedback we have received during this trial road closure, we are offering local residents and businesses a formal opportunity to tell us if they want to see this change on Upper Brook Street made permanent.

"Implementing a permanent closure to motor traffic at this point, stops vehicles ‘rat running’ through what is a popular public throughfare that leads past the town’s central library, and it would allow people to safely walk and cycle around the area as an alternative to driving through this central route in town. I am very pleased that this option has the support in principle of both our partners at the borough council and Ipswich Central as we all want to create a flourishing town centre in Ipswich.”

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Suffolk Fire Ride 2021

On June 22nd it was announced that Felixstowe Fire Station and Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service are inviting cyclists of all abilities to join them in taking part in their annual cycle sportive.

Starting at Felixstowe Fire Station, this year’s routes will be set amongst the lovely rural lanes and beautiful rolling countryside found in east Suffolk and will raise money for the Fire Fighters Charity.

The event is being organised with safety in mind and COVID secure arrangement will be shared with all participants prior to the event.

Hosted by Felixstowe Fire Station, the ride took place on Sunday 4 July 2021, and offered a choice of two signed distances – 50Km and 100Km, plus a local family route.

The Suffolk Fire Ride is a friendly cycle sportive suitable for all levels of riders and promises to be an event for all the family to enjoy with Felixstowe being a seaside town, with attractions for all the family, local shops, pier and amusements. All participants received a limited edition 2021 Suffolk Fire Ride medal.

Dan Fearn, Interim Chief Fire Officer for Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, said:

“The Suffolk Fire Ride is a much loved and eagerly anticipated annual event, and we are always grateful for the support of those taking part and their family and friends.

“The ride is open to cyclists of all abilities and the money raised from the event will go towards supporting fire fighters across the country through the Fire Fighters Charity.”

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