We use essential cookies to make this website work. We’d also like to set additional cookies to understand how you use The Flyfords Parish Council. Read more

Skip to Content Accessiblity
The Flyfords

Our Next Meeting: 14th January, 2025

View PDF

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of Flyford Flavell, Grafton Flyford, and North Piddle Parish Council held at The Flyford’s Hall on Tuesday 21st May 2024

Present

S Densham
D Waide
D Rhodes
A Short
A Crickmore
R Davey
R Croxton

Mark Broughton-Taylor attended as clerk

Linda Robinson - District and County Councillor

1. Outgoing Chairman’s Report

We have dealt with 16 planning applications in the past year. Eight were supported by the Parish Council, and eight were opposed. Most of the opposed applications were rejected by Wychavon. One of these went to appeal and was refused on appeal. Five more appeals are currently in progress. One of the applications we opposed was for a Permission in Principle application. The planning meeting was directed to disregard our comments and we have asked for a meeting between ourselves and Wychavon planners to understand the correct way to input to PIP applications.

The South Worcestershire Development Plan, which was delayed due to a government request to add 14,000 houses between 2030 and 2041, is now with the Secretary of State for review prior to being formalised.

The Flyford Green Management Group has been established and has been overseeing maintenance and improvements for the green. The group has been given authority to spend a budget based on the income from the Village Green investment fund, plus any grants obtained. A number of trees have been planted and 2 easy access picnic benches have been installed. Further planting has taken place in and around the raised beds on the village green, and continues to look very good. The wildflower area has been enhanced. The rocks around the underground gas tanks have been replaced with a wooden rail and tree planting. The play equipment passed the annual inspection. A small amount of ground sinkage at the foot of the slide has been managed with an application of play bark. The plan to register the Village Green is currently with solicitors to sort out the correct registration of the green.

An investigation regarding taking Flyford Pond into community ownership is also with our solicitors following an initial rejection by the land registry. In the meantime the PC arranged to remove a tree which fell into the pond.

We have continued the Lengthsman scheme. We have also held bi-annual litter picks for the roadside verges.

Following disappointment about the minimal level of safety improvement to the A422 we convened a public meeting on 19th September 23. We had over 60 members of the public attend along with the Police and Crime Commissioner (John Campion), Inspector Wise, Linda Robinson, and representatives from other affected Parish Councils. The strength of public feeling expressed was very strong and fully endorsed speed enforcement, more safety improvements and noise enforcement on both the A422 and local roads. Following the meeting we tried numerous times to follow up with the then County Council lead for highways with no response. We have engaged an independent Highways Engineer, Roy Fullee, to establish how to make our transport and road safety plan more powerful. We have recently held a meeting with Parish Council representatives from along the A422 and jointly agreed four actions.

  1. Follow up with the PCC and Police Inspector on their actions from our public meeting
  2. Engage the new County Council lead for highways, Marc Bayliss.
  3. Circulate Roy Fullee’s report to the other PCs for joint support and engagement
  4. Hold a meeting between PC representatives, Marc Bayliss, John Campion and the police to agree further action.

Regarding road safety and excessive speed on the Radford and Bishampton roads we managed to have a speed limit review held on the Radford Road immediately east of Flyford. This did not recommend any changes. We believe this review was flawed by not taking account of the concerns of local residents and vulnerable road users. We are arranging a petition of parishioners regarding reduced speed limits on the Radford Road and through Flyford. We have also obtained a new, solar powered, vehicle speed activated sign and are investigating the opportunity for a second.

Further to implementing Neighbourhood Watch in Flyford Flavell, we have supported the roll out of Smartwater property marking. This enables the police to trace any stolen goods back to the house they were stolen from and is a major crime deterrent.

Two celebration parties were financially supported by the Parish Council to celebrate the coronation of King Charles. One on Flyford Green and one in the Flyfords Hall.

I am delighted to welcome two new councillors who have joined the PC, Alison Crichmore and Richard Croxton.

I would like to conclude by thanking all our councillors for their valuable contributions and input, and Linda Robinson for her strong support at County and Wychavon. Particular thanks are due to our Clerk, Mark for his continued excellent service, including regular councillor briefings.

2. Election of Chairman and Declaration of Office of Chairman

Having given consent to the nomination, David Waide was proposed by Sadie Densham, seconded by Richard Davey and all were in agreement. The chairman signed the declaration of office.

3. Apologies for Absence

No apologies

4. Declaration of Interest

None

5. Vacancies

Richard Davey volunteered to take on the role of Tree Warden. This is a Worcestershire County Council appointment but works in close contact with the parish council. Councillors unanimously endorsed the appointment and the clerk was asked to write to the coordinator at the County Council to state that the parish council endorse the appointment.

6. To elect/appoint the Vice Chairman

Having given consent to the nomination Andrew Short was proposed by David Waide, seconded by Sadie Densham and all were in agreement.

7. Footpaths Officer

Sarah Doughty had offered to take on this role and approaches were being made to the County Footpaths officer.

8. Data Protection Officer

The clerk agreed to act as Data Protection Officer.

9. Standing Orders (Rules of the Council)

It was proposed to add the following policy on biodiversity to the Standing Orders:

Background

In accordance with the duty imposed on Town and Parish Councils by section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, updated by section 102 of the Environment Act 2021, the Flyfords Parish Council must, in exercising its function, have regard, so far as is consistent with the proper exercise of those functions, to the purpose of conserving biodiversity.

What is biodiversity and why is it important?

Biodiversity is the variety of all life on earth. It boosts ecosystem productivity and is recognized as an essential but diminishing resource. Its’ loss can have considerable consequences for communities and habitats. It is essential for human existence and for a flourishing countryside. Biodiversity provides us with a wide range of goods and services which support our economic and social well-being. These include essentials such as food, fresh water and clean air, but also protection against natural disasters, regulation of our climate, purification of our water and pollination of our crops. In the countryside flower-rich meadows have been lost and hedgerows destroyed.

Restoring nature is critical to reversing the loss of biodiversity and to influencing climate change. As a community we can make a difference by embracing and enhancing the natural habitats around us, setting the right example for future generations.

The Local Area

The parish council serves the rural villages of Flyford Flavell, Grafton Flyford and North Piddle plus the hamlet of Libbery. The parish is mainly open countryside with numerous wooded areas, hedges, ditches, streams and farmland. Within the parish is the renowned Grafton Wood, an ancient woodland managed by the Butterfly Conservation group and Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. It is home to a huge variety of flora and fauna, including the rare brown hairstreak butterfly.

Adjacent to the parish and just east of Flyford Flavell is the Portway Farm Meadows SSSI, two meadows overlying a medieval ridge and furrow system containing semi- natural grassland with a rich variety of herbs and grasses.

Parish Council Responsibilities

The parish council owns two pieces of land – the village green in the centre of Flyford Flavell and the swale east of the houses round Flyford Green.

The Parish Council subscribes to the Worcestershire County Council Parish Lengthsman scheme. On behalf of the PC the lengthsman is responsible, amongst other things, for cutting back vegetation, unblocking gullies and cleaning road signs.

Aim

To enhance, protect and raise the profile of biodiversity within the parish, encouraging the whole community to participate, and to make biodiversity an integral part of all decision making.

Objectives

To protect and support the biodiversity of all land owned by the PC

To protect and support the biodiversity of all land that the PC can influence

To consider the impact on biodiversity of all planning applications

To support local biodiversity projects and increase community awareness of biodiversity

Actions

Planning Applications

The council will:

  • Support site and building design that benefits biodiversity through the conservation and integration of existing habitat or through provision of new habitats
  • Support protection of sensitive habitats from development
  • Consider whether each application could cause the loss of important habitats for wildlife
  • Consider what each proposed development might contribute to biodiversity net gain.
Land and property management

The council will:

  • Consider the conservation and promotion of local biodiversity, including adopting beneficial practices with regard to cutting and removing vegetation , application of chemicals and herbicides, timing of maintenance work.
  • Ensure that the village green is managed and maintained with the aim of increasing biodiversity by reducing the grass cutting regime, promoting and encouraging wild flowers, planting native species, reducing pesticide use and providing local composting.
  • Take special care in the specification of grounds maintenance contracts to ensure that the work does not harm the natural environment.
Local Community

The council will:

  • Raise public awareness of biodiversity including through its website and social media
  • Involve the local community in biodiversity projects on its land
  • Arrange, encourage participation in, and support litter picks bi-annually
  • Encourage and enable the public to pick up and dispose of dog waste appropriately
  • Promote the importance of gardens as wildlife habitats
Partners

The council will:

  • Work in partnership with other organisations to promote, protect and enhance biodiversity within the three parishes, including the local school, churches, the three parishes village hall, wildlife trust and local businesses.
  • Review any local nature recovery strategies, species conservation strategies or protected site strategies in respect of local SSSIs, and consider how it may become more involved in implementing any recommendations.

The bio-diversity policy was agreed and the standing orders were re- adopted for the coming year.

Proposed: David Waide
Seconded: Sadie Densham
All agreed

10. Staffing Committee

There was no report from the Staffing Committee.

Land Adjacent to the Flyford Arms

Appeal W/23/01596/PIP (Dismissed)

11. Treasurer’s Report

The clerk presented the accounts for the year. It was agreed that they should be adopted as a fair and true record of the accounts for the year.

Proposed: David Waide
Seconded: Sadie Densham
All agreed

Balances: Deposit - £13,559.54 Current - £3,800.69

12. Parish Meeting

A combined Parish Meeting had been held immediately before the AGM.

Notes from Parish Meeting Tuesday 21st May 2024.

Venue: The Flyfords village hall Commenced 7pm Concluded 7.31 pm

Present: David Waide Chairman; Andrew Short Vice Chairman; Mark Broughton Taylor Clerk, Jane Hands, Malcolm Jones, Mike Shephard.

Malcolm Jones asked about availability and accessibility of information, explaining that on the parish council website the start time for the parish meeting was not stated, although this information was available on facebook. This led to further discussion about the need for a central source of information, and the need to review the village hall website.

Mike Shephard complemented the social group for ensuring that the churchyard in Flyford Flavell was looking so smart for the recent funeral of a local resident. He then asked whether there were separate groups to manage various different village amenities.

Ali Crickmore explained that the social group had taken on the maintenance of the churchyard, with a small sub-group responsible for the latest tidy up. The social group have also arranged to get the war memorial professionally cleaned by a specialist contractor for which they are seeking a small financial contribution from the Parish Council. The churchyard and war memorial are not owned by the PC, although historically it has been assumed that the war memorial is looked after and maintained by the community.

It was explained that ownership of the village green, and adjoining swale, is clear. The parish council has designated responsibility for this to the village green committee currently chaired by David Rhodes. The money for managing the green comes from the dividends from a capital investment which is separate from the other activities of the parish council which are funded through the precept. The parish council are still clarifying ownership of the village pond before they determine what maintenance work might be required.

There was further discussion about the difficulties in finding all relevant information about activities in the three parishes. Many of those present were unaware of a separate facebook group for the parish council, or of the website for the Flyfords Hall. Jane Hand explained that if a facebook group does not have regular posts then it will not appear automatically on the feeds of group members. It was agreed by all that there is an opportunity to improve communication and a need to consider this for the future.