4th September 2023 Public Meeting
Public Meeting
The Public Meeting commenced at 7.30pm. Please see separate minutes for the council meeting.
Present: Councillors Firman , Garratt , Morrell, Nutter, Pailthorpe & Stanish, Clerk C Stanish, Staffordshire Moorlands Councillor J Kempson and 12 members of the public
Pre written or emailed responses received from 3 other members of the public.
The public were welcomed by the Clerk, who handed over to Councillor Firman who facilitated the general discussion about priorities for the Grindon Parish.
1.Pond – People volunteered to help with the clearing out of the village pond. It is a good time to do it now. Need to leave the plants at the side of the pond to let the creatures find their way back into the pond. Can’t use a digger to clean it out as it is clay lined and this could be damaged.
There are funds available from the climate change fund £200- £500 and from Staffordshire Wildlife fund.
2. Picnic benches need refurbishment, some worry about attracting a lot more visitors and problems if a litter bin was installed.
3. Could have an honesty box for parking but this would need to be emptied regularly.
4. Plan to straighten up the posts around the play area, offer of water supply needed for postcrete.
5. Ideas for the main field included planting trees in a corner, could coppice them for weaving, plant an orchard or native trees and have wild flower meadow in the same area. Mow two thirds of it with a path through the wild parts. Disagreements about how we should get people to use it, again concern about too many visitors. Need for a sign?
Put the football nets in the main field.
Possibly have benches with plaques on in memory of people to help fund the benches.
6.The Gardening club will discuss the planting and tidying of the village on their next agenda and will formulate a plan. To put forward that the Parish council will buy some bulbs. A resident has emailed to offer to do some mowing and others at the meeting offered their services.
7. Ford. Ford residents are keen to have a defibrillator. Discussion about how the old redundant telephone box can have its electricity supply reinstated to house the defibrillator or residents would be prepared to use their electricity.
Ongoing costs will need to be paid for. Grindon Village Hall have all the details re costings and first responders and can offer advice, as they finance the one at Grindon. Ford have a What’sApp group to keep everyone up to date. Residents of Grindon are happy to help with the fundraising for Ford Defibrillator.
Ford residents do not want any verges mowing.
8.Village signs – a lot of discussion around moving and/or replacing village signs. Everyone agreed that they weren’t very attractive but thought it would be very costly to replace. Possibly put a flower bed around the signs as a cheaper option. Highways charge £115 just to come and offer their opinion.
9. Playground – The big Lottery will give funds to Parish Councils. The plan is to make what there is right rather than adding any extra equipment. Don’t want anything not in keeping. Just replace the swings and possibly the seesaw dependent on funding.
10. A lot of very positive comments about the strimming and mowing that has been done by the councillors.
Plan
Await Gardening club plan
Apply for funding for play area, tree planting, pond restoration already in progress
Move goal posts – already done
Await to see if funding for Ford defibrillator is successful
Reposition wooden posts and replace the rotten ones
Meet with Village hall committee to discuss working together.
Agenda
To ask the public what their priorities are and what they would like to see done in the Grindon parish
Minutes
Public Meeting
The Public Meeting commenced at 7.30pm. Please see separate minutes for the council meeting.
Present: Councillors Firman , Garratt , Morrell, Nutter, Pailthorpe & Stanish, Clerk C Stanish, Staffordshire Moorlands Councillor J Kempson and 12 members of the public
Pre written or emailed responses received from 3 other members of the public.
The public were welcomed by the Clerk, who handed over to Councillor Firman who facilitated the general discussion about priorities for the Grindon Parish.
1.Pond – People volunteered to help with the clearing out of the village pond. It is a good time to do it now. Need to leave the plants at the side of the pond to let the creatures find their way back into the pond. Can’t use a digger to clean it out as it is clay lined and this could be damaged.
There are funds available from the climate change fund £200- £500 and from Staffordshire Wildlife fund.
2. Picnic benches need refurbishment, some worry about attracting a lot more visitors and problems if a litter bin was installed.
3. Could have an honesty box for parking but this would need to be emptied regularly.
4. Plan to straighten up the posts around the play area, offer of water supply needed for postcrete.
5. Ideas for the main field included planting trees in a corner, could coppice them for weaving, plant an orchard or native trees and have wild flower meadow in the same area. Mow two thirds of it with a path through the wild parts. Disagreements about how we should get people to use it, again concern about too many visitors. Need for a sign?
Put the football nets in the main field.
Possibly have benches with plaques on in memory of people to help fund the benches.
6.The Gardening club will discuss the planting and tidying of the village on their next agenda and will formulate a plan. To put forward that the Parish council will buy some bulbs. A resident has emailed to offer to do some mowing and others at the meeting offered their services.
7. Ford. Ford residents are keen to have a defibrillator. Discussion about how the old redundant telephone box can have its electricity supply reinstated to house the defibrillator or residents would be prepared to use their electricity.
Ongoing costs will need to be paid for. Grindon Village Hall have all the details re costings and first responders and can offer advice, as they finance the one at Grindon. Ford have a What’sApp group to keep everyone up to date. Residents of Grindon are happy to help with the fundraising for Ford Defibrillator.
Ford residents do not want any verges mowing.
8.Village signs – a lot of discussion around moving and/or replacing village signs. Everyone agreed that they weren’t very attractive but thought it would be very costly to replace. Possibly put a flower bed around the signs as a cheaper option. Highways charge £115 just to come and offer their opinion.
9. Playground – The big Lottery will give funds to Parish Councils. The plan is to make what there is right rather than adding any extra equipment. Don’t want anything not in keeping. Just replace the swings and possibly the seesaw dependent on funding.
10. A lot of very positive comments about the strimming and mowing that has been done by the councillors.
Plan
Await Gardening club plan
Apply for funding for play area, tree planting, pond restoration already in progress
Move goal posts – already done
Await to see if funding for Ford defibrillator is successful
Reposition wooden posts and replace the rotten ones
Meet with Village hall committee to discuss working together.