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Category: Council

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Good News for Neighbourhood Plan

Colchester Local Plan Gives a Boost to our Neighbourhood Plan

Logo of the West Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan project

Colchester adopted Section 2 of its’ Local Plan (CLP) on 4th July 2022, this is good news for our Neighbourhood Plan. You may well recall the upset when, on appeal, the Planning Inspectorate granted NEEB approval to develop the site off Armoury Road. The Parish Council, and villagers generally, felt that the decision was irrational but such a decision should not be able to made again thanks to the CLP.

The Parish Council have been successful in getting the following changes included in the CLP:

6.227 The West Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan was made in 2019. It sets out the planning policy framework needed to support the delivery of 120 houses to 2033 and to guide and meet all other development or community needs identified by the community in West Bergholt.

Policy SS15: West Bergholt:  All development proposals in West Bergholt parish will be determined against and be required to comply with policies in the West Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan and any relevant Local Plan policies.

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Food Stories Coming Here – June 19th

Food Stries Logo

The Food Museum, formerly the Museum of East Anglian Life, is going on the road! They are touring their exhibition ‘Food Stories’ to communities across East Anglia arriving in the Orpen Hall on 19th June from 10 am until 4 pm. You can also get involved in the event yourself.

What are Food Stories?

‘Food Stories’ celebrates East Anglian recipes, cooking, farming techniques and dialect words that have been passed down through generations. The centrepiece of the exhibition will be a farm kitchen table featuring:

Farmers and workers at hayricks
Farmers Picnic?
  • local recipes,
  • photos,
  • sound recordings and
  • objects from their collection.

Visitors will be able to sit at, and engage with, the displays; you can also contribute your own recipes and memories to the exhibition. You will hear historic sound recordings from the region of people talking about their food and farming memories. Visitors can also participate in the University of Leeds’ cutting-edge dialect research by contributing their own dialect words.

Make your own contribution

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Annual Parish Meeting – 27th April 2022

Will you be attending on 27th April 2022?

Taking place on 27th April 2022, the Annual Parish Meeting is not a Parish Council Meeting, but a meeting for electors of the parish.

It is an opportunity to discuss parish affairs and say what matters to you. Members of the public and press are welcome to attend.

The meeting will commence at 7:30 pm, on Wednesday 27th April 2022, in the Orpen Memorial Hall. Light refreshments will be provided. The Agenda for this year’s meeting, which will be chaired by Councillor Chris Stevenson, Chairman of the Parish Council, is:

  1. Welcome and Introduction from the Chairman
    Parish Council Annual Report 2022 & unaudited Trust Accounts 2021-22 (10 mins)
  2. Heathlands School (Joseph Fielder)
    New Headteacher of Heathlands Primary School (10 mins)
  3. Age Well (Emma Barrow)
    Services & contacts available from Age Well (previously Age Concern) (10 mins)
  4. Jane Gardner
    Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex (15 mins)
  5. Parish Council Grant Awards
    Friends of St Mary’s Old Church
  6. Active Essex
    Find Your Active presentation (5 mins)
  7. Tim Simpson (Essex County Council)
    Green Infrastructure and Sustainable Drainage Manager (15 mins)
  8. Robert Strathern
    Innovative farming methods at Fairfield Crisps (10 mins)
  9. Issues from the Floor – Have your say

It would be helpful if you could notify the Clerk in advance if you have any matters to raise during the Issues from the Floor item. Email to [email protected].

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Environment & Highways 14th April 2022

Highlights of Environment & Highways Meeting on 14th April 2022

Bluebells - Environment = April 2022

The Environment & Highways Committee of West Bergholt Parish Council met on 14th April 2022 with topics including:

  • More new trees,
  • Plaques for trees,
  • Spraying of ponds in accordance with Environment Agency process
  • Repairs to Village Sign,
  • Handymen activities including mowing & Heath &
  • Preparations for Lighting of Beacon.
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Casual Vacancy for a Parish Councillor

Do you want to guide the future of West Bergholt?

Attributes of a good Parish Councillor - current vacancy

Following the resignation of a councillor, West Bergholt Parish Council currently has a vacancy.  Would you make a good parish councillor, or perhaps you know somebody else who could? In either case, why not visit a council meeting to see how it works? The next one is on 27th April at 7:30 pm in the Orpen Hall.    Contact the Parish Clerk – Laura Walkingshaw – at [email protected] for more details if interested,.

About the Parish Council

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Environment & Highways 17th March 2022

Highlights of Environment & Highways Meeting on 17th March 2022

Environment - wild flower

The Environment & Highways Committee of West Bergholt Parish Council met on 17th March 2022 with topics including:

  • Handymen activities,
  • Spraying reed mace in ponds,
  • Weeds on Colchester Road footpath,
  • Trees including Orpen Hall, Heathlands School & sponsorships,
  • Zip wire installation & adjustment to football pitch, &
  • Queen’s Jubilee preparations.
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Botanical Shenanigans

Replacing Cherry Trees – Simple?

Bluebell planting pear tree

Writing this article I couldn’t, first of all, decide if it should be about Cherry Trees, Oak Trees, Pear Trees or Bluebells; it transpired they all had their part to play along with many others.  The Cherry trees graced Orpen Hall for decades; however, as they had become elderly and diseased, they had to be removed last year. 

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