14 July 2026 Minutes
The minutes of the recreation & opens spaces committee meeting held at 8.00pm on Tuesday 14 July 2026 in the meeting room at the Institute 38 Church Street Deeping St James PE6 8HD.
Present: Councillors Hosking, Neville, Rose, Shinkins-Hoppe, Smith and Stevens.
The minutes were taken by the Parish Clerk
27.01 To elect a Chairperson.
It was RESOLVED that Councillor Shinkins-Hoppe should remain Chairperson
27.02 To receive and accept apologies where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Parish Clerk prior to the meeting.
Apologies had been received and were accepted from Councillor Townsin.
27.03 To receive declarations of interest.
None declared.
27.04 To agree the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 12 May 2026.
Agreed and signed.
27.05 To receive the Clerk’s report.
- Groundworks were advised of the change to the original instruction issued to them following the decision to divide the play equipment improvements project into smaller phases rather than one large whole project in the hope that grant funding could be obtained for individual items
- The Corporate Property Services at South Kesteven District Council were informed of the acceptance of the heads of terms relating to the transfer of the area known as Millennium Wood next to 10 Spalding Road and the Community Orchard on land off St Vincent’s Close. The adverts required under the LGA 1972 S.123 have appeared in the Stamford Mercury and the Peterborough Evening Telegraph.
- The Our Forest Garden and Artivity summer activity schemes have been promoted vis social media and via ParentMail within the two primary schools in DSJ. The Madcaps playscheme has also been arranged for the mornings of Monday 10 to Thursday 13 August 2026 and information will be circulated via the schools prior to the end of term
-The benches from Manor Court Gardens have been refurbished and are no back in-situ.
- Contractors will repaint the heritage telephone box on Church Street from Monday 03 August 2026. DSJPC’s maintenance team will remove the Perspex panels and replace with new.
- The graffiti which took place at the skate park during May 2026 (and at a similar time at a park in Langtoft) received some local press coverage on 12 June 2026. It was reported to Lincolnshire Police who passed it to a PCSO from the Bourne Stamford and Deepings Neighbourhood Policing team to contact the local Schools about. In the meantime, the Clerk also contacted the Deepings School asking for their support and was invited along with Councillor Kate Shinkins-Hoppe to a meeting with the Deputy Headmaster on Tuesday 07 July 2026. This was a productive meeting with an individual being identified from the CCTV recording.
- Maintenance Worker 1 continues to complete weekly visuals checks of the play equipment within the parish raising minor issues some of which he is able to attend to.
ACTION: The Clerk was asked to speak to the contractor currently completing work at Jubilee Park about these issues to see if they could be addressed.
- The lidded dog waste bins are causing odour issues due to the heat and may need replacing with more appropriate bins.
- The biodiversity area at Jubilee Park although impressive has raised some concerns from staff and Councillors as maintenance of it in Autumn will be challenging.
- Thank you to those Councillors (and other volunteers) who helped to set up/clear away and attend the Rose and Sweet Pea Show on Saturday 27 June 2026.
- The recently purchased climb over play hut has been installed at Jubilee Park along with the appropriate safety surface at a cost of £8280
- The Clerk has arranged a meeting for Thursday 16 July 2026 with SKDC’s CCTV Supervisor and representatives from British Telecom to obtain a feasibility and costing report about transferring the monitoring of the systems to the control centre in Grantham
27.06 To receive an update from the Jubilee Park improvements working party.
Councillor Smith advised that Groundwork had provided some phased development documents breaking the overall play area improvements project into 4 smaller ones to aide grant funding bids. He also advised that the Friends of Jubilee Park community group is due to meet at 6.30pm on Tuesday 21 July 2026
27.07 To receive an update and agree any outstanding actions in relation to the Annual Deeping Dog Show – Bark in The Park from 2pm to 4.30pm on Sunday 19 July 2026.
Councillor Stevens confirmed that everything was in place for the show to happen and as the weather was predicted to be cooler on the date the event should be able to still go ahead. The Clerk advised that all the paperwork required had been completed and the equipment needed made available
27.08 To receive an update about the requests for tree inspections and consider the quotations obtained.
Councillor Shinkins-Hoppe introduced this item and proposed that Crimson Kings should be requested to complete a positive survey for the Cemetery, Allotments, Woody Heights and Jubilee Park sites and a negative survey for the Millennium Wood Site. This proposal was supported by the Clerk who informed the committee that this company had recently been awarded the SKDC contract and that the communication with them had been very thorough. Seconded and RESOLVED.
27.09 To consider organising a community footpath walk incorporating some of the public rights of way within the parish.
It was agreed that a footpath walk along the Frognall paths (prow 11, 12 and 13) would take place at 6.30pm on Thursday 20 August 2026
ACTION: The Clerk was asked to contact The Goat Public House to see if they were able to offer refreshments after the event.
27.10 To consider offering some Scooter skills sessions at Woody Heights.
Councillor Shinkins-Hoppe introduced this item saying that the Clerk had arranged a virtual meeting with the owner of Future Scooters who offered 6- or 12-week weekly coached sessions to improve users’ confidence and encourage positive use of the facility. It was proposed seconded and RESOLVED that a 6 weekly sessions between 5pm and 7pm on Tuesday evenings should be organised at a cost of £3000 focussing on the 11- to 14-year-old age range although including anyone who wish to be involved.
27.11 To consider organising an event for Lincolnshire Day 2027.
Councillor Neville introduced this idea following a virtual meeting with the SKDC Events Officer who had organised banner making workshops with Schools and community groups for Lincolnshire Day 2026 which are to be displayed in the Priory Church between 01 October and 03 October and had contacted the Clerk to try and expand on this. It was agreed that should SKDC organise an improved event in 2027 DSJPC would support it if able but DSJPC would not organise such an event themselves.
27.12 To consider the management and maintenance plan for the planters and planted areas under the Parish Council responsibility.
The Clerk shared a document listing all the planted areas and planters within the Parish which included who (volunteers and parish council staff) was looking after them (planting and watering). The area of most concern was Manor Court Gardens which although land owned by SKDC had been enhanced by DSJPC. Councillors Stevens and Rose said they would work together on a specification stating what was required.
ACTION: The Clerk to ask the maintenance team tod spray the slabbed area and remove the weeds and cut back the planting in the 3 corner beds.
27.13 To note the date of the next meeting
8pm on Tuesday 08 September 2026.