RAOS 2024 Minutes

DEEPING ST JAMES PARISH COUNCIL
The Institute, 38 Church Street, Deeping St James, PE6 8HD
E-mail: clerk@deepingstjames-pc.gov.uk
Tel: 01778 343266
Webpage: //deeping-st-james.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk
Facebook: Deeping St James Parish Council

Parish Clerk: Julie Fortnum

The minutes of the recreation & opens spaces Committee meeting held at 8.00pm on Tuesday 12 March 2024 in the meeting room at the Institute 38 Church Street Deeping St James PE6 8HD.

Present: Councillors Halls, Hosking, Rose, Shinkins-Hoppe, Smith and Stevens.

The minutes were taken by the Parish Clerk 

24.58 To receive apologies of absence.

All present

24.59 To receive declarations of interest.

None received 

24.60 To agree the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 9 January 2024. 

Agreed and signed 

24.61 To receive the Clerk’s report and any update on matters arising from the previous minutes. 

The Clerk advised that committee members that following the reports of incidences of trails bikes being ridden on Jubilee Park and Woody Heights over the weekend of 16 to 18 February 2024 no further reports had been received. Councillor Rose said she was aware that the Police had spoken to those concerned. 

Prices for a pair of goalposts to be installed at Woody Heights had been received and would be ordered as there was a budget available to cover the costs. These would be installed by the Parish Council’s maintenance team.  

A proposal including costings had been provided by Our Forest Garden to run 10 funded sessions for 32 children per session during the Summer holidays in week commencing Monday 22 July 2024 to Friday 26 July 2024 at a cost of £3100. A budget of £7500 to offer summer holiday activities was available so now that this proposal had been provided the Clerk would contact Artivity Studios and MaDCaPS out of school club to ask if they are able to offer two further weeks of funded activities.

24.62 To receive an update about and consider inviting a guest speaker to the 2024 Annual Parish Meeting and Making a Difference Awards.  

Several suggestions were put forward including a member of the public giving a talk on local wildlife, a representative from Market Deeping Fire Station to explain their role as they are looking for more volunteers, a representative from Lincolnshire County Council waste services to explain what happens to our waste once collected and a representative from Moor Farm in Northborough to talks about British Farming. It was agreed that Councillor Stevens would contact the Moor Farm first to see if they were interested and available.

Following this, as in previous years, it was considered if some musical entertainment was needed. Ideas put forward included a Ukulele Band, a local school choir or band, the Church choir or a Pianist. Councillors Shinkins-Hoppe and Stevens volunteered to make contact with various individuals and report back.    

24.63 To receive an update about the transfer of ownership of Jubilee Park from District to Parish Council including information about a future bid to SKDC’s Prosperity Fund. 

Councillor Smith introduced this item by providing an update about the transfer of ownership of Jubilee Park and how following a virtual meeting with a representative from South Kesteven District Council the transfer documents had been amended although there were still a couple of points that needed clarifying and the SKDC representative needed to talk with the Senior Management team and their Lawyer then they would get back to DSJPC. 

Councillor Smith continued saying that the working group (himself and Councillors Rose, Shinkins-Hoppe, Stevens and Townsin) had met and it had been agreed that a focus group of stakeholders needed to be formed to find out what was wanted in, and from, the Park. Local residents, users of the park, representatives from local children’s nurseries and primary schools and voluntary groups needed to be contacted and encouraged to become part of the focus group. 

Councillor Smith advised that he has put in a bid for a grant from the UK Prosperity Fund (administered via SKDC) to employ a contractor to do the surveys put forward a masterplan, complete the consultation and provide a shelf ready project to go out to tender. A decision on whether the bid had been successful would ben known on 13 May 2024. 

The Committee agreed to RECOMMEND to full council that the working group should be given delegated authority to seek and apply for further grants and quotations for further assistance.    

24.64 To receive an update about holding future Christmas Carol events at an alternative venue and agree to progress the plans to organise the event including meeting with a representative from the Salvation Army Band. 

Councillor Shinkins-Hoppe advised the committee that she had spoken to the owner of The Waterton Arms Public House who had agreed that their Marquee could be used for the annual Christmas Carols event along with the Salvation Army Band on the evening of Friday 13 December 2024. She added that this involved minimum effort or outlay on the part of the Parish Council and would not be weather dependent unlike when the event had been held outside on Jubilee Park. Councillor Stevens volunteered to contact the Salvation Army Band and the Vicar of the Priory Church and they were able and available to attend at this venue on that date. 

Further discussion did ensue around whether additional music to the Salvation Army Band should be offered such as a local tribute group who raise funds for charity. The Clerk was asked to investigate how they could be booked. 

26.65 To receive an update about the installation of benches along the route of the Deepings Green Walk and the bid to SKDC’s Prosperity Fund. 

Councillor Shinkins-Hoppe informed the members that Market Deeping District and Town Councillor, Councillor Dr Byrd, had completed a bid to the UK Prosperity Fund to cover the cost of providing benches, bins, fingerposts and interpretative boards across the Deepings. If successful funding for two benches will be allocated for Deeping St James. As the Welland and Deeping Internal Drainage Board had rejected the request to install them on the land either side of the Brewton Drive junction permission to install them on land either side of the Campion Drive junction was being investigated.   

24.66 To consider a request received from a member of the public to donate a memorial bench to be installed on the riverbank and from an alternative member of the public to sponsor the upkeep of a bench of the river which has no memorial plaque on it. 

The committee felt that the riverbank was not the correct place as there were already benches there and to site another one would mean it was too close to the bridge itself or not very accessible due to the steepness of the remaining bank. An alternative location that was suggested was on the land at the entrance to the Cross School car park looking towards the Priory Church. The land was believed to be owned by Lincolnshire County Council and it was noted that the Parish Council had already previously installed a waste bin here. The Clerk said she would put this to the donor and if acceptable investigate permissions.
As to adding a plaque to a bench already in-situ on the riverbank this was not felt appropriate as the providence of these benches was not known (they may already be donated benches). The Clerk agreed to advise the member of the public. 

Councillor Smith suggested that a programme of bench and bin installation across the Deepings was needed and he felt it could be put in place as a shelf ready project for the future.   
 
24.67 To note the date of the next meeting – To be agreed at the Annual Parish Council meeting on 21 May 2024.