The Parish Council usually meets at 7:30pm on the first Monday of each month in the Community Room adjoining the school. Notice of the meetings appears on the Parish Council notice board outside the school, together with the minutes of the previous meeting and other relevant information. The first 15 minutes of each meeting are allocated to the public to allow them to raise any matters of concern. In addition to the monthly meetings there is the Annual Parish Assembly which takes place in May.
The Parish Council is responsible for many aspects of village life, including the provision of recreation facilities, reporting on the state of highways, footpaths and bridleways, commenting on planning applications and supporting parish initiatives, sometimes with grants.
The Clerk to the Parish Council is Mr Bill Goudge, Nova, Coppid Hill, Wokingham, RG41 4 TG, tel: 0118 977 3553, or e-mail billgoudge@aol.com. Please contact the clerk or any member of the Parish Council for further information about the activities of the Parish Council or if you are interested in becoming a Parish Councillor.
Dates of Upcoming Meetings
The dates of Parish Council meetings for 2010 will be:
MAY 17th
JUNE 7th
JULY
5th
AUGUST 2nd
SEPTEMBER
6th
OCTOBER
4th
NOVEMBER 1st
DECEMBER 6th
Notes from the Parish Council Meetings
Notes from the latest meeting and the previous three months are available in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. Clicking on one of the links below will open the document in a new window. From there you can save or print the document if desired. Closing the window will return you to this page.
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
The Report which the Chairman of Beenham Parish Council gave to the Annual Parish Assembly on 21 April 2010 is also available in PDF format:
Parish Assembly 2010
Note from the Parish Council regarding possible minerals extraction in Beenham
The Parish Council is fully aware of the very considerable local concern about the possible designation of land in Beenham as Preferred Areas for gravel and sand extraction. The land concerned is the whole stretch between Beenham Hill and Admoor Lane, currently farmed by Field Barn Farm and Englefield Estate; two areas to the west of Beenham Hill (to the northeast of the old landfill site); and Gravel Pit Farm between Grange Lane and Cods Hill.
Dick Russell, together with Sue Graham and Jim Morahan on behalf of the Beenham Action Group, have recently had a very useful meeting to discuss the matter with our District Councillor Keith Chopping and the Planning and Transport Policy Manager at West Berkshire Council. As a result of this and our other enquiries we would like to bring you up to date.
The proposal to designate the Beenham sites as Preferred Areas appears in the consultation papers prepared by the Joint Strategic Planning Unit (JSPU) for the Berkshire Councils, including West Berks. This is the first stage of the required statutory process to put in place a new Minerals and Waste Plan for Berkshire. The Plan is intended to be for the period to 2026, and to identify sites for the levels of mineral extraction and waste facilities required over that period.
In order to satisfy statutory requirements it is considered necessary for the JSPU to include at this stage of the process for consideration all possible sites which could be designated as Preferred Areas for extraction. We are told that it would not have been possible to exclude the Beenham sites from consideration at this stage, because if their exclusion were objected to this might have invalidated the entire process. As it happens, we understand that the Gravel Pit Farm site has not been offered for consideration by Marley (which owns it). Nor have the other sites been put forward by West Berks (which effectively own the mineral rights). They have all been included on the initiative of the JSPU itself. The statements in the consultation papers to the effect that they have been offered by operators are incorrect.
The next stage in the process is for the JSPU to consider all the comments which have been made on the proposals, and to produce a further document which will identify those sites which they consider should go forward as the Preferred Sites. In making these decisions the JSPU will take account of the deliverability of each site, ie whether it is likely to obtain planning consent; and because of their location in the AONB, the value of the agricultural land and the number of listed properties affected we were told that it is highly unlikely the Beenham sites would be selected. In addition the fact that the sites have not been offered by operators may result in their failing the necessary sustainability test for inclusion.
The JSPU has apparently received more objections in relation to the Beenham sites than any others, and this will also be relevant in their appraisal. Thank you to all those who wrote in.
We are told that it is likely that West Berks Council itself will, in the light of the AONB and other factors, ask for the Beenham sites to be excluded. While no guarantees can be given at this stage, we have been assured by our District Councillor and by the Policy Manager that should there be any change in this position we will be notified. If there were to be a change in West Berks approach, or if the sites did go forward to the next stage (which we have been assured is unlikely), we will be able to raise all our objections then. However, for the moment it would appear probable that the sites will not be selected, and that our best course is to wait and see. In the light of our discussions, the Parish Council, and Sue Graham and Jim Morahan on behalf of the Beenham Action Group, believe that there is nothing to be gained at this stage, and possibly much to be lost, by a premature campaign and unhelpful publicity.
All enquiries please to Dick Russell 971 2269 or Sue Graham 971 3922
STOP PRESS- July 2009 GOOD NEWS FOR BEENHAM VILLAGE
As most of you will be aware, there has for some time been a threat hanging over us that parts of the village would be nominated as Preferred Areas for gravel extraction. I am pleased to be able to tell you that this now appears much less likely.
The Joint Strategic Planning Unit which is responsible for preparation of the new Minerals and Waste Development Framework for the area has published its proposals. These are still subject to further consultation and then to Government approval. However, they contain a very strong presumption against any minerals extraction within the AONB, which includes all of Beenham to the north of the A4. In relation to each of the two sites in Beenham (Gravel Pit Farm between Clay Lane and Cods Hill, and the land down Beenham Hill and along the north side of the A4) the proposals say:
"It is not proposed to identify any Preferred Sites [in the AONB] unless there are insufficient sites elsewhere. It is therefore recommended that the Site not be identified as a candidate Minerals Preferred Area." In relation to the Beenham Hill/A4 land it is additionally stated that "the surface owners have strongly objected to extraction and as such there is little or no prospect of deliverability."
The news is less good for those to the south of the A4. Three sites in Aldermaston parish and one in Padworth have been preferred. The effect on the road network will be considerable, as will of course the environmental impact on nearby residents.
You will also be interested to learn that it is recommended that the Grundon site be deleted as a Waste Preferred Area. This does not mean the closure of the Grundon site; it does mean that there would no longer be a presumption in favour of allowing further waste facilities in the area.
Dick Russell
District Council
West Berkshire Council is a unitary authority responsible for the full range of local authority services. It was created in April 1998 when the former Newbury District Council took on responsibilities from Berkshire County Council, which was abolished. West Berkshire Council has its main office at Council Offices, Market Street, Newbury RG14 5LD.
Tel: 01635 42400.
Web site: www.westberks.gov.uk
Keith Chopping is our West Berks district councillor. He is also currently Deputy Leader of Council, and responsible for
Planning and Highways.
Tel: 0118 983 4625 Fax: 0118 983 2010
E-mail: kchopping@westberks.gov.uk,
Web site:www.westberks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10155 |
