Gt Blakenham Parish Council Meeting Minutes

Meeting Date:

Summary
This summary is generated by AI and may contain errors. It does not form part of the official minutes.
Residents raised concerns about parcel delivery issues in Blueleighs, with DHL reportedly not delivering to the area. The ongoing situation at Chalk Hill Lane remains unresolved as Suffolk County Council investigates ownership. Additionally, the Environment Agency is looking into noise and litter concerns at the landfill site, with updates pending.

Minutes of the Meeting

Minutes of Gt Blakenham Parish Council meeting held on Wednesday 15th April 2026 at Parish Rooms.

Present
Chair Nick Leonard, Cllr Matt Powell, Cllr Debbie Kemp, Karen Grimwood (Parish Clerk), SCC Cllr Chris Chambers, MSDC Cllr Adrienne Marriott and 6 members of the public
  1. To receive and approve any apologies for absence. - Cllr Karen Wheeler
  2. Declaration of any pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests – None
    1. Councillor’s declaration of interest appropriate to any item on the agenda.
    2. To receive written requests for dispensations for disclosable pecuniary interest (if any).
    3. To grant any requests for dispensations as appropriate.
    4. Co-option of parish councillor(s) / to sign declaration of acceptance.
  3. Public Forum
    • To receive the report from the County Councillor. - see attached
    • To receive the report from the District Councillor. - see attached

    To receive questions from members of the public. Update on the situation at Chalk Hill Lane. There are no further updates regarding Chalk Hill Lane closure at present, other than that the Suffolk County Council are still investigating ownership of the site. Residents of Blueleighs have also reported ongoing issues with parcel deliveries, with several parcels not being delivered. In particular, DHL have reportedly stated that they will not deliver to the area at all.

    Will the landfill site still continue to operate at its current height. Noted that the site is not visually appealing and raised concerns regarding litter, as well as noise occurring outside of permitted working hours. The Environment Agency currently has an ongoing investigation into the matter. SCC Cllr Chris Chambers is aware of the issues and has pushed for a response. The Parish Council is awaiting a response from the Environment Agency to provide a further update from the investigations.

    Asked whether there is any known explanation for the lighting and noise being observed at the rear of the Boltons site, adjacent to Birds during the night. It was believed that the activity was related to works being carried out by Network Rail on the nearby railway tracks. It was noted that nearby residents had not been notified of these works.

  4. To approve the Draft Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 12th March 2026 – Approved
  5. To note the Clerk’s update from previous meeting.

Planning

  1. To consider the following planning applications:
Ref Location Proposal Comment Date
DC/26/01043 Part Land Adjacent To Units 36 & 37, Claydon Business Park, Gipping Road, Great Blakenham Ipswich IP6 0NL Application under S73 for Removal or Variation of a Condition following grant of Planning Permission DC/24/02130 dated 25/07/2024 Erection of B2 unit for use as a motor vehicle workshop / garage services and associated works. Cllrs have no objection to this application Extended to 17.04.2026
  1. To note decision notice
Ref Location Proposal Comment
DC/2600065 Units 5 To 6, 29 Gipping Road, Great Blakenham, Suffolk Retrospective planning application for the stationing of a Portakabin and use as an office (Use Class E(g)(i)) in conjunction with the existing uses on the site and the creation of 5 associated parking space Granted

Growth, Highways, and Infrastructure

  1. Gipping meadow update - It was noted that some maintenance works have already been completed at the Meadows site. Further maintenance works are scheduled to take place over the next few weeks. The Management Plan was discussed with Mid-Suffolk Biodiversity Manager, who commissioned the plan. The Gipping Meadow Management Plan has now been shared with the Parish Council.
  2. Port One - Local parishes councils were invited to attend a meeting at Endeavour House. Representatives including MSDC, ecologists, transport specialists, and landscape consultants were present, allowing attendees to ask questions directly. It was noted that a number of species surveys have not yet been completed. One survey of particular importance relates to the five-banded digger wasp, which is considered unusual in this area. Parish representatives expressed a preference for an independent specialist ecologist to either complete the report or attend future surveys. It was also noted that some surveys cannot be undertaken until the winter months or later; as a result, any new proposals from Port One are likely to be delayed.
  3. Landfill site – See 3c
  4. Chalk Hill Lane – See 3c

Governance

  1. SALC Internal Audit – PC approved service letter of engagement for Salc 2026. Internal audit has been booked for week of 18th May 2026.
  2. PK Littlejohn External Audit – PC agreed the appointment of PK Littlejohn to complete the external audit 2026.
  3. Parish Room Donation – A request was made for the PC to fund the replacement of pads and battery for the defibrillator located in the Parish Room, at a cost of £240 + VAT. MSDC Cllr Marriott advised that she would be willing to cover this cost from her available funds rather than the Parish Council.
  4. Website provider - The PC noted that its website provider, Suffolk.cloud, is now known as Pear Space and has joined the Freethought Group
  5. CIL - The PC noted that it will receive £9,344.19 in Neighbourhood CIL for the financial year 2026–2027.
  6. Finance - The Parish Council reviewed the end-of-year financial statements and agreed in principle, subject to minor amendments to earmarked reserves. The Clerk will make the necessary amendments and present the revised figures for approval at the next meeting. The Clerk requested renewal of the finance software package with Realits at a cost of £252.00. The Parish Council approved the renewal.
  7. Precept - The PC noted receipt of the first precept payment for 2026–2027 in the sum of £28,941.00.
  8. Local Reorganization Review

Finance

To consider approving and making the following payments: Approved

Payee Method Description Amount Legislation
Suffolk County Council Bacs Street light maintenance - 9569132 £1360.94 LGA 1972 s111
ICO DD ICO renewal fee £52.00 LGA 1972 s111
Payroll Bacs Payroll ends 31.03.2026 £1075.63 LGA 1972 s111
HMRC Bacs P30 ending 05.04.2026 £376.45 LGA 1972 s111
Nest DD Month 12 ends 31.03.2026 £53.99 LGA 1972 s111
Shades Bacs Street/litter cleaning as per tender 2839 £1213.33 LGA 1972 s111
Shades Bacs Grounds maintenance as per tender 2840 £758.33 LGA 1972 s111
Lloyds Bank DD Card fees £3.00 LGA 1972 s111
Unity Trust DD Service charge £7.00 LGA 1972 s111

Income Received @31.03.2026

  • 23.03.2026 – HMRC £1159.76
  • 05.03.2026 – Allotment Shed £50.00
  • 31.03.2026 – Bank Interest £855.03

Total: £2064.79

Bank Balances @ 31.03.2026

  • Unity Trust Current Account: - £10868.12
  • Unity Trust Saver Account - £168,016.58

Total: £178,884.70

Reports

  1. Village Hall

Correspondence

  1. Sackers – Council was advised that there was a very large explosion from the Sackers site again this month. This was notified to the Environment Agency on the same day. The Environment Agency, SCC, and Chris Chambers are all aware and have notified the relevant departments.

Future Meetings

  1. To note invitation for items to be considered in the next meeting.
  2. To note the date of the next scheduled meeting on 14th May 2026 and any items for the agenda.

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