Agendas 2020-21

A Meeting of Swayfield Parish Council will take place via Zoom at 7pm on Tuesday 19th January 2021

Members of the public are welcome to observe by logging in to Zoom using the information at the end of this notice.

Agenda

1. Apologies for Absence

2.0 Welcome to Mr C Hatch as the Parish Clerk

3.0 To receive declarations of interest in accordance with the 2011 Local Government Act. – personal or prejudicial interest in any items for discussion.

4.0 Minutes of the Parish Council Zoom meeting held on Tuesday 17th November 2020 to be approved as the Minutes and consideration of an Official Complaint concerning the Draft Minutes.

5.0  Councillors’ and Clerk’s reports:

5.1 County and District Councillors’ Reports

5.2 Recreation ground

5.3 Phone kiosk

5.4 Highways, footpaths and hedges

5.5 Defibrillator

5.6 Parish Council website

6.0  Consideration of the Parish Council’s proposals for Pingle Lane – see attached outline proposal document

6.1 Consideration of the document that is attached to this Notice

6.2 Definitive Map Modification Order (DMMO) Application

6.3 Consideration of recent activity along Pingle Lane

6.4 Consideration of the proposal for an ecological survey

6.5 Consideration of a request from a parishioner for sight of correspondence regarding Pingle Lane in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act

6.6 Naturehood Wildlife Packages.

7.0 Financial Matters

7.1  Financial report: position at bank

7.2  To resolve to pay the following: £26.00 for a gift to Mr S Williams on his retirement as Parish Clerk

7.3  Cheques to be signed:

7.4  Annual Precept - to confirm what has been requested etc – see Minutes of previous meeting

8.0 Proposal to join with Corby Glen and Burton Coggles in their pandemic response arrangements

9.0 Planning applications –

10.0 Correspondence – To note any Correspondence

11.0 Items of urgency for discussion

12.0 Date of next Meeting – Tuesday 9th March 2021.

Website: parishes/lincolnshire.gov.uk/Swayfield

Zoom log-in:

Meeting ID:  454 328 5284

Passcode:    7b6MmS

Chris Hatch

Parish Clerk

Pingle Lane, Swayfield

Background

Pingle Lane runs for one kilometre in a north-westerly direction from Corby Road in Swayfield and is designated as a ‘private driving carriageway’.

The first 420 metres lead to two disused quarries beyond which the lane ends when it meets the track that runs in an east-west direction.  Formerly the lane was known as Wood Road and it led to a wood that has long since been replaced with an arable field.  The east-west track is private land over which there is no public access.

The Present

Several parishioners remember being able to walk along the lane in past years, but more recently access along the lane has not been possible because of it being heavily overgrown between the two quarries and also further along its length. 

While the lane itself is unregistered the land on either side is under various ownerships with the principal land-owner being the Kennedy Leigh Charitable Trust with TC Bradley being the tenant farmer.

Swayfield Parish Council has therefore set wheels in motion to re-open Pingle Lane for public access while strengthening its appeal as a wildlife and environmental corridor.  Advice has been sought from Lincolnshire County Council Highways and Legal Departments and the owners of the land on either side of the lane have been advised of this intent and invited to respond.

While there are very understandable concerns about controlling vehicular access along the lane and the effects that public access may have on both wildlife and the environment, the Parish Council has received considerable support from parishioners for this re-opening.  LCC Highways Department has cleared the lane as far as the second quarry, and TC Bradley has cleared all the obstructions that lay beyond this quarry – the lane is now accessible to walkers throughout its length.

The Future

The challenge now is how best to maintain access along the length of Pingle Lane while enhancing the wildlife and environmental aspects of it and respecting the agricultural and domestic activities that happen either side of it.  Thoughts on this will include

• Hedges and Trees – who is responsible for maintaining the hedges and trees both on the inside and the outside of the lane?  This may/will include the respective landowners (or their representatives), LCC Highways Department and Swayfield Parish Council.

• – who should be responsible for maintenance of the lane/path, and to what standard?

• Access Rights – who has what access rights along the lane - landowners (or their representatives), the public (with or without dogs), horses, vehicles, others?

• Wildlife and Environmental Plans – how best can wildlife and the environment be protected and encouraged – which agencies could be involved in advice and/or management – what grants might be available?

• – what grants might be available and to whom to support the development and management of the lane?

• – rather than just being an ‘up and down’ lane, can connectivity be made to other footpaths in the surrounding area thus making circular walks?

• – what gates and/or barriers should be erected to prevent unauthorised access to the lane and to prevent users of the lane from straying onto private land?

• – what signage is required to advise users of the lane of their responsibilities, and to restrict unauthorized usage?

• – who or which authority will have responsibility for overseeing all of the above?

The Method

At its meeting on 19th January 2021 the Parish Council will discuss how the following parties/agencies could become involved in developing a sustainable plan for Pingle Lane that addresses the points mentioned above

            Lincolnshire County Council

            South Kesteven District Council

Swayfield Parish Council

            Adjacent landowners (or their representatives)

            Parishioners

Defra

Natural England

            Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust

            Lincolnshire Rural Touring

            The Ramblers Association

            Others …….

      On behalf of Swayfield Parish Council Councillor Kevin Holden is the coordinator of the Council’s input to the regeneration of Pingle Lane – as such, he will deal with the day-to-day matters and engage with the parties/agencies mentioned above and others as advised/necessary with the aim of presenting an outline proposal to the Parish Council at its meeting on 9th March 2021.  In the meantime all thoughts, ideas and questions should be directed to him.

Swayfield Parish Council

6 Jan 2021