Present at the meeting on a snowy evening on 17th January were Councillors Brian Frith, Beverley Humphreys, Terry Henderson, Claire Jordan, clerk Sarah Berwick, County Councillor Bev Spratt and two members of the public. Apologies were received from Jackie Bowers, Gillian Barnes and District Councillor Bob McClenning.

A resident queried the loan the parish council was going to take out for improvements at the village hall outside area a few years ago as the precept was raised by £3000 to allow for the repayments yet nothing has happened at the village hall. Unfortunately due to delays in granting the permission for de-registering the old allotment land by the Department of Communities and Local Government the loan was not required in 2011/12 however the re-siting of the recycling area was undertaken along with other works at the hall. Aware that the village hall was still intending to carry out the alterations the £3000 added to the precept was left for 2012/13 and this amount is being held by the parish council for the village hall in reserves, therefore reducing the amount of loan required once the village hall is ready to undertake the work. This amount has been left in the budget again for 2013/14 pending an anticipated request for financial assistance in the near future.

Norfolk County Council has confirmed that the footway from Bentley Road to the B1113 is to be reconstructed and has been scheduled in the programme of works for 10th June, the work will take five weeks to complete. Cllr Spratt was thanked for his help in getting this work undertaken.

A meeting with Westcotec to consider a flashing speed sign on Mill Road is to be arranged. This would be funded half by Norfolk County Council and half by the parish council.

If you notice a road defect, please report it to Norfolk County Council via their web site www.norfolk.gov.uk or call them on 0344 800 8020

This is a report of the meeting: the full draft minutes are available for download by clicking on 'Parish Council' in the main menu and selecting 'Minutes 2013', or click here to open the file.

The next meeting is on 21st February in the Village Hall at 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome.

At the AGM of Forncett Parish Council I was elected Chairman, following Bev Humphrey’s decision to step down from the post after several years.  I am delighted to say that Bev has accepted the role of Vice-Chair and I (and the rest of the Council) will be able to continue to benefit from his vast knowledge and experience of Forncett matters.  The Council were unanimous in supporting a vote of thanks to Bev for his work as Chair during what have sometimes been challenging times for the Council in recent years.

An application has been submitted by Goff Petroleum, to South Norfolk Council for the ‘removal of the old Oil Depot and redevelopment of the site with 17 dwellings etc... ’

Anyone with any views on the matter can look on South Norfolk Council’s website Old Sale Yard, Station Road, Forncett St Peter. Click on the red Application Number for further details.

I have tried to make a link through to the application itself on the South Norfolk web site but the South Norfolk Planning Department's truly awful web pages won't forward me. Comments or objections need to be submitted to the Concil within 21 days of the application (7 Jan 2011).

In 2005 the Forncett Parish Council commissioned a Parish Appraisal, in order to find out the true feelings of Forncett residents on various issues that did, or could, affect the Forncetts. The Village Plan Steering Committee was set up to carry out this survey and put together a questionnaire that gave all the residents of the Forncetts the opportunity of airing their views on the needs of the village, now and in the future.

The questionnaire was delivered to every household in the Forncetts. Nearly 80% of the questionnaires were returned completed. Without such a tremendous response this Report could never have been written, so thanks are due to everyone who managed to find time to take part.

It was gratifying to discover that so many villagers had strong, positive and original ideas and the Report, which can be downloaded here, summarises the views and opinions of the residents. From the analysis of the comments, action plans have been devised for the short and long term, which can be carried forward by various parties. These may be the District Council, the Parish Council or other organisations - or indeed ourselves, the people of Forncett.

If you feel you can offer time and effort - it does not have to be very much of either - why not consider volunteering your services, for example, with the creation of a youth drama group or a gardening club; all it needs is a few like-minded people to gather together.

These are your comments, suggestions and ideas, not those of the Parish Plan Committee; only you can make things happen by giving your support in a practical way. Only then will the value of the Report be fully realised. This is an exciting chance for the villagers of Forncett to come together and create the community spirit that so many feel is lacking.

Note: For the action plans in the report ‘Short term’ means 2 years. ’Medium term’ means 5 years. ‘Long term’ means 10 years.

The survey has thrown up a number of issues that will need to be carried forward. In order to do this the Parish Council will need to appoint a working party to ensure the wishes of the people of Forncett are carried through. Clearly this will require volunteers from Forncett who ultimately are the people asking for change. The group will maintain ongoing contact with the Parish Council regarding Plan recommendations, and review the Plan regularly.