The Democratic & Scrutiny Services Officer invited nominations for the election of Chairman of the Aston Flamville Parish Meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 23 October 2019, as circulated, were approved as a correct record.

There were no matters to discuss.

Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange (HNRFI)

The Chairman informed the residents of the newest developments in regards to the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange, which were as follows;

·         Tritax Symmetry Hinckley Ltd (TSH) the developer, have indicated that the formal 8 week public consultation on their proposal will commence in October 2021. TSH initially proposed that this consultation should be done virtually but following pressure from both Blaby District Council and Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council they have now agreed to hold some public presentations to augment the online consultation. TSH are legally required to give the local residents 2 weeks’ notice of the formal start date of the consultation. Until such time that TSH publish the supporting data for this latest proposal, including traffic data, it is difficult to comment further.

·         As and when the consultation does take place it is imperative that people do take part and formally make their views known. It is not a “done deal”.

Following the consultation, the developer may refine their proposals before deciding whether to formally apply to the National Infrastructure Planning Inspectorate for a “Development Control Order”.

·         An Examiner is appointed to review the application, after which the Examiner will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Transport (SST). The developer has to demonstrate to the Planning Inspectorates Examiner that he has taken due regard of all the comments from the public consultation. Assuming the public consultation does start in October 2021, the developer is likely to submit his DCO application in March 2022, the examination & report will conclude around March 2023 and the SST’s decision made by July 2023.

·         There is currently a combined parishes action group, that is made up of the 10 fosse village parishes, Burbage Parish Council, Earl Shilton Parish Council, some Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Councillors and the ‘Save Burbage common’ action group. The action group is meeting informally but is currently working to organise a meeting with the two local MP’s to share their concerns.

Councillors and parishioners discussed this item at length and agreed that it

was important for everyone to voice their opinions, especially to the Planning Inspector.

Cllr. Maggie Wright informed parishioners that she and Cllr. Mike Shirley have requested an extension of the current radius (3km) as to which the developer will be sending letters to regarding the consultation.

Fosse Villages Neighbourhood Plan (FVNP)

The Chairman informed parishioners that after 8 years the FVNP has now been completed (June 2020) and covers the 10 Fosse villages. He informed parishioners that the policy will be used by Blaby District Council when considering future developments within the area.

Possible Solar Power Farm

The Chairman provided an update in regards to the possible solar power farm and informed parishioners of the following:

·         Elgin Energy (EE) have agreed a long term lease with the (Anglican) Leicester Diocesan Finance Board for former Glebe land within the Ecclesiastical Parish.

·         The Chair advised that 95% of the proposed land is within the Blaby District Council area and 5%  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

 Cllr. Mike Shirley gave an update to the meeting on the following items;

·         The meeting were advised that the Blaby District Financial Statement had been published on 30 July 2021 and is accessible to the public on the Council’s website.

·         Blaby District Council were successful in gaining £182,000 funding to improve local highstreets and shopping centres.

·         Blaby District Council are currently undergoing a local government boundary review, which means that the ward names and size of wards are under review. They have proposed a reduction in the number of Councillors within the district from 39 to 36. They are currently undergoing the 10 week public consultation to receive proposals of changes to wards. The draft recommendations should be available by February 2022 and the final changes will be enforced from May 2023. The meeting were advised that they can find out more information on the Blaby District Council website if they search ‘Boundary Review’.

Cllr. Iain Hewson informed the meeting that Jane Toman had retired from the role of Chief Executive of Blaby District Council and that the appointment of Chief Executive is to be filled by Julia Smith, who is joining Blaby District Council from Harborough District Coucil.

The Chairman advised the meeting that the Christmas fair, usually held in November unfortunately will not be held this year due to the ongoing pandemic. The meeting was advised that a Christmas raffle was being held and that they are looking for volunteers to help sell the tickets.

The Chairman made thanks to all Councillors at the meeting for their work supporting Aston Flamville.

The date of the next meeting to be arranged in consultation with the Chairman in April 2022.