2023 - Onwards: Infrastructure Improvement Program
Parish Councils (and Parish Meetings) can raise funds for infrastructure projects in a number of ways such as through precept allocations, councillor locality funding, grants from external organisations, and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The CIL is a planning charge on new development, introduced by the Planning Act 2008, for local authorities in England and Wales to raise funds for infrastructure projects in areas where development is taking place. Thes projects can include:
- Physical infrastructure: highways, transport links, cycleways, energy supply, water, flood alleviation, waste management
- Social infrastructure: education, health, social care, emergency services, art and culture, sports halls and pitches, community halls
- Green infrastructure: parks, woodlands, play areas, public open space
By 2024, St James Parish had accumulated about £6,250 in CIL funds held on our behalf by East Suffolk Council. While not a huge amount, your Parish Meeting Committee thought that this could be used to improve aspects of the village infrastructure. However, we needed to convince ESC that we had a worthwhile programme built in consultation with, and supported by, residents. During the year we collected views and ideas for this from around the village and its several organisations, and from others who visit for our activities, events and facilities. From this we produced such a plan. The main proposals are:
- Build a village-wide website: information about the village, its history, the Parish Meeting, the Orchard, the Hall, the Church, events, facilities, bookings
- Improve the area in front of the Village Hall: refurbish the phone kiosk, clear up and make safe the pump area, improve and landscape the area
- Provide external electricity and water supplies from the Hall for events and activities and to improve amenity and safety
- Renew/add Village Orchard benches, refurbish the Orchard Hut and gate area
- Provide additional benches, planting and amenities for the Village Green
- Improve and repair physical information services: parish direction signs and displays and direction and safety signs
To release the funds, ESC required that we provide them with evidence of the parish’s support and agreement. The Parish Meeting Committee discussed the proposals at length and agreed and minuted its approval unanimously. The Hall committee had significant input, agreed and minuted its approval, as did the Orchard committee. All three bodies also agreed to provide supplementary funding in support, which carried weight with ESC.
The Parish Meeting unanimously approved the programme and agreed financial support, recorded in the minutes of the May 2024 public meeting and the application was submitted to East Suffolk Council which approved the application in July 2024. Work on the projects is under way.
