LEA PARISH COUNCIL
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Minutes of Annual Parish Meeting 19th May 2025, 7.30pm in Lea Village Hall
Present: Jill Martin(LPC Vice-Chair), Barry Rooks(Parish Clerk) and @50 members of the public.
Annual Village Parish Meeting – The Schedule
7:30 pm Chair’s welcome and introduction. Ratification of minutes of last meeting. Chair Cllr J Martin welcomed members of the public to the annual parish meeting. See Chair’s report below. Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on the 20th May 2024, accepted and signed as a true record by Lea residents present.
7:40 pm Review of current situation with Council, future plans, finances. See report below.
7.50 pm:
• Sand & Gravel Quarry in Lea - Submission to Lincolnshire County Council.
• Over 12’s Play Provision in Lea Park: swings & basketball / football.
• Lea Park Champions.
8:00 pm Questions and comments from the floor. This is an opportunity to raise any issues relating to the village. Residents of Lea are invited to attend the Village Annual General.
Summary of comments and questions from residents:
Sand & Gravel Quarry in Lea - Submission to Lincolnshire County Council.
Mr James Barton gave a presentation on the potential future development of a quarry on
his land by the River Trent, close to Lea. Here is a summary of the comments, questions and
response from those present:
The general response was that the development was not welcome and would have a
significant negative impact on the residents of Lea including noise and dust pollution.
There was also concern about the impact on wildlife, despite the examples given of
previous quarries that had been converted into wildlife sanctuaries once quarrying had
finished. There were a number of questions that Mr Barton was unable to answer and it was
suggested that any future public meetings or consultations have experts present to answer
residents' questions. Unanswered questions included where the site entrances would be,
how long the site would be active, noise and dust impact levels, air quality disruptions,
potential damage to the river banks and wildlife and facts around flooding improvements. It was
unclear whether there would be any benefit to Lea residents, eg. a community levy. It was
proposed to form a Friends of Lea Marshes working group to oppose the proposal. This would
be facilitated by Lea Parish Council but led and organised by Lea residents.
Over 12’s Play Provision in Lea Park: swings & basketball / football.
New swings have been ordered to be placed in a separate part of the park to cater for the over 12’s. One resident queried whether a basketball court would have been better. Swings were the more preferred options from the young people the council had spoken to.
Lea Park Champions.
Sign up sheets were provided to encourage residents to sign up to be part of a team looking after
the maintenance and development of Lea Park.
The state of the private road that is Rectory Lane was discussed. In other circumstances residents
club together to pay for road repairs. The difficulty here is that ownership of the road is uncertain.
Please contact Lea Parish Council or attend a Council meeting if you wish to contribute your opinion on any of these issues.
VICE CHAIR’S REPORT: Annual Parish Meeting presentation, 19th May 2025
Good evening and thank you for attending the Lea Village Annual General Meeting 2025. I am Jill Martin, Vice Chair of Lea Parish Council. I have been a Parish Councillor since 2022 and I have lived in the village for 8 years. I would like to explain the legal bit about this meeting – it is not a Parish Council meeting. It is a meeting for residents of Lea organised by the Parish Council. I am the only person present in the role of a Parish Councillor, supported by the Parish Clerk, Barry Rooks, who will take the minutes. This meeting is for the electorate of Lea to meet, hear and discuss issues that affect our village. It’s your chance to have a say in whatever you feel is important to our village. This helps Lea Parish Council with its future planning and decide where money from Council Tax is spent.
Before we can start I need to share with you the meeting notes from the village meeting last May and I invite two people who were here last year to approve the notes provided by Barry.
Outcomes from issues raised.
Rectory Lane is a private, unadopted track and is not the responsibility of Lincolnshire Highways. Council has sought clarification on this matter and have established that residents can report any issues relating to this road to Lincolnshire County Council Highways. They have the authority to try to contact the landowner or owners and request upgrades are made to ensure the safety of the road. Lea Parish Council is not obligated to maintain unadopted roads at public expense. This means they can’t patch potholes or resurface the road.
Play equipment suitable for children over 12. Two sets of two swings are due to be installed in early June, followed by a bench. Council would like your opinion on what else children over 12 years old might like. Suggestion slips are on the side tables so please let us know what you think, especially if you have a child who might use this equipment.
A coffee shop in Butler’s Pantry over the summer months is a lovely idea, but no one has come forward to take this on. Also, no volunteers came forward to look into establishing any childcare provisions.
The Rotary Club opted to stage their annual firework display at an alternative venue.
Finances
As a result of diligent housekeeping, good financial management and the hard work of a small group of volunteers I can report that the Parish Council is in a strong financial position. We are recommended to maintain a reserve of a minimum of £14,000 to carry forward from year to year to cover any unexpected expenses. The current financial situation is as follows:
Council has not raised their section of council tax for Lea residents for the last 2 years, giving an income of £22,000 per annum. This has to cover the Clerk’s salary, insurance, grass cutting, maintenance, new projects and much more. Due to monies still remaining from funds received from the Willingham Road development the current reserves stand at just over £60,000. This money must be spent on projects that have long term benefits to the village.
I am now required to provide you with a summary of events from the last 12 months.
Lea Orchard. A long overdue project was work on the community orchard in Lea Park. The orchard was planted by volunteers and contains rare British species fruit trees. They were in desperate need of pruning. Fortunately, Pete Arthy, who doesn’t even live in the village, came forward and offered his services and expertise. He trained a small group of volunteers on what to do and, after several days working in the cold, the trees are now pruned and much healthier and we look forward to the fruit this autumn. We will be encouraging more people to come to collect the apples, for free. There’s enough for apple crumble for everyone! There are some soft fruit trees and we will be pruning them later this summer. Thank you to everyone who contributed.
Butler’s Pantry is the only remaining part of Lea Hall which once stood in Lea Park. It is not a listed building but Council believes it is important that money is spent on maintaining this building. Improved external drainage has been installed to prevent flooding and later this summer damaged bricks are being replaced and the building is being repointed and damp sealed. Running hot water on tap is being installed inside. The Butler’s Pantry can be hired for small gatherings for £10/hour.
Tennis club. The village tennis club continues to thrive. A new, longer lease has been negotiated to support the tennis club in bids for further financing.
Cross country. The Gainsborough Schools Cross Country championship again took place in Lea Park.
A request from Parishioners to install a handrail alongside the steps between Stainton Close and Trehampton Drive was successfully delivered.
Every Parish Council faces problems caused by irresponsible dog owners not clearing up dog poo. Lea Parish Council has helped dog owners by installing advisory signage and waste bins. It has long been recognised that some owners, having driven into the car park, allow their dogs to leave the vehicle off the lead. These dogs run free and relieve themselves without their owner’s knowledge. The new fencing is intended to steer dog walkers away from the picnic area and prevent unchecked access.
Dogs and cycles have also been a problem to people coming out of the Butler’s Pantry. It would benefit everyone if dog walkers crossed over the field to walk through the woods rather than across the picnic field in front of the children’s play area. Dog owners are also requested to keep their dogs on a lead as Lea Park is open to the main A156 and no one wants dogs running onto a busy main road. Furthermore, not everyone welcomes being accosted by our canine friends especially if they are more foe than friend.
General repairs and maintenance
The village team of volunteers and councillors have, yet again, saved residents a great deal of money by completing tasks such as installing new signs, spreading bark chippings, completing small repairs in the play area, cleaning and repairing benches etc.
Litter pick
Council has planned a whole village litter pick for Saturday 7th June. We would like as many volunteers as possible to help out. We will be meeting up at Butler’s Pantry at 10:00 am. All you need is a pair of gloves. Please note that children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Lea champions
Lea has a wonderful group of volunteers who help with jobs around the village. As part of Lea Parish Council’s annual plan we have a number of odd jobs, some around the park, some in the play area and some around the village. We aim to set dates – some weekdays, some weekends, when we hope to complete a set of tasks. Please, please if you would be willing to be part of our contact list it would be very much appreciated. There is no obligation to attend but as they say ‘Many hands make light work’. Please sign-up on the forms provided on the side tables. The Parish Council take this opportunity to thank Councillors who have now chosen to step away. There are three available positions on the Council which need to be filled to enable the village to function properly. If we can’t fill these positions power may need to be handed over to West Lindsey which wouldn’t serve our local interests. So please, give it some consideration and maybe attend a Parish Council meeting to see how it all works.
Any questions or comments on anything said thus far?
Sand and gravel quarry
I believe this is the reason why many of you are here tonight. It is the duty of the Council to represent the views and opinions of its electorate and as yet we have not garnered your opinion on this matter. For this reason I will explain the details of this issue in a purely factual way. After this meeting we will have a better understanding about your views and how you wish the Council to act on this matter.
It has been long established that reserves of sand and gravel have been deposited under the flood plains that lie along the sides of the River Trent. These deposits are needed for road and building construction within the county and beyond. Every 10 years Lincolnshire County Council’s Minerals and Waste Policy Team issues a call to landowners who have land which sits on top of these deposits to submit applications if they wish to be considered for approval to develop their site, along with supporting evidence. This forms the basis of the Lincolnshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan. The owners of the land at Lea Marshes (also known as Lea Fields) submitted such an application. This area was designated as site SG01.
As part of the consultation process, Lea Parish Council was contacted and asked to comment on this application. In response the Council submitted a document containing 14 issues that they felt were constraints on the development of this site. The issues raised included
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the fact that parts of Lea Marshes are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest - SSSI (it is the habitat for rare plant species, Subterranean clover, and wildlife).
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The proposed site is close to village properties, including some that are Grade 2 listed.
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The proposed site would be in the line of view from the crematorium, which is, by its nature, classed as a sensitive receptor.
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The proposed site lies within a Flood Zone 3, which indicates that it is meant to flood on a regular basis to protect surrounding properties, and it also contains part of the Lea Marshes Main Drain which drains the marshes as floods subside.
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The impact of the increase in heavy quarry traffic through the village, and associated debris, as lorries travel along the A156 towards Gainsborough and over the bridge, possibly travelling towards the new power station construction site at the West Burton.
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Any breaching of the existing River Trent flood embankment could significantly increase the risk of flooding in the village, along the A156 and within Lea Park.
Lea Parish Council was informed that site SG01 had not, at that stage, been selected for inclusion within the new Local Plan. The reasons for this were
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The proposed site being less than 200m from Lea Marsh SSSI and its connection to the Lea Marshes Main Drain.
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The proposed site being predominately within Flood Zone 3 with a potential for flood depths in the high range.
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Lack of evidence that the landowner agreed to the proposed site being developed and therefore uncertainty regarding whether the site was deliverable.
Subsequently, the Minerals and Waste Policy Team invited representatives of the potential sites that had not been selected to submit additional evidence to support their initial application. The documentation for SG01 was lodged by London Rock Co on behalf of the landowners. The document submitted addresses the concerns raised by the Policy Team and questions how some of the decisions have been made. Lea Parish Council resubmitted the 14 constraints as that document remains relevant.
The Policy team is currently considering all the additional information and will produce its final list of preferred sites later this year. This will result in a period of public consultation. Following this period, the Policy Team will publish its final list and plan for submission to the Secretary of State for acceptance. Sites that are proposed within this Plan will still need to pass all local planning stages before development can commence.
In January of this year Mr James Barton, on behalf of the landowners, contacted our District Councillor, Emma Bailey, to discuss the submission. He was invited and attended a Parish Council meeting to discuss the matter in person and he attended a further meeting to answer questions raised by Council. Mr Barton is here tonight to make a presentation and answer your questions.
Please give Mr Barton the opportunity to put forward his case and ask questions in a clear and polite manner. Please can I ask that people speak one at a time so Barry can take account of what is being said. Raise your hand if you wish to speak and you will be invited to ask your question or make your comment. If the feeling is to create an action group then Lea Parish Council will facilitate accordingly.
You are welcome to email any comments lea.parish.council@gmail.com