At a meeting of the Parish Council held on Monday 5th April 2004 there were present, Mr. J. Nichols, (Chairman), Mr. G. Alderton, Mr. P. Offord, Mr. J. Blowers, Mrs. T. Townend, Mr. S. Lewis and Mr. S. Perks. Pc Boggis, Councillor B. Hunter and 7 Parishioners also attended.
Apologies were received from Mrs. E. Hume. 
The co-option of two new Parish Councillors took place. The Clerk reported that no electors had requested that a Public Election should be called to fill the two vacant places on the Parish Council, therefore the Councillors could co-opt willing candidates. It was proposed by Mr. Alderton and seconded by Mrs. Townend that Mrs. E. Hilton and Mrs. G. Soanes should be co-opted onto Blundeston & Flixton Parish Council. This was unanimously carried and Mrs. Soanes joined the proceedings. Mrs. Hilton had given her apologies to the Clerk earlier.
The minutes of the two previous meetings held on 1st March and 22nd March were approved and signed.
Mr. Alderton declared an interest in the Draft Structure Plan decisions. There were no other interests declared.
The Chairman gave a brief report on the Parish Plans meeting held on Monday 29th March. Approximately 70 parishioners had attended the meeting, which had Annette Gray as the main speaker, she told those present that funding from the Countryside Agency was no longer available for the setting up of Parish Plans, the funding for Vital Villages Transport was also no longer being offered, this was a blow as Lound, Somerleyton and Blundeston and Flixton had been in discussion to group together on this project. However Ms Gray was hopeful that other avenues of funding, such as the Awards for All Eastern, might open for such schemes once it was confirmed that the Countryside Agency would no longer be providing funding. Various matters were discussed during the evening and had highlighted several matters Parishioners would like to see improved, one of the most serious complaints was over the amount of dog excreta all over the Village. Previous enquiries the Clerk had made to W.D.C. over the provision of Dogs mess bins had resulted in the answer being given that these were available but W.D.C. would not empty them, someone local would have to take on this job. Ms Gray reported that if that was the case W.D.C. are one of the very few council’s who do not carry out this task. The other matters of concern would be absorbed and acted upon if possible. 30 of the forms provided had been filled in and returned and a steering committee of 5 volunteers had been created, but due to the uncertainty over funding this scheme the committee would not function for the moment. The Clerk was asked to contact the Planning Department to ask an official form there to come to a specially arranged meeting and give the Parish Councillors an insight into the correct way to deal with planning applications and plans which are submitted. Councillor Hunter suggested that other Parish Councillors from the Northern Liaison Parishes might also wish to attend such a meeting. The Clerk reported that a letter had been sent to W.D.C. after the report on the Play Equipment had been received, the clerk has asked for a meeting with Sue Bowyer on site to discuss the way forward, as no reply had yet been received, the Clerk was asked to make contact again, the Chairman expressed a wish to attend this site meeting. The Chairman had checked the vehicles parked at Queensway and found them all to have up to date Tax Discs, but he reiterated the fact that the Parish Council would be forced to put a locked gate across the lane and therefore no-one would be able to Park on this piece of Private land if there continued to be a problem with vehicles at that point. The Chairman then gave more details about the Revised draft of the Structure Plan, all responses have been addressed but in most cases little regard had been taken of the views of the Parish Council. The whole of the parcel of land North of Market Lane in Blundeston will not be needed to be developed during the life of this Local Plan as developments of this scale are not deemed necessary in the Village, and various other parcels of land in the Village have been scheduled to be outside the Village envelope for development. Blundeston will remain classed as “A larger Village” in the Plan. Mr. Hunter suggested that planners should take into account the shortage of places at the local Primary School when viewing sites for development in the Village, (the matter of the School places was raised at the Parish Plans meeting the previous week). 
Planning The following plan was approved.
The Environment Agency Flood defence improvement works comprising, floodbank strengthening, filling and excavation of dykes, temporary site compounds and engineering works at Herringfleet and Somerleyton Marshes, Somerleyton, Herringfleet and Blundeston.
Accounts. 
The Following accounts were approved for payment, proposed by Mr. Alderton and seconded by Mr. Perks.
	B.M. Shaw Clerks Salary for Oct/Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb/March		475. 00
				Plus ⅓ telephone rental		              18. 32	= £493. 32
	J. Nichols Chairman’s ⅓ telephone rental for 6 months				       18. 32
	B.M. Shaw  costs of distribution and printing leaflets and posters for Parish Plans	        54. 00 
Councillor Hunter was invited to speak next. He said that he had received an application for funding from Blundeston Magpies and needed more information about their proposed Club House project, Mr. Blowers agreed to contact the chairman of the football club and pass on this information, councillor Hunter also said that it would help considerably if a representative of the club could attend the next Forum meeting. Pc Boggis reported the last 2 months crimes in Blundeston had amounted to 4, 1 of attempted burglary, 1 a prisoner with drugs, 1 a visitor to the prison with drugs and 1 of criminal damage to the tennis court. There was 1 reported crime in Flixton which was a non violent domestic situation. The police had been involved in the problem of the parking at Lakeside Rise, which Pc Hill had mentioned in a previous report. Pc Boggis and Pc Hill had carried out a traffic speed survey recently in Flixton on the B1074 and on Lowestoft Road/Hall Road in Blundeston. During these surveys, no prosecutions were carried out but they found that at least half the vehicles monitored were travelling at more than the 30mph speed limit, therefore they were of the opinion that there was a problem in these areas and they had spoken to the Highways department to advise them that in their opinion the 30mph repeater signs were too far apart for them (the police) to be able to uphold the mandatory speed limit. 
Correspondence  Information had arrived from dti/defra regarding bringing Broadband to rural communities, the Chairman pointed out the Blundeston was already covered by Broadband. A Crime number had been received from Suffolk Constabulary to cover the criminal damage caused to the net on the tennis court on 13/3/04 by an intruder who climbed over the fence surrounding the Court. Direct Funding Associates Ltd had sent information on funding for Village Halls. S.C.C. had forwarded information about the Suffolk Waste Local Plan revised deposit draft. S.C.C. had sent booklets about their Guide to road safety in Suffolk. James Paget Health Care sent details of their Application to become a NHS Foundation Trust in October 2004, they need to recruit 3000 members by the end of May and asked for the leaflets which had been enclosed to be distributed and the recipients encouraged to become a Member of the trust. A copy of W.D.C.’s affordable housing policy had arrived. Comments on this document needed to be sent off before 24th May. It was also noted that the Planning Office will move on 14th April to the Town Hall, High Street, Lowestoft.
Other Parish Business. Mr. Alderton suggested that some monies for play equipment refurbishment would be forthcoming from the proposed new developments at the Pippins and the Brambles. Mr. Blowers reported that he had attended a Parish Team meeting and residents of Lakeside Rise had asked him what the Parish Council were doing about the Parking problems in their area. The Chairman said that the only reference to these problems had come from the Police, no Lakeside Resident had contacted the Parish Council for any assistance with this matter. Mr. Lewis asked for volunteers to help erect the marquee for the Party in the park on Friday 11th June. It was noted that the long awaited repairs to the carriageway and drainage of Lowestoft Road were underway.
The Chairman then opened the meeting for 15 minutes of Parishioner Input
Mr. Soanes asked if the Highways Department could come and look at the surface of The Street, between Orchard Close and Meadowlands, as it was very badly cracked, and in view of the trouble with the sewers and drainage in this area it should be investigated as soon as possible. Councillor Hunter agreed to deal with this matter. Complaints were also made that the school bus for the Hobart School was once again using The Street to pick children up, and the parents cars were waiting in The Street once more, even though a pick up point was being used at Blundeston School. The Clerk was asked to contact Chet Taxis who run the bus service and ask them to liaise with the parents concerned to deliver the children to Blundeston School. There was also a 6th form College Bus connected with S.C.C. using the Red Lion to pick young people up, the Clerk should also contact S.C.C. regarding this, as The Street has become grid locked on several occasions lately.
There being no further business the meeting closed.