Parish Council

The Annual Meeting of Needham Parish Council was held at the Village Hall on Monday 28 May. Reports were received on the past years activities on behalf of local charities, including the Village Hall Committee, Needham Towns Lands Trust and the Friends of St. Peter’s, as well as from local groups and societies.  Reports were also received from our District Councillor, Jenny Wilby, and our County Councillor, Martin Wilby.

The Chairman, in his annual report, stated that the Parish Council, over the last year, had maintained a full programme of bi-monthly meetings and thanked the Parish Councillors, and the Parish Clerk, for their continuing support.   The Chairman also thanked Martin and Jenny Wilby for their invaluable support and for reporting at each meeting on their own activities.

The Parish Council plays an important role in caring for this village and its environs and connecting its people with their Local Government.  In the past year there have been encouraging signs that the village is continuing to grow stronger as a community and that the Parish Council is playing a part in this.   In the previous twelve months we have funded the production of a village information booklet, and we continue to fund the bi-monthly Link newsletter.  We also paid for commemorative Needham Jubilee mugs that were distributed to children of 16 and under on the occasion of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  They were also given to anyone celebrating a 60^th birthday or anniversary this year.

Following lengthy efforts, including a letter on our behalf from our local MP, we finally secured the return of the refurbished village sign from HM Wayland Prison.

The Parish Council has been active in responding to notifications of planning applications.  We have been pleased to support applications that range from proposals for a dog training centre and a retirement livery to an application to extend a listed building. 

The Parish Council did oppose the extension of time for the approval for the Needham Nursery site and the Chairman spoke on behalf of objectors at the Planning Committee meeting at South Norfolk Council. This application was however approved.  Our objection to extensions to the house at 111 High Street was initially upheld on highway grounds but a  revised proposal has now been approved by South Norfolk Council.

The report concluded that the Parish Council is in a strong position to continue to represent the parishioners of Needham through the coming year.

At the Parish Council meeting that followed, Andrew Major was elected as Chairman for a further year.