Report to Market Deeping Town Council
from District Councillor Ashley Baxter
13^th September 2017.

Hello,

I hope you all had a good summer!

Local Plan

I submitted a personal response to the SKDC Consultative Draft Local Plan which ended in August. On September 18^th I intend to attend a Members briefing on the Local Plan including the next steps.

Friends of Mill Field

The campaign to defend Mill Field is now well underway. Following the submission earlier this year of a Village Green application, the campaign has now shifted its focus to the local plan process. Many local residents have submitted responses to the local plan suggesting that the Mill Field is an inappropriate site for housing development for a range of different reasons including potential loss of amenity; loss of access to greenspace; and risk of flooding.

For more information and to sign up for the Mill Field campaign please visit the website: friendsofmillfield.com

Tattershall Drive and Unauthorised Encampments

At the July Town Council meeting I was pleased the Council decided to work with SKDC to erect a birdsmouth fence to prevent any further unauthorised vehicular access to the SKDC managed land on Tattershall Drive. The fence is now installed and the feedback from residents has been positive.

I am also pleased to confirm that, contrary to speculation last month, the County Council did indeed obtain a Court injunction to prevent unauthorised vehicular access to the Mill Field for a period of three months from 27^th June.

The Big Clean

SKDC’s half-a-million pound Big Clean project is now well underway. Teams have spent several days in the Deepings and have removed weeds, graffiti and litter. There is still quite a way to go and residents are encouraged to report any ‘grotspots’ via the SKDC website. I have personally reported over a dozen but I still keep spotting new ones. The most recent being a litter bin on Church Street which appears to be the responsibility of the Town Council, so I have reported it to the Town Clerk. https://www.southkesteven.gov.uk/?service=BIGCLEAN

Full Council – 21st September

SKDC Full Council did not meet over the summer but will reconvene on 21^st September. The agenda looks extremely thin but this might be a deliberate attempt to allow more time for questions of the Portfolio Holders and Committee Chairs.

Community Activities

During the summer I was delighted to participate in Raft Race day activities with Churches Together and at the Community Centre. I also attended the ever popular Duck Race as part of the Carnival Queen’s entourage.

The Deepings is such a good place to live!