Author: alpington-yelverton-admin

Threadneedle Street in Bergh Apton will be closed 27th Mar to 2nd Apr 2025 because of a water leak.

From the official notice:
…owing to a water leak the use by vehicles (of any class) of the C374 Threadneedle Street from 135m east of its junction with C375 Mill Road for 50m eastwards (the “Road”) in the Parish of Bergh Apton will be temporarily prohibited/restricted….

The Parish Council has just this afternoon been sent details of a public consultation event on Weds 2nd April 4pm – 7pm at Alpington village hall, in regard to an extension to the existing solar farm.

Unfortunately for some, the booked event next week may be too short notice. We have passed on the details immediately. Please see the attached website and share with friends and neighbours who may not see this post in time.

This event is your opportunity to view and comment on the proposals, prior to their planning application submission.

There are further details here including a map of the expanded area.

Anyone for Tennis?

Brooke & District Tennis Club is a friendly, local club – just under two miles away from Alpington School!

There are lots of plans for members for the year ahead:

• three social tennis sessions per week (which cater for all abilities)
• five competitive men’s and ladies’ teams
• a comprehensive programme of tennis coaching available for adults and juniors alike
• some fun tournaments and competitions

To find out more about our membership packages just hover over the QR code on the flyer below with your phone camera and/or visit our website.

https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/brookedistricttennisclub

Tennis is a fantastic way to keep active, enjoy the sunshine and meet new people. Why not dust off that racket and give it a try this year?

More household hazardous waste days to be held at Norfolk’s recycling centres

As part of the Norfolk County Council budget for the upcoming year, additional household hazardous waste events will be held across the county. These events will take place at seven recycling centres this spring, supplementing the usual autumn events.

The free events will be held throughout April and May 2025, and residents must use the recycling centre booking system to attend. Bookings will open one week before each event.

These events are exclusively for residents disposing of hazardous household waste. They are not open to businesses, groups, or other organisations. If residents do not have hazardous waste to dispose of, they will be directed to an alternative site, as the events are expected to be in high demand.

The spring hazardous waste events will be held on the following dates:

4 and 5 April at King’s Lynn
11 and 12 April at Dereham
25 and 26 April at Thetford
2 and 3 May at Norwich North
9 and 10 May at Hempton
16 and 17 May at Caister
23 and 24 May at Norwich South
Please note, there will be no hazardous waste events over the Easter weekend.

A list of acceptable items for disposal at the hazardous waste days can be found here: www.norfolk.gov.uk/hazardouswaste

Burgate Lane in Alpington will be closed from 31st March to 11th April 2025 to facilitate the installation of a new fibre network.

From the official notice: …affecting the U76372 Burgate Lane from its junction with U76373 Reeders Lane for 655m north westwards (the “Road”) in the Parish of Alpington to facilitate installation of new fibre network for BDUK, the Road will be temporarily closed (except for pedestrian access) for the duration of the works/period the closure is necessary which is anticipated to be from 31st March to 11th April 2025, but may continue to be closed/restricted until the 23rd May 2025 where the closure is still required beyond the anticipated dates…

A message passed on from the Parish Council from the leader of South Norfolk Council, regarding the proposal to create a Combined Authority across Norfolk and Suffolk. A consultation is open now at the link provided, if you want to have a say.

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Norfolk and Suffolk have been placed on the Devolution Priority Programme (DPP), following a request from both County Councils to join the programme and delay their County elections in 2025. The DPP is for areas wishing to pursue establishment of a Mayoral Strategic Authority (also known as a Combined Authority). This will be with a view to inaugural mayoral elections in May 2026.

Government have recently released a consultation on the proposed establishment of a Mayoral Combined Authority across Norfolk and Suffolk. For context, the proposed Combined Authority will led by a Mayor, with Norfolk County Council and Suffolk County Council having constituent and voting seats (district councils will not have a constituent seat). Devolved power and funding would be passed to the Combined Authority who will make decisions for Norfolk and Suffolk on topics such as strategic transport, housing, growth and the environment.

Make sure you have your say – follow this link to submit your thoughts to Government. This closes on 13 April.

Daniel Elmer

Leader of South Norfolk Council

The Parish Council has been given an update on the broadband improvements that are currently going on in the village. The message that CityFibre have sent is below.

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You may be aware that CityFibre has been awarded a contract to provide a full fibre broadband network to mainly rural areas across Norfolk. This four-year government programme will see over 110,000 premises across the county connected to our gigabit-capable, fibre-to-the-premises network. 

We wanted to let you know that work is due to take place in your area shortly. As we move from area to area, we will endeavour to let parish councils know ahead of time. Please feel free to pass this message on to councillors.

The contractor carrying out the work on our behalf is OCU Utility Services. Wherever possible, existing duct and pole infrastructure will be used to reduce the amount of construction required.  However, new infrastructure will be needed, and we are working closely with the council’s highways team to coordinate any work that is required.

Why is this work so important?  In a rapidly changing world, we rely more and more on digital connectivity and the UK needs to ensure its residents and businesses can cope with future demands.  This is not just about being able to better browse the internet or stream television programmes.  There are many other factors to consider such as:

Households have an ever-increasing number of internet connected devices like smart speakers, domestic appliances, heating control systems and doorbells.
Smart TVs and gaming consoles become more and more sophisticated requiring faster internet speeds.
The Covid 19 pandemic has demonstrated how important fast and reliable broadband is. Essential services such as healthcare and education are now increasingly online and regular homeworking has become the norm for many.
When buying a house the speed of the internet is now one of the top purchasing factors. 
If you would like to know more about our build process, please visit cityfibre.com/build.  Our latest project information, including an FAQ and a way to register for updates is available at  www.cityfibre.com/projectgigabit.  When it’s time to order services, residents and businesses will also be able to choose from a range of internet service providers.

If you have any immediate questions then please let us know, preferably via Contact_CityfibreSouth@cityfibre.com or by contacting me on the number below. We will provide further updates as the build progresses.

Kind regards

Neil Madle

Partnership Manager, South Region

CityFibre

March is the first month of Spring, longer and brighter days at last! There are likely to be some cold weeks but overall the average daily temperature will be increasing, encouraging our gardens into life again.

Plants to buy or enjoy in March

Herbs: Seek out small herb plants to pot up in containers near your back door

Young bedding plants: Look for good value young bedding plants to grow-on in your greenhouse, until they can be planted out.

Some plants to enjoy: Bergenia, Camellia, Daphne, Hellebores, Primroses.

General garden maintenance

• If dry enough, mow lawns and re-cut the edges with a half-moon edging tool
• Dig out a small pond to attract more wildlife
• Put slug barrier products around the new shoots of Hostas
• Replant pots of flowered bulbs from indoors into borders
• Check that tree ties aren’t too tight and that stakes are still firmly in the ground
• Prune out any wind-damaged branches on trees and shrubs
• Check for new shoots of ground elder, fork these up & remove all roots you see
• Place bug boxes in sheltered corners, for insects to lay their eggs
• Keep putting out food for garden birds, as the breeding season gets underway
• Cut back winter-flowering Jasmine to tidy it up and encourage flowers next year

Flowerbeds & pots

• Deadhead any daffodil seedheads on daffodils leaving the leaves to die back naturally
• Finish pruning roses early in the month
• Cut Dogwoods, Willows and Cotinus right down to the base to promote vigorous new growth
• Start sowing hardy annuals outdoors, including California poppies & Nasturtiums
• Tidy up alpines as they start to flower, removing dead foliage, then mulch with grit to keep the foliage off damp soil
• Plant lilies and other summer-flowering bulbs in pots
• Feed ericaceous shrubs, such as Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Camellias and Pieris, with an ericaceous fertiliser
• Tidy up borders, removing established and newly-germinating weeds, then mulch generously with garden compost
• Plant new roses and other shrubs and climbers
• Sow native wildflower seeds in trays or modules, to produce plants for your own mini-meadow
• Scatter general-purpose fertiliser over flowerbeds and around roses, shrubs and hedges

Fruit & Vegetables

• Give blackcurrant bushes a high-nitrogen feed
• Sow tomatoes, chillies, sweet peppers and aubergines in pots indoors
• Plant onion and shallot sets, spacing them 10-15cm apart, and keep the bed free of weeds
• Avoid carrot root fly by sowing an early crop of carrots under cloches or fleece
• Make the first outdoor sowings of spinach, covering with cloches or fleece
• Plant early potatoes in trenches in the ground or in pots
• Sow parsnips as soon as the soil starts to warm up, as they’re slow to germinate and need a long growing season
• Plant a fig tree in a large container to restrict its roots, which encourages fruiting and limits its overall size
• Start hoeing veg beds as soon as the weather starts to warm up, as weeds will germinate quickly
• Plant strawberries in a hanging basket or trough to keep the fruits away from slugs

Greenhouse or Windowsill

• Open greenhouse vents on sunny days to prevent humidity building up
• Get celeriac, celery, lettuces and parsley off to a good start sowing indoors, to transplant into the garden later
• Sow a selection of vibrant annual climbers, such as Spanish flag (Ipomoea lobata) and black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata)
• Sow Coleus on a warm windowsill to enjoy their vibrant foliage indoors or in tropical-style displays outside
• Sow dwarf French beans in a large pot for an early indoor crop in June
• Pot up overwintering cannas into fresh compost, water in, then place in a warm spot to spur them into growth
• Sow sweet peas in deep pots and keep in a greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill
• Protect greenhouse sowings of beans, peas & sweet peas from hungry mice

The next Alpington with Yelverton Parish Council meeting will be held at 7.30pm at the village hall, Mon 3rd Mar 2025. The agenda is downloadable here.

Slade Lane in Yelverton will be closed from 18th to 19th February 2025 to facilitate drainage works.

From the official notice:

…affecting the C374 Slade Lane from its junction with the A146 Loddon Road to its junction with the U76327 Back Lane (the “Road”) in the  parish of Yelverton to facilitate Norfolk County Council drainage works, the Road will be temporarily closed (except for pedestrian access) for the duration of the works/period the closure is necessary which is anticipated to be from 18th to 19th February 2025…