Stocking Pelham Parish Council - AGM 2025
SP Cricket Pavillion
This has been a busy and indeed monumental year for Stocking Pelham.
At our last annual meeting, I made it clear what I saw our priorities to be. Amongst them was to resist and object to creeping industrialisation and unwanted developments to preserve our rurality and village life as we want it to be. I recognise these priorities are evolving, shifting and reactive. Interestingly, these priorities have not changed. They have, however, evolved. Because of our proximity to the grid, we have disappointedly engaged our efforts to the resistance of more lithium-ion batteries stores which impose a health and safety risk to all residents of Stocking Pelham and threaten the rurality of our village, and will impact on our lifestyle and way of life.
Disappointingly, despite our best efforts, Hixham Hall was approved and, along with that, Berden solar panel factory, which I am bitter about. Government targets and initiatives have inevitably played their part, leading and necessitating Stocking Pelham Parish Council to work in areas of politics and influence. This is not from choice or ambition but out of need and challenge and continues. I must express my grateful thanks to Geoffrey Williamson, our EHC, and Chris Hinchliff, our MP, for their continuing support, leadership and good counsel.
The battle goes on. The Hixham Hall approval appears to have ignited old flames with a resurgence of interest in past and new planning proposals which we continue to resist.
Leaving all that aside,
I need to express my thanks and gratitude to my councillors, whose unwavering and tireless commitment and support to Stocking Pelham - Colin, Juli and Russell, thank you. We have achieved a lot, work on a shoestring and, apart from grateful thanks and acknowledgment, nothing else. These people are gift to me and to Stocking Pelham. And then there are those who have worked in the background, unsung heroes and heroines too - thank you - not listed here in fear of leaving people out, but you know who you are. Thank you.
In the past, we have made reference to a neighbourhood plan which will give us more local autonomy and may influence decision makers about what we as a community want. I am pleased to say this has now been officially launched and my grateful thanks goes to Ed Hudson who is helping us to achieve this. This is an arduous task that will involve much public consultation and involvement, so your help, support and input is essential for which I thank you in advance.
The cricket field is an asset and looks what it is. Thank you to all who play a part in that and you will see the pavilion is having its railings replaced and painted.
This coming year, in all honesty, I do not see will be any easier and probably more of a challenge. So your help and guidance will be welcomed. Last year I made it clear that we needed to be guided by what you want Stocking Pelham to be. To identify and enable us to deliver to you, we conducted the village survey. This was well received by you and returned on. This survey has driven us to prioritise our working and whoever wanted naked activities on the cricket field, we the parish council will agree to this in the hours of darkness and in the winter months!
As I said, the parish council works on a shoestring. I commit to you to keep our precept as low as possible. We are the second lowest in East Herts, something we are actually proud of because we run a very tight ship so we are looking for outside funding on a number of issues to finalise the phone box library, benches and seating around the village, a secure store for the grass mower, and refurbishment of the toilets and the kitchen in our village hall and safer car parking here at the village hall. The latter is directly in response to the success of Hixham Hall and the increase in HGVs coming through the village.
Over the last year, we have celebrated our village sign, lobbied to get roads resurfaced, had two new footpath bridges built each end of footpath number 1, had the trees in the cricket field lopped and made safe, lobbied Clarion to repair and maintain the septic tank which was causing leakage and smell, and dealt with a mains water leak at the village hall. Juli will tell you more about the village hall. Funding of these activities come from our precept, which is how we have spent your money!
I am more than grateful to you all and thank you for your time, patience, support and help. You all deserve a round of applause. It’s a roller coaster of developments and it’s a rollercoaster of emotion. Buckle up on enjoy the ride, if you can!
- Tony Southam, Chairman of Stocking Pelham Parish Council
Please find all reports below.
The Stocking Pelham Village Hall and Playground
Chairman's Report and Planning
Highways Report – Stocking Pelham Parish AGM – 22nd May 2025
Footpaths & Rights of Way Report – Stocking Pelham Parish AGM – 22nd May 2025
Stocking Pelham existing, planned and proposed industrial infrastructure
