24/04/2025 – Thornby Parish Meeting minutes

Thornby Parish Meeting

Date: 24th April 2025
Time: 19:30
Location: Village Hall
Attendees:

Peter Moyes (Chair)	A Bennett
P Gates (Treasurer)	L Owens
A Pallister (Minute taker)	G Goodladd
C Parkinson	R Carr (part)
G Bennett	M Hill
R Sherlock	J Toolan
M Kingston	S Cottle
L Moyes
A Moyes

Apologies:

Apologies:	Guest attendees:
Miss Barlow	Cllr Kevin Parker WNC
M Bennett	Richard Auger
J Sherlock	Christine Ware
Cllr J Harris WNC	Michael Edwards
Cllr C Irving-Swift WNC	Sarah Edwards
	David Collins
	Caroline Collins

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1. Welcome and Apologies

The chairman opened the meeting and welcomed everyone, in particular the council representative, and three of the candidates for the Council elections in May. Apologies were noted.

2. Minutes of the prior meeting 13th January 2025

The Chair summarised key points discussed at the prior meeting; there were no questions and PM asked if attendees agreed these were a true and accurate record. M Hill proposed the minutes be approved and this was seconded by A Bennett. PM duly signed the minutes as an approved record and these will be posted on the village website and placed on the notice board.

3. Matters Arising

The majority of matters arising had been covered in the minutes; anything outstanding is on the agenda for discussion.  

4. Finance

PG advised that the year-end accounts figures for 2024 are available for review, should anyone wish to see them. Current funds in the bank amount to £4,270. It has been an exceptional year in terms of expenditure, with the purchase of the two solar powered SIDs and the posts required to install them. PM thanked PG for all his work as treasurer and advised that the accounts will be reviewed in more detail at the AGM on 5 June.

5. Traffic Working Party update

The two new solar SIDs have been in place a few weeks, initial results indicate that the new signs have helped traffic calming through the village. MK advised that based on traffic entering the village from the north, data shows that the volume of vehicles travelling at 30mph or under has increased to 82%, compared with last year, when 53% of vehicles were travelling at speeds of 45-65mph. It is hoped that this trend continues.
Of greater concern is the significant increase in traffic levels overall since the signs were installed at the new roundabout between Kingsthorpe and Chapel Brampton, directing traffic along the A5199 to join the M1, M6 and A14. PM advised that whilst figures are provisional, the trend shows a huge increase, with 18,800 vehicles coming through Thornby in the first week of April, compared to 13,000 in the same week last year. Everyone agreed that this is a cause for concern and is impacting villagers.
PM updated the meeting about the Dragon’s Teeth at the southern end of the village, the installation of which has been outstanding for months. PM has now been advised that these will be painted next week. The village will then need to consider what the next steps will be in terms of traffic calming.
Cllr Kevin Parker advised that he has had a virtual meeting with Highways and will be having a face to face
meeting next week about the issues raised by Thornby and the other villages affected by the decision to direct all traffic along the A5199. There will be rubber sensing strips on the road by the end of June, which monitor traffic volume, speed and also identifies HGVs. KP confirmed that he will revert to the Parish Meeting to provide an update, once he has had his second meeting with Highways.
PG suggested it was time to begin lobbying for a measured approach to noise reduction. The Council had
resurfaced the road with ordinary materials, when it had previously been surfaced with noise reducing tarmac, and this had resulted in far greater road noise and with the significant increase in traffic, this is causing issues for residents.
GB added that lorries are increasing their speeds to get up the hill and this is dangerous. PM asked Cllr Parker if the village is able to request where the rubber strips might be sited, to monitor this issue with the HGVs as part of the fact finding.
All villagers expressed concern about the volume of traffic, the resulting noise and the speeds. PM advised that there are decisions to be made about how to respond to WNC about the decision to send the traffic along the A5199. AB suggested that village funds may need to be used the help fight this. MH said it would be helpful to know of any guidelines or targets that would then trigger greater support from the Council and Highways.

6. Road Signage – A5199/Northampton N/W Relief Road

PM explained the situation about the redirecting of traffic and confirmed a letter had been sent to the Council expressing concerns; this had been drafted in collaboration with the other three parishes affected. Robert James had eventually responded at a very late stage and did not agree with the villagers’ perspective. PM had reverted to confirm that the village is not at all happy about the situation and are considering our future response. This was sent on 8 February and to date, there has been no response. Kevin Parker will update PM following his scheduled meeting with WNC and Highways. PM went on to share details of a letter that had been drafted by Spratton, asking for Thornby’s input, this second letter is positioned in much stronger terms than the first.
It was agreed that the village needs to fight the decision as it is already having a detrimental effect, but will wait for feedback from Cllr Parker. GB had looked at the regional plans for the road in question and noted there is a bit missing, which would have gone up to Pitsford on the A508. Cllr KP explained that this would in fact be the North Orbital Ring Road which would go all the way through to Moulton and beyond but is not happening currently. GG suggested that Thornby should prioritise collaborating with the other parishes and take a tougher stance. There was no consultation with anyone affected and the impact has already been significant. AB expressed a wish for speed cameras to be reinstalled around the county. R Auger explained that this can be made as a strategic request; the cameras have all been decommissioned, so the public will need to formally request reinstatement.

7. Planning Consultation – The Red Lion 2025/1217/LBC

PM explained that the village planning committee reviews smaller applications.

The Pub is a listed building and needs to have new render on the side that runs along Naseby road. SC
explained that consultation is underway as to the best way to undertake this; scaffolding will be needed and because it will be sited on part of the road, it is probable that temporary lights will be needed. It is not known how long this will take until it has been properly assessed. PM responded on behalf of the Parish meeting, that there were no issues raised in relation to this planning matter.
A second application had been submitted from 3 Stone House Mews. The consultation runs to the beginning of May. The application is to replace the windows for timber double-glazed ones, to make one window a door into the garden at the rear and to knock two rooms into one. The new owner (JT) gave assurances that the intention is to make it more energy efficient and to retain the features of the building. PM confirmed that the village will respond to say there are no concerns.

8. WNC Ward councillor update

PM reported that as part of the restructuring of the Council, Thornby is moving to a much smaller ward, which is to be named Naseby Ward, which will have only one Councillor. PM showed a map of the ward area. Next Thursday, 1st May, Council elections will be held, with five candidates standing, three of whom are in attendance at this meeting.

All five were in invited, Abigail Campbell the Labour candidate had sent apologies. Stuart Kendall did not reply to the invitation.

PM invited each of the candidates to give a ten minute summary of their background and the key areas they would focus on if elected. Each candidate spoke for the allotted time and invited questions; there were no questions submitted.

RS raised a point about the Library van that used to be a welcome service in the villages. CW agreed it was important to bring services to the people, especially in rural areas and noted that Brixworth ward had worked hard to bring things into the communities.
PM thanked all the candidates for attending.

9. Police Liaison Representative

MH had been the representative until a year ago and since he stepped down, it has not been possible to fill this role. PM asked for volunteers and for those at the meeting to ask around to see if anyone could do this; in terms of time, it takes approximately ten minutes per week. It would be good to have someone in place, as it strengthens links with the police, through the police community support officer (PCSO).
PM added that there is a petition to introduce 20-year service awards for PCSOs and he would like to support this initiative. R Auger, who is a retired police Commander, explained that there is no question that these officers do a great job and are valuable to the communities they serve.
Everyone present agreed that PM should sign the petition on behalf of the Parish.

10. Fire and Rescue consultation

Parishes have been asked to provide input into a risk management plan. Only a third of calls into the Fire
Service are related to an actual fire, so fire fighter roles are becoming more diverse. PM read out the new
targets for response times for the service depending on the type of incident.

11. Village Events

PM explained that this is a standing agenda item, to ensure everyone is aware of what is taking place around the village. The Thornby Farm Walk is scheduled for Sunday 18th May, followed by lunch at Thornby House. AB explained the format for the event, the costs and also that no dogs are allowed, as the walk goes through fields with livestock. Anyone not wishing to walk, or not able to walk, is welcome to join for the lunch. RS confirmed that it is hoped to hold a village BBQ in the summer, organised by the Village Hall Committee and dates are being considered.

13. Correspondance

PM listed the various items of correspondence received since the last meeting.
There will be a road closure on 28 April, from the entrance to Thornby Grange, along towards Cold Ashby to allow for work to take place on telegraph poles.
A volunteer is needed for the Parish Path Warden Scheme, this requires someone to check the village
pavements and report any problems.
Stickers have been received for the defibrillator to show that it is registered.
Parish Conference – this takes place on 11 June at Franklins Gardens from 10.00 to 14.30. Two people from each Parish are invited. PM is planning to attend, if anyone else is interested to go as well.
Notification has been received of Women’s World Cup Rugby matches taking place in Northampton in
September.

14. Any Other Business

The next Parish meeting will take place on 5th June, followed by the AGM on the same evening.
PM announced that the local Member of Parliament, Stuart Andrew has been invited to attend on this date and has accepted, if anyone has any questions for our local MP.
There being no other business the meeting closed at 9.10pm