3 December 2025 - DRAFT Estate Management & Planning
Ruskington Parish Council
Minutes of an Estate Management and Planning Committee meeting held on Wednesday 3 December 2025 at the Parish Office at 6.30pm.
Present: Cllr M Trolley (Chairman of Committee), Cllr O Ditch, Cllr S Hislop, Cllr D Conway.
Also in attendance: Kathryn Locke (Clerk to Council)
Apologies: Cllr Cunningham
No members of the public were present.
The Chairman opened the meeting at 6.40pm.
1. To receive and accept apologies where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Parish Clerk prior to the meeting.
Cllr Cunningham had been unable to attend the meeting and had sent valid apologies.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to accept Cllr Cunningham’s apologies. Proposed by Cllr Ditch, seconded by Cllr Hislop and approved unanimously.
2. To receive declarations of interest and consider applications for dispensations in relation to DPIs. Disclosure of Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests is to be in accordance with the Localism Act 2011.
None were declared at this time.
3. To approve the notes of the committee meeting held on Tuesday 30 September 2025 as accurate Minutes.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to approve the notes of the meeting as accurate Minutes. Proposed by Cllr Conway, seconded by Cllr Hislop and approved unanimously.
The Chairman signed the Minutes.
4. To receive information from the Village Hall Management Committee regarding the requirements for a footpath from the village hall in case of a fire evacuation and agree a recommendation for making to Council. – Cllr Conway.
Cllr Conway was liaising with the Chairman of the Village Hall Management Committee. Requested fire safety information had not yet been received.
Action: To await the requested information before considering any actions.
5. To receive the Clerk’s report (for information only).
This had been circulated prior to the meeting.
6. To receive an update on the renovation of the lychgate and the funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, if available, and agree the next steps.
The Heritage Fund has advised that the outcome of the request for additional funding would not be known until after 8 December 2025. They advised that Council wait until the outcome was known before submitting the final project report and publicity for their approval.
Action: To await the outcome of the request for additional funding. Cllrs Conway and Trolley and the Clerk to meet with the contractors on site to conduct a formal handover of the lychgate.
7. To consider the building regulation plans for the pavilion and agree any recommendations for amendments, if required.
These had been circulated prior to the meeting.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to ask the architect the following:
- The fire door for the kitchen to be an F60.
- The larger windows overlooking the playing fields to be included.
- The kitchen window to be a hatch to allow items to be sold /served without entry into the building.
- The possibility/ practicality for the ladies and gents’ toilets to swop places as there was limited room in the ladies’ toilets.
- The internal pier to be removed if the ladies and gents’ toilets could not swap locations.
In addition: Although the interior details had not been agreed yet, it was expected that a commercial kitchen and rubber backed industrial grade/non-slip laminate flooring be fitted. Proposed by Cllr Conway, seconded by Cllr Hislop and approved unanimously.
7.1. To receive / consider the report from the structural engineer, if available, regarding the load bearing walls inside the pavilion.
This was awaited following a site visit by the structural engineer.
7.2. To consider the conditions of planning approval for the pavilion and overflow car park.
The café opening times were noted. Dr Cotter, a former councillor and member of the Recreation & Environment Committee, had previously agreed to write the required thirty-year Habitat Management and Maintenance Plan.
Action: The Clerk to invite Dr Cotter to write the plan, with the actions to be put into a table format if possible.
7.3. To consider the future use of the pavilion as a sports, community, and entertainment venue and café for recommending to Council and consulting with the Recreation and Environment Committee regarding any public consultation required.
It was considered that the pavilion could be used for a range of activities, not just as a café, and that a “pop up” café might be a suitable use of the building to ensure the café was open during periods of high footfall to Parkfield facilities.
7.4. To consider the best individual or agency to run the community café.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to Council that an individual, business, or charity manage the café as a business, under license from the Council. Proposed by Cllr Ditch, seconded by Cllr Conway and approved unanimously.
7.5. To consider the next steps to move the pavilion renovation and car park project forward.
Action: To await the final building regulation plans being signed off by NKDC Building Control.
To await the Habitat Management and Maintenance Plan for Council and submit this to NKDC for approval. For the Clerk and RFO to oversee the interior design of the pavilion and the fittings for the toilets and the kitchen. Proposed by Cllr Conway, seconded by Cllr Trolley and approved unanimously.
8. To consider the Adjacent Parish Council Notification for Planning reference: PL /0016/25 received from LCC:
Development: For proposed erection and operation of biogas plant (biogas generated on site upgraded to biomethane, with a range of by-products for export) including connection to the national gas transmission system, associated highway modifications (including new road link to Moy Park facility from the A153), proposed landscaping and associated development (including pipeline connections)
Location: Land to the west of Moy Park facility and the south of the A153, Anwick
Grid reference: 510848 350225
https://lincolnshire.planning-register.co.uk/
a. Regulation 25 - Covering Letter 07/11/2025
b. Regulation 25 - Biodiversity Net Gain Metric 07/11/2025
c. Regulation 25 - Environmental Statement Addendum 07/11/2025
d. Regulation 25 - Proposed Site Layout Plan 07/11/2025
The information had previously been circulated and considered by the Environment and Recreation Committee on 2/12/2025.
Following research on a similar plant by the same applicant in Northern Ireland, the Committee noted that public comments had been raised about odour, water pollution, and that the site had been developed larger than the original application specified. Cllr Ditch presented an annotated report on the environment factors, highlighting comments and concerns raised and the responses made by the applicant.
Action: To collate the comments from both committees and individual councillors to present to Council at its meeting on 9 December 2025. The Admin Assistant to share a link to the application on Council’s communication channels.
9. To consider planning applications received from NKDC since the last Council meeting held on 9 September 2025.
a. Planning Application Reference: 25/1396/HOUS
Proposal: Demolition of existing conservatory and detached garage. Erection of new
detached garage, new detached games room, front porch and single storey rear
extension with covered terrace and first floor terrace
Location: 9 Pinfold Lane Ruskington Sleaford Lincolnshire NG34 9EU
Comments are to be returned to NKDC by 6 Dec 2025
Action: The Committee had no objections to this application, if the neighbouring residents had no concerns.
9.1. To receive notice of planning applications approved by NKDC.
a. Application Reference: 25/1198/HOUS
Proposal: Extension to front of existing garage, erection of a sectional garage to side and
replace leylandii hedge with fencing
Location: 1 Priory Close Ruskington Sleaford
(Notice received on 14/11/2025)
b. Application Reference: 25/0477/FUL
Proposal: Siting of an InPost Parcel Locker (retrospective)
Location: Red Lion 107 High Street North Ruskington
(Notice received on 27/11/2025)
10. To receive an update on a conservation area for Ruskington village centre in view of the North Kesteven Heritage Strategy. – Cllr Hislop
Action: Cllr Hislop to conduct further investigation into the creation of a conservation area over the Christmas holidays.
11. To consider the condition of the War Memorial in Sleaford Road cemetery and the quotes received for its cleaning (removal of algae and moss) and restoring the lettering (repainting/enamelling) and agree the next steps.
Action: The Buildings Caretaker to clean and remove the moss from the War Memorial in spring 2026. To allocate up to £500.00 in the budget for FY 2026-2027 for any specialist paint and cleaning equipment or treatments required. Funding to be sought for a renovation of the memorial and the repainting of its lettering. The memorial to be listed on the War Memorials Online database. Proposed by Cllr Conway, seconded by Cllr Hislop and approved unanimously.
12. To consider the condition of the shelter walls in the Garden of Remembrance and consider the next steps and any expenditure required.
A crack in the mortar at the back left corner of the exterior wall had been noted. The Admin Assistant to share a post on social media asking if a local builder could inspect and advise on its repair.
13. To consider the correspondence from a resident, if available, concerning locating a headstone in Sleaford Road cemetery (no remains interred) and the request to install this themselves as it was purchased online and local stone masons are unwilling to install a headstone that is not their own.
Action: Information on the headstone was required before this could be considered.
13.1 To consider asking Council to amend the cemetery regulations (as approved in October 2025) to state that only stone masons registered with the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons (BRAMM) can erect a headstone in the cemetery.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED that the cemetery regulations to be amended to state that only memorial stone masons could erect headstones in the cemetery.
14. To consider any projects and expenditure for informing the budget and precept for FY 2026-2027.
Actions: The Council proposed to ask the Finance Committee to consider allocating up to £5,000 for resurfacing the office drive /yard to be re-laid as this was uneven and there was a gap in surface where a large stone flower bed had been removed. Other projects included a new noticeboard for outside the cemetery, and painting the rendering on the exterior of the Parish Office. Proposed by Cllr Trolley, seconded by Cllr Hislop and approved unanimously.
15. To consider the proposed dates for four meetings to be held in 2026 and start time. (Additional meetings can be held as required.)
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to approve the following dates Tuesday 3 March 2026, Tuesday 2 June 2026, Tuesday 15 September 2025, and Monday 30 November 2025.
16. To resolve whether to exclude the public and press, in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings) Act 1960, to discuss the following contractual matters below.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to close the meeting to discuss the contractual matters below.
The Chairman closed the meeting at 8.33pm. The meeting re-convened at 8.33pm.
17. To consider the following cleaning contracts from 1 April 2026.
17.1. Cleaning contract for the rear of the parish office.
17.2. Cleaning contract for the public toilets.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to Council that the cleaning contracts for the public toilets and the business offices and communal areas at the rear of Parish Office continue from 1 April 2026. Proposed by Cllr Hislop, seconded by Cllr Conway and approved unanimously.
The Chairman closed the meeting at 8.46pm.