Ruskington Parish Council

Minutes of an Environment, Estate Management and Planning Committee meeting held on Tuesday 2 June 2026 at the Parish Office at 6.30pm.

Present:  Cllr M Trolley (Chairman of Committee), Cllr O Ditch, Cllr S Hislop, Cllr D Conway, Cllr Cunningham, Cllr Hislop

Also in attendance: Kathryn Locke (Clerk to Council), Andrew Doughty – Environment Caretaker

No public or press were present.

The Chairman opened the meeting at 6.32pm.

1. To elect a chairman for the Committee for the ensuing civic year.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to elect Cllr Trolley as the Chairman of the committee for the ensuing civic year. Proposed by Cllr Conway, seconded by Cllr Hislop and approved unanimously.

2. To receive and accept apologies where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Parish Clerk prior to the meeting.

None received.

3. 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.

Cllr Cunningham declared a pecuniary interest in agenda item 14.1. due to once owning land in the area.

4. To approve the notes of the Estate Management and Planning Committee meeting held on 8 April 2026 as accurate Minutes.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to approve the notes as accurate Minutes. Proposed by Cllr Ditch, seconded by Cllr Hislop and approved with five votes for and one abstention. (Councillor had not been present at the previous meeting.)

5. To elect a vice-chairman for the committee for the ensuing civic year.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to elect Cllr Cunningham as the vice-chairman of the committee for the ensuing civic year. Proposed by Cllr Conway, seconded by Cllr Hislop and approved unanimously.

6. To review the draft biodiversity and environment policy for recommendation to Council on 9 June 2026.

This was reviewed and all agreed revisions were made.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend the revised biodiversity and environmental policy to Council. Proposed by Cllr Ditch, seconded by Cllr Trolley and approved with five votes for and one against.

7. To review the revised Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Committee to include the former Environment Committee’s TORs.

This was reviewed and all agreed revisions were made.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend the revised Terms of Reference to Council. Proposed by Cllr Conway, seconded by Cllr Ditch and approved unanimously.

8. To receive an update on the grounds maintenance schedule and contracts following proposed changes at Parkfield and Horseshoe Hollow.

The Environment Caretaker had contacted recommended contractors, but either no responses were received or they did not have the machinery needed to bale the cuttings.

Action: The Environment Caretaker to continue trying to contact suitable contractors.

9. To receive a report from the Environment Caretaker – for information only

This had been circulated prior to the meeting. The Caretaker was thanked for his report. The following items although not agenda items were discussed: purchasing the chipper (the cost of £5,100 had been approved in the budget for FY 2026-2027), replacing the CIL funds for the community garden (as used to replace two faulty gates at Parkfield to ensure safety of use), if this had not already been included in the budget, and LANTRA Basic Tree Survey and Inspection training at a cost of approximately £175.00 +VAT, as provided by Lincoln Rural Training.

Action: The RFO to advise on the budget for the community garden. (Post meeting note – the RFO advises that community garden projects had not been included in the budget for the current financial year and recommends that projects for the community garden be considered during the budget setting for 2027-2028.)

10. To review /update Council’s Health & Safety.

The Environment Caretaker had raised health and safety concerns regarding the use of ladders to insert heavy Christmas trees into brackets along the High Street with the accompanying loss of three points of contact with the ladder. Please also see agenda item 10.1., below.

   10.1. To receive a recommendation from the Environment Caretaker to purchase and erect artificial rather than real Christmas trees in the brackets along the High Street commencing Christmas 2026.

The reasons for the recommendation were discussed with agenda item 10 above. The environmental impact and the sustainability of using artificial trees was discussed.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED in principle to recommend to Council that 3ft pre-lit artificial trees be purchased for the brackets along the High Street. The Environment Caretaker to obtain quotes for suitable artificial trees in time for the July meeting. Proposed by Cllr Cunningham, seconded by Cllr Conway and approved unanimously.

11. To receive an update on the proposed conservation area for Ruskington village centre.

Cllr Hislop provided an update. The Conservation Officers from NKDC had attended the Annual Parish Meeting (held on 26 May 2026) and delivered a presentation on a conservation area (CA) for the village, explaining what the process involved and any possible impact on properties included. The Conservation Officers would commence work on the proposal for a CA in the village once their current projects were completed and the process was expected to be completed by Easter 2027. NKDC would undertake a public consultation, and Council had previously agreed to help with any publicity. Information on the sensitive buildings at risk in Ruskington had been provided and this was being updated by NKDC.

Action: A list of buildings of historical interest to be compiled.

12. To receive an update on the tender process for the pavilion renovation and agree the councillors to attend a second on-site visit for tender applicants on 17 June 2026 at 10.30am.

Cllr Conway gave an overview, and the Clerk had shared written information prior to the meeting as below…

Pavilion renovation

The 30-year environment management plan has yet to be received.

The tender went live on the Find Tender (government) website on 7 May 2026.

Dates for the tender process were as follows…

• Tenders were available from 6 May 2026
• On-site meeting with tender applicants took place on Tuesday 19 May 2026 at 10.30am. Five potential contracting firms met on site with Cllrs Ditch and Conway and the Clerk.
• Tender return – Friday 26 June at 12 noon.
• Tender assessment – w/c 29 June 2026
• Award of contract w/c/ 14 July 2026.

Update on 29/5/2026. A second site visit for potential tender applicants was to take place on 17 June 2026 at 10.30am. The Clerk and Cllr Conway would be in attendance.

The Clerk has contacted NKDC planning regarding reclassification of the pavilion from Class E (commercial) to class F2 (community) and this has been circulated.

The Clerk was obtaining quotes for an asbestos D&R survey of the pavilion prior to the renovation work.

Action: Cllr Conway had previously advised that he was available to meet with the Clerk and prospective tender applicants on 17 June 2026 at 10.30am at the pavilion.

13. To consider amending the planning classification for the pavilion from Class E (commercial use) to Class F2 (community use) and consider the expenditure of £304.00 for the amendment, for recommending to Council.

It had been noted during the tender process that the pavilion renovation had been classified for Class E (commercial use) rather than class F2 (community use). The Clerk had sought advice from NKDC asking how this could be amended. Advice from the Planning Officer had been circulated prior to the meeting. The fee would be £304.00. All information from the previous application would require re-submission.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to Council that it submits a Varcon planning application to NKDC to vary condition 4 of the pavilion planning application (21/1453/FUL) and change the class of the pavilion from Class E (commercial use) to Class F2 (community use) at a cost of £304.00. Proposed by Cllr Trolley, seconded by Cllr Conway and approved unanimously.

14. To consider any planning applications received from NKDC since the Council meeting was held on 12 May 2026.

Information had been circulated prior to the meeting.

   a. Planning Application Reference: 26/0513/HOUS

Proposal: Single and 2 storey rear extensions

Location: 10 Chestnut Street Ruskington Sleaford Lincolnshire NG34 9DL

Comments to be submitted by 14 June 2026.

Action: The Committee had no objections to this application if the neighbouring properties raised no concerns.

   14.1. To receive notice from NKDC regarding amended planning application details for planning application 24/0912/FUL

Town & Country Planning Act 1990

Proposal: Erection of 186 dwellings (to include in outline 9 plots) with associated infrastructure, open space and landscaping.

Location: Land North Of Cornwall Way & Northfield Road Ruskington

Details of the amendments are as follows: Amendments made to address the fact that the scheme includes Custom Self Build units which are in the outline only for avoidance of doubt.

Action: The Councillors had studied the plans prior to the meeting, but the amendment was for information only.

   14.2. To receive notice of planned tree work for a tree with a tree preservation order, from NKDC.

Application of Proposed Works to Trees Subject to Tree Preservation Order.

Application reference: 26/0636/TPO

Description of works: T1- Horse chestnut - Crown reduce tree by 2 metres in height and spread. Crown lift to 5 metres on east side over road and south side over neighbour’s driveway. Sever ivy at base up to 1 metre all way round base of tree.

Location: 1 Elmtree Road, Ruskington, Sleaford, Lincolnshire,

NG34 9BT

Notice received on 22 May 2026. Comments to be returned within 21 days (12 June)

Action: The Committee had no objections to the work on this tree.

   14.3. To receive notification of planning applications approved by NKDC.

   a. Application Reference: 25/0529/FUL

Proposal: Change of use to dog exercise paddock, creation of parking area and upgraded

access.

Location: Land Off Sleaford Road Ruskington Sleaford

Notice received on 18/5/2026.

   b. Application Reference: 26/0153/HOUS

Proposal: Erection of porch

Location: 11 The Paddock Ruskington Sleaford

Notice received on 27/5/2026

   14.4. To consider any planning applications received after the agenda for this meeting was published.

No other applications or decision notices had been received.

15. To confirm the date of the next scheduled Committee meeting as Tuesday 15 September 2026.

The date was to be confirmed nearer the time as it was noted that not all committee members would be available on 15 September 2026.

   15.1. To consider if another committee meeting or pavilion working party meeting is required before 15 September 2026, and if so, to agree the date and time.

Action: A meeting was called for Tuesday 30 June 2026 at 1pm at the Parish Office. Review of the tender applications to commence at this meeting. The outcome of the tender applications to be available for Council to consider at its meeting on 14 July.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 8.29pm.

Environmental Report, May 2026

Andrew Doughty – Caretaker of Environment and Grounds

Horseshoe Hollow

Local Nature Reserve

Work has now resumed on the redesignation of Horseshoe Hollow from amenity green space to Local Nature Reserve.

Within the meeting folder is the new version of the management plan, revised by me in May 2026. There are two versions: the full version and the brief version. Having a comprehensive management plan is a requirement from Natural England for the redesignation process. I have made a few changes to the document, but the management regime itself remains the same.  

Grass cutting and collection

Previously we have had the grass in the open meadow cut by Hill Holt Wood, and the cuttings collected and baled by Bill Drury, a local farmer. Unfortunately, Mr Drury’s baling machine broke down, and he is not replacing it. This news arrived too late last year for me to find an alternative contractor. I have begun the search again, so far without success. Small balers are not common, and the area is small by agricultural standards at 0.7 ha, but too large to do it manually. Small baling machines cost around £4000 and require a compact tractor to run them, if we bought that equipment, we may as well buy a cutting deck to bring the whole process in house. The problems with this are obviously cost, but also storage of machinery. Funding may be a possibility, it is something I will look more deeply into, but in the meantime, we need to find a contractor.

Entrance Refurbishments

Council has previously approved my proposal for the entrance refurbishments, which would have been completed in February, but I paused all such work whilst my position here was uncertain. This is a major part of the LNR plan, and as such I would like to carry the work out, if it can be established that the budgeted money is still available. If it is not, then I would like to resubmit my proposal through this committee.

Funding for Footpath Refurbishment

I am looking into what funding opportunities there are available to refurbish some or all of the footpaths within Horseshoe Hollow to bring them to a more stable and accessible standard. I would also like to install a timber boardwalk over the areas which are often inundated and impassable through the winter months. This would extend from the bridge through to the elevated section of the PROW, this would ensure that the PROW remains usable and also protects the ground and vegetation from being churned into mud.

Community Garden

The Co-Op volunteers, with Cllr Conway and myself attended the garden on the 29th of April and it proved to be a productive event. The plants are growing well and the sensory garden is looking particularly good. There is more scope for further planting now I have seen what has been successful and what has not. The budget of £1617.00 for the community garden was “lent” to the recreation committee for purchase of the two new gates in Parkfield, can I ask that this is reinstated for use in the community garden so I can move forward with development?

As part of my degree studies, I carried out a small-scale pollinator study within the orchard over 7 days, focussing on a 1 m2 stand of Lamium alba (White dead nettle), I recorded 6 different species of bee, I also recorded 3 different species of bee in the wall in the yard. I would like to carry out a wider survey here to catalogue pollinators, this would be good evidence for the merits of traditional orchard management as opposed to neat and tidy.

Churchyard

I would like to approach the PCC and begin a management plan review for the churchyard as we go into the fifth year of the naturalisation project. I will be carrying out some basic surveying to ascertain the progress.

It would be advantageous to introduce some more wildflower seed in the autumn now that the Yellow Rattle appears to be taking effect in the north and south sides of the churchyard, with some exceptions where stands of Anasantha sterilis have established, which is a grass which can outcompete the Yellow Rattle.

Trees

Equipment

I would like to resubmit my request to council to purchase a more capable chipper which would speed up tree work jobs massively. 90% of the time spent on tree work is spent on chipping rather than the work itself. Having a more capable machine would increase the scope of work I am able to undertake.

Reactive Tree Inspections

In line with the new tree policy adopted by council, I have been carrying out reactive tree inspections whenever wind conditions have reached over 39 mph, the reports from previous inspections have been submitted to the Clerk, I also have copies if anyone wishes to see them. Moving forward these reports will be included in my future environmental reports and presented to this committee.

ADB Action Plan

This year I will be carrying out the ADB action plan inspections on trees in RPC ownership, as approved by council last year. My findings will be reported to the committee upon completion.

Tree Survey Course

Although my experience of working with trees goes back 25 years, I would like to propose that I attend a tree inspection and survey course which would give a paper credential to my work. The course is the LANTRA Basic Tree Survey and Inspection (TISO1) and the cost is approximately £175.00 +VAT. It is provided by Lincoln Rural Training who provided my chainsaw certification.

Flooding

LCC/Stantec

There has been some confusion around the works assigned to the village by LCC in response to Section 19 investigations following the flood of October 20th 2023. I believe the confusion arose due to the two separate projects being presented to us at the same meeting and by the same team, also that both projects are being overseen by Ryan Davies, Senior flood risk officer at LCC.

The two projects are:

LCC have instructed AJET as contractors in conjunction with LCC Highways to perform CCTV and jetting/cleansing of a large proportion of the villages surface water drainage system. This is the gulleys at the side of the roads. It is not directly connected to the Beck flooding; it is to flush out and report any disrepair of the system. This is a large-scale project which is being carried out in phases.

Separately, Stantec – a global environmental consultancy company have been employed by LCC to carry out flood modelling on the Beck catchment. This is directly connected to flood alleviation. The model, once complete, will be able to run different inputs and scenarios so we can see what effects it has on the Beck levels. For example, we could run a scenario where we have installed a natural flood defence off Westcliffe Road, the model will show us how it would perform under varying amounts of precipitation within the catchment and to ascertain whether it would be a viable option. This modelling can then be used as evidence basis for land acquisition and funding for NFD’s.

Hydrogeomorphic modelling is a complex task and therefore time consuming. Stantec have been surveying points all across the catchment area, in recent weeks they have been taking survey measurements of threshold heights of properties around the high street. It is a meticulous job and to build an effective model can take 2 – 3 years. I am confident and excited that this work could be hugely beneficial for Ruskington.

UDLive

As part of the section 19 actions, we have also had 4 new water level monitors installed by UDLive, in the Beck we have devices at Westcliffe Road confluence, Manor Street culvert, Chestnut Street culvert and one in the field drain at Winchelsea Road (which also flooded in 2023).

These devices can be accessed by anyone via the UDLive portal once registered.

I did notice early on that all of the devices, with exception of Manor Street culvert, did not give continuous readings of water level during low level times, I investigated and found that the stilling tubes which house the sensors were all set notably higher than the riverbed. I contacted UDLive and they assured me that all the devices were installed as per their permissions, I do not fully understand why the devices could not be set lower but that is where we are.

Following this, I have been out to each device and measured the datum point at the bottom of the stilling tubes to the riverbed at the centre of the channel. So, when the river level is high enough for the sensors to begin providing data, each specific datum measurement needs to be added to the level reading to provide the actual height, this is something I will do when carrying out my flood monitoring and reporting, I have written a separate report about this which will be available to council soon.

Flood Monitoring

I will be continuing to carry out flood monitoring and reporting services during high risk events, I am constantly refining my methods of data collating and will continue to provide live updates via the RPC emergencies Whatsapp group. I also use this data to produce reports following any flood event or near miss, previous reports have been well received by both the Environment Agency and LCC.

The data is made up of the following components:

• Rainfall – This is measured using my own gauge at the yard and the EA rain monitoring station on Priory Road, I also reference the MET Office stations at Waddington and Coningsby.

• Predicted rainfall and weather system tracking – This is taken from MET Office radar and cross referenced with Accuweather radar. This is to estimate the length of time and severity of precipitation over the catchment.

• River levels (Beck) – Using the EA measuring station on Lincoln Road, manual measurements on the High Street and now the UDLive devices, the levels are checked regularly during an event, from this it is possible to calculate a rate of rise which combined with predicted rainfall data can help to determine if a flood event is likely.

• River levels (Connected and unconnected systems) – Using EA data, I monitor the levels of other river systems in the wider area, such as the Upper Witham, Lower Witham and tributaries, The River Slea and the South Forty-Foot Drain. I am also aware of the levels at Digby, Scopwick and the Billinghay Skirth, and catchwaters on the fen.

• Visual inspections – I inspect 15 points along the watercourse to monitor how the channel is coping during high precipitation events, it also gives me the opportunity to check for any obstructions or issues.

• Groundwater monitoring – This is background data which I am now constantly monitoring, this is explained in a following section.

• Soil absorption rates – I use my own equipment to determine this, it is very localised data and is used to make estimates for the wider catchment.

• Global weather patterns – By observing global weather patterns it is sometimes possible to predict when severe weather may affect us here.

Depending on the risk, some of the data is collected at regular intervals of 15 minutes to 1 or 2 hours.

Flood Alert System Development

I was invited by the Environment Agency to be on a panel to test and feedback on the developments of the new flood alert system, this is being carried out by Cogworx, a digital design agency. I have attended several online sessions and will continue to participate in future sessions.

Groundwater Monitoring

Since December, I have been developing methods to monitor groundwater levels utilising the two monitoring wells at the cemetery. These wells were installed by the Environment Agency during their groundwater vulnerability surveys in 2017/2018 and had not been used since. I have written a document titled “Obtaining Groundwater Data in Ruskington” which you are free to read if you wish. I have now collated a small dataset which is starting to give an insight into the levels and the nature of the hydraulic gradient, I will be reporting more on this as I build up more data.

Groundwater data is useful for flood research but the nearest datasets available are from Sleaford which has no bearing on groundwater levels here in Ruskington, being able to monitor within the village is very useful. I am looking into the feasibility of installing a monitoring well within Horseshoe Hollow, which would give a good comparable level near to the Beck.

Catchment Research

Since the 2023/2024 flood events, I have been carrying out my own research on the catchment to try to determine the cause of these recent events. I have been studying historic rainfall and levels data and trying to ascertain what has changed in the catchment to have caused these unprecedented floods.

Emergency Planning

As co-author of the current Emergency Plan and Environmental lead within CERT, I am responsible for collating the information which is used to determine if and when a response is necessary, I have built up and organised equipment and developed the processes involved when responding to an emergency to be efficient and organised. I have been on several LRF training sessions and am a registered Ready For Anything volunteer, which means LRF could ask me to assist in emergencies elsewhere in the county.

All the previous items in this section tie into the Emergency Plan as flooding remains our most likely emergency situation.

Summary (Actions required)

• Approve a budget for environmental purposes.
• New management plan for Horseshoe Hollow to be approved.
• Community Garden budget to be recovered from Recreation and Events committee.
• Propose tree survey training for myself.
• Consider Beckside surface refurbishment.
• Consider extending storage space in the pavilion.

Documents

I will be looking at making these documents available via a Teams folder and will provide the necessary access information once set up.

• Phase 1 Habitat Survey 2025A HH
• NVC Phase 2 Vegetation survey 2025A HH
• Tree Survey 2025A HH
• Bird Survey 2025A HH
• Freshwater Invertebrate Survey 2025A HH
• Obtaining Groundwater Data in Ruskington
• Obtaining Real World Levels Data from the UDLive Sensors
• Ash Dieback Survey Plan
• Reactive Tree Inspection Reports