Louth Town Council
The Sessions House, Eastgate,
Louth, Lincolnshire, LN11 9AJ
01507 355895
clerk@louthtowncouncil.gov.uk

To the Members of the Town Council of Louth:

You are hereby summoned to attend a meeting of Louth Town Council and its Planning Committee which will be held on Tuesday 25^th March 2025 in The Old Court Room, The Sessions House, Eastgate, Louth at 7pm.  The business to be dealt with at the meeting is listed in the agenda below.

There will be a 15 minute public forum between 6.45pm and 7.00pm when members of the public may ask questions or make short statements to the Council, and your attendance is requested during this period. 

Please note, any public, wishing to speak in the public forum may do so on items which appear on the agenda or may ‘sit in’ on the meeting(s).  It would be much appreciated if any member of the public wishing to speak would please contact the Town Clerk, by emailing clerk@louthtowncouncil.gov.uk in advance of the meeting to discuss attendance arrangements.  Written representation can also be considered rather than attending in person.

From 7pm a maximum of ten minutes will be set aside for the meeting to receive reports from elected Members of Lincolnshire County Council and East Lindsey District Council.

Members of the public should note that they will not be allowed to speak during the formal meeting.

Mrs. L.M. Phillips

Town Clerk
Dated this 20^th Day of March 2025

AGENDA

TOWN COUNCIL

(Chairman: Cllr. D. Hobson, Membership: All Cllrs.)

1. Apologies for Absence
   To receive and note apologies where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Town Clerk at least one hour prior to the meeting.
2. Declarations of Interest / Dispensations
   To receive declarations of interest in accordance with the Localism Act, 2011 – being any pecuniary interest in agenda items not previously recorded on Members’ Register of Interests and any written requests for dispensation received by the Proper Officer under section 22 of the Localism Act.
3. Town Clerk’s Remarks

4. Minutes
   To approve as a correct record the notes of the Council Meeting held on 14^th January 2025. (Attached).
5. Committee Minutes
   To confirm receipt of the minutes and adopt resolutions contained therein of the following Committee Meetings (hard copies circulated with previous agenda):
   1. Planning Committee – 10^th December 2024
   2. Planning Committee – 14^th January 2025
   3. Planning Committee – 4^th February 2025
   4. Governance and Finance Committee – 10^th December 2024
   5. Community Resources Committee – 29^th October 2024
   6. Personnel Committee – 22^nd October 2024
6. Crime and Disorder
   Community Beat Serjeant, K. Palmer to update Council on policing in the town, take questions and discuss concerns.
7. Co-option
   Council to consider candidates for co-option onto Louth Town Council and resolve as necessary.

8. Proposed Play Park, Off Park Avenue, Louth
   Council to receive a presentation from Mrs. E. Maddison on the above and consider a request to adopt the project at its current stage, carrying it forward to fruition. (Info pack to be tabled).
9. Rate Relief
   Council to consider supporting an application to ELDC for rate relief from Imagine Louth.
10. King Edward VI Almshouse, School and Educational Charity
    Council to nominate a representative to serve as a trustee of the above on its behalf.

11. Asset Register
    Committee to review and approve the Council’s Asset Register. (To be tabled).
12. Meeting Dates 2025/26 and Committee Structure
    Council to approve the attached schedule of meeting dates for 2025/26, discuss how it might change its committee structure in future.
13. Purchase of Trinity Allotments
    Council to receive an update and resolve upon the way forward.
14. Payment for Trinity Allotments 2024/25
    Council to note that advice is awaited from its Solicitors on this matter. Council to resolve that when that advice is received it be followed.  If full payment is required in respect of the annual rent of the Trinity Allotments this would be a total of £995.59, calculation based on the 2024 payment £967.53 plus 2.9% RPI for 2024.
15. Citizen’s Advice Lincoln and Lindsey – Funding Contribution
    Council to note that it approved an amount of £1,000 in the 2024/25 budget for release to the above, as per the Council’s powers under s142(2A) of the LGA 1972. Council to receive an update on how the organisation is faring, if available.  Council to approve the release of funds.
16. Environment Agency
    Council to note that the annual maintenance contribution for May 2024 to May 2025 for the Louth Flood Alleviation Scheme is now due and approve payment in the sum of £16,394.81.
17. Biodiversity Policy
    Council to consider adoption of the above. (Attached).
18. Action Plan 2025/26
    Council to review its previous action plan for use in 2025/26. (Attached).
19. Training and Development Policy
    Council to receive details of training undertaken in 2024/25 and review its Training and Development Policy for continued use. (Attached).
20. Safeguarding Children Policy
    Council to review the above and approve continued use. (Attached).
21. Dignity at Work Policy
    Council to review the above and approve continued use. (Attached).
22. VE Day 80^th Anniversary
    1. Council to receive an update on Royal British Legion (RBL) plans to commemorate the above and consider approving use by RBL of its beacon and electricity supply at the War Memorial to facilitate such.
    2. Council to approve purchase of a VE Day 80 Flag at a cost of approximately £45 to be flown outside the Sessions House on 8^th

23. Mayor’s Charity Account
    Council to note that from 13^th May 2025 Lloyds will change the above to a Community Account which will attract a monthly charge and day to day banking fees. Following review by the Past Mayor’s Working Group, Council to consider approving that this account be closed and the Mayor’s Job Description be amended to take out the expectation that the Mayor will raise funds for Charity.  NB Should a Mayor wish to raise funds this would be up to them to organise and oversee but it must be done so as not to bring the Council into disrepute.
24. Hubbard’s Hills
    Council to receive an update (attached) on activity since December 2025 and resolve to:
    1. Approve the attached Hubbard’s Hills Memorial Trees and Plaques Policy.
    2. Ratify the actions of the Town Clerk, Chairman and members of the Hubbard’s Hills working group, approving expenditure on emergency work to trees as a result of Tree Report.

25. Closed Session Items
    Council to resolve to move into closed session in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 due to the business to be discussed in the following items, information being of a third party, commercial, confidential and or legal nature in relation to:
    1. Old Mill House – Council to receive an update, draft documentation from its solicitor for amendment/approval and resolve upon the way forward.
    2. Insurance – Council to receive quotes and resolve upon the way forward.
    3. Julian Bower – Council to receive valuation details, discuss future use and resolve upon the way forward.

26. Next Meeting
    To note that the next scheduled meeting of the Town Council will take place on 20^th May 2025 and this will be the Annual Town Council Meeting.

PLANNING COMMITTEE

(Chairman: Cllr. P. Starsmore, Membership: All Cllrs.)

1. Apologies for Absence
   To receive and note apologies where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Town Clerk at least one hour prior to the meeting.
2. Declarations of Interest / Dispensations
   To receive declarations of interest in accordance with the Localism Act, 2011 – being any pecuniary interest in agenda items not previously recorded on Members’ Register of Interests and any written requests for dispensation received by the Proper Officer under section 22 of the Localism Act.
3. Minutes
   To approve as a correct record the notes of the Planning Committee Meeting held on 25^th February 2025. (Attached).
4. Applications received by the Local Planning Authority
   To consider and make observations/ratify comments already submitted by the Planning Working Group to meet deadlines, on all planning applications received including those listed in the schedule (PA/Schedule 03-25-25). (Attached).
5. Ossian Wind Farm Environmental Statement and Scoping Process / Planning Application S/086/00283/25
   Following circulation of details of the above proposals by email on 13^th March 2025 and discussion at the Planning Working Group (PWG) meeting on 18^th March Committee to consider whether to make a corporate response to the Planning Inspectorate to inform them of any information it considers should be provided in the Environment Statement or confirm that the Council has no comments. Deadline for responses 25^th March 2025.  Committee to note that the PWG would like to respond with a statement.  (Attached).
6. Nuclear Waste Services, Geological Disposal Facility
   Following LCC’s recent announcement on the above: https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/news/article/2293/county-council-set-to-withdraw-from-nuclear-waste-facility-group Council to receive an update after the straw poll taken on its social media and consider if it wishes to take any further action, at this juncture.
7. Planning Correspondence
   Committee to receive planning decisions, enforcement complaints, appeal decisions, temporary road closures etc., as advised by the District and County Council. (Attached).

8. Proposed Work to Trees
   Committee to consider the following proposed works to trees (diagram attached):
   6. Location: Riverdale, Love Lane – Proposal: T1 – Cypress x 4 – Cut to give 1m of clearance over the road by cutting back to the kerb edge. Cut to give clearance over the patio area by cutting back by 1m. Reduce in height by 6.5m to leave a finished height of 10m. Manage trees at the reduced heights and spread going forward. T2 – Lime – Sever Ivy. Remove the low lateral to the west back to the main stem. Reduce in height by 3m to give a finshed height of 14.5m. Prune to keep flowing lines with no internodal cuts. T3 – Lime – Sever Ivy. Remove the low laterals to the west and south back to the main stem. Reduce in height by 3m to give a finished height of 14.5m. Prune to keep flowing lines with no internodal cuts. T4 – Lime – Sever Ivy. Remove the low laterals to the west and south back to the main stem. T5 – Lime – Sever Ivy. Remove the low laterals to the west and south back to the main stem. T6 – False Acacia – Fell to ground level to free up the crown of five other trees. Use eco-plugs to prevent regrowth and suckering. Replace with a Sweet Gum. T7 – Lime – Sever Ivy. Remove the low laterals at 2.5m to the south and east back to the main stem. Reduce the lateral spread to the south by 2m to leave a finished length of 4m. Cut to give at least 30cm clearance around the BT line. Reduce in height by 3m to give a finished height of 14.5m. In all operations, prune to keep flowing lines with no internodal cuts. T8 – Yew – Reduce the lateral spread to the north by 3m and east by 2m to leave a finished length of 5m. Prune to keep flowing lines with no internodal cuts. T9 – Holly – Reduce the lateral spread to the north by 3m and east by 2m to leave a finished length of 5m. Reduce in height by 5m to leave a finished height of 10m. Prune to keep flowing lines with no internodal cuts.
   7. Location: 1 Sudbury Place – Proposal: G3 – Group consisting of 7 Lime – T1 marked on plan (Lime) fell and grind stump. Reasons: G3 – Tree is in decline with fungus, decay and die back present.
9. Next Meeting
   To note that the next scheduled meeting of the Planning Committee will take place on 15^th April 2025.