East Pye Solar
There is a proposal for a large scale solar farm and associated cable routes and battery energy storage systems (BESS) on land in the parishes of Saxlingham Nethergate, Hempnall, Fritton, Woodton, Brooke, Shotesham, Silver Green, Lundy Green, Tharston, Tasburgh, Great Moulton, Hedenham, Morningthorpe, and Long Stratton.
The Council
The Parish Council is made up of nine members elected every four years to represent local interests.
We meet on the second Monday of the month at 7.30pm. Currently our meeting are being held via Zoom.
Saxlingham Nethergate
The Parish of Saxlingham Nethergate includes the villages of Saxlingham Nethergate, Saxlingham Green, Saxlingham Thorpe and Foxhole in South Norfolk.
Latest news...
URGENT AND IMPORTANT
If you want your voice heard on the East Pye Solar proposals, act now – this is your chance to make representations.
The Planning Inspectorate (on behalf of the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero) have opened the registration window which will run from Wednesday 29th April – 23.59 on Wednesday 10 June 2026.
To make representation about the application and to be informed of the progress of the examination you must register as an ‘Interested Party’ on the Planning Inspectorate’s Website
Please note that any previous objections or comments submitted do not count, and all representations must be made by 23.59 on Wednesday 10 June.
Village Photo Competition
Are you an amateur photographer with a passion for capturing special places?
Saxlingham Nethergate Parish Council is refreshing its website and invites you to share your best photos celebrating the beauty of our village.
The theme is ‘glorious Saxlingham Nethergate’
The top entries in the following categories will each win a prize.
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Ages 4-11
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Ages 12-17
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Age 18 and above
Criteria:
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all photos must have been taken by the person entering the photo
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only submit photos taken in Saxlingham Nethergate
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make sure they don't include any people or pets
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only one submission per person
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all photos must be in JPEG format
Please send your submission to the Parish Clerk, clerk@saxlinghamnethergate-pc.gov.uk, including your name, age category, and contact telephone number by 30 June 2026.
The parish council will select the winning entries at their July meeting; the Council’s decision will be final.
By submitting photographs, participants grant Saxlingham Nethergate Parish Council permission to display their images on its website and social media channels.
Contact details of entrants will be kept solely for the purposes of informing the winners and will be deleted after the competition. All entrants for children under the age of 13 must be submitted by a person with parental responsibility.
Good luck!
Budget and Precept
The Parish Council has agreed its budget for 2026/27, setting the precept at £18,225. This represents an increase of 9.42%. For a Band D property, that works out at an extra £5.03 per year, bringing the total parish charge to £58.42 for the year.
We understand that any increase in household bills matters. The changes this year reflect a small number of practical updates and sensible investments to keep the Council running smoothly and serving the community effectively.
Modernising how we work
We’ll be moving councillors over to secure gov.uk email addresses and upgrading the Parish Council laptop to Microsoft 365. These steps improve security, reliability and compliance.
Keeping residents informed
We’ve budgeted for a twice-yearly newsletter to keep everyone up to date, as well as postcards to help new residents find a new welcome pack on our website.
Protecting community interests
A £500 contingency has been included in case professional advice is needed in relation to the East Pye Solar proposal.
Celebrating local heritage
£200 has been allocated for an information board at the Old Bridge in Saxlingham Thorpe.
Building financial resilience
We will also increase our reserves by £1,500, with the aim of reaching around £11,000 by the end of 2026/27. Maintaining healthy reserves helps ensure we can deal with unexpected costs without sudden increases in future years.
The Council believes the £5.03 annual increase for a Band D property is a modest and necessary step to maintain secure operations, improve communication and plan responsibly for the future.
If you would like to know more, please speak to one of your Parish Councillors or contact the Parish Clerk.