Parish Council Minutes
January 2014
Extraordinary Planning Meeting
Thursday 16th January 2014, 7.30 pm, Sir John Moore Foundation Community Building,
Appleby Magna
Present: - Cllrs P Hemmerdinger (Chair), M Hemmerdinger, R Butler, P Smith, G Pott,
Lindsay Swinfield Clerk, 9 members of the public.
1401 Apologies – Cllr D. Wildgoose – apology accepted.
1402 Declarations of Pecuniary Interest to Items on Agenda – Nil
1403 Open forum for members of the public and press
The village development survey has been distributed, final delivery will be 17/01/14, then each household in the village will have received a copy. The survey is an unbiased, objective review of residents views re development in Appleby Magna.
Public forum closed
1404 Planning Consultations –
a. 13/00809/OUT, 26 Black Horse Hill, erection of two dwellings/outline – all matters reserved
application withdrawn, no further action.
b. 13/00829/OUT, Land at Measham Road, erection of 8 dwellings with associated garaging and
access road – outline planning.
c. 13/00799/FULM, land (Dormers Green) off Bowleys Lane, residential development of 26 dwellings including affordable housing, formation of sustainable urban drainage system and public open
space and demolition and replacement of boundary treatment at corner of Bowleys Lane and Church Street.
d. 13/00797/FULM, land adjoining 33 Measham Road, erection of 73 residential units including
affordable housing and provision of sustainable urban drainage and on and off site public open space.
e. 13/00697/FULM, land off Top Street, residential development for up to 32 dwellings (access included).
f. 13/00907/OUT, land adjacent to 27 Botts Lane, erection of one dwelling, outline.
The details below will be sent via email to NWLDC Planning Department:
13/00907/OUT, land adjacent to 27 Botts Lane, erection of one dwelling – no objection, however, comments are blanket comments re the infrastructure of the village – the as yet unresolved ongoing problems of water management.
Village Survey re planning & development
There is a village survey being carried out (an unbiased, objective questionnaire) re development within Appleby Magna – the results are not yet available, but we will pass these to you on receipt, this, with other planning matters can be discussed when you meet with Councillors to review the planning applications.
Section 106
The Parish Council wishes to register interest in any Section 106 funding, should this become relevant – this would be useful to the village and Councillors are open to discussion in the future based on mutually agreed planning applications – however, this does not in any way give approval to any large scale planning applications as long as the infrastructure and inadequate water management in the village remains as is.
13/00809/OUT, 26 Black Horse Hill – planning application withdrawn, no further action.
13/00829/OUT, Land at Measham Road, erection of 8 dwellings with associated garaging and access road – OBJECT (unanimous) – comments are (if density was reduced to a few proposed dwellings, this could be considered again, once infrastructure problems are resolved in the village):
- No indication of how surface water will be managed, Cllr Butler is the Flood Warden for the village and as such liaises with various key contacts such as Severn Trent – in 2012 the Snarestone works only had capacity for 51 new dwellings, to include Appleby Magna and Snarestone – since then Appleby Magna has approved 10 and Snarestone has approved some (figure unknown to us, but you will have details) – therefore the Parish Council needs an update on capacity as the pumping station pumps to the Snarestone works.
- Currently there is major back-flooding in Appleby Magna, especially in the Black Horse Hill area and Severn Trent states that Appleby Magna has major problems with water management – they are having to pump out on a regular basis due to the lack of capacity of the pumping station – more development in the village can only exacerbate the problem.
- Access issues – the location is not right for development, the area is too high and water drainage is a major issue.
13/00799/FULM, Dormers Green – off Bowleys Lane, residential development of 26 dwellings including affordable housing, formation of sustainable urban drainage system and public open space, demolition and replacement of boundary treatment at corner of Bowleys Lane and Church Street – OBJECT (unanimous) – comments are:
- Too many proposed dwellings for the area – this area is covered under E1 Character Areas therefore this area needs to be protected, not developed.
- Major access issues, could be as many as 50+ vehicles meeting the needs of the proposed properties, in and out of local roads most of which are single lane – this area already suffers from frequent congestion due to funerals, school runs, kids clubs etc.
- The area is high, again, nowhere for the water to run off to and the infrastructure would not cope.
- Most important, there is an application for a Village Green in this area, which is undergoing a public enquiry in March 2014.
13/00797/FULM, Land adjoining 33 Measham Road, erection of 73 residential units including affordable housing and provision of sustainable urban drainage and on and off site public open space – OBJECT (unanimous) – comments are:
- Water management and sewage system cannot cope – this is a high area re water run-off.
- Too many properties proposed for such a small village, however the Councillors do agree that some affordable housing is required in the area, so a reduction in properties may be acceptable IF, there was a new pumping station built on site pumping to Measham, however the plans show no sign of evidence of this.
- Potentially a site could be developed on a much smaller scale, however the extent of development depends on sewage and water issues being resolved, currently these are not sustainable within the infrastructure of the village.
13/00697/FULM, Land off Top Street, residential development for up to 32 dwellings (access included) – OBJECT (unanimous) - comments are:
- This is an E1 Character Area, thus needs protection.
- This is a discreet site and could blend in with the village – however, the water and drainage – flooding problems previously outlined are still a major consideration and barrier to development.
- ACCESS is a major issue for this site – there are x3 junctions within 50 yards on fairly blind bends; Councillors have looked carefully at access issues, but there is no way around this.
- Nothing in the plans shows consideration for the surface water management – this cannot go straight into the brook!
- Thirty-two dwellings is too high for the area, even without the above due considerations.
All of the above applications are responded to by the Parish Council using material considerations, Councillors have acted fairly, openly and apolitically, approaching each application with an open mind and avoiding pre-conceived opinions, all issues have been carefully weighed up and they determined each application on its individual planning merits, avoiding undue contact with interested parties, clearly stating reasons for their decisions.
It is interesting to note that Christine Fisher, Chief Executive of NWLDC stated in a letter sent 14th October 2013 re Churchyard of St Michael and All Angels, Appleby Magna regarding further burial land – “It is also unlikely that there will be any major development in Appleby Magna that would attract significant 106 funding.” … this leads the Councillors to feel that their major concerns with the infrastructure of the village are generally held.
Appleby Environment believes, in light of the cumulative effects of the various housing developments, and taking account of guidance set out in the NPPF on the importance of such cumulative effects, that NWLDC is required to commission an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This is required to assess the cumulative effects of the proposed developments. This has to be undertaken prior to the determination of these residential applications.
The Parish Council works closely with Appleby Environment and other key interdependents to ensure the village is looked after and is sustained (and grows) in a strategic and robust manner, taking into account all factors which impact residents and are also material planning considerations, such as water management, road use, access/egress issues, sewage management and ensuring Appleby Magna sustains its character.
Please also take into consideration previous comments made by the Parish Council re the above planning applications.
1405 Planning Decisions
Pavilion, Bowleys Lane – demolition and erection of replacement pavilion – granted.
The meeting ended at 8.15pm
Date of next meeting: February 6th 2014, 7.30pm @The Stables Community room, Sir John Moore School
Lindsay Swinfield, Clerk to the Parish Council