MELBOURN PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES
Draft Minutes subject to formal ratification at the next Planning Meeting.
Minutes of a Planning Committee Meeting held on Monday, 5th September 2011 at the Parish Office, Melbourn Village College, The Moor at 7.15pm.
Present: Cllrs. P. Simmonett (Chairman), J. Hales, M. Linnette, A. Mulcock, and R. Gatward
In Attendance: The Deputy Clerk, Cllr. Barrett and 5 members of the public.
289/11 Apologies for Absence: Cllrs Wakerley and Sherwen
290/11 Declaration of Interests: Cllr Mulcock declared a personal interest in 297/11 on the grounds that he knows the applicant.
291/11 Minutes of the meeting held on 15th August, 2011:
It was proposed by Cllr. Gatward, seconded by Cllr. Hales and agreed that the minutes of 15th August, 2011 should be signed as a true record.
292/11 Matters Arising:
(a) 259/11: The Deputy Clerk contacted SCDC and obtained the names of possible contractors in relation to work on the garages on the car park and the names and contact details were passed on to Cllr Mulcock;
(b) 261/11(b): The Deputy Clerk sent an e-mail to the owner of the woodland on Royston Road and London Road but, as yet, has not received a reply;
(c) 265/11: The Deputy Clerk contacted Mr Charles Swain about the concerns regarding the satellite dish and clothing bank on the Co-op site but, as yet, has not received a reply;
(d) 261/11(a): Cllr Gatward asked about the registration of the land for the Deed of Dedication. Cllr Hales said that we are still awaiting the land survey from Bradley Surveyors which has been promised for tomorrow. The application needs to be submitted by the end of September. Cllr Hales said that it is possible to amalgamate certain open spaces for the purpose of registration.
293/11 Village Car Park:
The committee considered the three quotes already opened at the last full Parrish Council meeting but which could not be dealt with due to lack of time. The three quotes were for the following amounts:-
Land Structure Ltd: £39,961.68
Timotay Playground Design and Construction: £21,581.76
Pro-Scape: £18,609.49.
Given the discrepancies between them, it was decided to put them aside until such time as they could be scrutinised line-by-line and the process of due diligence carried out.
294/11 Police Site:
Cllr Hales reported that the consultation process with regard to the proposed community building was being carried out and that replies, either via the website or by the return of the pro-forma, were being collected and collated. The consultation period will close on 7th October, 2011. Cllr Hales stated that if the result of the consultation process is ‘no’ then the Parish Council will pull out of the proposed development as discussed at the last parish Council meeting. At the present time, there are no fresh developments and no planning details are known.
295/11 Village Green registrations:
Cllr Simmonett raised the question as to whether or not this item should continue to appear on the agenda and instead be replaced by an item on the Deed of Dedication Registration for all land owned by the Parish Council. Cllr Hales pointed out that the Government intended to change the process for Village Green Registration because they believe that the present process has stopped development. The possible registration of land at Greengage Rise and Beechwood Avenue were discussed but dismissed due to legal complications with builders and the Beechwood Estate Residents Association.
Cllr Hales raised the question of the field bordering the school playing field of Melbourn Village College and the New Recreation Ground. At present, this is owned by the County Council and used by the Village College. The County Council are seeking to part with this land but the Village College does not want to take it over. The Parish Council could seek to register this land in conjunction with the New Recreation Ground as a Deed of Dedication and own the land in perpetuity. This would also protect the site from further development given the County Council’s desire to dispose of its Sheltered Housing to a private company which has implications for the community areas in Vicarage Close which may end up being demolished thus opening the door for future development of the site. The possibility was raised that the Parish Council might take ownership of the land which would not affect its ability to include it in a Deed of Dedication thus protecting the site in perpetuity. The need to talk to both the County Council and the Village College was acknowledged and Cllrs Barrett and Hales will take this forward.
296/11 Notifications or Planning Consultation documents:
(a) Notification received approving the Two Storey Extension to the House at 32, Russet Way, Melbourn SG8 6HE on behalf of Mr Lee Whitehouse S/1314/11 was noted;
(b) Notification received refusing permission for Lean to (Retrospective) at 49, High Street, Melbourn SG8 6DZ on behalf of Mr Solanki S/1307/11 was noted;
(c) Notification received approving the Installation of 78 Solar Photovoltaic Panels onto a roof of the building at Cambridge Technology Centre, Back Lane, Melbourn SG8 6DP on behalf of Ms Jessica Cheney, PA Consulting S/1230/11 was noted;
(d) Notification received approving the Conversion of Garages into Living Accommodation and Erection of Garden Store at 10, Dolphin Lane, Melbourn SG8 6PE on behalf of Mr & Mrs Walker S/1317/11 was noted;
(e) Notification received refusing permission for the Erection of detached bungalow including vehicular access to rear of Trigg Way, Melbourn SG8 6HX on behalf of Mr & Mrs White S/1391/11 was noted;
(f) Notification received approving the Additional Windows at Units F & G and Farside House, Melbourn Science Park, Cambridge Road, Melbourn SG8 6EE on behalf of The Technology Partnership PLC S/1382/11 was noted.
(g) Notification received informing the council that the planning application for the Erection of Detached House at the rear of 151-155 High Street, Melbourn on behalf of Mr G. Newton has been withdrawn.
297/11 Planning Applications:
(a) Application for Alteration to Ground Floor WC and installation of a shower at Tithe Barn, 29A, The Moor, Melbourn SG8 6ED, S/1636/11 on behalf of Dr Julian Drew. Approved without comment.
(b) Application for the Erection of part first floor, part single storey extensions to the rear of the property at 38, Orchard Road, Melbourn SG8 6BT, S/1691/11 on behalf of Mr & Mrs Carter. Approved with the following comments: All site access and parking should be off road. There should be no parking or construction vehicles on Little Lane or Orchard Road.
(c) Application for the Erection of a first floor pitched roof extension above the existing single storey flat roof extension at 2, Fordham Way, Melbourn SG8 6JB, S/1631/11 on behalf of Mr & Mrs R.Carter. Approved without comment.
(d) Application for the installation of aluminium louvres in place in existing window openings on the North East and North West elevations at the Telephone Exchange, 16, Station Road, Melbourn SG8 6DX, S/1689/11 on behalf of Mr S. Crawford, British Telecom PLC. Approved with the following comments: We would like a statement of any additional noise output from any new installation for the increase in Broadband.
(At this point the meeting was suspended to allow a member of the public to address the meeting: see addendum)
298/11 Correspondence:
(a) Letter from Mr & Mrs Wing of 151 High Street, Melbourn objecting to the planning application S/1166/11. This was noted.
(b) Letter from Beechwood Estate Residents Association with regard to the provision of small appropriate signs on dog fouling and their placement. The Deputy Clerk has written to the Association to thank them and to say that their letter has been passed to the Highways department with a strong recommendation of support.
(c) Letter from Beechwood Estate residents Association with regard to their wish to see the provision of kerbside safety barriers at the entrances to the green in Beechwood Avenue. The Deputy Clerk has written to the Association to thank them and to say that their letter has been passed to the Highways department with a strong recommendation of support.
(d) A document detailing Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Minerals and Waste Local Development Framework Consultation on Draft Supplementary Planning Document RECAP (Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Waste Partnership) Waste Management Design Guide was noted.
299/11 Urgent matters:
(a) Cllr Linnette raised the issue of quad bikes and tricycles being sold from a site on Royston Road next to Greenlow Kennels. The Deputy Clerk to contact Mr Charles Swain on this matter.
(b) Cllr Gatward expressed concern about the double yellow lines on the corner of Orchard Road and Little Lane. The Deputy Clerk to put this on the Highways Agenda
There being no other business the Chairman closed the meeting at 8.38p.m.
Addendum to the meeting of the Planning Committee, 5th September, 2011
The Committee was addressed by Mr Clive Porter with regard to the new White Paper on Development. Mr Porter expressed his concern that future developments are to be classed as ‘sustainable’ and will be difficult for councils to turn down. He expressed the need to allow Parish Councils to look at developments independently which, he believes, is placed in jeopardy by the proposals. Consultation on these proposals ends on 17th October. He has organised a raft of petitions across the country. There is also an on-line petition and one from the National Trust. Cllr Hales said that, at the moment, Melbourn is not earmarked for development by the District Council. Cllr Hales also said that he and Cllr Barrett will bring up the matter with SCDC as the planning authority. It was agreed to include the issue on the next full Parish Council agenda.