MELBOURN PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES
Draft Minutes subject to formal ratification at the next Planning Meeting.
Minutes of a Planning Committee Meeting held on Monday, 4th July, 2011 at the Parish Office, Melbourn Village College, The Moor at 7.15pm.
Present: Cllrs. M. Sherwen (Chairman), R. Gatward, J. Hales, M. Linnette, D. Mowatt, P.Simmonett, A. Mulcock.
In Attendance: The Clerk, The Deputy Clerk, Cllr Barrett
138/11 Apologies for Absence: Cllr Wakerley
139/11 Declaration of Interests: Cllr. Hales declared a Personal and Prejudicial interest in Item 144/11 because of family in the village;
140/11 Minutes of the meeting held on 20th June, 2011:
(a) 110/11 ‘STreet’ should read ‘Street’
(b) 111/11 (b) ‘7-9a.m.’ should read 7-9 a.m.’
It was proposed by Cllr. Hales, seconded by Cllr. Simmonett and agreed that the minutes should be signed as a true record and this was carried.
141/11 Matters Arising:
111/11: (b) 31, The Moor, Melbourn S/1091/11: Cllr Barrett to check whether or not the two applications S/1091/11 and S/1823/10 will be considered as one or two at SCDC Planning meetings. Cllr Barrett asked to stress that it is the Parish Council’s wish that the applications be consolidated and treated as one.
142/11 Village Car Park
The Committee considered three documents:
1) Plans from Huck Partnership for the layout of the car park;
2) Quotation for Hard and Soft Landscape from Land Structure Limited for the car park sent by Huck Partnership
3) A Report from Cllr Sherwen for the pre refurbishment scheduled for late July – early August 2011
Cllr Sherwen presented the report to the committee and asked for the report to be accepted so that work could begin during the summer holidays. Cllr Sherwen stated that he thought most of the problems concerning drainage and lighting have been sorted out and the report contained his solutions and proposals for the Main car park area, the garage area and for the provision of additional lighting There are now plans to consider the options for the garages, including the possibility of demolition of some or all of them, by SCDC and this will facilitate action on the plans. Photos of the car park had been taken on 28th June after Melbourn had experienced some extraordinarily heavy rain to illustrate the problems. Cllrs Sherwen, Hales, Simmonett and Mulcock had met a local contractor in the car park this morning to review the problems.
A general discussion followed on the relative merits of various options for tackling the drainage problems, the need or not to demolish all of the garages or keep 4 for storage or rent and to divide the work into two stages both in order to spread the cost and to ensure that preparatory work on the site be carefully thought through and carried out prior to the complete refurbishment of the car park. A proposal to this end was presented by Cllr Mulcock which read: ‘WE REMOVE THE RANCH FENCE TO ITS NEW POSITION, WE REPLACE THE TARMAC IN FRONT OF THE GARAGES AND IMPLEMENT THE DRAINAGE REQUIREMENTS AS IN CLLR SHERWEN’S REPORT’. This proposal was not seconded.
A second proposal was put forward by Cllr Gatward and seconded by Cllr Hales: that TO MOVE TO IMPLEMENT THE HUCK PARTNERSHIP REFURBISHMENT PLAN FOR THE CAR PARK IN FULL AND ALSO RE-TARMAC, INSTALL THE SOAKAWAY TO THE ENTIRE INFERIOR TARMAC AREA TO THE FRONT OF THE EXISTING GARAGES AND INCORPORATE THE NEW PROPOSED LIGHTING ARRANGEMENTS AS PER CLLR SHERWEN’S REPORT AND, IF NECESSARY, TO FINANCE PART OF IT FROM RESERVES. This proposal was CARRIED BY 6 VOTES TO ONE. CLLR MULCOCK VOTING AGAINST.
143/11 Police Site:
Cllr Mowatt expressed his disquiet that, at the last meeting, it was stated that no further developments with respect of the police site had been reported despite the fact that it has subsequently emerged that a telephone conversation, which had not been minuted, had taken place between Cllr Hales and ICENI in which the matter had been discussed. Cllr Hales apologised unreservedly to the Clerk and to the Chairman for this. Cllr Hales explained that his sole motive in doing so was to ensure that the concerns of the residents were being met and that he had received assurances from ICENI about the status of the residents, their knowledge of the existence of the covenant on part of the site, and, their awareness of the drainage issues on the site. He believed that these were important especially in the light of the possibility that ICENI might proceed with a planning application for housing only without the involvement of the Parish Council.
Cllr Mowatt expressed his fear that such actions were difficult to defend to the public and that we needed to make sure that the residents, the members of the Working Party and the Clerk were kept informed of developments at each and every stage.
Cllr Mulcock expressed his disquiet about suggestions made by parishioners that councillors had contacted residents to dissuade them from attending meetings. This was categorically denied and it was stated that the only reason for contacting them was to inform them that, given the number of residents concerned with a planning application, the issue of the police site was unlikely to be debated especially as there were no new developments.
144/11 Heydon Grange Wind Farm:
At the present time there was nothing new to report
145/11 Village Green registrations:
The cutting back of the vegetation on the verge in Orchard Road is going to be sorted out be Cllr Linnette who is taking responsibility for measuring the verge so that the Parish Council can register it with the Land Registry.
146/11 Notifications or Planning Consultation documents:
(a) Notification of planning permission with regard to 11, Chapel Lane, Melbourn, SG8 6BN: Approved
(b) The Planning Inspectorate – Oak Cottage 6A Vicarage Close – Appeal made by Mr A Taylor against SCDC. This appeal has been allowed. Noted
(c) Land Adjacent to 25, Station Road, Melbourn SG8 6DX S/1981/10: Permission granted for New Dwelling.
(d) The Pink Geranium, 25, Station Road, Melbourn SG8 6DX: Permission granted for the change of use from Restaurant (A3) to Dwelling (C3)
(e) The Pink Geranium, 25, Station Road Melbourn SG8 6DX: Permission granted for demolition of stores, kitchen, food prep area, conservatory, w.c. and laundry and alteration to gateway and Extension and alterations including link, infilling openings, alteration to doors, additional partitions and provision of kitchen, utility and bathrooms.
147/11 Planning Applications:
(a): Amended planning application in respect of Shop 49, High Street, Melbourn SG8 6DZ: Replacement of existing outbuilding additions and changes of use from residential (C3) use to (A1) use (part retrospective application). The above planning application will be considered by the Planning Committee at its meeting on 6th July, 2011 at 2.00 p.m. Representations must be made by no later than 12 noon on the Monday before the meeting. For information only.
148/11 Correspondence:
(a) Plans and quotation from Huck Partnership. Dealt with under 142/11
(b) E-mail from Jenny Clark re: garages on the village car park site. Parish Clerk to write to arrange an on-site meeting for Wednesday 13th July at 10.00 a.m.
149/11 Urgent Matters:
(a) Cllr Mowatt raised the question about the quotation received from Huck Partnership on behalf of Land Structure Limited for Hard and Soft Landscape for the sum of £18,079.39. Cllr Mowatt pointed out that the amount of the quote meant that the Parish Council is obliged to seek at least another two quotes for this work. This was accepted and, as a result, Cllr Gatward withdrew her proposal in 142/11.The Parish Council to pay Huck Partnership for the design and seek other quotes.
(b) Cllr Gatward asked that the flower bed next to the car park be weeded. The Parish Clerk to ask Keith Rudge.
(c) Charles Swain, Enforcement Officer, wishes to come to talk about enforcement notices to the planning committee. Cllr Sherwen put forward two dates: Wed 13th or Thursday 14th July at 7.00 p.m. in the Parish Office.
There being no other business the Chairman closed the meeting at 10.03 p.m.