Burwash Parish Council
Minutes of the Council Meeting held with Amicus Horizon
25th February 2016, at 10am in Parish Room (Internet Room), The Bear car park
Present
Burwash Parish Council – Planning Chairman –Cllr Jenner, Cllr Banks, Cllr Elmslie,
Cllr Pope and the Clerk
Amicus Horizon – Vanessa Biddus (Head of Area East Sussex), Lenka Muir (Senior Project Manager), Mel Finch (Project Manager) and Oliver Morse (Architect)
1. Meeting with Amicus Horizon
Cllr Jenner thanked Amicus Horizon for attending the meeting. Each person from Amicus Horizon was given a folder of documents and the list of the Council’s key objectives.
Amicus Horizon confirmed that they had met with Rother District Council. They confirmed that from the meeting today they would consider their options of moving forward on the site. However, they made it clear that the site would not be viable with any less units on it. With the increase in rent frozen this impacted on the viability of the site but a revaluation of the site and an increase in value has resulted in making the site a viable project again.
Lenka Muir said that there are no more future grants for affordable housing. Any future grants will be for shared ownership. Therefore, for this site to be eligible for the HCA grant it will need completing by March 2018. Amicus would need to maximise the site to make it viable but also affordable for people living there. So they see their current options to be:
a. Make the site work with the proposed number of units
b. Private sale of the land
c. Refurbishment of the existing scheme
d. Oliver Morse the Architect then presented the new scheme to councillors.
2. Changes to the Plan
a. The line of houses at the front of the site has been moved in line with the curvature of the road.
b. Car parking has changed and is now at 16 spaces. It was pointed out that this is still below the 21 spaces put forward by the Highways Authority and endorsed by Sarah Shepherd.
c. Chimney height and width has been addressed on the 4 x 2 bed houses. The gables have also been taken out and a single line for the roof incorporated. It was pointed out it was now just a row of modern ‘starter homes’.
d. They noted:
The elderly housing units were much bigger than the existing Rectory Court housing units. These were only 30m2 the new units would be (and are required to be) 50m2, nearly a 40% increase.
3. Things That Have Not Changed
a. It was pointed out that the materials proposed were still sub-standard. Concrete tiles would not be acceptable and are not the ‘highest quality’ requested by Rother District Council. Councillors made very clear that only hung clay tiles would be appropriate.
b. The design of the 4 x 2 bed houses is far too modern. The roofing may have changed slightly but it is totally inappropriate for the setting on the High Street. It looks too modern has no character and are four exact copies.
c. The ‘bunker’ part on the back of the large building is exactly the same. The materials are still the same cladding.
d. The building sits out on the edge of the site and would be clearly visible still across the valley. The units themselves are still long and thin with no natural light except the windows at the end. An example of a similar style flat layout was brought up to show Amicus Horizon and highlight how dark such a flat would be.
e. The issue of sewage raised by Southern Water has been looked into and a report is being prepared by Rother D/C.
4. The delay and other comments
Amicus Horizon was taken through the delay that had taken place with the re-building. The site as it stands is clearly an issue as it has become a ‘grot spot’ within the village. Progress on moving the site forward has been delayed since the residents were moved out in May 2014. Councillors pressed that they would like Amicus to move quickly to decide how they are going to develop the site.
It was explained to Amicus Horizon the importance of local heritage in the High Street. Many of the items in the key objectives were explained in more detail.
The councillors then withdrew to decide their response to the new proposal. They noted the approach of Amicus but emphasised their own strong view which is that the policy of the Parish and Rother District Councils about this site must be maintained.
5. Parish Council's Final Position
The councillors returned and explained their response to the new proposals. The Parish Council has consulted with the local community and their opinion is in line with the Parish Council view. The Parish Council also sees the great importance of having housing for the elderly in the centre of the village. Parts of the plan have been improved.
The Council noted there was no ‘radical rethink’ as required by Rother District Council.
The Parish Council will work with Rother District Council to ensure that the planning rules are enforced. Looking at the proposed scheme it is clear that there are important key issues set out by Rother District Council that have not been addressed.
The proposed housing at the front of the scheme is an unacceptable design and is not suitable for the surrounding conservation area and heritage site. The four terrace houses for shared ownership are modern in design, and do not incorporate any of the key characters in design which are relevant to the local area.
The large bunker building at the back of the site known as the HOPS is totally unacceptable. It is placed on the edge of this site, and passed the existing housing line. It would be viewed by those walking in this important Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Parish Council emphasised their disapproval to this aspect of the proposal.
The materials remain inappropriate. The proposed materials are not in context with the current village features. Only hung clay tiles are acceptable.
Parking remains another key issue. There is little room for manoeuvre in this area. The Highways authority and Rother District Council stated this should be 21 spaces and the Parish Council agrees.
The Parish Council cannot support the current proposal. The Parish Council will continue to work with Amicus. However, it is the Parish Councils’ main objective to ensure the Parish and the High Street are protected for this generation and future generations.