Musbury Parish Council

Minutes of the meeting held Monday13 June 2016in Musbury Village Hall Committee Room

PRESENT:CllrC. Corbett (Chair), Cllr C. Ellis, CllrsJ. Albano, C. Hall;P. Perryman and P. Smith;District Cllr I. Chubb; Ms J. Bishop (Clerk); 14 parishioners.

1APOLOGIES: Cllr M. Perry; County Cllr A. Moulding; PCSO H. Widger

2.MINUTES OF THE MEETINGheldMonday 25 April2016 were accepted as a true record and dulysigned by Cllr Corbett.

3DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST–Cllr Corbett declared a personal interest (his own farm) in the Castlewood planning application at para 9 below.

4POLICE MATTERS:PCSO Widger’s email said there were no reported crimes for Musbury in April or May 2016. During the whole of 2015 there were 10 crimes reported.inMusbury. She also said Axminster Neighbourhood will have a new PCSO relocating from Seaton in mid June.

The monthly report from the new Devon & Cornwall Crime Commissioner outlined her priorities:

  • Reviewing the police station closure plan
  • Keeping people safe online and on the streets – prevention and awareness are key
  • Improving the care and support for victims of crime
  • Ensuring the best funding deal possible –better reflecting issues like rurality and tourism.

5LOCAL GOVERNMENT BUSINESSandCOMMUNITY ISSUES:

Garages - The cost to rent an EDDC garage is £11.49 pw for Council tenants and £14.15 for others. There are 12 garages in Northfield. Given the increase in on-street parking the Clerk rang EDDC and was told they are in a bad state of repair and the empty ones are not available to let. She was also told there were no plans to refurb them but EDDC may consider selling them as a block. Cllr Chubb will check status.

ACTION

Side waste policy clarification- Cllr Chubb said that, while some operatives may collect bags not in the bins, the official policy is that all waste needs to be in the bin with the lid shut. If residents have large amounts of extra non-recyclable waste they can ring EDDC for a special free grey sack which will be collected. Only 1 or 2 sacks per household per annum will be offered.

6HIGHWAYS AND PUBLIC SPACES:

Mirror on Church Hill- DCC Highways had been approached to replace the mirror originally installed some years ago as part of the school’s travel plan. Their reply was ‘that mirrors may only be placed on the public highway in extreme circumstances and with the express authorisation of the Department for Transport with evidence of actual recorded collisions’. They said the Church Hill mirror should never have been erected on the highway and they were therefore unable to arrange for a replacement mirror. With the intervention of Cllr Moulding and the persistence of Cllr Albano Highways looked again at the site and agreed that the current location was off the highway and a mirror could be put back on the existing pole.

It was agreed that the Council will use the residue of the last DCC Locality grant to purchase a mirror,that Cllr Albano will collect it from Exeter and that councillors will gratefully accept the offer made by resident Chris Irving to install it. ACTION

Wall on Church Hill – Following complaints from residents Building Control had inspected the gap in the wall belonging to owner Mr Hargreaves, together with the bulging/ cracking further down the Hill near the Parish Noticeboard. The opinion was that the wall is ‘structurally sound and not requiring further attention’.

It is understood that Mr Hargreaves plans to apply for permission for a dwelling in the lower part of his garden with possible access from the existing gap.

Councillors felt that the response was inadequate and that safety issues for walkers and drivers were paramount. At the very least they want the safety barriers re-instated but they also felt that reliance could not be placed on the successful outcome of any planning application which could be some time in the future. The Clerk will write to Phil Cox and David Cocker, copying in the District and County Councillors and the conservation officer, asking for further action. ACTION

7ACCOUNTS:

Clerk Pay Rise- The NJC has agreed a 1% pay rise for part-time clerks. This means the rate of pay for the Musbury Clerk will rise from £9.207 to £9.299 per hour, backdated to April 2016.

Recent transactions- The Clerk presented the accountsfor April and May(below). These had been reviewed by Cllr Ellis for internal audit. The accounts were approved by CllrsAlbano and Smith.

Insurance – The Clerk confirmed that the policy remained ‘on risk’ (ie offering continued cover) pending the late receipt of the premium.

Parishes Together Fund –£485 towards the project to improve Musbury’s drainage has been received. Asa condition of the grant, approval for work must be given by the DCC Flood Risk team, DCC Highways and the Environment Agency. The first step is to scope where there are blockages or problem areas within the village. The Clerk had received a map from Highways, used by lengthsmen, showing ‘easements, grips and buddle-holes’ but not ditches or culverts. Cllr Perryman suggested dividing the parish into sections for surveying. Cllr Smith suggested that residents could be asked to report blockages or problem areas. The Clerk will put a notice on the website and noticeboard. ACTION

Resident Allen Parkman said he would consider taking on the initial survey.

Weeds- Cllr Albano has pulled out many of the weeds along the Axminster Rd but this stretch needs spraying. Cllr Chubb said he would enquire whether EDDC might be persuaded to do this on their next visit. If it is not possible a local resident will do the job. ACTION

8P3:

Parish Walk - Cllr Albano said she would be leading a parish walk on Sat 16 July, meeting outside the pub at 2pm and finishing with tea and cake in the Village Hall around 3.30- 4pm.

Footpath markers – The new ceramic plaques are gradually being put on posts.

9PLANNING MATTERS:

Neighbourhood Plan Seminar 26 April – Cllrs Albano and Hall attended this event at the Knowle. Cllr Albano explained that:

  • A neighbourhood plan (NP) is a planning document, created by local people, which guides and shapes the use and development of land in their area. Plans must focus on guiding development rather than stopping it and need to be in line with national and local planning policies.
  • Communities can decide whether they want a plan or not. The Local Plan (adopted Jan 2016) will be used to determine planning applications so communities without a plan will not be vulnerable to unwanted development. The Villages Development Plan (to be completed later this year) will enable EDDC to work with parish councils to find sites for any housing allocated to them through the Local Plan. AnNP can be used to identify suitable locations for new houses and can increase the number allocated but not reduce them as this would undermine the strategy of the Local Plan. Musbury has no allocation.
  • An NP area can cross local authority boundaries but must not overlap with other neighbourhoods. A parish council must apply to EDDC to designate an area. EDDC mustthen advertise the proposal and agree it before work on the plan can be started.
  • NPs are prepared by a steering committee formed from members of the community, usually about 8 individuals including a representative from theparish council. Builders, developers and those with a commercial interest are able to be part of the steering committee as long as they live or work in the area covered by the plan. It is the responsibility of the parish council to ensure the process is open and transparent.
  • The completed plan needs to be supported by a 50% vote before it can be adopted (NBthis is 50% of those that vote, not 50% residents in the neighbourhood).

Cllr Chubb said that EDDC has one of the highest numbers of NPs in place of any District Council. He said that the Blackdown Hills Association has a contact who will write an NP for a community. To date Musbury has decided against taking on an NP as the amount of work required is onerous. Cllrs Albano/Hall will supply more info at the next meeting.

Scales on online plans- Planning confirmed that scales are always on the plans which can be measured using the tools on the plans page. They have asked architects to put scale bars on the plans but this is not enforceable.

Mountfield - EDDC does not have a timescale for the proposed Enforced Sale but their audit of historic outstanding debts is nearing completion. Further statutory notices were served on the owner in respect of the land but works to clear it (and free it from vermin) will now be undertaken by EDDC (no date known)

These costs will be added to the audit and handed to solicitors to take through the legal processes involved in the sale.

It was noted that Stephen Guy, Conservation Officer, has left EDDC.

Decisions notified- All Approved

16/0783/FUL - The Cider Barn Maidenhayne Lane Construction of single storey extension

*16/0260/FUL - Maidenhayne Barn Maidenhayne Lane Conversion of barn to dwelling (amendment to planning consent 13/1360/FUL) Further amendments relate to additional landscaping and drainage information and amendments to design to show removal of porch and alterations to fenestration

16/0236/OUT- Alamo Axminster Rd - Outline planning application for construction of new dwelling in the garden (all matters reserved)

*16/0993/LBC - The Post House Church Hill Replacement roofs to main roof and flat roof section to itchen;demolition of link store building, alterations to shopfront,external repairs and internal alterations.

* Councillors had previously submitted their comments on these applications to meet planning deadlines

Applications received–

Councillors were happy to support the following three applications:

16/1198/FUL - Lower Doatshayne Farm - Proposed garden room

16/1305/TCA -Adcroft Doatshayne Lane - T1 Horse Chestnut & T2 Copper Beech: Light crown lift to second order branches or smaller; G3, Western Red Cedar x 3: Fell; G4, Elm x 4: Fell; G5 Ash x 2 : Fell

16/1346/FUL - Castlewood Farm-Construction of general purpose agricultural building – Cllr Corbett did not participate in the decision.

16/1026/MOUT - Land Off Doatshayne Lane- Outline application for up to 18 no. dwellings including 9 no. affordable dwellings with all matters reserved

This is a large application for Musbury and there is considerable community interest.

Cllr Corbett introduced the discussion by saying

  • the Housing Survey conducted in 2014 had identified a need for 9 affordable homes
  • in the 2014 SHLAA exercisethis site was voted the second best option for the mandatory 10 new homes in Musbury determined by the Local Plan of the time. This obligation no longer applies as the new Local Plan shows no target number for Musbury
  • this application is an outline proposal and so lacks details in certain areas.

He threw the meeting open for discussion. Outline points made by residents and councillors included:

Access: The development is close to a narrow lane used by walkers and with no passing places for vehicles. Access onto the main A358 is dangerous as the junction is close to a bend. One possibility would have been to make the Lane one-way along this stretch but this would simply mean more traffic coming through the centre of the village.

Traffic – The proposal minimises the likely number of cars used by residents and their visitors. While there are limited bus services Mon-Sat they finish early and it is probable that most residents, including 1-bed tenants, will need cars.

Parking - There needs to be more parking provision to prevent further on-street built-up in surrounding roads.

Flooding- Musbury has an outdated combined drainage system with small-bore pipework that already causes problems at times of heavy rainfall. The drainage provision for previous developments (notably Yonder Mount) has proved to be inadequate and the village is living with the consequences. The proposed access to this development is from Yonder Mount. In poor weather surface water from this area misses the drains, runs into Doatshayne Close then onto the very busy A358 where the resultant road spray from surface water makes driving hazardous.

Councillors noted the objection made by the DCC flood risk SuDs (sustainable drainage systems) consultation that the proposed measures do not comply with surface run-off policy. Measures to control surface run-off must allow for an 40% increase in run-off as a result of climate change (Central Government Policy, Feb2016).

Sewage – There is little or no mention of sewage in the proposal. Musbury’s problems in this area are well-documented and, while some flood alleviation schemes have made some difference, the capacity of the system is already inadequate.

Policy – Councillors noted the comments made by Housing Strategy Officer, Paul Lowe. Under Strategy 27 the site is an exception site outside the Built UP Area Boundary (BUAB). Under Strategy 35 it can be considered for mixed housing developments but with 66% affordable homes. This would mean 12 homes out of 18 or 9 homes with 5 market value. While 66% is a deterrent to many developers and while it is thought that 50: 50 developments have been accepted, applications for lower ratios of affordable housing are understood to require evidence in a viability report This policy also means the affordable and market homes should not be segregated from each other but presented in a mixed layout.

Timing- Under the Local Plan Musbury is a sustainable village with a BUAB. Councillors are currently awaiting consultation on the boundaries in the forthcoming Villages Development document. This may or may not impact on the current proposal.

Housing need – The mix of dwellings is largely predicated on the results of the Housing Needs survey carried out by the Community Council of Devon in early 2014. Given the current population of the village the results were skewed to responses from the retired rather than the young families that are needed to give villages a future. Musbury does have a fair number of 2-bed properties but 3-bed homes, especially affordable homes, are in shorter supply. It is recognised that this is an outline application but residents would like to see some larger homes available at affordable rents for families with 2 or more children.

The letters of support from local people hoping for an affordable home in Musbury were noted. However Devon Home Choice selection policies mean any single young applicant from Musbury is likely to be disappointed.

All of the affordable homes are for rent not purchase (because this is what the survey showed was needed). Without developers building homes in this area at a financial loss it is not clear how low wage-earners, particularly single people, will ever get on the property ladder. An affordable rent is defined as 80% of the market level.

There was some debate about the need for so many new market value houses, unlikely to be of interest to those who had lived here many years.

A suggestion was made that developers should build smaller houses with room for expansion when finances allowed.

Sustainability – While it is hoped they would do so, there can be no presumption that tenants/ buyers would a) have children b) use the school.

Community assets – there was concern about the loss of a greenfield site from agricultural use; the compensatory incorporation of a community orchard into the scheme was suggested.

Linda Johnson, making the application, emphasised that this was an outline proposal and some details could later change to better reflect what residents were saying. She was confident that EDDC, Highways, SW Water and the Environment Agency would not permit detrimental development.

There was a call for a public meeting to discuss the application but the Chair said that this meeting offered such a forum. The deadline for response was also tight.

Concluding, Councillors expressedstrong support in principle for additional affordable housing within Musbury. They recognised the importance of attracting young families to help ensure a future for the village.

Cllr Corbett asked members to vote on this particular application. The result was 2 councillors in favour, 4 against. The Clerk will respond to EDDC ACTION

10PLAYING FIELD:No report

11ALLOTMENTS:

Plot status- The Clerk will contact the tenant of plot 24 to ask him to cut his weeds before the seeds spread to neighbouring plots. It is known he is moving and will be giving up the plot. ACTION

12REPORTS FROM DISTRICT& COUNTY COUNCILLORS:

District Cllr Chubb reportedthat EDDC continues to look for economies. With SUEZthey have been shortlisted for a prestigious national award, reflecting their collaborative approach to improving levels of recycling.He was pleased to add that Exeter Science Park Centre has been named Project of the Year in the SW’s premier property competition.