Minutes of Westby-With-Plumptons Parish Council Meeting Held Thursday 9Thapril 2015 At

Minutes of Westby-with-Plumptons Parish Council meeting held Thursday 9thApril 2015 at Ballam Church

commencing 7-00 p.m.

Present: Councillor A. Wareing, Chairman

Councillors Mrs. E. M. Ellison, H. Butler, D. Eaves, C. Naylor, J. Taylor, Mrs. J. Kirkham (Clerk) PC 682 James Winfield and 3 members of the public.

Apologies - Received from Councillors Mrs. J. Whittle and Councillor Mrs. J. Brickles.

Prior to the meeting Andrew Stell, Development Manager at Fylde Borough Council gave an interesting talk on current housing schemes taking place in Westby, on 106 agreements how developers negotiate with the planning authority, improvement to the infrastructure, secondary education, bus services to the proposed Whyndyke development

Fylde Borough Council is looking more to electronic planning applications and what they can do to support Parish Councils without necessary equipment. Planning Officers are to receive more training.

A question and answer took place on matters raised including drainage, flooding, education, affordable housing

etc .

.<::»

The chairman, Councillor Wareing, thanked Andrew for attending and the valuable information given.

Pact meeting - Report received from PCJames Winfield as follows:-

REPORT MARCH 2015

There have been 7 crimes for the month of March as follows:-

08/03/2015 - Burglary other than a dwelling at Arkright Court, Blackpool and Fylde Industrial Estate. Unknown offender approached industrial unit and removed small wooden bathroom window and made unsuccessful attempt to remove horizontal bar from inside window. Offender attempted to gain access via shutter door and

again was unsuccessful. Offender made off from scene undetected - Case closed - No further line of enquiry.

10/03/2015 - Possess controlled drug cannabis at Brunei Way. Offender found in possession of a small amount

of cannabis - Cannabis warning issued.

13/03/2015 - Burglary other than a dwelling at Al Streamline, Whitehills Drive. Unknown offender has approached wooden shed outside business premises. Offender has broken lock off shed and scattered contents

over carpark - Case closed - No further lines of enquiry.

14/03/2015 - Shoplifting at B&O, Whitehills. Offender stole property from store fleeing scene and making no attempt to pay for goods - Offender caught and given a caution.

19/03/2015 - Shoplifting at B&O, Whitehills. Offender enters store and makes to work wear area and selects a

brand new pair of boots off the display. Offender puts on new boots and exits store making no attempt to pay

for goods - Case closed - No further lines of enquiry.

Between 10/03/2015 & 24/03/2015 - Theft of motor vehicle at Cropper Road. Offender enters area of land to side of garden centre used for car storage and steals a Purple Ford Fiesta registration N853TPA by unknown means - crime under active investigation.

25/03/2015 - Shoplifting at B&O, Whitehills. Offenders have entered store and selected items and concealed them before exiting store making no attempt to pay. Offenders stopped outside the store by security and items

recovered - Offender dealt with by way of caution.

There has been 2 Road Traffic Collision in the Westby and Plumptons area:-

29/03/2015 - Hallam Way - Damage only

Declaration of interest - Councillors Butler, Naylor and Waring declared an interest in any matters concerning

Cuadrilla and took no part in any decisions made.

Councillor Mrs. Ellison and Wareing declared interest in application 15/0060 and took no interest in any decision

made.

Minutes- Resolved that the minutes of the meetings held 12thMarch 2015, having been circulated, be accepted

as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Matters arising from the minutes:-

Request for Parish inspection - Response received as follows:

Sim and Karen are moving into new job roles within the county council from the 1st April 2015 and therefor will not be in a position to agree to your request of a parish inspection.

Any highway related issues in the parish that the council would like us to remedy, need reporting via the following communication channels (contact telephone number is 0300 123 6780 and the email address is ), the specific issue will be assigned to the most appropriate technical officer forinvestigation and action as necessary.

Litter collection - Response from Fylde Borough Council to clear litter from the highway would require the Traffic Management Team to close part of the highway. However, arrangements are to be made for minor roads to receive attention.

Air Ambulance - Resolved to donate the sum of £100 and the Chairman, Councillor Wareing, is to donate hisChairman's allowance of £50 also to this organisation.

Correspondence - Cuadrilla - Following the launch of Lancashire County Council's consultation an update on proposals for PrestonNew Road has been posted to residents today. Read and noted.

Lytham Road - Moss Side Lane Proposed 30mph Speed Limit - Councillor Frank Andrews, Wrea Green Parish Council, had communicated with Lancashire Highways Services stating that he was of the opinion that a 40 mph

speed limit is a reasonable one for this stretch of road and is not aware of any accident black spots. Parish Council is to contact Councillor Andrews stating that they welcome the 30 mph speed limit and support the residents on Moss side Lane seeking the 30 mph speed limit.

Fylde Council Tree Preservation Order 2015/No.9: Land at Cropper Road, Westby-with-Plumptons, FY4 5LB. This

is formal notice under the Town and Country Planning (Tree Preservation) (England) Regulations 2012 that the

Council has made the above Tree Preservation Order. Noted.

Information received from Borough Councillor Mrs. Brickles as follows:-

I know that some of you have questions about what is and is not allowed during the pre-election purdah period

that starts on 30 March. The LGA has published a very useful short guide, which will answer many, if not all of them. If you need any more help with purdah, please do not hesitate to contact Tracy Morrison or me.

Correspondence received from County Councillor Hayhurst on highway matters - it is noted that there is no mention of 40 mph speed limits for Ballam and Peel Roads.

Formal consultation on the public rights of improvement plan commences today on 23rd March 2015 and willrun for 12 weeks until 15 June 2015.

Draft Lancashire public rights of way improvement plan can be viewed as follows:-

A hard copy of the draft public rights of way improvement plan is available to view at any one of the libraries across Lancashire during the 12 week consultation period and alongside this a series of informal drop in sessions are being held where you can discuss your views face to face with a rights of way officer if you prefer. Noted.

Streetlife has just launched across Fylde, and everyone – residents, groups, local government representatives and businesses – is invited to share their knowledge, discuss the local issues they care about, and help build a stronger, better connected community.

Information to be displayed on Parish Council web site.

Close meeting for open discussion and Borough and County Councillors reports

Member of the public asked the question ‘do permanent caravan/chalet sites contribute a 106 agreement’? Clerk is to make enquiries.

Re-convene meeting

Chairman's actions – No matters to report.

Payments and finance

Fylde Borough Council has paid the sum of £4,000 precept and £491 Council tax reduction scheme grant into Parish Council bank account.

Date of external audit has been set for 27th May 2015. Internal audit will be carried out prior to sending to BDO Auditors.

Planning decisions– None received.

Planning applications– The following applications have been received for Parish Council recommendation:-

Councillors Butler, Naylor and Wareing declared an interest in application LCC/2014/0096 and took no part in any decision made:

LCC/2014/0096 – SUBMITTED ON 2ND JUNE 2014 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT - CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF A SITE FOR DRILLING UP TO FOUR EXPLORATION WELLS, HYDRAULIC FRACTURING OF THE WELLS, TESTING FOR HYDROCARBONS, ABANDONMENT OF THE WELLS AND RESTORATION, INCLUDING PROVISION OF AN ACCESS ROAD AND ACCESS ONTO THE HIGHWAY, SECURITY FENCING, LIGHTING AND OTHER USES ANCILLARY TO THE EXPLORATION ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING THE CONSTRUCTION OF A PIPELINE AND A CONNECTION TO THE GAS GRID NETWORK AND ASSOCIATED INFRASTRUCTURE ON AGRICULTURAL LAND THAT FORMS PART OF PLUMPTON HALL FARM TO WEST OF THE FARM BUILDINGS, NORTH OF PRESTON – Parish Council reiterate their previous recommendations for refusal as stated below:-

With regards to planning application LCC/2014/0096 - for site drilling up to 4 exploration wells, after much debate and input from residents of the Westby with Plumpton’s parish and representatives of the Parish Council, we are recommending that the application be refused. Should this process be approved, we feel, it is tantamount to the fracking process commencing and this would constitute our acceptance - effectively giving approval on behalf of our residents, whom are against the proposal, in the main.

The process of fracking is a highly emotive topic, but the Parish Council can assure the applicant that both arguments, for and against, have been carefully considered. As we recommend refusal, the following will outline the underlying reasoning and apply to both the construction of exploration wells and also the monitoring works:-

1. People have chosen to live in a rural setting within the parish and this proposed industrial intervention will infringe on this quality of life.

2. The value and saleability of properties will drastically diminish

3. The industrialisation of the land is not isolated sufficiently and is sited too close to residential properties

4. Noise pollution will be evident day and night from a 24-hour operation

5. Non-technical Summary of the Environmental Statement 5.2 states ‘the project will not result in a significant effect on air quality’ – it is unacceptable that any air pollution should occur or chance thereof.

6. There has already been evidence of earth tremors from Cuadrilla’s activities; therefore, it would not be unreasonable to expect more of the same. We are in receipt of a letter from a local parishioner who is concerned over this activity, as he has been witness to structural damage to property, from vibrations from heavy plant and machinery, in the immediate vicinity of the proposed fracking site. Will Cuadrilla being obliged to fund structural surveys of nearby properties? We have a report from the owner of Carr Bridge residential Park (to the west of the proposed site), that his land is unstable and his fears of structural damage are a major concern.

7. The visual aesthetic of an industrial site, both day and night, within a predominantly rural parish is a concern. Would there be screening of the proposed site?

8. Highways – access to and from the site would be a major concern as the access road existing is already a renown black spot. We accept that the M55 is a suitable highway; however, are the A and B-roads equipped to take the added traffic? The roundabout to St.George’s housing development by the Kingfisher Public House would be a major issue for large vehicles.

9. Would access to and from the site be controlled via traffic lights or a 40 mph limit for a 2 year period, for example? The Parish Council would certainly recommend traffic lights for more definitive policing off the access point.

10. There is no hard evidence supporting compensation should damage occur from any part of the fracking process and the possible long-term effects on the land. Land to the west and south-west is low lying moss land and extremely susceptible to flooding.

11. The underlying ground is unstable in places and possibly not suited to exploration without damage to neighbouring properties.

12. Some of the drainage is a natural system and will this be affected by any art of the fracking process? Additionally some of the underground system is also asbestos – what if this system is ruptured?

13. The general inconvenience to the residents is an unacceptable issue, when listening to the concerns raised.

14. What of the possible water contamination – we presently have some of the most palatable water in the UK. Where will the contaminated water be disposed of?

15. Is there a possibility that, as this is a new venture within the Parish, we will suffer the inconvenience of Anti-fracking protestors? If so, the knock-on effect will impinge on the residents' quality of life and, as extra policing will be required, what of the costs … and who would foot this bill?

It would seem that, to a certain degree, the proposed development in the Westby with Plumpton’s Parish, is a trial within the UK, ultimately rendering our parishioners as ‘guinea pigs’. Additionally, the general feeling is that the whole process seems to be being 'rushed through' as a matter of urgency! There is NO GUARANTEE that there will be no effect on the environment and should there be an accident, to what degree are safety precautions in place and how would Cuadrilla compensate the affected people, properties and environment? Are the proposed rules and regulations ultimately stringent enough for the proposed activity?

Should the application be approved, the Parish Council would strongly request that the following points should be addressed and provisions are put in place ….

1. Strict policing of all aspects of the site and process at all times.

2. The residents are to be kept 'in the loop' at all times with regards to the processes

3. Emergency contingency plans to be fully declared to the public, prior to commencement of the project. Should any parts of the process result in changes to the environment whatsoever, the public should be informed immediately.

4. Guarantees put in place that ALL people affected, prior to or as a result of the process, be compensated.

5. All access to land required is pre-approved with owners - such as servitudes. Does permission need granting if the process is below land where no surface access has been granted?

6. A liaison committee is established comprising Company representative, neighbouring properties' representative, police, planning and environment officers from Lancashire County Council and Fylde Borough Council.

Councillor Mrs. Ellison and Wareing declared interest in application 15/0060 and took no interest in any decision made.

15/0060 – Proposed revision of internal layout of 90 pitch holiday touring caravan site including relocation of reception bui8lding, revised road and caravan pitch layout, relocation of play area and provision of maintenance building at Clifton Fields Caravan Park, Peel Road, Westby – Parish Council has no objections to the application.

15/0201 – Proposed erection of replacement dwelling and extension to existing kennel building to provide grooming parlour and covered dog exercise area at Balmoral, Bambers Lane, Westby – Parish Council has no objections to the application.

15/0151 – Re-submission of 14/0550 – outline application for the erection of 4 buildings providing 1.400m2 of light industrial accommodation (Class B1C) following demolition of existing 8 timber frame buildings (access and scale applied for and all other matters reserved) at Coppice Farm, Land, West Moss Lane – Parish Council recommends refusal for the following reasons:-

ACCESS

1The existing infrastructure feeding into the immediate area is insufficient to accommodate large amounts of traffic.

2West Moss lane is not a suitable road for heavy traffic and would require much up-grading to accommodate both the amount and weight of vehicles that would ultimately use the road.

3Traffic movements to and from the site would create a problem for residents at the east end of West Moss Lane.

4More information is required from the Highway department on the condition of West Moss Lane, which is in urgent need of repair and would only deteriorate further with additional traffic.

5Once again, this is another proposed industrial development on dwindling agricultural land.

The above issues are overwhelming and to a further degree, the local home-owners choose to reside within the parish for many reasons; but primarily because of its rural location and the Parish Council must consider this as a priority.

We would further request that this matter is NOT simply considered by a planning officer, but due to the nature of the proposed development, it rather be placed before a Planning Development Committee.

Highways – Pot-holes on West Moss Lane

Items for agenda – Elected members for the Parish Council

Date of next meeting - Thursday 14th May 2015

Annual Parish Assembly– Commencing 7-00 pm followed by the

Annual Parish Council meeting commencing 7-30 pm

1