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STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET PARISH COUNCIL FULL COUNCIL
MINUTES of a meeting of the COUNCIL held at 7.45pm on Wednesday 16 January 2017 in the Day Centre, Crafton Green , 72 Chapel Hill, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex
PRESENT: Cllr M Caton (Chairman), Cllrs C Dean, J Hudson, M Jessup, J Kavanagh, J O’Brien,
R Rands, F Richards, J Salmon G Sell and D Wallace-Jarvis
ATTENDING: Mrs R Clifford – Clerk to the Council
Mr T Lloyd - Assistant to the Clerk
Cty Cllr R Gooding
Dist Cllr A Dean
2 member of the public
376 APOLOGIES
Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs S Dunn, P Jones and J Richards
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Mr Woodcock expressed his disappointment at what he perceived to be inaccurate reporting by The Observer newspaper in relation to the proposed pedestrian crossing in Lower Street.
Dist Cllrs Dean and Sell responded with their perspective on the pedestrian crossing situation.
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377 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST - None.
378 MINUTES
Page 79, item 349b – the following was added to the second bullet point – “A group from Uttlesford had been nominated for, and won, a national award”. There being no further amendments, the minutes of the meeting held on 14 December 2016 were signed by the Chairman as an accurate record.
379 MATTERS ARISING
(349b) The Clerk will be contacting Highways to seek support for Hargrave Mews residents’ campaign.
380 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT - attached.
381 QUESTIONS TO THE CHAIRMAN - none.
382a DISTRICT COUNCILLORS’ REPORT
Dist Cllr Dean reported:
· ongoing issues with the Local Plan. UDC are liaising with neighbouring authorities such as South Cambridgeshire who have proposed development sites very close to possible sites in Uttlesford to try and ensure a co-ordinated approach to common infrastructure issues.
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· There are concerns that Uttlesford may have to accommodate in excess of 1,500 additional homes
· Simon Jackson, the responsible officer, will be paying a site visit to the Lower Street car park to try and resolve the many issues highlighted by Stansted Councillors.
· He is attempting to facilitate a meeting between the owner of The Three Colts site and planning officers in the hope this will facilitate the production of a plan for the site that will have the support of the Parish and District Councils.
· The date for an opening ceremony at Mead Court has now be set for early February.
Dist Cllr Sell reported:
· UDC may still consider a single settlement in the local plan. This could be in partly in Uttlesford and partly in Braintree.
· A Leaders Forum made up of the three party leaders has been established to facilitate progress with the Local Plan. There are concerns that developers may seek to take advantage of delays in getting a Local Plan in place as it may be easier for them to get projects that do not comply with what hopefully will be in the Local Plan approved.
· Resources in the Planning Department are stretched and as a result support for the Stansted Neighbourhood Plan may not be as we would hope and expect.
Cllr Farthing sent a written report about problems caused by a trader storing a large number of white vans on a site in Birchanger Lane which was resulting in access problems on the road.
382b COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT
Cllr Gooding reported
· Possible improvements to the A120 are now a step nearer and consultation is about to start.
· The population of Essex is projected to rise from 1.7m to 2.3m in the next twenty years. This will have significant implications in terms of housing, employment prospects and infrastructure.
In response to a question from Cllr Wallace-Jarvis he confirmed there were no plans for a Stansted bypass.
In response to a question from Cllr F Richards he informed the meeting that plans for the new Magna Carta School were "just about" ready and the Parish Council will have the opportunity to comment when the plans are submitted for planning permission.
In response to a question from Cllr Sell he conceded that there was significant pressure on the budget and that the cost of social care was a major factor. He agreed that fees charged by care homes were a concern.
383 FINANCE
The list of payments was approved.
VAT return to 31 December 2016- not available due to software problems so deferred.
384 PLANNING APPLICATIONS
A UTT/16/3256/HHF – Garden House Barn, Pond Lane, Bentfield Road
REVISED application for proposed single storey rear extension
No Comment
B UTT/16/3480/FUL – St John’s Church Hall, St John’s Road
Refurbishment to include replacing windows and doors and porch extension
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No Comment
C UTT/16/3481/HHF – 12 Millside
Replace existing fencing with gates and railings and install inset lighting at the entrance to the driveway
No comment
D UTT/16/3577/FUL – Unit 3, The Greens Building, Cambridge Road
Change of use from A2 (Estate Agent) to D1 (Ultrasound Clinic) specialising in non-diagnostic baby bonding scans
No Comment
E UTT/16/3581/HHF – 55 Blythwood Gardens
Front, rear and side two storey extensions. Rendering of external walls and replacement of windows and doors, new front boundary wall and new garden shed in front of principle elevation
Must comply with parking requirements
F UTT/16/3601/SO – Stansted Airport Northside
Scoping opinion report for development of Stansted Northside
No Comment
385 OPEN SPACES COMMITTEE MINUTES – 11 JANUARY 2017
RESOLVED to accept the minutes of the meeting held on 11 January 2017
386 LIGHTING – TO CONSIDER AN OFFER FROM DIST CLLR DEAN TO PAY FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF THREE LIGHTING COLUMNS IN COOPERS ALLEY
Decision delayed until the Clerk has established ownership of the lights.
387 CONSULTATION DOCUMENTS – TO CONFIRM RESPONSES TO THE FOLLOWING:
A) NEW ZEBRA CROSSING ON CAMBRIDGE ROAD
Support for this measure was confirmed.
B) REDUCTION OF SPEED LIMIT ON FOREST HALL ROAD (60MPH TO 40MPH)
Support for this measure was confirmed.
C) UDC DRAFT CAR PARK ORDER WHERE IT RELATES TO THE LOWER STREET CAR PARK
Support was withheld and the Clerk was asked to investigate:
· the location of the coach parking bays
· if the width of parking bays complied with the Essex CC standard.
· safe walking routes in the car park
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388 TO CONSIDER THE BUDGET FOR 2017/18 – SEE PREVIOUS F&GP AND FULL COUNCIL MINUTES
RESOLUTION
That the budget for 2017/18 outlined at previous F&GP and Full Council Meetings be approved.
Proposed by Cllr O'Brien and seconded by Cllr F Richards and passed unanimously.
389 TO SET THE PRECEPT FOR 2017/18
Cllr O’Brien referred members to the discussions held at the F&GP and Council meetings prior to Christmas.
RESOLUTION
That the Council set a precept of £255,500 for the financial year 2017/18. This equates to approximately £78.10 for a Band D household.
Proposed by Cllr O'Brien and seconded by Cllr F Richards and passed unanimously.
390 LIST OF CORRESPONDENCE - none.
391 PLANNING APPLICATIONS DETERMINED - list circulated with agenda.
392 CLERK’S RECORD OF PLANS - available.
Meeting closed 9.30 pm