Westwell Parish Council

Minutes of a Meeting of the Parish Council

Held on Thursday 17th September at 7.30pm in the Parish Hall

1.  Present

Cllr Lawrence (Chairman), Cllrs Mrs Drury, Dr Muir, Mrs Wyatt, Butcher, Hollis, Hotchkiss, Richards and Mrs S Wood (clerk).

Ten members of the public were present.

2.  Apologies

Apologies were received from Cllr Miss Davidson (vice-Chairman) (holiday).

3.  Declaration of Interest

There were no Declarations of Interest.

4.  To consider any planning applications received

09/00926/AS

Proposal: Provision of new doors and windows to front and end elevation and internal alterations to enable existing store/barn to be used as a funeral home.

Location: Yonderway, Westwell Lane, Westwell TN25 4LE.

Prior to the debate the Chairman read out the relevant section on planning applications from ‘The Good Councillor’s Guide’. He then asked each Councillor to make a contribution to the debate. A précis of the debate follows.

Cllr Dr Muir could see no reason to refuse the application on planning grounds.

Cllr Mrs Drury expressed surprise that there was not greater clarity concerning the setting up of a funeral parlour - the application mentions structural alterations only. She accepted that there was a history of business use for the site.

Cllr Richards was concerned that there was any debate re business use – a business had always been run from the site. He felt there would be little additional traffic through the village and would support the application.

Cllr Mrs Wyatt felt that objections concerned the type of business proposed. Her fears had been allayed by the site visit and found it hard to object solely on planning grounds.

Cllr Hotchkiss felt that it was a better proposition for the site than the haulage business and that the home would have to follow the COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) and Health and Safety regulations. He had no objections to the application.

Cllr Hollis agreed that there had been a large number of previous businesses run from the site, but felt that that proposed would not serve the village alone. He felt that the Council needed to take residents’ views into account. The plan in itself is not a problem but is not appropriate for Westwell.

Cllr Butcher expressed concern with the accuracy of the application - does it contain all the details needed for the council to come to a decision? He felt that the Council should remind itself and the members of the public that the parish council is a consultee only, and that the final decision rests with the Borough. He could see no reason to refuse on planning grounds but felt that the Council should add a rider to point out the strength of local feeling and request a site visit by the planning officers.

Cllr Dr Muir felt that we should pursue the matter of signage for the building, but Cllrs Mrs Wyatt and Butcher suggested this to be irrelevant. They suggested a rider to this effect be added to the Parish Council’s response.

Cllr Mrs Drury stated that there was a need to anticipate growth of the business in the future - the plans only look at the start of the venture.

Cllr Lawrence stated that the site itself limited any expansion of the business.

Cllr Hotchkiss said that the Parish Council would have an input should there be any application to enlarge the premises to accommodate expansion.

Cllr Butcher stated that the ratio in opposition was of the order of 4:1.

Cllr Lawrence reminded the Council that the guidance was clear – that the Parish Council should confine itself to dealing with the facts.ollis reminded the members of the fate of the tarmac site and how this had been permitted to grow.Cllr Mrs Muir stated that no excpansion was possible without larger buildings, this was limited by the size of the site.

Cllr Mrs Wyatt stated that the Parish Council should listen to the residents. Cllrs Lawrence and Butcher replied that the Council had already done so during the Open Forum at the council meeting of 7th September.

Finally, Cllr Lawrence again read the relevant section from the ‘Good Councillor’s Guide’ and asked for a Proposal on the decision to be made.

Resolved:

That the planning application be supported but with riders attached to the response.

Resolved:

That the consequences of change of use from B8 to A1 regarding possible signage be considered.

Resolved:

That the Planning Committee of the Borough Council visit the site before making a decision.

Further Resolved:

That the Council request that the matter go before the full Planning Committee for decision.

It was pointed out to the meeting that the members of the Planning Committee are known.

The Clerk is to place notices on the parish noticeboards and on the website when the date of the Committee meeting at which the application is up for consideration is known, in order that interested parties may apply to make the permitted 3 minute presentation.

ollis reminded the members of the fate of the tarmac site and how this had been permitted to grow.Cllr Mrs Muir stated that no excpansion was possible without larger buildings, this was limited by the size

5.  Matters for Further Discussion

·  Cllr Butcher passed on a request from the Fete Committee on the possibility of locating a storage shed in the corner of the playing field, adjacent to the new access. Subsequent to the meeting, Mrs J Horne offered to store the material.

·  The Council was asked to arrange for the removal of the abandoned trailer in Watery Lane. Mrs J Horne offered to remove it.

·  The Clerk reported that the Review of the First Draft of the Statement of Community Involvement had been received for comment. This was passed to Cllr Mrs Drury.

·  Cllr Butcher informed the Council that there was a meeting of the Working Party on 30th September, to comment on the final draft of the revised Service Level Agreement, following which it would be circulated to Clerks for comment by Parish Councils.

The meeting closed at 8.00pm.