Action Minutes of Neighbourhood Planning Task Group Lead Group

May 5th, 2015

10.30 – 12.00, 18 Higher Westonfields, Bridgetown

Present - Thea Platt (TP), Paul Bennett, (PB),Tony Whitty, (TW),Chris Balch,(CB), Peter Rees, (PR), Frances Northrop,(FN), Carol Wellwood (CW)

Apologies – Jacqui Hodgson

Chair - Paul Bennett

Task/Issues / Detail
Minutes of last meeting / TP reportedsubmitting funding proposals to the Peoples Lottery & Locality. Due to timelines of these decisions, it was decided a public meeting will now be held in late July. July 18th mooted. Action: TP to inquire with TTC & book if possible. Also check with full Steering Group
Action: Shared Google Doc/membership database: Thea to send to Paul and give permission to Tony
Action: Website: TP to remove Alan Gorman’s name from website.
Community Council for Devon offer a service (£50) where they will analyse census information. Frances has ordered this. Action:Frances is to contact them again and see if they have up to date information from 2001.
Action: Future Homes Conference, expression of interest list: Thea to send out list to group to check -
Report back – Open space & leisure (Tony) / Tony gave report back on ownership and future ownership and planned uses for the site.
Action: Tony to plan initial task group meeting post-election
Action: Tony to send completed student brief to Chris Balch
Action: Task group to explore audit of need (from within the town) for sports & leisure facilities
Report back – Housing / Task group have held initial meeting and started their research. See housing task group minutes for more information.
Priorities are: quality, diversity, affordability, homelessness
Task/Issues / Detail
Report back: Housing / Questions/issues to be addressed:
  • Task group needs to learn how the housing market works in Totnes, what are the financial models?(this would enable us to develop policies that can challenge house builders to say ‘that’s not viable’)
  • What’s our capacity and what can we accommodate within the town boundaries?
  • Supply, demand and sites also need to be looked at including carparks
  • Want to find evidence of opinions on housing affordability & the quality of new homes
Action:Strategic mapping of opportunity sites. This would be beneficial for both housing & economy group. First step is to examine South Hams SCLAHH + analysis of planning applications. Plymouth Students can work with GIS maps to map sites. Chris and Carol to meet w/c May 11th.
Action: Carol to send out minutes of task group to all
Action: Thea to send Carol contact information for Teresa Lakeman (Kevvics)
Report back: Economy (Frances) / Frances focusing on gathering initial data before recruiting members. She has already started gathering anecdotal evidence of what’s happening with the economy. Keen to be proactive and look at conditions we want to create as a town as opposed to be led by existing trends.
Questions/issues to address:
What can Neighbourhood Plan do for the economy?
  • Can we change physical environment to make it better for business?
  • Explore size and cost of premises
  • impact of traffic
  • possibility of business unites and mixed use development
Action: Frances to consider survey or focus group to gather views and opinions of business community
Action: Frances to write brief for Chris
Report back: Transport (Peter) / There is already some robust evidence pertaining to traffic and transport within the town in the town The Totnes Town Council’s “Transport Policy and Strategy 2014, which will provide much of the key evidence needed for traffic and transport.
There still remains an issue around a well-established group taking on the role of task group. Action:Thea/Peter/Tony to meet separately to discuss this.
Other issues are that topics such as energy & infrastructure would be well placed alongside transport which may be an issue for the Traffic & Transport forum as traffic/transport is their specialism.
Tony suggests we have task group that can look at community infrastructure (which we have more power to influence than issues with A38) which could also be coupled with energy. Action: Thea to follow up with Tony and Chris about this.
Culture/heritage/public realm/community Assets / Thea reported back that Ian Franklin had been suggested as potential lead of this task group but has now been asked to join Steering Group. Action: Thea to liaise with Helen Nathenson re other potential lead. Report back at next meeting
Public event / Action: Thea to put preparation for public event on agenda of next meeting
Future meetings / Thea to book ‘Muriel room’ as regular booking for task group lead meetings. First Tuesday of each month, 10.30
Date of next meeting / June 2nd, 10.30 am

1