Diggle Community Association
Minutes of the Open Meeting 15 January 2015 at 8.30
1. Welcome from new DCA Chairman
Mark Brooks thanked the previous committee and, in particular, the officers who were standing down for the hard work they had each done for the community.
2. School up-date
Mike Buckley reported to the meeting on behalf of Save Diggle Action Group (SDAG). He indicated that an announcement from the Education Funding Agency (EFA) on the results of its feasibility studies was imminent. He and other parish and ward councillors had had two meetings with Mike Green (Director of Capital for the EFA) and he had also met Jim McMahon, Leader of OMBC. He indicated that there would be a press release at 7.00 am on Friday 16th to announce the decision on the siting of the school.
The meeting of SDAG and councillors with Mr Green had been very positive and he had made it clear that the decision on the location of the school was OMBC’s. There was, contrary to what had been previously claimed by OMBC and others, no fixed budget for the school and the EFA could be flexible depending on what OMBC, the Head and Governors of the school wanted.
In his meeting with Jim McMahon Mike had sought to clarify what OMBC and the Leader’s position was. JM had stated a passionate commitment to the Diggle site, on the grounds that he was convinced it would provide a better campus for the school. He had no knowledge of a press conference announced by the Head of Saddleworth School. Brian Lord (Chair of Governors of Saddleworth School) had stated that it was not a press conference, the press had merely been invited to attend (as had Debbie Abrahams) but this event had now, in any case, been cancelled. MB indicated that there was, at present, confusion over who was to make the announcement on the location for the school (OMBC or the EFA).
SDAG were meeting with EFA officials in Manchester on the afternoon of Friday 16th January to discuss the decision and the EFA would be seeking comment from interested parties for a period of seven days after the announcement. MB indicated that it had been clear since the summer that OMBC now favour the back site at Diggle and – since the EFA had indicated that they would comply with OMBC’s choice of site (unless it was wholly impractical or immensely expensive) it was an effective certainty that the back site at Diggle would be favoured. MB and John Barnes, who would also attend, would look carefully at the EFA’s report if they had the opportunity at their meeting on 16th.
MB indicated that the process of preparing to submit a planning application would be likely to take six months. In the course of the planning process OMBC must follow due process or leave themselves open to a legal challenge. SDAG will not abandon its opposition to the idea of building in Diggle and would continue the fight.
Q and A with MB
Stuart Coleman: Are surveys undertaken by the EFA in 2009 at the former Shaw’s site likely to be used in the planning process?
MB: Unlikely as these were superficial and not adequate for planning purposes, although the EFA’s feasibility studies may have added data to these.
Paul Marshall: Will the EFA give support for any of the sites (in addition to Diggle)?
MB: Yes, this would probably be the case.
Keith Lucas: Safety issues, including the proximity of the canal must constitute a major issue at Diggle and, whilst making promises to consult in the planning process, OMBC appear to have made a decision before any consultation. KL asked for continuing support from the Diggle and Saddleworth community in the effort to get proper consultation. No adequate explanation had been provided by Jim McMahon for the choice of Diggle; do OMBC have to consult the community as part of the planning process?
MB: They are under no obligation to consult until the planning process, although a failure to consult is poor practice. MB had asked JM if he would consult Saddleworth residents and he had indicated that he felt it would be better to consult after the decision on the site had been made. MB had argued that it would have been better to have consultation first. MB indicated that when the issue of the loss of greenbelt to the inevitable suburbanisation of the valley through fencing and flood-lights was raised by him, JM had stated a concern to mitigate some of the effects of these and other aspects of the impact of the development on the landscape, he also stated that he wanted the clock tower retained. MB indicated to the meeting that, if the school were to be built at Diggle it would be necessary to make a case for protecting the fields at the front of the site from development.
Question from the floor: What is planned for the former Shaw’s site?
MB: The clock tower is to be retained, although previous surveys by EFA had indicated that it would be expensive to make it usable as part of the school estate. Car parking on the site had been allocated but this was not adequate. The fields at the front of the site were currently designated as being for business use but it was likely that the owners will request re-designation for ‘mixed use’ (a step towards development for housing).
Charlotte Coleman: Do OMBC need to consider the impact of the loss of the school on businesses and the community in Uppermill, which is the major village in Saddleworth? The loss of trade from the absence of the school children in the village is likely to adversely affect retail businesses in particular.
MB: did not think they would consider this as part of the planning process but it was indeed a serious effect of the choice of the Diggle site.
Mark Brooks: If Diggle is selected is it likely that opponents to this decision will be depicted as negative?
MB: That may be the case, however raising problems with the site and forcing OMBC to confront these is a necessity. Children’s safety is essential and this point needs to be made.
Lesley Brown: A number of people from Greenfield and Uppermill currently walk to school. Had the cost implications of these people having to use the bus service been considered? Had Robert McCracken QC been contacted in relation to the impending school decision?
MB: Implications sometimes only became apparent after decisions had been made.
Nick Cox: Robert McCracken had expressed in an email to him that he was saddened by the likely decision but was willing to do whatever he could to help in contesting the decision. It was likely his advice and expertise would be invaluable in the planning process but it was also essential that those of us ‘on the ground’ provide him with as much helpful information as possible.
Keith Lucas observation: The community needs to develop a stronger voice to make the case for Diggle and Saddleworth in resisting OMBC.
MB: OMBC tends to operate as a paternalistic authority which assumes the power to make decisions on behalf of people and this needs to change.
Statement from the floor: At the beginning of September contacts in building trades had been given to understand that developers had been told and were simply awaiting the go-ahead.
Sam Marshall: Under the Localism Act it was possible for a community to submit a Neighbourhood Plan: would it be possible for Diggle to submit a Neighbourhood Plan without a school in the village?
MB: Putting together a Neighbourhood plan was a very good idea but this was a long process and existing Local Authority plans cannot be counteracted through the plan. The first step in the process is to register and the Saddleworth Parish council had been attempting to register with OMBC since early summer 2014. OMBC had been in various ways unhelpful, obstructive and resistant.
Stuart Coleman: although EFA had suggested that the budget for the school was not restricted in reality it is as there is a finite sum allocated for the school building programme of which Saddleworth is a part. Money spent by OMBC on resolving problems with the site meant that this could not then be spent on the educational experience provided for children at the school. OMBC have invested heavily in regeneration of the town centre and have lost support from backers, they now have to borrow to meet the costs and therefore have increasingly limited resources.
MB: JM had stressed in his meeting with MB that OMBC have no additional money to put into the school but will use the capital receipt from the land swap for the school. MB had pointed out likely costs at the Diggle site to Mike Green who had indicated that the EFA will pay for any costs on the periphery of the school. This still leaves areas like highways, traffic, access, safety, flood risk, etc. for OMBC to deal with.
3. Village Green
Stuart Coleman indicated that the DCA had successfully secured funding from Saddleworth and Lees District Partnership and First Choice Homes Oldham’s ROCA fund for the new village green site on land adjacent to Diggle Day nursery and Ellis Mill. These grants in total constitute £6,500. He also indicated that Sue Hughes had placed the memorial fund for Nicola at the disposal of the DCA and this was in the region of £11,000. He was confident that by Christmas 2015 Diggle would have a new village green, a Christmas tree and lights. There had, he indicated, been some confusion about removal of the electricity pillar from the old village green but this had now been done and it was in SC’s possession. It is important that the DCA obtain this as it is a valuable item and it would be expensive to install electrical supply for the new green without it. The next steps will be to plan and design the memorial and garden.
4. Parish council Communities Meeting Up-date
Julie Johnson and Glenise Eason had attended the Communities meeting on 10 December. They reported that this was a productive meeting at which there was a detailed discussion of rights of way issues, the survey of the state of public benches, the cleaning of road signs, parish caretakers, red telephone box adoption and the possibilities for a Saddleworth neighbourhood plan. An issue for the DCA is the condition of the small playground off Ward Lane (opposite the duck pond). JJ and GE indicated that they would be happy to attend further meetings on behalf of the DCA and were thanked by the Chair for this.
5. Date of next meeting: 5th March 2015 at 8.00pm in the Band Club.
6. Any Other Business
i) Keith Lucas made a presentation on behalf of SDAG to the retiring members of the DCA committee: Stuart Coleman, Ray Withnall and Julie Johnson.
ii)Dave Wood announced that the dates for this year’s Diggle Blues Festival would be from 19-21 June.
iii)Defibrillator: Ray Withnall reported that he was awaiting an up-date from Alan Roughley who had overall responsibility for the project to provide defibrillators in Saddleworth. He was, however, hopeful that the defibrillator would be installed outside Diggle Day Nursery. He also indicated that the Nursery has its own defibrillator which could be used in an emergency during the hours when it is open.
iv)Nick Cox made a request on behalf of Diggle School for donations of nearly new, age appropriate books for the school library.