MINUTES OF

HUNTINGTON PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

20th March 2017. 7.30 p.m. at Huntington Village Hall.

PRESENT

Chair – Cllr. Roy Shelton

Cllr Mark Williams / Cllr. John Creswick / Cllr. Jacky Creswick / Cllr. Nick Dodd
Cllr. Dave Whitehead / Cllr. Mike Dutton / Cllr. Andy Tassell / Cllr Anthony Wilcox

Non-Councillors

Public – 2

16/636 RESOLVED – That Item 5, a Presentation by Nial Casselden of CWaC Planning Department, is moved to the first item on the Agenda.

1.  PRESENTATION

Mr Casselden began by explaining that the planning department had two separate elements to the work they do, one being concerned with planning applications whilst the other was enforcement. Enforcement concerned itself with investigating developments without granted permission. They also monitored planning conditions which legislation can help to enforce.

With every case of enforcement, it is considered on its own merits. Developers and builders who go against planning rules are NOT committing a legal offence and therefore it does not automatically result in action being taken.

When an enforcement issue is presented to CWaC, an investigation is undertaken. There is no interest in whether the act was deliberate or not as a planning application can be made in retrospect. The issue investigated is discretionary and where there is no harm caused or significant disruption, it is expedient not to take action. Likewise, if the issue is considered a ‘trivial or technical infringement’, it is likely no action would be taken. An example was given where a porch extension may have been detailed as 3 metres in length and the end result is 3.1 metres but causing no harm to anyone else, it is would be highly likely that no action would be taken.

The process follows the same format each time, which is that an initial assessment is carried out to deem whether it is an actual enforcement issue. If it is, a case file will be opened and an assigned enforcement officer will be allocated. A more thorough investigation will then take place. This can take many different approaches and can take several months. Negotiation is often the first step. If deemed necessary, the enforcement team do have the right to issue a notice but there is also the right of the developer/builder/landowner to appeal and this is very time-consuming. An external investigation would then be carried out.

In terms of a Breach of Condition notice, this would have to go to court so the enforcement team have to be confident that the case is compelling enough to have a chance of winning.

CWaC receive 1200 enforcement issues per year, on average. Enforcement has been restructured recently and complaints were now being dealt with more efficiently. Complaints could be made by anyone, including members of the public, using an online form found on the Cheshire West council website. All complaints received are confidential and this includes any ‘Freedom of Information’ requests, which would not reveal names. Residents, if they feel unconfident in complaining themselves, are encouraged to inform their Parish Council or Ward Member. For more information, a ‘Local Enforcement Plan’ has now been devised and can be found on the Cheshire West Council website. This plan is in accordance with National Policy.

Following a question by the Chairman, Mr Casselden explained that ‘permitted development’ applies to certain types of development in certain circumstances. ALL planning requires permission but some specific developments can be permitted via a simplified application process. An example of this is to build an agricultural barn where the permission will be granted dependent on external appearance alone.

Cllr John Creswick stated that he believed that the public viewed national legislation as unsatisfactory and, if changes were to be made, the Parish Council need to look at national legislation.

In terms of Saighton Camp specifically, Mr Casselden stated that problems were probably to be expected when you have several developers working together, with some developers being more co-operative than others are. Cllr Williams reminded the group that both the Parish and he as Ward Member had to involve Health and Safety Executive recently following several different breeches of conditions. Mr Casselden acknowledged that some developers ‘push boundaries’ and the only suggestion that could be made to avoid having to contact HSE was to try and be proactive and have open dialogue with developers. In terms of complaints with such breeches as Out-of-hours working, Developers have been known, if behind schedule, to work on ‘quieter’ jobs on a Sunday. Unfortunately, although this may be breach, it may not be considered enough to take action by enforcement.

A member of the public than asked for a proposed timeline for the building of the new school and whether September 2018 was a likely completion date for the new school to be open? Mr Casselden said that the planning application was now ready to be considered by CWaC planning committee, which was likely to happen in May. However, there were several hurdles such as building on Green Belt, which had been contested by Rural England, Drainage issues which had been raised by Welsh Water, potential noise pollution and a possible loss of football pitches, which Sport England had contested. Once, the planning committee had made a decision, this would then need to be referred to the Secretary of State which would take 4 – 6 weeks. There was a possibility that it may be called into a public enquiry, which would take longer. However, a final decision was expected in Early Summer and building work may start in July time. Building work was considered to take approximately 12 months. If the building was not ready for September 2018, a contingency plan may involve temporary accommodation for some pupils.

The Chairman thanked Mr Nial Casselden for attending. Residents and Councillors appreciated it.

2.  APOLOGIES

Cllr Carolyn Walker – Work Commitments

3.  DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

Cllr Roy Shelton –Parent of Saighton Primary School (Item 9)

Cllr Andy Tassell – Parent of Saighton Primary School (Item 9)

Cllr Mike Dutton – Parent of Saighton Primary School (Item 9)

Cllr Jacky Creswick – Governor of Huntington Primary School (Item 9)

Cllr Mark Williams – CWaC Ward Member Contribution (Item 9)

4.  CHAIRMAN’S COMMUNICATION

The chairperson had no extra communication

5.  MINUTES

16/637 RESOLVED – That the Council agreed the minutes of the meeting held on the 20th February 2017 as a true and proper record

6.  PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Additional Lighting - A member of the public asked the Council to consider extra lighting on the Huntington side of Caldy Nature Park, when discussing Item 8, regarding Capital Expenditure. The resident estimated that a minimum of three lighting units would be needed at each end of the path, with each unit costing approximately £1500. Many schoolchildren walk this route (As listed in the notes on Capital Expenditure. See Attachment 1) and it was, in her opinion, dangerous, as it was a ‘black hole’ from 4pm onwards in the winter months. The Clerk informed the council that a discussion with CWaC lighting department had revealed that CWaC had no additional funding for extra lighting in the borough and they informed the Parish Council that this would have to be funded by themselves. They would agree to maintain the lights IF the Council had adhered to a set criterion such as adequate lighting for the distance covered. The Chairman responded to say that the Parish Council had considered this in their Working Group meeting on Capital Expenditure. The next step would be to look at the budget and consider if each idea could be implemented with the limited budget available.

The Clerk read the PCSO report later in the meeting. Please see Attachment 2

7.  NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

Key points raised in this discussion were:

Benefits of a Neighbourhood plan were apparent as it was a powerful tool which would allow us more ‘say’ and not to be ‘rough-shod’ by housing developers and others. Despite no obvious areas of land available for more housing, there may be green space in Huntington which developers would see potential opportunities. Having no Neighbourhood plan would be an ‘open-door’ for developers who would be able to access a national map to highlight those areas without a Neighbourhood plan. A plan would also allow the Parish Council to state what type of housing is required in our community. The Parish Council were reminded that a Parish Plan could still be an alternative option and consultation with residents could still occur, even if we had no Neighbourhood plan.

In order to develop a Neighbourhood plan, considerable time and expenditure would be required. Grants were available to meet some of the costs for a Neighbourhood plan. A steering group would need to be formed, with approximately 6 – 10 local residents who could bring skills and time needed. The driving force would be residents with the Parish Council as the catalyst.

It was considered whether Great Boughton could be part of the Neighbourhood plan as a joint venture. However, this had been explored in the past and dismissed as Great Boughton was a much bigger Parish and therefore it would be unequal.

16/638 RESOLVED – That the Council agree that they support the idea of a Neighbourhood plan, dependent on resident interest and involvement. The clerk is now to produce a draft publicity campaign to appeal for volunteers.

8.  FUTURE PROJECTS FOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURE

The Chairman thanked the Working Group for their work on this project so far and the accompanying notes. (See attachment 1)

Cllr Jacky Creswick supported the idea of the additional lighting near Caldy Nature Park as well as adult gym equipment but there was a need to check demand from residents for this equipment. As well as the additional signs listed on the notes, she also asked that a sign for Jubilee Field be placed on Chester road, as many new residents were still unaware of the facility. It had also been noted that some resident consultation might be carried out in 2019 for the larger projects. However, it was questioned whether this is too long in the future.

It was acknowledged that some projects, such as the site of the current school, would be a developing and on-going project over several years.

16/639 – RESOLVED – That the Councillors now consider the notes from the Working Group and contact the Clerk with their opinions on order of priority.

9.  GRANT FOR SAIGHTON PARISH COUNCIL

The Council had recently received a request to consider a grant of £1000 to Saighton Parish Council, to use as part of a £65,000 project to build a bigger car park/drop-off area as well as a communal green space. Congestion at school pick-up/drop-off had reached, in users’ opinion, dangerous levels and it was an ‘accident waiting to happen’.

The Grosvenor Estate would give £55,000, whose land the school is situated on, with the remaining £10,000 being raised through community funding. It had been confirmed that the car park/drop off zone would not be for exclusive use by staff but by parents and other members of the community. Cllrs Howard Greenwood and Mark Williams had agreed to contribute some money as part of their CWaC Ward Members budget. Saighton Parish Council were also contributing £750.

Councillors considered the following points:

It was questioned whether Parish money should be spent on issues outside of the Parish and whether local businesses had been approached to help.

Due to Sainsbury’s Roundabout being so congested, more commuters were using Saighton as a ‘back run’ to get onto the A41. This had led to an increase in traffic, which had contributed to the congestion outside of the school.

Huntington Primary is not fully subscribed so we should be encouraging our residents to go to Huntington Primary. With a new school being built, there could be a risk that Saighton Primary would close although other councillors disagreed; highlighting that Saighton offered a different type of school.

It was proposed that the council award the grant. A named vote was called.

Cllr Roy Shelton – For

Cllr Dave Whitehead – Abstain

Cllr Anthony Wilcox – Abstain

Cllr Mike Dutton – For

Cllr Mark Williams – Abstain

Cllr Andy Tassell – For

Cllr John Creswick – Against

Cllr Jacky Creswick – Against

Cllr Nick Dodd – Abstain

16/640 RESOLVED – With 3 votes for, 2 votes against and 4 abstains, the Council grant £1000 to Saighton Parish Council towards the new car park and communal area.

10.  ACCOUNTS AND PAYMENTS

16/641 RESOLVED - That the Council agree the accounts as on page 114 of the Cash Book.

16/642 RESOLVED - That the council agree the invoice approvals for Feb - March (See Attachment 3)

There were no Clerk reimbursements this month.

16/643 RESOLVED – That the Council agree that a budget of £1500 is allocated to the Fete, which the Clerk is able to spend on items previously approved by the Fete Group (and recorded in minutes)

11.  PLANNING

Councillors noted Planning register, as circulated.

The application for the proposed new care home in Huntington was noted, which the Council discussed at the last meeting, having attended consultation with Care UK, and prior to the formal application being submitted.

12.  VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME