NP Steering Committee Minutes: 23 November 2019

Malting Farm, 10.00am

 

Present:  Tim Sheppard; Ian Poole (‘IP’); Richard Furlonger; Jennie Jordan; Barbara Campbell (‘BC’).

Apologies: Chris White.

 

1.Update of meeting with Babergh Officers on 13 November 2019, at Council Offices, Ipswich. The meeting was attended by IP and BC for Steering Committee and Matt Deakin and Paul Bryant for Babergh DC.

Officers were reminded of the identified site constraints and objections to the Churchfield site as part of the recent Local Plan consultation-from Historic England and others-and generally. Officers indicated that a desk-top exercise had been undertaken and settlement boundaries had been moved to accommodate sites identified in the SHLAA, including at Little Waldingfield.

The Steering Committee’s proposed housing figure for the Neighbourhood Plan (‘NP’) period-9 houses-was discussed and it was pointed out that the reduction from Babergh’s proposed figure of 16 barely detracts from overall numbers in the District but would allow the Village to progress its NP.

Officers indicated that the Local Plan is unlikely to be adopted before Spring 2021.

Officers asked for a copy of the settlement boundary to be proposed as part of the NP (essentially the existing settlement boundary, which does not include Churchfield within it).

 

2. Discussion of the content and comments in relation to AECOM Master-Plan document for the Enniskillen site. The comments received from members of the Steering Committee will be fed back to AECOM.

One major issue with the work is that Option 2 seems to include land at the rear of Ryan House which is excluded from the current application for planning permission of the site.

 

3. Site allocation discussion. The identified constraints and objections to development at Churchfield and Enniskillen mean that neither site is suitable as a housing allocation.

An allocation of the 2 houses coming forward as part of the re-development of the pub would be possible and would bring the benefits of having a site allocation in the NP.

It was agreed to move forward with a NP housing number of 9 and the 2-house allocation, which forms part of the pub re-development.

If planning permission were approved for Enniskillen, it could be included as a housing allocation.

The NP should have a paragraph about the need to review housing numbers if Babergh maintains the currently proposed figure of 16 houses for the NP period.

 

4. Timing and content of next workshop and next steps. It is intended to hold a consultation/work-shop with residents on 25 January 2020 at 10am, at the Parish Rooms (BC to book room from 9.30am-12.00pm), at which housing numbers; the site allocation and potential green space allocations will be discussed.

A Special meeting of the PC will be proposed for 12 February 2020 , at which Councillors will be provided with a draft of the NP for consultation.

It is hoped to commence the formal consultation into the NP in March 2020.

IP will send a copy of the proposed NP settlement boundary to Babergh Officers.

After the consultation on 25 January 2020 with residents, the Steering Committee will meet in order to review the draft NP in detail.

The materials used previously will be adopted to produce the leaflets for the 25 January 2020 consultation and will be dropped around the Parish, on or around 10 January 2020. The previous consultation response forms will also be adopted.

Finance-it seems there are enough funds to complete the NP process and IP needs to invoice for his services before the end of the funding year.

12 copies of the proposed NP will be produced for the consultation process, for which someone will need to act as a librarian.

The photos taken by the professional photographer will be reduced down to around 50 in total for use in the NP.

 

Next meeting: 25 January 2020, at Malting Farm.