Minutes of the Special Parish Council meeting held in the Whalton Village Hall at 7.30pm on Tuesday 19 August 2003

Present: Councillor CB Scott (Chairman)
Councillor Mrs SC Richardson (Vice-Chairman)
Councillor Mrs PM Norton
Councillor L Waterworth

03/56 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

An apology for absence had been received from Councillor WA Grix (working on the harvest).

03/57 NORTHUMBERLAND LOCAL TRANSPORT PLAN –
TRANSPORT PRIORITIES

Councillor Mrs Richardson reported on the detailed dossier on traffic calming for Whalton village that had been presented to Northumberland County Council. She had produced a synopsis of the recommendations made. Members considered that decided that requests to Northumberland County Council for transports related schemes must be prioritised to have a better chance of success.

Councillor Mrs Richardson reported that Northumberland County Council had included the moving of the 30mph signs, on the approaches to Whalton, in the 2003/2004 work programme. There was uncertainty as to whether this included the marking of 30mph signs on the road. Northumberland County Council was to consult the Parish Council before work commenced, however there has been no contact to date.

After a detailed discussion it was resolved to request that Northumberland County Council gives priority in the 2004/2005 work programme for:

· the 30mph signs to be marked on the road on the approaches to Whalton village, if it is not included in the 2003/2004 work programme.

· an assessment of the traffic situation relating to vehicles accessing the Meldon Grain Dryer with checks to be made during August and September 2004

The Parish Council supports a by-pass for Ponteland in the belief that this will greatly reduce the problems caused by the large number of vehicles traversing Whalton from quarries in the west of the county.

It was further resolved to request that Northumbria Police carry out a programme of speed checks in Whalton village.

It was noted that since the minor improvement, at the B6524/C154 junction, had been requested there had been a change in resident. It was resolved to notify Northumberland County Council of this fact.

03/58 LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVIEW

A letter had been received from the Boundary Committee for England stating that there would be a referendum on an elected Regional Assembly for the North-East and the referendum was to include a choice of at least two options for a single tier of local government below the Regional Assembly.

In essence the Parish Council was required to decide on the type of single tier or unitary authority that would best meet the needs of the residents of the Parish.

The choices were:

One single unitary authority covering the whole county

Two unitary authorities, one urban (Blyth Valley DC and Wansbeck DC) and one more rural (Castle Morpeth BC, Tynedale DC, Alnwick DC and Berwick DC)

Three unitary authorities, Blyth Valley DC and Wansbeck DC, Castle Morpeth BC and Tynedale DC and Alnwick DC and Berwick DC.

Members felt that under the present system the rural west parishes had been neglected with insufficient funding to maintain essential services and had been left effectively to wither on the vine. They felt that under a single unitary authority resources would continue to be targeted on the urban south-east of the County to the detriment of the rural areas of the County.

Members resolved to support the formation of a rural unitary authority whether that is in the form of two or three unitary authorities.

03/59 PLANNING APPLICATIONS

It was resolved that the minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on 5 August 2003 be accepted.

It was resolved that a session open to the public be held before the commencement of each Planning Committee meeting. It was further resolved that length of the period of time be at the discretion of the Chairman of the Committee, subject to it not exceeding thirty minutes.

It was resolved that the attached document, prepared by the Clerk, be used as the criteria to be used when assessing planning applications.

There was some concern that there may be additional criteria relating to the conservation area and it was resolved to invite a representative from Castle Morpeth Borough Council to attend the November meeting of the Parish Council.

03/D/605 T Scott – outline – erection of bungalow at land south of Rosley, Ogle

It was resolved to object to this application because it was a development in open countryside outside the village envelope and in the green belt. It was considered that this would conflict with present planning policy and would set an unwelcome precedent.

03/60 FINANCE

Accounts for payment

It was resolved that the following accounts be paid:

£ p
AJ Nixon Taxi voucher re-imbursement 50.00
Northumberland Association of Local Councils Subscription 2003/2004 59.37

Treasurer’s Bank Account

Notice had been received from Lloyds TSB Bank that with effect from 10 September 2003 the Treasurer’s Account will no longer pay interest but there will also be no transaction charges.

In order to continue to receive interest on balances held, the Parish Council needed to consider opening an interest earning Instant Access or 30-Day Notice deposit account.

After a discussion it was resolved to open a 30 day notice deposit account.

There being no further business the meeting closed.

Whalton Parish Council

Special Meeting re NCC Integrated Transport Programme 2004/5

Agenda Item 03/57 19th August 2003

Possible Items for Inclusion from Traffic Calming Proposals 2002

· All signing, road markings, etc. in village and approach from East and West related to 30 mph as shown on plan dated 21/3/2002 and not included in 2003/4 programme (NCC yet to consult with Parish Council about their proposals to extend 30 mph signs).

· Pedestrians on road - sign at Whiteside
· Children playing sign - West end of village - large open green space
· Resurface road through village centre to reduce noise
· Renew white line in centre (possibly include road priority signs?)
· Horse sign positions - often obscured by trees (review)
· Slow road-marking approach from East before Shilvington bend and
white lines
· Larger chevron sign at Glebe corner
· Reposition Slow road marking further east at Glebe
· Road narrows sign Meldon Road
· Kerbing - Meldon Road
· Seasonal sign (harvest) warning of wide loads
· Reroute heavy traffic through a Ponteland Bypass

Other proposals

Street Light - Meldon Road

Comments on resident’s request
Offer of Garden land Garden Houses to improve Meldon Road junction (change of owner & issue re listed wall)

* Are there planning issues re CMBC Local Plan regarding control of vehicle movements?

Whalton Parish Council – guidelines to be used when assessing planning applications

1. Extract from SLCC briefing notes for councillors

Section 5: Planning

5.1 Planning policy is decided by the Secretary of State for the Environment. His/her powers are exercised through HM Planning Inspectorate which is based in Bristol. Strategic plans are produced at regional level (e.g. SER Plan is the South East Regional Plan).

5.2 The County Council’s draw up Structure Plans. It consults on these and publishes the outcome. These are broad-brush plans that look at issues such as population, employment habits, land use and traffic. It will also set targets for the numbers of new houses within each District and will indicate where these should be. Structure Plans are under regular review and the Parish will be kept up to date with amendments.

The District Council as planning authority

5.3 District Councils produce Local Plans. These set out the District planning policy and proposals for in the area. They identify where development can and cannot take place, the natural and the built environment and the management of traffic. The Local Plan covers a 10 year period but is kept under fairly constant review. The District Council also prepares Design Briefs. These are aimed at developers and give details of the type and density of building that is acceptable, the material to be used, green spaces etc.

5.4 Although there are a number of exceptions, anyone wishing to develop must apply to the District Council for planning permission. The District will forward one copy of the application and the plans to the Parish Council. People living in the vicinity of the proposed development will be told that they can inspect the plans at the Parish Council Offices. The District Council Planning officers will consider all the comments received and reflect these in the report made to the District Council Planning Committee.

The Parish Council as consultees

5.5 The Parish Council is a statutory consultee on planning applications and is normally given 21 days to comment. Plans for consideration will be listed on the Council agenda and comments returned to the District within the deadline.

5.6 In commenting on planning applications, it is important that the Council considers planning issues. These include:

· consistency with the development plan for the areas
· Traffic and highway safety issues
· overlooking, loss of privacy and loss of light
· scale of the development
· design, appearance, layout and material
· loss of important open space or physical features
· noise, disturbance or smells
· local knowledge of drainage or other possible problems with the surface
· impact on the surroundings

5.7 Issues that are not relevant include:

· Effect on the value of property
· Loss of view over other peoples land
· Possible future development not included in the application
· Private property rights such as boundary or access disputes
· Matters covered by other laws
· The morals or motives of the developer

5.8 Special rules apply for listed buildings, conservation areas, trees (some are protected by Tree Preservation Orders). Planning permission is needed for advertisements above a special size.

5.9 If development appears to have taken place without permission or if the development is more extensive than given in the planning consent, the District Council’s enforcement officer to visit the site and take any necessary follow up action.

2. Extract from responding to planning applications- a CPRE guide

Points to watch

Stick to principles Is there a point of principle at stake which over-rides any short term or minor advantages of a development proposal? For example, the developer of a new housing estate may offer a village by-pass to relieve traffic congestion, but if the by-pass would pass through cherished land or trigger inappropriate development then the deal would be a poor one.

Precedent Would a poor decision on a planning application now be likely to cause a flood of further proposals, damaging to the Parish interests that would be difficult to resist? For example, a small development outside the defined limits of a village may seem tolerable on a particular site, but could this lead to the unintended expansion of the village as other developers tried their luck?

Cumulative development Could a proposal, broadly acceptable in itself, be a stepping stone to something that would be unacceptable? For instance, can one be sure that a farm worker’s house or a house for seasonal renting to holiday makers will not in due course be sold off as a permanent dwelling in an area where this would be normally resisted? Planning law does not allow decisions on current applications to be taken on the basis of speculation about possible future proposals, but could action nevertheless be taken now to avoid the possibility of inappropriate development in future?

Future beneficiaries of planning permission Planning permission applies to land rather than to owners or occupiers, so could a planning permission now be used to damaging effect in future by a less sympathetic occupier? What might go wrong?

Improvements to submitted proposals Are there improvements that could be made to the scheme so that it either does less harm or more good?

3. Conservation Areas and listed buildings

County and District Councils can formally designate areas of towns and villages of historical and architectural interest as Conservation areas. The idea behind this designation is to enhance and protect local architectural features and, all applications for permission for developments that could alter the character of the area have to be advertised and the view of the public taken into account. The village of Whalton is a designated Conservation Area.

Buildings can be “listed” under the Town and Country Planning Act 1971, as being of historic or architectural interest. Once a building has been listed there is strict control over its modification or demolition.

PB Basnett
11 August 2003