ClerkParish Council Minutes 2019

KING’S SOMBORNE PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting

held in the Epworth Hall commencing at 7.30pm on Monday 16th December 2019

 

Present:           Cllr A Brock (Chairman)

Cllr S Dack

Cllr R Harwood

Cllr L Hodge

Cllr K Hughes

Cllr O Wales

Cllr S Whitehead

 

In Attendance:             Mrs G Foster (Clerk to King’s Somborne Parish Council)

 

Also present:    35 members of the public were present for part of the meeting.

 

  1. Public Session

 

  • Several residents asked what information the Council had been given regarding the alleged cancellation of the no. 16 Bus Service to Winchester. Passengers using the bus had been informed by bus drivers on the 9th December that the service was being cancelled with effect from the 4th This had been confirmed by the Bus Station manager in Andover. Residents had written letters to HCC Cllrs Gibson and Humby and Caroline Nokes MP.
  • Another resident advised that he had learnt that day that Stagecoach were taking over the route for a Monday to Friday service commencing on the 6th This would be formally checked with HCC. Action: Clerk.
  • It was felt that action should be taken in case the information from HCC was not correct. A resident suggested that everyone lobby their MP.
  • It was Resolved that the following actions would be taken:
    • A lobby of HCC would be organised, and a petition drafted. Action: Clerk.
    • A community bus scheme would be investigated, and Broughton would be contacted to find out what service they run. Action: Clerk.
    • Unity would be contacted to find out if their bus scheme might be an option. Action: Clerk.
    • HCC would be asked if the bus from Romsey to Winchester might be changed to run from King’s Somborne once a week. Action: Clerk.

 

  • 27 members of the public left the meeting.

 

  1. Apologies for Absence

 

  • Cllrs Beacham had sent apologies which were accepted by Council.
  • Absent Cllr Webb.

 

  1. Chairman’s announcements and Councillors’ questions

 

  • No questions were asked.

           

  1. To approve the Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 2 December 2019

 

  • The Chairman disagreed with minutes no. 245.10.4 and 247.2. After discussion it was Proposed: Cllr Harwood, Seconded: Cllr Hughes RESOLVED: Unanimously that the minutes of the meeting would be re-checked, amended if all councillors were in agreement and then re-circulated and signed at the next meeting. Action: Clerk.

 

  1. Declarations of Interest and Requests for Dispensations

 

 

  1. To consider the response to be sent to HCC regarding the proposed stoppage of the no. 16 Bus to Winchester.
    • This agenda item had been discussed during the public session.

 

  1. To receive a report on why extra work is required by South Downs on the NDP and to understand what has been done so far.

 

  • Cllr Brock explained that the “new” NDP would only be a rewrite and update of the original version having taken on board relevant feedback and legislative changes. Originally the plan had been to submit the Plan directly to TVBC under Regulation 16. However, the revised NDP, once approved by the Parish Council, would go out again to local consultation under Regulation 14 prior to final submission to TVBC.
  • After the next local consultation (and relevant feedback) TVBC have agreed to carry out a preliminary review to enable the Consultants (South Downs National Park Authority) to prepare a final version for submission.
  • Very little had changed in the Plan since the last version other than the issue of Nitrate Neutrality, and this is why another consultation had not been required. The only material change that had been made was regarding housing. This had been reported at the last NDP Steering Group Meeting in May. The following new supporting documents had also been added. They are available on the website.
    • Flood Risk Study(Aug 2018)
    • An Updated Sequential Test
    • TVBC Screening Opinion
    • Shadow Habitat Regulations Assessment (Sept 2018)
    • Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report Nov 2018
    • Sustainability Appraisal (Oct 2019)
    • Strategic Environment Assessment (Oct 2019)
  • The Steering Group had not suggested building in the flood zone, although some sites with areas prone to flooding had been selected. This sites had been revised to show that smaller pockets/areas could be built in, and the rest of the site left green.
  • Policies already produced had been reviewed as per the below list: The only material change that had been made was regarding housing as detailed in the previous minute. The following remained without change:

Landscape and environment

Preserving Landscape Features, Views and Surrounding Farmland

Public Opens Spaces and Local Areas of Green Space (LAGs)

Conservation Area, Heritage Buildings and Heritage Sites

Flooding, Water Management and Biodiversity

Housing Requirement and Provision

Site Development

Key considerations in locating buildings

Housing Requirement and Provision

Building Design

Dwellings of mixed sizes in the following ratios: 2 bedroom – 45%, 3 bedroom – 45%, 4 bedroom – 10%

Facilities & Infrastructure

Community Assets/Roads, Traffic & Parking

Schooling, Employment/Working from Home & Utilities

  • The housing allocations on sites had changed. There would be 40 new homes in total on the on allocated sites. Building cannot be phased or linked and sites must be specified. This reduced the original number of sites and delinked developments. Actual build areas inside sites had been specified to ensure sites do not become overdeveloped and avoidance of building in the flood areas had been considered.
    • KS3 = 15 homes (40% affordable)
    • KS5 = 14 homes (30% affordable)
    • KS6 =   4 homes
    • KS7 = 7 homes
  • This year work had been done on chasing for feedback, advising SDNPA where information had been missed and updating supporting documents to reflect the latest changes and providing new maps. It is hoped that the new plan would be both shorter and easier to read.

 

  1. To consider and if appropriate approve the cost of the extra work to be undertaken by South Downs for NDP.

           

  • Cllr Brock had requested and received a written quotation for additional for work to be undertaken by South Downs NPA. The proposal had been sent to Councillors and was available on the website with the Agenda papers. The extra work was comprised of:
    • Preparation of a detailed table comparing the original site selection forms.
    • A more basic summary table simplifying the above with traffic light scores.
    • Responding to queries raised by Council after receipt of the above two tables.
    • Preparation of the draft plan ready for a provisional review by TVBC.
    • Meeting with the Council and TVBC prior to the pre-submission consultation.
  • Cllr Brock explained that the current plan was not fit to go yet, and that the Parish Council would need to review all the evidence, and sign off on the plan before it would be able to go forward for a quasi review by TVBC.
  • A full discussion ensued, and the following information was clarified by Cllr Brock.
  • The information from the original site selections forms would be used to populate a new matrix. Although the original site selection forms had been published, a collation of the data into one document had not been undertaken and therefore this information was not currently available. The new document would provide both transparency into which sites had been chosen and why and also provide clarity into the scoring and ranking used.
  • Cllrs noted that it was important that the independent consultants used consistent criteria for scoring and ranking the sites. The point was made that some sites had been scored on a portion of the site and some scored on the whole site. The consultants would be asked to differentiate between thes
  • Some sites had been excluded early on in the process because a part of the site was unsuitable, whilst other sites had been progressed and then reduced in size to make them continue to fit the eligibility. This would need to be highlighted in the tables.
  • It was explained that not all 13 sites had been subject to the sequential test due to it not being required if the site was not near a flood zone.
  • Councillors agreed that if the full logic was evident, they would feel comfortable defending the decisions made.
  • It was asked if further comments or questions could be sent to SDNPA after receipt of the tables and before moving onto the next task. This would be requested. Action: Clerk.
  • A resident requested that future meetings regarding the NDP progression and feedback be held in the evenings rather than during the day. This was noted and would be preferred for maximum community engagement.
  • It was Proposed: Cllr Harwood. Seconded: Cllr Hughes and Resolved: By majority, with Cllrs Dack and Wales abstaining, to accept the proposal dated 10th December from South Downs NPA. Action: Clerk
  • Cllr Brock confirmed that the cost of the extra work would be a maximum of £3,187.50. It was agreed this would come from Council Reserves.
  • South Downs would be asked to start work in the New year. Communication would be via the Clerk and at least once other councillor.

 

  1. Other business.

 

  • Cllr Curtis had submitted his resignation to the Chairman on the 6th Following this, and in sympathy with the reasons given by Cllr Curtis, Cllr Brock announced that he too felt it was time to step down from the Council after over a decade of working for the community.
  • Cllr Hughes thanked Cllrs Curtis and Brock for their efforts over the years, their dedication towards helping the community and their personal time given during their respective time as Councillors. The sentiment was echoed by all other Councillors.
  • Cllr Brock offered to continue with the management of the Bourne, with the resilience planning and the NDP and Cllr Curtis had offered to continue carrying out the playground inspections at the Recreation Ground and topping up the dog waste bag dispenser. All councillors were grateful towards Cllr Brock and Curtis for this extra assistance to help ensure continuity.

 

  1. Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting – Monday 6th January 2020 at 7.00pm in the Epworth Hall, Winchester Road, King’s Somborne

 

There being no further business, the meeting was closed at 9.30pm

 

 

Signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting:…………………………………..…….Date…………