HeVERSHAM Parish Council

Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 24 August 2009 in the Athenaeum, Leasgill at 7:30pm

Present : Cllrs Peter Shaw (Chairman), Ailsa Hulme, Adrian Bland, Gordon Capstick, Tom Grindey, Tony Parker, District Cllr Brenda Woof, County Cllr Roger Bingham, the Clerk and 5 members of the public.

775 To receive apologies for absence

Apologies with reasons given were accepted from Cllr Lucas, Cllr Capstick arrived at 7.50pm and County Cllr Bingham arrived at 8.25pm.

776 To receive any declarations of interest in items on the agenda

Cllrs Bland, Capstick and Grindey declared a prejudicial interest in the Auction Mart planning application.

777 To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 29 June 2009

It was resolved for the Chairman to sign the minutes of the meeting held on 29 June 2009 as a true record.

778 Matters raised by members of the public for consideration

Members of the public voiced concerns regarding the Auction Mart planning application and the following key points were made :

Access Difficulties
The main routes to the site are either via the centre of Milnthorpe, or from the other direction via Crooklands Bridge which is already a known problem and listed. Satellite navigation systems and internet route finders suggest a range of further routes which are unsuitable for large vehicles and high volumes of traffic. One of the routes suggested takes traffic over Deepthwaite Bridge which is a 17^th Century listed bridge.

Scale of the Development
The developers state the intention is to have three auctions each fortnight with provision for 1,000 cattle and 6,000 sheep. However there was speculation regarding the development having the capacity to expand the number of auctions and also having the facilities to hold other events such as car boot sales, concerts etc.

Impact on the Environment
Concerns were raised regarding drainage issues as there is already evidence of flooding during recent times. If the reedbed system is unable to cope then there will be more flooding and damage to the becks in the area.

779 Planning Applications

a) The following planning applications were considered :

SL/2009/0601 Land To North Of Woodhouse Lane, Deepthwaite, Milnthorpe
Erection Of Auction Mart And Associated Agricultural Business Units; Construction Of
Access; Drainage Facilities; Alterations To B6385 Near To Crooklands Bridge

Due to declaring a prejudicial interest in this application Cllrs Bland, Capstick and Grindey left the room whilst this matter was being considered.

The application was considered with respect to the planning guidelines - examples of material planning considerations :

National and local planning policy and guidance
This would be an exception as it would be the development of a green field site in a rural area.


Impact on the environment and amenity of the area and neighbouring properties
Due to there already being evidence of flooding at the site the reedbed system would be unable to cope under more pressure and the becks in the area would be damaged.

Impact on the character of the area
The building of such a large and high building on a green field site would impact significantly on the landscape. Public views from several viewpoints including Farleton Fell would be impaired.

Layout and design including density and landscaping
The layout and design of such a large and high building is inappropriate for the landscape of the area. It would be the largest building in an open field area in South Lakeland.

Access, parking and servicing
All routes to and from the site are unsuitable for large vehicles and high volumes of traffic.

Special designations, e.g. conservation area, listed building
One of the routes to the site is over Crooklands Bridge which is listed and another route takes traffic over Depthwaite Bridge which is also listed. Relics from the bronze age have been found in an area near to Deepthwaite Bridge.

Creation of precedent (only where a genuine risk of proliferation)
The development close to junction 36 of the M6 would set a precedent for further development in the immediate area of the junction.

Planning history (but not necessarily binding)
Planning permission has previously been refused for the development of farms adjacent to the area.

Demonstrable need for affordable housing
Not applicable.

Cllr Hulme proposed to object to the application, this was seconded by Cllr Parker and it was subsequently unanimously voted to object to the Auction Mart planning application.

SL/2009/0721 Hillside, Woodhouse Lane, Heversham, Milnthorpe
Two Dwellings With Associated Car Parking

Following a discussion it was resolved to object to this application on the grounds that this is considered to be overdevelopment adjacent to a conservation area and also the lane is narrow and unsuitable for more vehicles.

b) The following applications have been granted :
SL/2009/0393 The Stable, High Haverflatts, Milnthorpe
Siting Of Two Garden Sheds

SL/2009/0491 3 Holly Close, Heversham, Milnthorpe
Two Storey Side Extension

780 To adopt the Job Description and Contract of Employment for the new Clerk

Jacqueline Davidson has been offered and accepted the position of Clerk with effect from 1 August 2008. The new Clerk’s contract and job description had been circulated prior to the meeting and it was resolved to adopt the job description and to amend the contract to include an item regarding appraisal. It was noted the new Clerk is also the Clerk for Helsington Parish Council and consideration should be given to agreeing any further training and development needs and expenses with Helsington Parish Council.

781 Reports

a) Playground Financial Report
Cllr Bland reported the new seat has been fixed in place and there is still a sum of money to be claimed for this year from the Leasgill Quarry Trust.

b) New Mower
Cllr Grindey advised he had spoken to Haytons who had been unable to arrange a demonstration of the model of interest and had asked Cllr Bland to see whether he would be able to obtain one from his supplier. It was agreed to now leave the purchase of a new mower until next year.

c) New Noticeboard
Cllr Shaw showed a drawing with quotation for £3,000 as a proposal for the new Athenaeum noticeboard. It was agreed that this was too expensive and also consideration should be given to applying to the Leasgill Quarry Trust for a contribution to the funding.

d) Equipment Report
None

e) Field of Dreams
Cllr Shaw advised that there is nothing further that can be done to address the problem of the weeds on this site. Rural England can only deal with a complaint if they have the name and contact details of the owners.

f) Any relevant matters from District Councillor Brenda Woof
District Cllr Woof advised the draft Core Strategy Framework document is to have an eight week consultation period with effect from the end of August. The Allocation of Land document is not due for consultation until after the elections in May 2010.

District Cllr Woof also advised that South Lakeland District Council are to send Empty Homes Questionnaires to all properties which are registered as unoccupied.

g) Any relevant matters from County Councillor Roger Bingham
County Cllr Bingham made the recommendation for any new signs for villages having a different name to that of the parish to have the name of the parish underneath the name of the village. It was agreed that this was a good idea.

782 Correspondence received since the last meeting

· CALC Next District Association Meeting – Thursday 3 September 2009

· Cumbria Housing Group : Strategic Housing Market Assessment Consultation (August 2009)

· South Lakeland Strategic Partnership – Local Area Partnerships in South Lakeland

· Consultation on the submitted draft North West Plan Partial Review

· Clerks & Councils Direct – July 2009

· Rock Reports – Summer 2009

· Cumbria Highways Workingtogether Issue Fourteen Summer 2009

· CALC : Training for Town and Parish Councils Prospectus September 2009-March2010

· CALC : Training and Advice Sessions for Chairmen

783 External Audit

It was noted the external audit had been concluded and the accounts are now available for inspection by local electors.

784 Approval of Payments

It was resolved for payments to be approved and cheques to be signed for the following :
SLDC Parish Election Costs for 2008/2009 Cheque Number 100096 £ 57.00
SLDC Street Lighting, Repairs, Maintenance & Energy Charges for 2008/2009 Cheque Number 100097 £ 66.00
Martin Tyson : Work On Seat Cheque Number 100098 £ 25.00
BDO Stoy Hayward :Audit Fees Cheque Number 100099 £155.25
Dallam School : Playground Rent Cheque Number 100100 £ 1.00

785 Items for Information

Cllr Grindey advised the SLOG meeting to discuss the Auction Mart planning application would be held at 7.30pm on Wednesday 26 August at The Crooklands Hotel.

786 Items for consideration for a future agenda

The Chairman read out a letter from Mr Gerrard expressing concerns regarding the parking of cars at Dallam School, Church Corner, Birdcage Cottage and Brassington Farm. The Chairman advised he would write to Mr Gerrard to inform him that the parking of up to seven buses at Dalllam School were no longer to be an issue. The other areas of concern would be discussed at the next meeting of the Parish Council.

To adopt the amended Contract of Employment for the new Clerk.

The meeting of the Athenaeum Trustees which was scheduled to follow this meeting was deferred to follow the next meeting of the Parish Council.

787 Leasgill Quarry Annual Meeting

It was noted the Leasgill Quarry Annual Meeting is to be held at 7.30pm on Monday 14 September at the home of County Cllr Bingham at The Smithy, Ackenthwaite.

788 Date of Next Meeting

It was noted that the date of the next meeting is Monday 28 September 2009.
Items for the agenda to reach the Clerk before Friday 18 September and copies of reports to reach the Clerk before Monday 21 September.

The meeting closed at 09:35pm.

Jacqueline Davidson

Clerk to the Council

A signed copy of the minutes will be available for inspection following the next meeting of the Council on Monday 28 September 2009