Minutes of the Pyons Group Parish Council Extraordinary Meeting Held at 7.30 Pm on Wednesday 29 March 2017 at Canon Pyon Parish Hall
Present: Mr H. Ray (Chairman), Mr. G.R. Vaughan (Vice Chairman), Mrs S. Bagnall, Mrs G. Dickson, Mrs M. Riley, Mr N.C. Davies, Mr B. Thomas, Mr D. Bowen-Jones and Mr D. Spooner.
In attendance: Mr A. Drew, Chairman, Neighbourhood Development Plan Steering Group, Mr R. Hewitt, Clerk. Three members of the public were present.
2017/177 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies were accepted from Mrs J. Carr and Mrs. L. Pugh.
2017/178 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST AND REQUESTS FOR DISPENSATION
Cllr. N. C. Davies declared a non-disclosable interest in planning application 170940 Barns at Lower Derndale Farm.
2017/179 PLANNING
170858 Land at Meadow Drive, Canon Pyon, HR4 8NT – Proposed dwelling. The meeting agreed to object to the application as the proposed dwelling is too large and too high for the site and setting, and the design is not in keeping with the neighbouring buildings.
Policies PG3 and PG9 of the Pyons Group Neighbourhood Development Plan, which is at the stage of referendum, sets out important design criteria, and development policies including provision of bungalows. The group parish council believes a smaller, lower building such as a bungalow would provide more appropriate infill development in this part of Canon Pyon.
Further, the proposed application does not meet Policy RA2 of the Local Plan, which supports developments which are “appropriate to their context and make a positive contribution to the surrounding environment and its landscape setting”.
Pyons Group Parish Council believes the application does not meet these criteria for the reasons set out above.
170940 Barns at Lower Derndale Farm, Derndale Road, Wellington, HR4 8BG – Conversion of and alterations to barns to create four residential dwellings. The parish council agreed to support the application, and request that the planning authority ensures the highway access to and from the site has a very wide splayed entrance and good visibility in recognition of the well known use of the road as a ‘rat run’ to the A49. It is important that the visibility and splays are safe.
2017/180 FINANCE
The following payments were agreed: Canon Pyon Parish Hall, donation 2017 (£400.00); Balfour Beatty, SID hire (£360.00); P Austerfield, footpath officer expenses (£556.97); and MF Design, neighbourhood development plan modifications (£122.50).
2017/181 NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN STEERING GROUP PROPOSALS RE: REFERENDUM
The chairman of the steering group, Mr A Drew, proposed a new poster, parish council newsletter, Pyonear notice and open meetings in each village to raise awareness of the forthcoming referendum on 11 May 2017.
The proposed referendum communications were noted by the parish council as well as guidance from the neighbourhood planning team, Herefordshire Council and HALC in respect of parish council communications and the referendum.
2017/182 INFORMATION AND EVENTS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF REFERENDUM
The parish council agreed the following communications to raise awareness of the referendum, which will be held on 11 May 2017:
1. Updated poster, which will be delivered to each household as an insert in the parish council newsletter;
2. Information event held as part of the forthcoming Annual Parish Meeting on 2 May 2017, at which printed copies of the Pyons Group Neighbourhood Development Plan will be available for members of the public to review. Coffee, tea and biscuits will be made available to members of the public attending the information event;
3. Publish a short front page Chairman’s article in the parish council newsletter which invites people to the information event on 2 May 2017. The newsletter will be delivered to households in early April 2017;
4. Print 25 copies of the Pyons Group Neighbourhood Development Plan, with 15 copies set aside for councillors and parish council records; and
5. Commission 4 banners to raise awareness of the information event, and 4 banners to raise awareness of the referendum. The banners are intended for the villages of Canon Pyon, Kings Pyon, Ledgemoor and Westhope.
The agreed communications activities will be funded by the £1,000.00 grant which has been agreed in principle by Groundworks UK. Cllr. Thomas kindly agreed to obtain the refreshments for the information event.
The Chairman declared the meeting closed at 9.17 pm.