Committee and date Item

Whitchurch & Prees Local Joint Committee

18 June 2014 Public

Responsible Officer : Nicki Young Email: nicki.young@.gov.uk Tel: 07990 085187

WHITCHURCH & PREES LOCAL JOINT COMMITTEE

NOTES OF MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY 27 TH FEBRUARY 2014 IN TILSTOCK VILLAGE HALL, TISTOCK AT 7PM

Committee Members Present :

Name Council Mr Paul Wynn (Chair) Mrs Peggy Mullock Shropshire Council Mr Gerald Dakin Shropshire Council Mr Thomas Biggins Shropshire Council Mr Peter Lea Whitchurch Town Council Mr Will Allen Parish Council Mrs Jean Betteridge Ightfield & Calverhall Parish Council Mr Paul Gill Prees Parish Council

Officers present: Name Role Nicki Young Community Action Officer, Shropshire Council Eddie West Planning Policy Officer, Shropshire Council Neil Willcox Commissioning Manager, Shropshire Council CSO Nicola Parry MD Local Policing Team, Ian Johnson Shropshire Fire & Rescue

There were approximately 30 members of the public at the meeting. ACTION

29. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

The Chair welcomed everyone, each member of the Committee introduced themselves and the Chair explained the nature and remit of Local Joint Committees (LJCs).

30. APOLOGIES

Apologies for absence were received from Sergeant Claire Greenaway, West Mercia Police; and David Gilling, Neighbourhood Watch.

31. DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY INTERESTS

Members were reminded that they must not participate in the discussion or voting of any matter in which they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest and should leave the room prior to the commencement of the debate. Whitchurch Town Councillor Peter Lea disclosed that, as a Town Council he had a Diclosable Pecuniary Interest with regard to funding Application O – Whitchurch Town Council’s application for funding to purchase new cookers for the Civic Centre; as well as Application R, Whitchurch Research, Archive & Cataloguing Team’s application to safeguard heritage artefacts. Shropshire Councillors Peggy Mullock and Gerald Dakin disclosed that, as members of the Sir John Talbot’s Interim Education Board, they had Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in Application T – SJT’s application for new sports equipment.

32. NOTES

It was RESOLVED that the notes of the previous meeting held on 24 October 2013 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record

33. PACT MEETING; INCLUDING UPDATES FROM SHROPSHIRE FIRE & RESCUE

CSO Nicola Parry, from Safer Neighbourhood Team, gave a report on behalf of the Whitchurch team. CSO Parry gave an update on crime in the area with statistics, reporting that there had been a reduction in Anti Social Behaviour (ASB), due to enforcement and prosecution.

CSO Parry answered a question about litter from MacDonald’s and obstructions of the highway, requesting that people phone the Police on 101 with names and addresses and they will deal with it.

Fire Officer Ian Johnson, Shropshire Fire & Rescue reported that the Whitchurch Fire station crews, as well as crews from Prees, Baschurch, and , had been deployed to the south of the country to help with flooding. Local crews had been dealing with the loss of roofs due to high winds.

Fire Officer Johnson also reported that of the 4 retained fire stations in the north of the County earmarked for closure, none were going to be closed during this round of Fire Service cuts and thanked everyone for campaigning to keep them open. He informed the meeting that although these retained stations were not closing in the near future they may well come up for scrutiny again.

Shropshire Fire & Rescue continue to give fire safety advice to individuals as well as at events.

34. THE FUTURE OF LJCs

Neil Willcox, Commissioning Manager, Shropshire Council gave a presentation on the future of Local Joint Committees in Shropshire, reporting that Shropshire Council were cutting out waste and looking at where they can add value, making best use of staff time to support the commissioning journey. Going on to ask the question; Can the Local Joint Committee have a role to help determine local priorities, regarding the Community Infrastructure Levy and Place Plan? Neil explained how LJCs support commissioning and devolution of decision making and that Shropshire Council were learning from other local authorities.

A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) consultation was then held during the meeting and the findings are attached to these meeting notes.

35. PLANNING – 5 YEAR PLAN FOR WHITCHURCH

Edward West, Policy Planning Officer, Shropshire Council reported that the most significant material issues is a 5 year housing land supply and that community led plans were incorporated into the planning framework.

Regarding the 5 year housing land supply, Edward West explained that this is developed to build more houses, that there were many years where houses built have not met growing population needs. Councils have had issues with supply of housing and have to demonstrate that they have a 5 year supply of housing land within the local plan – Site Allocations and Management of Development (SAMDev). At the moment Shropshire Council needs 9800 houses in the SAMDev 2013-2018 and they do not have enough, currently there is enough housing land identified for 4.95 years. When a 5 Year Plan need is not identified, the SAMDev does not have the same weight as it could if the 5 Year Planning need had been met and holds less weight in the decision making process. Adoption of SAMDev will provide Shropshire with a 5 year housing land supply.

The SAMDev was approved by Shropshire Council on 27 February 2014, a consultation is taking place mid March and will last for 6 weeks. If everything goes to plan the SAMDev will be adopted in early 2015, approximately one year from the date of the meeting.

Decisions on housing applications has changed recently, because there is no 5 year supply of housing land the presumption is in favour of sustainable development. Shropshire Council will refuse applications if the site is outside the planning boundary and receives no community support. If the site is outside the boundary this is not a reason to refuse the planning application. Presumption is in favour of sustainable development and Shropshire Council have to make the decision as to whether developments are sustainable. Planning applications will be assessed in the usual and critical way, Shropshire Council will be looking for all housing applications to be sustainable, with regard to access, flood zones, visual and landscape impact and ecological impact.

Following the presentation a Question and Answer session took place:

Question : Paul Gill, Prees Parish Council commented – the public had concerns, partly because they do not understand what has gone on, making it look as though decisions are not made locally. The Governments single aim is to get houses built, therefore allowing local people to set their own targets has ‘gone out of the window’. Once sites have been found and housing allocated, the problem has not been solved because builders sit on sites – what are Shropshire Council going to do? Answer : Edward West – how can Shropshire Council say that sites will be built. We are all reliant on the market and inevitably there will be challenges. Sites have not been build on in several years, therefore offering alternative sites gives a stronger position to argue that Shropshire Council have the 5 Year housing land supply. Looking at case law, Planning Inspectors are siding with applicants when they go to appeal if applications are refused. Shropshire will be in a better place to argue its case one the 5 Year Plan has been adopted.

Question: Phoebe Ashton had read in The Guardian that many houses were empty, does Shropshire Council have empty homes officers? Answer: Gerald Dakin answered stating that it is a policy of Shropshire Council that empty properties will receive a 50% surcharge as long as they stay empty. Shropshire Council do have empty homes officers.

Question : Simon Lyon commented that the Local Development Framework was adopted 2 years ago, whose fault is it that the SAMDev is not adopted? Answer : Edward West – the issue of a 5 year housing land supply is not new, but the implications behind it are new. Planning Law takes a while to catch up – implications have come through applicants going to appeal. Shropshire had a 5 year housing supply until recently. SAMDev has taken a while, in a county the size of Shropshire, with many settlements, officers have had to consult with the wider public, if there had been no consultations then Shropshire Council could have faced a backlash about not enough consultations.

Question : Kath Priddy – Whitchurch has an ageing population who would like bungalows built, why are developers not addressing this? Answer : Edward West – Shropshire Council do talk to developers about housing need and have an input into the master plan of sites.

Question : No name – how closely do Shropshire Council scrutinise the sustainability of each plan? Answer : Edward West - At pre-application stage a number of professional officers are involved in contributing to build a picture about the site, including infrastructure constraints, major access issues. When Shropshire Council say a development is sustainable, officers have thoroughly scrutinised the plan.

Question : No name – is there a 5 year supply for Whitchurch? Answer : Edward West - No there is not one specifically for Whitchurch, there are 2 for Shropshire, one for and one for the rest of Shropshire

Question ; Julia Gallacher – will other appeals hold up the consultation and examination process elsewhere?

Answer : Edward West - No it will not hold up other areas – 2015 examination is not set in stone.

Question: What criteria do Shropshire Council have to say for consultation in planning applications? Answer : Edward West – Shropshire Council advise developers to consult with the community and Shropshire Council do what is required to meet regulations. Shropshire Council cannot require that developers consult with the community, but we do encourage them to do so.

Question : No name – sustainability – how is this judged when infrastructure is not in place? Answer : Edward West – infrastructure issues are factors when discerning applications, ie, the Education Department are included in the planning process. Shropshire Council can and will apply sustainability to infrastructure. Scottish Power are working with Shropshire Council and some of the sites have been put forward to achieve working with Scottish Power.

36. FAIRSHARE CREDIT UNION

Andrea Broady gave a quick explanation on what credit unions are, what services they offer and who can be involved. Everyone who lives or works in Shropshire can become a member of FAIRshare.

FAIRshare Credit Union is an independent, not-for-profit “Community Bank”, owned by and run for the benefit of its members. FAIRshare provides straightforward savings accounts and affordable loans to its members, and is Shropshire’s largest Credit Union.

Main branches are located in and Shrewsbury, whilst the FAIRshare Service Point visits , Craven Arms, , Market Drayton, , , and Whitchurch each week.

FAIRshare is a member of ABCUL, the leading trade association for Credit Unions in , Scotland and , and is part of the rapidly growing credit union community with over one million members UK-wide. For more information please see http://www.fairshare.uk.com/ or pick up a leaflet from Whitchurch Community Hub.

37. TOWN & PARISH COUNCIL UPDATES

o Calverhall & Ightfield Parish Council – Cllr Jean Betteridge reported that plans have been passed for one building infill in Ightfield. The flooding area has been resolved. The Parish Council have completed a circular walk of the area ending at the pub.

o Whitchurch Town Council - Cllr Peter Lea gave an update on the Civic Centre refurbishment. Reported that Whitchurch Town Council are investigating entering for the Britain in Bloom competition once again and also said that outdoor fitness equipment is being installed in Jubilee Park, as well as a

working group set up for the skate park. Whitchurch Town Council have two vacancies if anyone would like to put themselves forward they need to write a letter to the Town Clerk.

o Whitchurch Rural Parish Council Cllr Will Allen reported that discussions with Balfours are taking place regarding the development of diocesan site in Tilstock. Whitchurch Rural Parish Council are not increasing precept this year. A request for traffic calming signs in the villages has been made.

o Prees Parish Council. Cllr Paul Gill reported on the work the Parish Council had done to save Prees Fire Station, that a meeting with Owen Patterson MP had started the campaign. Planning applications - a lot of time is spent dealing with applications. A new Parish Council website is being developed. A new doctors surgery is planned for Whitchurch Road in Prees. The Budget has been completed and there will be no increase in the precept. The Parish Council are involved with a refresh of the community led plan

38. 2013/14 FUNDING REQUESTS FOR CONSIDERATION

A report setting out the devolved funding for this Local Joint Committee in 2013/14, plus nin funding applications and notification of a decision made under delegated powers, were considered by Members.

After discussing each application in details the Committee approved the following grants:

RESOLVED: It was resolved that the Committee fund 86.5% of each application due to oversubscription:

i. Blackberry Fair CIC – Christmas Lantern Parade £319.00 Agreed using delegated authority ii. Whitchurch Town Council – purchase of new kitchen equipment £1,730.00 iii. Brownlow Community Centre – External Lighting Upgrade £1,203.11 iv. Friends of Whitchurch Heritage – Edward German Music Festival £1,730.00 v. Whitchurch Research, Archive and Cataloguing Team – Safeguarding Whitchurch’s Heritage £1,730.00 vi. NS Wheelers Ltd – purchase a 2 nd hand minibus and vehicle, maintenance and conversion £1,730.00 vii. Sir John Talbot’s School – new sports equipment £1,211.00 viii. Whitchurch Senior Citizen’s Club – replacement chairs £658.34 ix. Tilstock Bowling & Tennis Club – new chairs £899.95

Following these decisions £54.57 was left and all agreed to award this amount to Whitchurch Senior Citizens Club as they had not applied for funding before (included in the amount listed above).

Total awarded at the meeting = £11,211.50

39. PUBLIC QUESTION TIME

Comment: Donald Nairn of Whitchurch Hockey Club thanked the Whitchurch LJC for funding to start Rush Hockey in the town.

40. FEEDBACK FORMS

Feedback forms were circulated at the meeting and those present were encouraged to take a minute to complete the forms before they left and leave with Nicki Young on their way out.

41. NEXT MEETING

It was noted that the next Whitchurch & Surrounding Area Local Joint Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday 18 th June 2014 in Ash Village Hall, doors open at 6.30pm and meeting starts at 7pm.

The meeting closed at 9.25pm

CHAIRMAN: ..

DATE: ..