Minutes of the Meeting of the Planning, Town & Environment Committee
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OPEN SESSION: There were 20 members of the public present, regarding agenda items. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE PLANNING, TOWN & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE Held on Friday 13th July 2012 at 2.00pm Cllr Mark Steele (Vice-Chairman) Cllr Neville Chard Cllr Steve Rippon-Swaine until 2.20pm Cllr Stephanie Stokes Cllr Angela Wiseman IN ATTENDANCE: Jo Stannard, Deputy Town Clerk Claire Perrens, Meetings Administrator Sam Poulter, Student Advisor Jenny Baldwin, Student Advisor Cllr Ford Cllr Heron until 2.20pm Terry Simpson, Town Clerk until 2.30pm The Deputy Town Clerk reported that apologies for absence had been received from Cllr Burgess-Kennar. In the absence of the Chairman, Cllr Steele chaired the meeting. P/4971 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST Cllr Stokes declared a personal interest in a planning application – see P/4974 below. P/4972 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 22nd June 2012, having been circulated, be approved and signed as a correct record. The Town Mayor introduced the Clerk and two Members of Devizes Town Council who were attending to observe the meeting, in order to see how the Student Advisor scheme worked in practice. The Chairman warmly welcomed the Devizes delegation, and also the 13 children and 2 teachers present from Ringwood Junior School, present for the first agenda item. P/4973 PRESENTATION FROM RINGWOOD JUNIOR SCHOOL Members had previously received copies of original letters written by Junior School students regarding the empty shops in the Town and suggestions for improvements. The students were encouraged to add further comments. They were concerned that the current range of shops included little for children in the way of clothing, toys and pet shops. Some felt that if the Town had more large well-known stores, more shoppers would be attracted to visit, which would benefit the smaller shops. They also felt that if there was more choice in Ringwood, they and their parents would no longer need to Page 1 of 4 travel to other shopping centres, saving petrol and bringing custom to Ringwood. The fact that the rent for shops in Ringwood is high, and many retailers do not survive long, was highlighted. Cllr Wiseman congratulated the students on their letters, and their excellent handwriting. There was some further discussion about the impact of internet shopping on high street shops. On the issue of lack of parking, one student suggested that a multi-storey car park could be considered. Sam Poulter, Student Advisor, asked whether the students agreed there was a lack of entertainment for young people. It was generally agreed that a cinema, games arcade and more festivals and events would be welcomed. The teacher commented that the Year 3 students had recently conducted a survey of visitors to the Town, which revealed that most people were attracted to the Furlong Centre, but there was a lack of awareness of the other shops in the Town Centre. The Chairman congratulated the teachers and students on their contribution and said they would always be welcome to attend any of the Town Council committee meetings if they wished to raise an issue. The delegation from the School then left the meeting. There was some further debate about what practical steps could be taken to address the concerns of the school students. Although the Town Council has no direct powers over matters such as the rent charged for retail units, the Town Clerk suggested that the letters provided an extremely valuable source of evidence. They could be included in the Council’s presentation at the Public Examination into New Forest District Council Sites and Development Management Plan, in support of this Council’s objections to the Plan P/4953 – 27.04.12 - refers. Cllr Wiseman voiced concerns about the suggestion there should be more large stores. As a market town, Ringwood’s attraction lay in the artisan stores. Cllr Chard stressed the importance of retaining the historic character which makes Ringwood unique. The Town Clerk said that it should be understood that the proposed ‘retail space’ in the District Council’s long-term strategy was unspecified. It would not necessarily be a large supermarket, this would depend on market forces. The District Council had now recognized the importance of future retail development as close as possible to the Town Centre. RECOMMENDED: That the letters of the Ringwood Junior School students on empty shops in Town be put forward as evidence as part of the Town Council’s response to the New Forest District Council Sites and Development Management Plan at the Public Examination. ACTION Jo Stannard The Chairman congratulated Sam Poulter and Jenny Baldwin on completing a year as Student Advisors. He noted that both hoped to be appointed for a second year. He presented them with certificates of recognition, signed by the Town Mayor. P/4974 PLANNING APPLICATIONS Cllr Stokes declared a personal interest in Planning Application 12/98896 as both she and the applicant are school governors. Page 2 of 4 Members considered the planning applications as detailed in Annex A attached. Application No 12/98820 18 Seymour Road – raising of roof in association with new second floor; side dormer; rooflights; two-storey rear extension The applicant, Mr Steve Simpson, was present to comment. There had been objections to the original plans for extension some ten years before, but he said that he had spoken to his neighbours on each side of 18 Seymour Road and they were happy with the current proposals. After some further discussion, Members agreed that the current proposals appeared appropriate and the observation as shown in Annex A was agreed. RESOLVED: That the observations summarised in Annex A be submitted. ACTION Claire Perrens P/4975 PARKING STANDARDS Members considered the New Forest District (Outside the National Park) Local Development Framework Draft Supplementary Planning Document: Parking Standards – see Annex B attached. RESOLVED: 1) That the Council’s response highlight the need for more cycle parking stands in the main car park, especially at the new Ringwood Gateway building; and 2) The possibility of providing parking for disability scooters be put forward. ACTION Jo Stannard P/4976 PLANNING APPEALS BY TOWN AND PARISH COUNCILS Members considered the report attached as Annex C regarding the Planning Applications (Appeals by Town and Parish Councils) Bill. After some discussion, Members agreed that the current planning system worked well and they did not wish to support the campaign for local councils to have the same right of planning appeal as developers. RESOLVED: That the campaign be not supported. ACTION Jo Stannard P/4977 NAVITUS BAY WIND PARK Members considered the consultation with respect to the onshore cable route as detailed in Annex D. RESOLVED: That in view of the proximity of the onshore cable route to the parish boundary, the Council respond to the consultation to ensure that the ground is fully reinstated following construction. Page 3 of 4 ACTION Jo Stannard P/4978 SAFETY MEASURES ON THE A31 WORKING PARTY Members considered the notes of the meeting held on 28th June 2012 – Annex E. The Deputy Town Clerk commented that the A31 Ringwood Section report (Annex F) did not currently contain reference to a future housing development proposed for Ringwood, which would result in more traffic and potential problems at the junctions to the A31. It was agreed that this could either be added to the document or raised during discussions with the Highways Agency, once a meeting had been arranged. Jenny Baldwin, Student Advisor, said she had recently passed her driving test, and found the slip roads at Ringwood ‘horrific’. Sam Poulter added that all the slip roads at Ringwood were too short. It was noted that all age groups were experiencing problems, experienced as well as new drivers. The Deputy Town Clerk mentioned the strategic plans for a third lane, which might improve the problem, but it was agreed that due to the high costs involved, it was very unlikely this would happen in the next few years. The Chairman commented on the fact that this was a comprehensive and impressive document and Cllr Thierry should be congratulated. RECOMMENDED: 1) That the notes of the Safety Measures on the A31 Working Party held on 28th June 2012, and the proposals therein, be approved; and 2) That the A31 Ringwood Section report (see Annex F) be approved, with the suggested addition of reference to the impact of future housing developments on traffic and congestion. ACTION C Perrens There being no further business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 3.25pm. RECEIVED APPROVED 25th July 2012 17th August 2012 TOWN MAYOR COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN Note: The text in the Action Boxes above does not form part of these minutes. Page 4 of 4 Annex B REPORT TO PLANNING, TOWN & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE 13TH JULY 2012 NEW FOREST DISTRICT (OUTSIDE THE NATIONAL PARK) LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK DRAFT SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING DOCUMENT: PARKING STANDARDS 1. Current saved residential parking standards for the New Forest District (outside the National Park) are detailed in the “The Provision of Car Parking Space in Residential Development (outside the New Forest National Park)” Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) adopted in February 2008. That SPD sets out guidance to developers and others on the provision of car parking space on residential developments and was originally supplementary to Policies DW-E1 and DW-T9 of the New Forest District Local Plan (First Alteration) (August 2005). It also had regard to the Housing design, density and character SPD (April 2006) and to Hampshire County Council’s document: Hampshire Parking Strategy and Standards (Summer 2002). 2. When the District Council’s Core Strategy was adopted in 2009, Local Plan policies DW-E1 and DW-T9 were not saved.