FARNHILL PARISH COUNCIL Telephone 01535 634942 Email: [email protected] Susan Harding Hill Clerk 1 North Place Sutton In Keighley, West BD20 7PH

MINUTES OF AN EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF FARNHILL PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON TUESDAY 3RD MAY 2016 AT 7.00PM AT /FARNHILL INSTITUTE.

PRESENT Councs. G Harling (Chairman), Councs. D Atkinson, R Bramley & J Waring & Clerk S Harding-Hill . 561/16 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION No members of the public present.

562/16 COUNCILLORS APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE. Counc. M Scarffe

563/16 DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS None 564/16 STREET LIGHTING A request was received by e-mail from a resident of the village asking what would be happening to the old lighting column for Street Light No 50 when it was disconnected, stating they would be very happy for it to remain in situ but if the plan was to scrap it, they should very much like to be given the opportunity to keep it and possibly re-site it somewhere within their boundary. Clerk to respond to the request stating that arrangements had already been made at the last meeting for the relocation of the column.

565/16 PLANNING Application No: 28/2016/16845 Proposal: Proposed 2 Storey Extension Location: Airedale House, Road, Farnhill. Farnhill Parish Council made the following observations. Proposed Plan The extension is large in comparison with the existing house and is certainly not subordinate. This is particularly obvious at first floor level where the extension is of the order of 30% larger than the existing. There is no plan of the lower ground floor so it is not clear how the new structure integrates with the existing and what the proposals are for the future use of that level. There is no site plan to show changes necessitated by the new structure.

Proposed Elevations Three of the elevations are incorrectly oriented. Whilst the extension is classified as two storey it is almost as tall as the existing three storey building. There are a lot of changes to the existing external elevations, especially on the North side which faces Farnhill, but none is called off on the drawings.

Design and Access. With a proposed floor area in excess of 660 sq m the extended three storey building will have little in common with the vast majority of Farnhill houses and it is difficult to see how it could be classed as sympathetic to the local area or of a scale and massing appropriate to the local area. It is sited in an extremely prominent position which is readily visible from Farnhill and whilst it is true that some screening is provided by the extensive leylandii planting, which in itself is hardly attractive, there is no guarantee that the screening will remain indefinitely. Reference is made to more soft landscaping but no details or plans are provided. It is suggested that the principal reason for the extension is the loss of the lower ground floor due to flooding and the consequential need to move the accommodation from that level to an upper level. Without the benefit of a plan of the lower ground floor it is not clear what has been moved but it is to be expected that the accommodation could have been incorporated in the extended ground floor without the need for an extended first floor, which still contains four bedrooms, albeit of much larger proportions than the existing.

Page 196 Flood Risk The flood risk document is dated Feb. 2011 and with the rapidly changing attitudes towards flooding it has to be asked if that report remains valid, especially in view of the major recent flooding in the valley. The report appears to suggest the Environment Agency are not concerned about the possible loss of floodplain storage. If this is the case it is extremely disappointing in view of the devastation caused further down the Aire valley last year.

DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL THURSDAY 26TH MAY IN FARNHILL INSTITUTE AT 7.30PM

Clerk S Harding-Hill 25.05.16

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