CHESTFIELD PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES OF THE VIRTUAL PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD AT 2.30PM ON 21 March 2021 Background to this “virtual” meeting: Regulations enabling town and parish councils to lawfully conduct virtual meetings by video and telephone conferencing until May 2021 have been published. The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 came into force on 4 April 2020 and allow for virtual meetings if required up to May 2021. This meeting was held using Zoom as a virtual hosting platform. Agendas were posted on the village noticeboards as usual and also to the parish council’s website. This clearly explained that members of the public are still able “attend” a parish council meeting either online or by telephone and advised anyone wishing to do so to contact the Clerk for details of the meeting link or phone number and the PIN code for access to enter. Present: Parish Cllr Steve Bailey (Chairman) Parish Cllr Chris Brealy (Vice Chairman) Parish Cllr Chris Ellis Parish Cllr Bob Todd Parish Cllr Pat Gibson (for two hours of the meeting) Parish Cllr Tricia Chapman Parish Cllr Anne Loder Parish Cllr Lorraine East Parish Cllr David Fitzpatrick KCC Cllr Robert Thomas CCC Cllr Ben Fitter-Harding (for part of the meeting) Amanda Sparkes, Clerk to the Council 2 x residents 111. Chairman’s Welcome Cllr Bailey welcomed everyone to the meeting, commenting that this may be one of the last virtual meetings. There were no apologies for absence. 112. Members’ Interests Cllr Brealy declared an interest in the Vattenfall application as part of the proposal covers Hollamby Estates land. Cllr Chapman has a previously declared an interest in the Grasmere Pasture development due to the proximity of her home. 113. Minutes of the meeting held on 17 January 2021 Cllr Chapman proposed, Cllr Brealy seconded and all Cllrs were happy that the Minutes be accepted as a true record of the meeting and the Chairman will sign them by post after the meeting. 114. Adjournment of the meeting A resident asked to record a massive thank you to all, commenting that the parish council is so busy between one magazine edition to the next, and that she so enjoys reading the magazine each quarter. She also offered thanks to Cllr Todd and Cllr East for training to be flood wardens, commenting that this is much appreciated. The meeting continued. 115. CCC Cllr Ben Fitter-Harding report Canterbury City Councillor Cllr Ben Fitter-Harding talked about the new in-house waste and recycling company Canenco. The service has improved this week after a difficult and challenging start, and service levels for waste and recycling are up on Serco’s previous standards. Food waste and gardening services are being worked on. He explained that some residents will get a new day for garden collection. He invited residents experiencing difficulties to contact him direct. 104 The new Canterbury District Local Plan Options consultation is due late May/early June, with options for development at the coast, or city, or new settlements, and infrastructure requirements. Free wifi was launched in Canterbury last week for anybody to use. 116. KCC Cllr Robert Thomas report KCC Cllr Robert Thomas had circulated his monthly report to all councillors just prior to the meeting. It can be read at bit.ly/RobTMarch21 Application by Kent County Council for Construction of part of a new road (A28 Link Road) including viaduct between A28 Sturry Road and A291 Sturry Hill and associated on-line improvements at A28 Sturry Link Road, Sturry, Canterbury, Kent CT20 – CA/19/00904 (KCC/CA/0091/2019) A report by KCC Head of Planning Applications Group went to a Planning Applications Committee on 09 March 2021. The officer recommendation was to that subject to the issuing of planning consents for applications CA/20/02826 and CA/18/008681 that planning permission be granted subject to the imposition of conditions. However, KCC voted 6:5 to turn down the application. Discussion included the lack of a fourth lane on the viaduct bridge and that there was no left turn option into Sturry cutting Sturry and Fordwich centres off. CCC has secured the £6.9m SELEP funding until September 2021 and KCC plans to take the link road application back to planning after the KCC elections – as the voting was so close they believe it will get passed. Other key elements reported: Cllr Thomas explained that there are public realm improvements happening in St Margaret’s Street, Canterbury, ahead of the re-opening of the former Slatters Hotel. The Kent Plan Bee Summit is planned for July 2021, details tbc. Cllr Thomas has reported the broken name plate street sign and some loose kerbstones in Woodvale Avenue. Cllr Bailey commented that it was pleasing to see a new and moved drain under the Swalecliffe railway bridge which will hopefully help with flooding and the issues this has caused for drivers and pedestrians. Cllr Brealy commented that drain covers in Molehill Road had been stolen a couple of days ago which Kent Highways had replaced. He also commented that he had concerns around cycle provision around the new Grasmere development site (to be reported later in the meeting/these Minutes.) He felt that the £44k S106 developer contribution should be used to widen and upgrade The Ridgeway. 117. Planning Current planning matters and planning applications are contained in Appendix 2 of Cllrs meeting paperwork - that had been previously circulated to all cllrs. Decisions reached and latest information is now attached as an appendix to these minutes. The Clerk asked to record thanks to Cllr Fitzpatrick for all his assistance with planning recently, as there has again been a lot to consider. Received the writeup of the CCC Parish Council engagement meeting held on 01 February 2021 where CCC gave presentations on the Canterbury District Local Plan update, the introduction of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), and Community planning (Village Design Statements and Neighbourhood Plans) – this is attached to these Minutes as a separate appendix. There then followed some discussion about whether the parish council should undertake a Village Design Statement or Neighbourhood Plan at this time. There are costs and time commitment to both. The Clerk reminded councillors that a neighbourhood plan is not about fighting development, but rather planning for where it would go and what type, and that a Neighbourhood Plan must align to the Canterbury District Local Plan. Cllr Todd questioned if there was benefit to produce either above the Canterbury District Local Plan and whether the parish council could add anything that is not already stated in the CDLP. Cllr Bailey felt that the Call for Sites information and the new Local Plan content due in Autumn 2021 should be waited for, and the parish council could then discuss this again. 105 CA/20/02204 - Land To The South Of Thanet Way (A299) And West Of Thornden Wood Road, Herne Bay, Kent, CT6 7NU - Installation of a ground mounted photovoltaic (PV) solar energy generation system, associated infrastructure, security measures (including CCTV) and landscaping. NOTED an email with letter attachment from Vattenfall received on 26 February 2021: One area that has been a concern to a few of the locals within the nearby homes is the surface condition of Molehill Road, namely between the junction between Chestfield Road and the access point to the Site. Various options have been discussed with Highways which have included unloading HGV’s into smaller vehicles to deliver the materials to Site. This option has been rejected as it led to a higher number of vehicles travelling along the road network and the possibility of congestion on the roads whilst the unloading/reloading took place. Instead, it has been proposed by Highways that a pre-commencement visual survey of this section of highway takes place before the works start as well as further visual surveys taking place at weeks 8, 12 and 16 of the construction process to continue with the detailed monitoring of the condition of the highway. These reports will be submitted to the Local Authority and Kent Highways team. If the delivery trucks cause damage to the highway then we, the applicant, have agreed to fund the repairs necessary to return it to the same, or a better state than it was prior to the construction traffic using the highway. It is proposed that this financial support will be attached to the planning application through the need to submit a further Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) to the Local Authority prior to construction commencing. It is proposed that this CTMP will include reference to a Parent Company Guarantee (PCG) for the value of the possible repair works to the highway. For this application the PCG would be offered by Vattenfall AB, who is the parent company of the Vattenfall Wind Power Limited. Vattenfall is a Swedish state backed Utility firm and so their financial status is considered very secure and low risk. This route will ensure that any damage to the highway near the proposed solar farm development will be rectified quickly once the construction process is complete. NOTED that this application was GRANTED by CCC on decision list dated 08 March 2021. Grasmere Pasture CA/17/00469/OUT - Grasmere Gardens, Land South of The Ridgeway, Chestfield - Outline application for a mixed-use development of up to 300 residential dwellings and 3,500 sqm of employment floorspace: Received 25 February 2021: Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (section 257): Proposed diversion of part of Public Footpaths CW88 and CW89, Chestfield (Nearest Postcode: CT5 3NA) Kent County Council is acting on behalf of Canterbury City Council in relation to public path orders under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.