STRENSALL WITH TOWTHORPE PARISH
COUNCIL
The Village Hall, Northfields, Strensall, York YO325XW
e-mail: strensalltowthorpePC@outlook.com
phone: 01904 491569
Chairman : Mr A H Fisher
MINUTES OF AN PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD IN THE VILLAGE HALL ON THURSDAY 08th FEBRUARY 2022 AT 7.30PM
Councillors Present: Andrew Bolton Chris Chambers John Chapman Tony Fisher* Ray Maher Lawrence Mattinson Susan Nunn Kevin Ogilvy
In Attendance: Fiona Hill - Parish Clerk
Keith Marquis –Chairman, NP Working Group
Public Present: 0
* City of York Councillors
21/89 a) To receive apologies for absence given in advance of the meeting:
Cllr Paul Doughty*
b) To consider the approval of reasons given for absence: N/A
21/90 To discuss the ordinary and casual vacancies: NTR
21/91 To receive any declarations of interest under the Parish Council Code of Conduct or
Members register of interests: None
21/92 a) To approve the minutes of the Parish Council meeting of 11th January 2022:
Resolved – Approved (Unanimous)
b) To endorse the approved Planning Committee minutes of 11th and 25th January 2022:
Resolved – Approved (Unanimous)
21/93 Public participation on any subject relating to the agenda: None
21/94 To receive matters raised by/with City of York Ward Councillors: Paul McCabe, York Community Woodland project manager, City of York Council emailed “The Parish Council had received an email from CYC has received £25,000 from the White Rose Forest to support work towards the council’s tree canopy target. The grant will be used to map potential planting locations in the city and produce a prioritised list of feasible tree planting opportunities. See attached briefing note for more details. As part of the mapping exercise, ward councillors are invited to submit site suggestions. Please reply to this email with the names of up to two streets* you would like to consider, listed in priority order. The deadline for responses is 12 noon on Thursday 17 February 2022. Due to resource constraints, we cannot guarantee that all sites will be explored. The scope of this project does not include tree planting; future funding will need to be identified. Site prioritisation will be based on funding eligibility indicators, such as air quality, flood mitigation, social deprivation and areas of existing low tree cover”. Resolved - Cllrs Chapman and Fisher would look into this on behalf of the Parish Council (Unanimous)
21/95 To discuss and, if necessary, agree action on matters arising/ongoing issues: a) North Yorkshire Police monthly reports The January 2022 report was circulated by email on 02 February 2022 b) Neighbourhood Plan Keith Marquis gave a report and a written version is attached to these minutes
21/96 To discuss and, if necessary, agree action on matters raised since last meeting: a)Queens 70th Anniversity – suggestion of a bench by bus terminus at Redmayne Square area The land is not owned by the Parish Council, so Cllr Fisher would try and speak to the Hogg family.
21/97 To discuss and, if necessary, agree action, on any correspondence received: a) City of York Council Local Plan The Parish Council had received the commencement notice for the Phase 2 hearing sessions.
21/98 To discuss matters raised by/with Responsible Financial Officer (RFO): a) Bank reconciliation, income received, payments made to date The Parish Clerk had circulated a financial report, which is shown below b) Internal controls checks Cllr Nunn conducted these checks and everything was found to be in order. c) Yorkshire Local Councils Association – The latest training program had been circulated and Cllr Fisher would join the webinar regarding planning enforcement and appeals on Thu24Feb22.
21/99 To confirm the date of the next meeting as Tuesday 08th March 2022 at 7.15 p.m.: Resolved – Approved (Unanimous)
Progress Report to Strensall with Towthorpe Parish Council Tuesday 8th February 2022
The Steering Group for Strensall with Towthorpe Neighbourhood Plan met together most recently on 25th February 2020. Members agreed to the alterations advised by City of York Council’s Forward Planning Officer and that the Final Version of the Neighbourhood Plan should be passed to the Graphic Designer prior to submission to City of York Council for examination.
A virtual meeting was held with some members of the steering group and City of York Council’s Forward Planning Officers on 17th September 2020. This meeting was arranged to discuss the effect of the Green Belt amendments recommended by the Planning Inspectors for the City of York Local Plan. Also discussed was the content of the 2020 Habitat Regulations Assessment published earlier that year and subsequent alterations necessary to ensure the Neighbourhood Plan was in unison with these documents.
Mike Dando, of Directions Planning, compiled the necessary documents to accompany the submission version of the Neighbourhood Plan plus any alterations arising from those just mentioned above.
Due to restrictions imposed by central government on gatherings, as a result of the pandemic, it was agreed that communications between members of the steering group would be done by email and the only member of the group, who had no access to this method, was kept in the loop verbally and supplied with printed documents.
Once these documents were completed and checked the Strensall with Towthorpe Neighbourhood Plan was considered ready for submission. Due to staffing difficulties at City of York Council and the priority given to the Local Plan it was not until early June 2021 that the Submission Version of The Neighbourhood Plan, and associated documents, were completed by Mike Dando at Directions Planning. The submission documents were forwarded by the Parish Clerk to City of York Council on 16th June 2021.
Advice received from City of York Council on 1st November 2021 that arrangements were about to be made for a public consultation to be held to invite comments about the submission version.
City of York Council’s Officer also wished the examination to be carried out by an inspector of their choice. After consultation with Directions Planning, who had submitted preferred names of examiners with the submission documents, it was agreed by members of the steering group that our choice of examiner – Rosemary Kidd be chosen. This has meant that examination cannot commence until early April 2022 when she is available to carry out the examination.
The next phase of examination of the Local Plan commences on 15th March 2022 and is hoped to be adopted by the end of the year.
The Submission Version Consultation was arranged to take place from 15th November 2021 until 7th January 2022.
14 responses were received which were:
1. National Highways generally supportive
2. Member of Public criticism of maps showing footpaths
3. Member of Public criticism of some open space locations
4. Earswick Parish Council support
5. Sustrans support
6. North Yorkshire CC no adverse comments
7. Member of Public criticism of Roof Forms in Consultation Statement
8. Historic England no comment either for or against
9. Avison Young (National Grid) no assets in plan area
10. Lichfield (Taylor Wimpey) objection to Brecks site not included as development site.
11. Avison Young (Defence
Infrastructure Organisation) Objection to Q E Barracks site omitted
12. Natural England broadly satisfied with NP
13. Member of Public objects to items about land between River Foss and West Pit Lane.
14. City of York Council Wishes further amendments following publication of NPPF 2021.
Of these items the local views appear to be from those associated with land between the River Foss and West Pit Lane. The contents of the identified areas were all in concert with the submitted version of the Local Plan in 2018.
Also, the development sites were in concert with those contained in the submitted version of the Local Plan in 2018 and excluded the following sites:
The Brecks which was the subject of a call in by the Secretary of State in 2014 and the inspector’s report confirmed the Parish Council’s evidence that the site was in green belt and development of the site by Linden Homes was refused.
Similarly, the Queen Elizabeth Barracks site was excluded following the report by, Natural England and City of York Council, that major development would be detrimental to Strensall Common which is protected by English and European legislation.
Any questions? And are members of the Parish Council prepared to support the submitted version when examination takes place.
Volunteers are needed to meet and discuss the above responses received to agree any response for the examiner. I suggest mid-March will be an appropriate date.
Keith Marquis