Minutes 27th March 2018

MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE CHARMOUTH NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN STEERING GROUP HELD AT THE LIBRARY, CHARMOUTH, ON 27th MARCH 2018 AT 7.00PM  

Present:  Andy Bateman (Chair), Sarah Edwards (Secretary), Chris Lakeman Fraser, Simon Leech, Tim Sheward, Eden Thomson, Elaine Philips observing. 

Apologies:  David Clifford CPC, Jan Gale, Paul Oatway CPC, Tanya Trenholm.

The Chairman reminded members of the requirement under the Terms of Reference to declare any interest in any item on the agenda or in any topic that arises during the meeting.

AB welcomed Elaine Phillips as an observer at the meeting.

AB told the meeting that Ros Cole has decided to step down, but that she will still help with specific pieces of work in the future.  He thanked her for all the work she has put in, and it was agreed that she will be greatly missed. 

Minutes of the last meeting

The minutes of the last meeting were agreed. 

It was agreed that parish councillors attending as observers should be so identified in the minutes.  

Several members had found it impossible when searching online to identify which Steering Group minutes covered a particular topic.  SE to check if this can be achieved..

Actions/Matters Arising

Initial street survey – AB now has some of the completed forms, as well as the summarised results from many others, but is still hoping that more forms will come to light.  It was agreed that while ideally we would have all the forms completed that day, what we have is representative of the total and is sufficient to evidence initial results.

Following discussion with Jo Witherden AB has decided that the “cultural package” available from Locality is unlikely to be helpful to us.

It was agreed that key definitions should be listed in an appendix to the Plan; this will avoid repetition in the main text.

AB said that a meeting between several members of the Group and the WDDC had been very useful.

The short presentation by AB to the Lyme Regis Society on the preparation of a Neighbourhood Plan had been well received.

ET and SE reported on the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) AGM, which they attended.  The AONB are drawing up their next 5 year plan, so one purpose of the meeting was for them to obtain feedback. They are willing to come and talk to the Group about how environmental issues can be incorporated into a Plan (eg lighting, bat boxes) and will be publishing guidance online in the next two months.

AB said that some of the amendments he requested to the housing report have been made but some have been refused.  He is concerned that the report, which was funded by Locality, is accurate in what it covers, but does not address some of the wider issues.  Although it will form part of the evidence, we may have to cite it with a caveat attached.   

Feedback on Open Forum

It was agreed that the Open Forum went well, with approximately 60 people attending. Jo Seaman had prepared an excellent presentation (which now needs to be posted online) and having four people each presenting different parts had made it more “audience friendly”.  Members of the Group have since received a lot of positive feedback. The Parish Council is pursuing the issue of coastal defences and discussions are continuing.

Work Streams

Policy writing and supporting work:

SE said that there are a number of documents covering various aspects of Charmouth that have been published in the past which can form a useful starting point when drafting policies. Some are available online eg Charmouth Characterisation Report 2nd February 2011. 

AB and TS have drafted a discussion document on housing policies.  TS did a first “brain dump” by going through the consultation feedback, Jo Witherden’s input and the Local Plan.  The policies are split into sub-headings.  Policies on housing needs and sensitive areas are still to be drafted; if they are included as appendices they can easily be updated in the lifetime of the Plan. The subsequent discussion covered issues such as second homes and commercially viable affordable housing sites. 

There has been no feedback yet from TN and JG, who are covering business and employment needs, including tourism. 

After Easter ET and SE will be walking around Charmouth identifying green spaces and other environmental assets (eg trees, key views) before drafting the environment policies.

SL will look at village assets eg shops. 

Village Improvement Projects:

PO has identified money that might go to potential projects, but it must be allocated within a tight timetable. Approximately £16,000 is available, to be allocated between  projects which come within various criteria eg improvement of park area. AB will ask JS to review the results of the survey to identify possible projects.  SE will ask Lisa Tuck for an update on the consultation on the possible purchase of new playing field equipment. 

Service Providers Interviews:

SE said that she, JG and TT were meeting after the Easter break to discuss the next stage of the survey.

Update on finances

AB said that the Group’s main sources of income were the Parish Council and Locality.; He will be submitting a financial report this week. The Parish Council has earmarked £1000 for the Group next year.  Printing cost £700 this year; it will cost more next year, as it will include printing the draft report. The Locality grant runs out at the end of this year and he needs to reapply for new year.

New Members

It was agreed that at least three new members are needed to help with the volume of work still to be done, and AB asked everyone to look out for anyone who might be interested in joining.

TS asked if we are getting help from organisations in the area. It was agreed that we should keep in mind the possibility of asking organisations for help when there is a discrete piece of work to be done.

AOB

There was no other business.

Date of next Meeting

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 1st May 2018 at 7pm. SE to check if The Elms is available. (The meeting will be in the Library)  

There being no further business, the meeting ended at 8.50pm.  

AB Andrew Bateman; DC David Clifford CPC; SE Sarah Edwards; CF Chris Lakeman Fraser; JG Jan Gale; BG Beth Gillan; SG Steve Gillan; CG Carole Girling; SL Simon Leech; TN Teresa Noel; PN Peter Noel CPC; PO Paul Oatway CPC;JS Jo Seaman; TS Tim Sheward;  ET Eden Thomson;  TT Tanya Trenholm.      

(CPC – Charmouth Parish Councillor; NP – Neighbourhood Plan)