NPSG Minutes August 2023

Rupert Lyons

Minutes of the 6^th July meeting were approved for accuracy and would be referred to the Parish Council for adoption.

A response to the initial AECOM report had been submitted to AECOM from the Steering Group together with comments from  Place Studio on 31^st July 2023. The SG felt that following a revision of Wiltshire Council’s planning policies, it may affect the number of  sites classified as amber.  The SG considered the way forward and while this ultimately would depend on the final AECOM report, the SG felt that there were two options available:-

A.      Allocate no sites in the Neighbourhood Plan and rely on robust policies to ensure that the requirements on the Parish were met and prevent any speculative planning applications.

B.      Recommend one site for some development to meet the requirements, however the SG would require an updated AECOM report before this could be considered.

In any case, it was agreed that whichever option was considered, a further consultation with the Parish must be undertaken in the autumn to canvas opinion, particularly as site 321 had been poorly received in general by the Parish.  The SG acknowledged that there would be little point in recommending any site which the Parish ultimately rejected at a referendum.

Eddie took an action to contact Place Studio for advice as to whether the SG should engage with all amber site owners or whether this  could be limited to one in the event that  option B. is taken forward.

James put forward a suggestion for alternative uses for Pear Tree Orchard if it is designated a LGS – he suggested that part of it could be used for a Scout Hut for the village which would produce an activity for younger members of the community.

Keith also suggested that the Pre-school building would need substantial refurbishment in the not too distant future and that this site might be a suitable use, bearing in mind its location in relation to the primary school.

Sian had circulated a  comprehensive report summarising attendee comments for the event overall with detailed comments from James sent separately.  Eddie agreed to pull out the key themes from these comments into a Summary and Full report that are required for the evidence base in the consultation statement as part of the output for demonstrating that the NP had taken into account the view of the community.

The SG were disappointed that the Project Plan outlined by Place Studio lacked sufficient detail for the SG to know how much more was required before the NP could be drafted. The SG acknowledged that the expectation that the draft NP would be ready  by October 2023 was in danger of slippage if it wasn’t clear how much work was still required.

Peter agreed to take on the role of Project Manager and facilitate a call with Place Studio where each task owner could discuss the detailed requirements for  their section, which should lead to a more granular Project Plan and more accurate timescale.

Eddie took an action to contact Place Studio to arrange a zoom call with the SG.

Rob agreed to circulate the latest draft of the NP to all members of the SG so that they could see the framework.

Newer members of the SG were encouraged to volunteer to take on or support some of the areas still outstanding. It was also agreed that membership of the Steering Group would be clarified and that the Clerk would be asked to ensure that mailing lists and the website were up to date.

Sian agreed to work on a design document for the village which would sit outside the NP, although concerns were raised that this was a substantial piece of work.

The call with Place Studios should identify the minimum amount of work required to finish the Neighbourhood Plan so that the SG could be better informed as to how much work was still required and hence the timescale to complete would take.

Eddie agreed to hold an informal meeting with members of the SG to provide  background of this site.

It was agreed that the next  formal meeting should be held on Thursday 7^th  September 2023 in The Oratory Room at the Church Institute at 7:15pm.

Eddie made it known that he might be away for September in which case Rob (vice-chair) would take the meeting.