Minutes Planning Meeting October 30 2021

Minutes of the Planning meeting of Stoodleigh Parish Council, held on October 30 at 6pm in the Parish Hall

Members present -: Cllr J Widdowson acting as Chairman and Cllrs S Davey, W Knowles and G Talbot

Apologies – these were received from Cllrs L Biles, G Parkman and C Payne
Declarations of Interest – Cllr Widdowson declared a pecuniary interest in planning application 21/01953/FULL. It was agreed to rearrange the published order of the agenda for practical reasons.
The Public – there were 12 members of the public present. Opportunity was given to comment before each planning item was discussed by council members.
Planning Application 21/01953/FULL Associated operational development in conjunction with 20/02111/PNCOU for the change of use of an existing agricultural building to dwelling. Land and buildings at NGR 293585 120325 (West of Valley View Farm), Stoodleigh. Cllr Widdowson left the room while this was discussed with Cllr Knowles taking the chair.

Very little discussion ensued on this following the site visit at 5.00pm. The choice of cladding materials and siting of the solar panels were thought to have been well considered.

It was unanimously ,

RESOLVED that, the Local Planning Authority be advised that the Parish Council support this application

Planning application 21/01420/FULL Change of use of land from agricultural to part small holding, part of breeding kennels and siting of a temporary mobile home with septic tank. land at NGR 289870 116865 Stoodleigh Cross, Stoodleigh.

Members of the public in attendance voiced objections to the above. Mr Banks felt grieved that he had had little response from MDDC after contacting the Enforcement Officer on the matter. He would like to see the hedges reinstated and commented that the actual application was based on the situation after significant unauthorised work had been done on the site. Mr Abel had similarly had little feedback after reporting the change of gates. Mr Hilary asked the most effective way to object and had concerns on safety issues should the dogs get loose with the proximity of a major road. Mr Talbot read an extract from a detailed report which doubted whether the breeding kennels would meet Environmental Health standards. The land is impervious and not ideally suited for a septic tank installation. Mr Shepherd expressed a lack of confidence in the way things had been done and would like the site to be reinstated. Mr Wyatt felt that the recent flooding across the road was a direct result of the removal of hedges and the additional gateways. As a consequence of these opinions the Chairman advised that the best method to have these recognised, should anyone wish to pursue the matter further was to individually record these on the MDDC planning portal

The council members had made a site visit earlier in the day and raised a number of questions with the applicant. Cllr Knowles felt that the site was not fit for purpose and if permission is granted would set a precedent and be an environmental disaster. The entrance is less than 30 metres from the Link Road. Cllr Talbot is against sporadic development in a green belt area. Cllr Davey felt that there was no clear business plan to justify the proposals. Cllr Widdowson emphasised that the site had no mains water, electricity or specific drains. The whole project was currently unsightly and the proposed erection of 2 metre high fencing was not in keeping with the surrounding countryside. The council is concerned that in respect of the proposal for a temporary mobile home, at this point there appears to be no evidence of essential need, a firm intention to develop the enterprise or sound financial planning.

The council voted unanimously to object to the application and to ask the District Council to “call it in” for detailed scrutiny. A copy of the report referred to earlier by Mr Talbot would be forwarded as well.

RESOLVED that, The Local Planning Authority be advised that the Parish Council object to this application