Minutes of the Extraordinary Meeting of New Hutton Parish Council held on the 29th August 2012 at the Institute
120829-1 Present
Pat Bell, Tony Ellis, Henry Robinson, Martyn Welch, Tony Porter(Chairman), Arthur Robinson (clerk), Peter Thornton (SLDC councillor) and 40 parishioners
120829-2 Declaration of interests: none
120829-3 Introductions
Tony Porter stated that this meeting had been called to discuss the Parish Council’s response to the SLDC Planning Committee concerning planning application SL/2012/0661 which sought outline planning permission to build seven houses on the field between The Ashes and New Hutton Church. He summarised the history of meetings to do with the field and described the application which is for the houses to be in a line between The Ashes and Portree along an access road parallel with New Hutton Lane. He thanked Kath Twist and Len Atkinson for publicising the application and this meeting.
120829-4 Context
Peter Thornton (PT) outlined the four ways in which permission could be granted for development:
Land on the SLDC Land Allocation plan – not applicable here
Land in a Neighbourhood Plan – not applicable here
Isolated sites for affordable housing alone – not applicable here
Land deemed to be infill or rounding off of an existing settlement – the grounds for this application and the focus for comments to the Planning Committee by parishioners
He stated that the developer will not be able to claim that SLDC does not have enough land allocated for development and warned that this application might go to appeal if refused. The Parish Council should, therefore, consider a long-term plan.
He said that SLDC’s core strategy cannot now be challenged but the interpretation of the terms ‘infill’ and ‘rounding off’ could be. The developer has included reference to a planning appeal at Goadbarrow, Ulverston, to imply this. However, the application at New Hutton is the first real test for the meaning of the terms in small rural villages and hamlets.
120829-5 Infill
Definition - Building taking place on a vacant plot in an otherwise built-up street frontage
The meaning of ‘street’ was questioned – it was agreed from the dictionary definition and general usage that it applies to an urban context whereas the site is rural. It was noted that there are 4 houses at one end and 2 at the other but the proposal is to build 7 between so there is not a pattern of housing along the lane and the infill would be at a different scale.
120829-6 Rounding off
Definition - The completion of an incomplete group of buildings on land which is already partially developed, in such a way that will either complete the local road pattern or finally define and complete the boundaries of the group.
Rounding off applies to a single settlement. The focus here is to show that The Ashes and the village are separate settlements by referring to historical evidence, the understanding of parishioners today and what it feels like when walking from the village to The Ashes.
There was discussion about the scale of the development; the village has 15 houses and The Ashes hamlet has 5. The development would increase the village by 47%, but it is at The Ashes end of the field so it would increase The Ashes hamlet by 140%.
120829-7 Sustainability
The application assumes that all traffic would go to the A684 but it is a single track lane with only two passing places of which one is a quagmire. Traffic will go southwards along New Hutton Lane to access Old Hutton primary school and southern Kendal; the lane is single track with dangerous corners.
The village has none of the services which SLDC required settlements to have for land to be allocated at them.
120829-8 Housing need
Peter Thornton said that even though the housing needs survey of New Hutton conducted by CRHT in 2011 showed there was a need for 11 households, need cannot trump the criteria of infill and rounding off. The survey showed a need over the next 5 years for 2 2-bedroomed flats to rent, 5 2-bedroomed houses to rent and 4 2-bedroomed houses to self-build or to convert.
There was general agreement that redundant buildings on farms and elsewhere could be developed to meet this need.
It was noted that a Neighbourhood Plan can show where affordable housing could be provided but such plans cannot block planning applications for other sites.
120829-9 Character of the village
There was some general discussion about how the design of new houses would change the village’s character but as the planning application is for outline permission and design would be considered later if this was granted, the discussion came to no conclusions.
The character of the village in terms of its setting in the landscape is relevant to the application and parishioners were urged to comment on how the development would change it.
120829-10 Secret ballot
A secret ballot of parishioners was carried out using the question:
Do you agree with the planning application for outline planning permission for seven houses on the field between The Ashes and Portree (SL/2012/0661)?
The result was:
Agree = 1
Disagree = 44
120829-1 Present
Pat Bell, Tony Ellis, Henry Robinson, Martyn Welch, Tony Porter(Chairman), Arthur Robinson (clerk), Peter Thornton (SLDC councillor) and 40 parishioners
120829-2 Declaration of interests: none
120829-3 Introductions
Tony Porter stated that this meeting had been called to discuss the Parish Council’s response to the SLDC Planning Committee concerning planning application SL/2012/0661 which sought outline planning permission to build seven houses on the field between The Ashes and New Hutton Church. He summarised the history of meetings to do with the field and described the application which is for the houses to be in a line between The Ashes and Portree along an access road parallel with New Hutton Lane. He thanked Kath Twist and Len Atkinson for publicising the application and this meeting.
120829-4 Context
Peter Thornton (PT) outlined the four ways in which permission could be granted for development:
Land on the SLDC Land Allocation plan – not applicable here
Land in a Neighbourhood Plan – not applicable here
Isolated sites for affordable housing alone – not applicable here
Land deemed to be infill or rounding off of an existing settlement – the grounds for this application and the focus for comments to the Planning Committee by parishioners
He stated that the developer will not be able to claim that SLDC does not have enough land allocated for development and warned that this application might go to appeal if refused. The Parish Council should, therefore, consider a long-term plan.
He said that SLDC’s core strategy cannot now be challenged but the interpretation of the terms ‘infill’ and ‘rounding off’ could be. The developer has included reference to a planning appeal at Goadbarrow, Ulverston, to imply this. However, the application at New Hutton is the first real test for the meaning of the terms in small rural villages and hamlets.
120829-5 Infill
Definition - Building taking place on a vacant plot in an otherwise built-up street frontage
The meaning of ‘street’ was questioned – it was agreed from the dictionary definition and general usage that it applies to an urban context whereas the site is rural. It was noted that there are 4 houses at one end and 2 at the other but the proposal is to build 7 between so there is not a pattern of housing along the lane and the infill would be at a different scale.
120829-6 Rounding off
Definition - The completion of an incomplete group of buildings on land which is already partially developed, in such a way that will either complete the local road pattern or finally define and complete the boundaries of the group.
Rounding off applies to a single settlement. The focus here is to show that The Ashes and the village are separate settlements by referring to historical evidence, the understanding of parishioners today and what it feels like when walking from the village to The Ashes.
There was discussion about the scale of the development; the village has 15 houses and The Ashes hamlet has 5. The development would increase the village by 47%, but it is at The Ashes end of the field so it would increase The Ashes hamlet by 140%.
120829-7 Sustainability
The application assumes that all traffic would go to the A684 but it is a single track lane with only two passing places of which one is a quagmire. Traffic will go southwards along New Hutton Lane to access Old Hutton primary school and southern Kendal; the lane is single track with dangerous corners.
The village has none of the services which SLDC required settlements to have for land to be allocated at them.
120829-8 Housing need
Peter Thornton said that even though the housing needs survey of New Hutton conducted by CRHT in 2011 showed there was a need for 11 households, need cannot trump the criteria of infill and rounding off. The survey showed a need over the next 5 years for 2 2-bedroomed flats to rent, 5 2-bedroomed houses to rent and 4 2-bedroomed houses to self-build or to convert.
There was general agreement that redundant buildings on farms and elsewhere could be developed to meet this need.
It was noted that a Neighbourhood Plan can show where affordable housing could be provided but such plans cannot block planning applications for other sites.
120829-9 Character of the village
There was some general discussion about how the design of new houses would change the village’s character but as the planning application is for outline permission and design would be considered later if this was granted, the discussion came to no conclusions.
The character of the village in terms of its setting in the landscape is relevant to the application and parishioners were urged to comment on how the development would change it.
120829-10 Secret ballot
A secret ballot of parishioners was carried out using the question:
Do you agree with the planning application for outline planning permission for seven houses on the field between The Ashes and Portree (SL/2012/0661)?
The result was:
Agree = 1
Disagree = 44
