CHOLMONDELEY & CHORLEY NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN STEERING GROUP
MINUTES OF A MEETING HELD ON 14 MAY 2019 AT
AT SCHOOL FARM, CHOLMONDELEY
| PRESENT: | Andy Latham | Chairman |
| Parish Councillors | Councillor A D Fennell Councillor S Langton Councillor P Probin | Councillor C Hopley Councillor R Keys |
| Non-Parish Councillors | Andy Champion James Hall Matthew Robinson | |
| APOLOGIES: | Claire Farquharson Stacey Rutter |
1 ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN (NEW MUNICIPAL YEAR)
The Steering Group was invited to elect a Chairman to serve until the next Annual Meeting of the Parish Council.
Andrew Latham indicated that owing to other commitments he was unable to act as Chairman for the year and Members discussed options.
RESOLVED: (a) That Andrew Latham be elected Chairman for the meeting; and
(b) That at each meeting, a Chairman be elected from amongst the Steering Group Members.
2 MEMBERSHIP OF THE STEERING GROUP
It was reported that at the Annual Council meeting held on 7 May 2019, the following were appointed to the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group –
| Parish Councillors: | Tony Fennell Christopher Hopley Philip Probin Roger Keys Sarah Langton (Subject to signing of her Declaration of Acceptance of Office prior to the start of this meeting.) |
| Non-parish councillors: | Andy Latham Andy Champion Claire Farquhason James Hall Matthew Robinson Stacey Rutter |
3 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST (PARISH COUNCILLORS)
Parish Councillors were invited to make any declarations of interest.
Councillors C Hopley, R Keys, S Langton and P Probin each declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in the proceedings on the basis that they were tenants of the Cholmondeley Estate.
No other declarations were made.
4 CONFLICTS OF INTEREST (NON-PARISH COUNCILLORS)
Non-parish councillors were invited to declare any potential conflict of interest which they may have in connection with the business of the Steering Group itself and in respect of any item on the agenda.
Mr J Hall declared an interest in the proceedings on the basis that he was an employee of the Cholmondeley Estate.
Mr M Robinson declared an interest in the proceedings on the basis that he was a representative of the Cholmondeley Estate.
Mr A Champion and Mr A Latham each declared an interest in the proceedings on the basis that they were tenants of the Cholmondeley Estate.
No other declarations were made.
5 MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 12 MARCH 2019
5.1 Approval of the Minutes
RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting held on 12 March 2019 be approved as a correct record.
5.2 Matters Arising
There were no matters arising, other than those items detailed elsewhere on the agenda.
6 RESULTS OF FIRST CONSULTATION QUESTIONNAIRE
The Steering Group considered the results of the first questionnaire which had been prepared by Claire Farquhason; this would be used as the basis for drawing up a vision for the parish.
The consultation had been undertaken during April 2019, and the completed questionnaires had been collected by Members of the Steering Group before 6 May 2019.
167 questionnaires had been distributed; 63 had been completed and this was a response rate of 37.7%.
Once the vision document had been produced and approved, this would be shared with residents either through a drop-in session, or an open meeting which Members considered should be held in the Tea Rooms at Cholmondeley Castle in July or August 2019.
Members agreed that Lucy Hughes (Cheshire Community Action) should be invited to attend the next meeting to offer advice in respect of the next stages in the process.
Members noted the key issues to emerge from the consultation and commented as follows, and also discussed generally aspirations for the parish.
- The Coronation Hall was no longer appropriate for activities; this was a hall which would have been appropriate in the 50s/60s but not for modern-day activities.
- James Hall supported this view and commented that the Cholmondeley Estate was subsidising the Coronation Hall as it was no longer ‘fit for purpose’.
- A new and modern village hall would be of benefit; one where people could ‘drop in’, use it for regular activities, e.g. Pilates, library and children’s activities.
- Members commented that the name ‘village hall’ or ‘community hall’ was not a marketable name and an alternative name was required.
- It was acknowledged that if parties were to be held in a new venue, the hall would need to be licenced for both liquor and music (through PPL PRS) to allow music to be played, whether live or recorded.
- To accommodate, for example, a Christmas party, the hall would need to hold at least 80 persons.
- Reference was made to land around the Cholmondeley Arms which could be used for the erection of a marquee for such events.
- James Hall supported this view and commented that the Cholmondeley Estate was subsidising the Coronation Hall as it was no longer ‘fit for purpose’.
- New shop facilities were required to attract passing trade.
- A Member raised the issue of whether there was an ‘appetite’ for community housing’ and he mentioned the possibility of setting up a Lands Trust in this connection. [These were set up and run by ordinary people to develop and manage homes as well as other assets. These trusts acted as long-term stewards of housing, ensuring that they remained genuinely affordable, based on what people actually earn in their area, not just for now but for every future occupier.]1
- Arising out of discussion of this point, two Members expressed concern about the potential to purchase houses at a below-market rate and then sell for profit unless there was some control over who would be eligible to either purchase/rent the dwellings.
In response, James Hall advised that it would be appropriate for a qualified expert to offer advice and provide more detail about the various models available.
- Matthew Robinson had discussed housing numbers with Cheshire East Council (CEC) Planning Officers. CEC would support an increase of between 30-50 houses and any development must retain the character of the area or be an improvement.
Following discussion, Matthew Robinson undertook to summarise, in lay terms, the key issues arising out of the questionnaire results. This would be submitted to Members of the Steering Group, following which it would also be shared with Lucy Hughes.
RESOLVED: (a) That Claire Farquhason be thanked for her work in producing the comprehensive questionnaire results document;
(b) That Lucy Hughes (Cheshire Community Action) be invited to the next meeting of the Steering Group to offer advice on the next steps in the process;
(c) That Matthew Robinson be thanked for undertaking to produce a short summary of the key points to emerge from the questionnaire results; and
(d) That the document be shared with Lucy Hughes.
7 PROJECT PLAN
The Steering Group received a copy of the Project Plan previously submitted. This had been updated to show progress on items 1-9.
8 DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Tuesday, 25 June 2019 – 7.30 pm.
1 This was not defined in the meeting but has subsequently been added by the Clerk and may or may not be an accurate description.