CHOLMONDELEY & CHORLEY NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN STEERING GROUP
MINUTES OF A MEETING HELD ON 3 MARCH 2020 AT
AT PARK FARM, CHOLMONDELEY
| PRESENT: | Andy Latham | Chairman |
| Parish Councillors | Councillor C Hopley Councillor R Keys Councillor S Langton | Councillor C Nickson Councillor P Probin |
| Non-Parish Councillors | Andy Champion Stacey Rutter | |
| APOLOGIES: | Councillor A D Fennell Mr J Hall Mr M Robinson |
26 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST (PARISH COUNCILLORS) AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST (NON-PARISH COUNCILLORS)
Members were reminded that as the Minutes of the Steering Group meetings were stand-alone documents, it was important that declarations, and conflicts of interest, were declared at each meeting and recorded so that members of the public could be assured that there were no undeclared interests at any meeting.
Parish Councillors were asked to make any declarations of interest (in accordance with the Parish Council’s Code of Conduct) and non-Parish Councillors were asked to declare any potential conflict of interest owing to a connection with the business of the Steering Group or any item on the agenda.
Councillors C Hopley, R Keys, S Langton and P Probin each declared an interest on the basis that they were tenants 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.
27 MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 10 DECEMBER 2019
27.1 Approval of the Minutes
RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting held on 10 December 2019 be approved as a correct record.
27.2 Matters Arising
There were no matters arising from the minutes.
28 REPORT OF THE SUB-GROUPS
The sub-groups set on 15 October 2019, as follows, were invited to report on progress.
| Village Hall Housing | Roger Keys James Hall Tony Fennell Matthew Robinson Andy Latham |
| Nature Walking Cycle trails History Job opportunities Economy of the area | Philip Probin Chris Hopley Claire Farquharson Sarah Langton Stacey Rutter Andy Champion |
In view of the absence of some Members, there was only one group report and that was presented by Councillor Farquharson on behalf of the other group members.
Councillor Farquharson presented the various documents which she and other group members had prepared and she emphasised the need for the sub-groups to produce a coherent draft of their work to ensure that the Neighbourhood Plan process did not stall.
Discussion points included:
- Village Hall – what size should it be and who would be likely to use it?
- The importance of including heritage assets.
- Concern was expressed that the sub-group dealing with housing had not yet met. Although some meetings had been set up, they had subsequently been cancelled.
All Members were asked to submit their comments by Friday, 20 March 2020 to enable a first draft to be prepared. This would then be issued to Lucy Hughes of Cheshire Community Action, who would review and comment on it.
29 QUOTATION FROM CHESHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST FOR WILDLIFE/BIO-DIVERSITY SURVEY
A quotation in the sum of £1,600 plus VAT, from Cheshire Wildlife Trust, had been received for the following:
- Creation of map showing habitat distinctiveness (in line with Defra Biodiversity Metric method).
- Mapped wildlife corridors recommended for protection through the Neighbourhood Planning process.
- Liaison with Steering Group to review/create Neighbourhood Plan policy(ies) for Nature Conservation/ Biodiversity/Environment as required.
- Detailed report (pdf format) setting out the method, additional maps (including designated sites) and discussion of the findings in relation to the relevant nature conservation guidance and policies.
- Recommendations for enhancing the value of the natural environment in Cholmondeley and Chorley.
It was understood that Cholmondeley Estate Office had already commissioned a wide-ranging ecological study for the area, and it might be possible to use that study to inform the Neighbourhood Plan. Failing that, an application could be submitted to Locality for a grant.
The scope of that study The Parish Council had already agreed its budget for 2020-21. To receive for information a quotation from Cheshire Wildlife Trust for an Ecology Survey which would inform the Neighbourhood Plan; however, it is understood that the Cholmondeley Estate has recently commissioned a survey and this can be made available at no cost to the Parish Council.
It was agreed that James Hall (Cholmondeley Estate Office) be asked (a) to advise on the scope of the study; and (b) if the ecological study could be made available to the Steering Group.
30 DATE OF NEXT MEETING
7 April 20201
1 Owing the Covid-19 pandemic, the meeting was cancelled.