January 2021 Minutes EOM
SPILSBY TOWN COUNCIL
Minutes of the Extra ordinary meeting of the Full Council held on 5th January 2021 at 7pm via video conferencing.
Present: Cllr Terry Taylor (Chairman)
Cllr L Day, Cllr M Gibson, Cllr S Haddock, Cllr T Kemp, Cllr E Lowe, Cllr L Marsh, Cllr B Rose, Cllr K Wood, Cllr A Wright
Also present: Mrs Y Smith (Town Clerk) (TC), Cllrs Grant and Holmes (Halton Holgate PC), Cllrs Dr Cartwright and Foster (Hundleby PC), 8 members of the public
Absent- Cllr Holland, Cllr Mangion
1. Apologies
None
2. Declarations of interest under the Localism Act 2011
Cllr Grant declared that he farms land on the western boundary of the proposed development.
3. Outline Planning Permission to the last east of Spilsby (S/165/00238/20)
Cllr Taylor outlined the reason for the meeting that it was for the outline planning permission not for the 600 houses and the surgery to be built. He had sent to councillors a suggestion to split the comments into four sections covering different aspects and four groups to look at each one.
These would then be compiled into a report and this would form the basis of the comments to ELDC.
Cllr Wood felt that the development would be a massive drain on the town and not giving anything back and that she would not support the application.
Cllr Grant wondered what the impact on the town would be regarding jobs etc.
Cllr Cartwright said that 600 houses would swamp Spilsby and the surrounding area. He continued that the NHS were being given £365K for the surgery in the 106 agreement. He said that he was concerned about the schools and health and recreation areas.
Cllr Taylor answered that the developers do not have to consider schools and that it is the ELDC planners who should contact the County Council regarding school places. He continued that people were making valid points however these have to be built into the comments.
Cllr Cartwright said shouldn’t the District Councillor and County Councillor take the concerns to ELDC. Cllr Taylor agreed that they should be taking representations forward.
Cllr Grant was concerned that the planning permission is by delegated powers according to the ELDC letter and felt that it should go to the Planning Committee at ELDC. He was most concerned about the water running off into Halton Holgate and causing flooding further down the water system. He also mentioned the increased volume in traffic.
Cllr Taylor said that he had asked the developer at a previous meeting regarding water run off and they had said that there would be hardly any.
Cllr Grant was also concerned as to what would happen to the management of the area after the development had finished especially where the balancing ponds were concerned.
Cllr Foster said that there was going to be 1000 to 1500 vehicles and delivery vehicles using the roads. Everyone has to go through the town centre. Ashby road junction and Halton Road will be impacted. These areas can be very chocked up at holiday times. Halton Road is like a single track now.
Cllr Wood said that she had read about bats and birds and that some birds were on the red list. The developers have been told to put up bat boxes.
Cllr Grant asked if the Town Council could ask for 200 houses instead.
Cllr Taylor said that it could done on road safety and that LCC could be lobbied about the access. He had previously been involved with a planning application which was eventually withdrawn because of access problems.
Cllr Grant said that it felt like a monster that out of control.
Cllr Taylor suggested that maybe the local councils could pool their resources and the representations.
Cllr Day said that it would bring more trade to the town.
Cllr Cartwright said that if the number was reduced, then maybe people would be behind the development. He said that he could not see how with 600 houses and 2000 people the town would cope.
Cllr Lowe asked if there was any room to lobby for less houses.
Cllr Rose said that when there was the ‘Have you Say’ most people accepted that it was going to happen. He felt the best thing we can do is mitigate and press for a relief road to make it unnecessary to go through the town centre also to make sure the environmental concerns are built into the provisions and to make provisions for the site traffic so that it does not go through main town and should go out via Ashby by Partney. He also had concerns about the management of the site afterwards.
Cllr Taylor said that there should be things added in about the management but it will have time limits and there has already been this problem in the town with developments where management stops and the Town Council has to pick up the maintenance.
Cllr Day said that there needs to be affordable housing.
ACTION -Cllr Grant to compile a report regarding the drainage.
ACTION- TC to contact ELDC for a further extension to 22nd January 2021
ACTION- TC put the link to planning application on ‘Nextdoor’ site.
Cllr Lowe said that public engagement had already been carried out and the response to the ‘Have your say’ was poor.
Cllr Holmes asked if the Head Teachers from the schools had approved the Town Council and were advised that they had not.
ACTION- Cllr Wood to ask what the position is for KEVIA
Cllr Day said that the other schools in the area need to be involved. ACTION- TC to contact County Councillor to look at the traffic problems.
ACTION- Council to look at the wildlife area.
ACTION- Council to ask about the ongoing maintenance after the build is completed.
ACTION- TC to ask if ELDC has contacted LCC re school capacity
ACTION- TC to ask for the decision to go to committee and not a delegated officer.
Cllr Holmes said that she thought the group needed to say how it felt about the new surgery- everyone agreed that it was a positive.
Cllr Gibson said that the surgery was going to be built first with the access down Post Office Lane and there were already problems with traffic emerging there.
Cllr Grant said that if people are going to work from home, then the area could benefit from mor woodland and leisure areas for health and well-being.
Cllr Marsh said regarding the site traffic going through Ashby that he agreed but the residents of Ashby may not agree and the junction at Scremby is worse that the junction in town.
Cllr Taylor said that he was not happy about the through road on the development and the developers had said in the beginning that they were going to make it difficult to go straight through.
Specialist Report Categories
Development Site Impact on Nature Cllrs Wood, Haddock and Day Community Safety and Transport Cllrs Gibson, Marsh, Holland and Wright
Site construction, planning and homes allocation
Cllrs Lowe, Taylor, Rose and Kemp Ground suitability and flood risk Cllr Grant (Halton Holgate PC)
To be return to the TC by 15th January 2021
4. Precept and Budget
a. It was RESOLVED to rescind the decisions made on the 3rd December 2020 for paras 143 and 144 due to an accounting error. (Standing Order 7 refers)
b. It was RESOLVED to set the budget as £232,885
c. It was RESOLVED to set the Precept for 2021/2022 as £112,885
The Chairman closed the meeting at 8.45pm