Craster Parish Council

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Minutes of Craster Parish Meeting: Tuesday 12th July 2016

A Parish Meeting was held on Tuesday 12th July at 7pm in Craster Memorial Hall. The following notes summarise what was said.

The meeting was well attended, with approximately 35 residents in attendance.

Cllr Bryn Owen, Chair of Craster Parish Council, opened the meeting and welcomed residents and the guest speakers.

1.    The Minutes of the Parish Meeting held on 20th April 2016 were unanimously agreed as as accurate record of the meeting.
Proposed: Michael Craster
Seconded: John Gallon

2.    David English from Northumberland County Council then gave a presentation on Neighbourhood Plans. The main points are summarised below:

•    A Neighbourhood Plan is a legal document that should be seen as planning for growth, not stopping development. It sets out what an area will be like to live and work in, and also visit, in the future
•    A Parish must consider the neighbourhood area (will it include other Parishes?) and who will manage the production of the plan.
•    There is a process for preparing a plan
1. Define Neighbourhood Area
2. Prepare and Publicise Plan
o    Vision; Objectives; Evidence; Policies; Engagement to test policies; Review; Consultation
3. Submit Plan to County Council 
o    Basic Conditions Report
o    Consultation Statement 
4. Independent Examination
5. Referendum
o    Need 50% + 1 (of turn    out) to vote in favour

•    The average cost (nationally) of producing a Plan is £13,758
•    The County Council’s Role
o    Localism Act ‘duty to support’: practical help on offer   
o    Decision making role: designation of Neighbourhood Areas
o    Commitment to work with Parish Councils: provision of a link officer for each plan
•    To produce a Plan, you will need:
o    Time
o    People
o    Money
o    Skills
o    Energy
•    Is it worth it? Yes! Plans made so far have all achieved community wishes:
o    Control
o    Direction
o    Positive influence

Members of the public then asked a range of questions about the practical aspects of putting a plan together, and the limits of the Plan on planning decisions.

3.    Cllr Jennifer Hall, of Beadnell Parish Council, gave a presentation on the local impact of making a Neighbourhood Plan. It is summarised below:
•    December 2013, Beadnell, Bamburgh and Seahouses joined together to create a Neighbourhood Plan. While the three Parishes are totally different, they rely upon each other.
•    In Beadnell, 41% of houses were holiday homes in 2001 – it’s now 80%.
•    There is an important difference between second homes and holiday homes; second homes invest in the village and services, holiday homes often pay business rates and visitors don’t spend a lot in villages.
•    Preparing a Plan is a huge commitment. It has to be a positive document, taking account of local and national developments.
•    A network of volunteers is needed to report back at every stage. Questions from the community should be encouraged.
•    It’s difficult to evidence the need for affordable housing as young people have often left and don’t respond to surveys. Also problematic when 80% of residences are used as holiday homes.
•    Don’t delegate to experts until absolutely necessary – Plan team must become experts themselves.
•    The main benefit has been to bring together neighbouring parishes.

Members of the public then asked a range of questions about the practical aspects of putting a plan together and the challenges to the team

4.    There was a consensus view that a Neighbourhood Plan is worthy of investigation. The Parish Council should discuss who could form the team and speak to neighbouring parishes about working together. The Parish Council would welcome volunteers to take on some of this investigative work.

5.    The Residents Parking Scheme was reviewed. Cllr Cairns reported that delays had been encountered at Northumberland County Council due to absence and illness. The main issues reported were:
•    NCC are looking at traffic management to devise a proper way to make it unappealing for visitors to come into the village to park. This will include chicane at the entrance to the village, signage and speed bumps.
•    Enforcement is expensive and therefore a problem
•    Quarry Carpark work will happen for Easter 2017
•    The Turn Field continues to be needed and the number of days it is used could be increased.
•    The provision for coach parking is being reviewed based on evidence.

6.    Cllr Owen highlighted the current vacancy on the Parish Council

7.    Michael Craster highlighted that volunteers were needed on the Craster Community Trust committee.

The meeting closed at 8.45pm