There were several members of the public present (see attached).

Present:

Cllr N R G Clarke (Chairman)
Cllr N J Chard
Cllr D R Cole
Cllr D E Cracknell (for part of the meeting)
Cllr M F Daly
Cllr B H Terry

In Attendance:

Jo Stannard, Deputy Town Clerk

P/4403 Absence

Apologies for absence had been received from Cllr Mrs B Charlton.

P/4404 Declarations of Interest

There were none.

P/4405 Minutes of Previous Meeting

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 10th November 2006, having been circulated, be approved and signed as a correct record.

With the agreement of the Committee, planning application number 06/89069 was considered next for the benefit of the members of public present.

P/4406 Planning Application Number 06/89069

Members considered planning application number 06/89069 for a proposed development of 12 dwellings at 15, 17 and rear of 13 Cloughs Road, taking into account comments from the planning and highways officers and members of the public. Members were concerned that the proposal represented an overdevelopment of the area and would be out of keeping and obtrusive. There was also concern about the material and adverse impact the increase in vehicles would have on traffic flow in this narrow, mainly unpaved road, which is a principal route to school. It also appeared that only 9 parking spaces had been provided for 12 dwellings and this was not felt to be adequate. In addition, there was some concern that the proposals to extend the footpath may not be possible to achieve.

RESOLVED: That an observation of Refusal (4) be submitted for planning application number 06/89069.

P/4407 Employment Development Plan Document – Options and Preferred Options

Members gave further consideration to the District Council’s Employment Development Plan Document – Options and Preferred Options, in light of comments received from members of the public at the drop-in sessions organised by the Town Plan Economy Focus Group on 17th and 18th November (summary of comments attached as Annex ‘A’). However, it was noted that the number of visitors to the drop-in sessions was low and comments were therefore not representative.

One of the greatest concerns was the inadequacy of the road network to support existing traffic, let alone any increase that would be generated by new development. There were also concerns about the impact on the pleasant enjoyment of the town and the visual impact of any development on the Nouale Lane site, which borders the New Forest National Park, and that the necessary social infrastructure was not in place to support new employment development.

Cllr Clarke stated that the Town Plan would consider all of these issues concurrently and he therefore recommended that employment land allocations for Ringwood should not be dealt with in isolation, but should be looked at within the framework of the Town Plan to enable a more balanced judgement, which would reflect the views of all residents of the town. It was felt that this could be achieved by requesting that the District Council deal with all employment land allocation for Ringwood as part of the Core Strategy of the Local Development Framework, rather than as part of the Employment Development Plan Document.

RESOLVED:
1) That the Preferred Options for employment land at Lynes Farm, Christchurch Road and Crow Lane be supported in principle but that the District Council be requested to deal with these allocations as part of the overall Core Strategy of the Local Development Framework to enable transport and social issues to be taken into account to meet the needs of the town as a whole.

2) That the Response Form at Annex ‘B’ be submitted to the District Council.

P/4408 Adjournement of Meeting

RESOLVED: That, at 3.00pm, the meeting be adjourned to enable the Deputy Town Clerk to email the Council’s response to the Employment Development Plan Document – Options and Preferred Options to meet the District Council’s deadline.

Cllr Cracknell left the meeting.

P/4409 Resumption of Meeting

RESOLVED: That, at 3.10pm, the meeting be resumed.

P/4410 New Forest National Park Authority’s Planning Enforcement Policy and Practice

Members considered a Draft Guidance Note relating to the New Forest National Park Authority’s Planning Enforcement Policy and Practice (Annex ‘C’).

RESOLVED: That the New Forest National Park Authority’s Planning Enforcement Policy and Practice Guidance Note be supported.

P/4411 Planning Applications Considered

Planning applications in respect of periods ending 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th November 2006 were considered.

RESOLVED: That the observations as shown in Annex ‘D’ be submitted. (PDF)

P/4412 Urgent Business

Street Lighting

The Deputy Town Clerk reported that, having visited the two sites put forward for bids to Hampshire County Council’s Community Safety Initiative for Street Lighting, she did not feel that it was necessary to install additional lights in Meeting House Lane or Gravel Lane. However, there might be a case for replacing the lights in Gravel Lane with more modern units, which would improve the spread of light onto the footpath.

She had discussed this with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Committee and with their approval, as the deadline for bids was 8th December, she had submitted one bid for improved lighting in Gravel Lane.

Members also discussed the lighting of the footpath across Carvers Recreation Ground and noted that an approximate estimate for this work was £16,000. However, Hampshire County Council had offered to contribute 50% of the costs from a budget allocated to the Walking & Cycling Project as this route had been identified as a safe route for cyclists travelling to and from the town centre.

RESOLVED: That action taken by the Deputy Town Clerk relating to bids under the Community Safety Initiative for Street Lighting be approved.

RECOMMENDED TO POLICY & FINANCE COMMITTEE:
That an additional bid of £8,000 for lighting the footpath across Carvers Recreation Ground be included in the Planning, Town & Environment Committee’s budget for 2007/08.

Future Matters

Cllr Clarke referred members to consultation being undertaken by New Forest District Council entitled Future Matters, and it was noted that the results of this consultation would be used to inform a revised Community Strategy, the Core Strategy of the Local Development Framework and the first National Park Management Plan. As the response form contained over 200 questions and covered 13 subjects, it was suggested that the Town Plan Focus Groups be asked to complete relevant sections.

RESOLVED: That the Town Plan Focus Groups be requested to complete sections of the Future Matters consultation response form relevant to their group.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 3.55pm.