Minutes of the extraordinary meeting held

on 13 August 2020 at 7.30pm remotely via

Zoom.

Downloadable/printable versions (open as PDF documents) Minutes Appendix A Present Cllrs: K Langley (Chair), C d’Ayala (Vice Chair), P Lawrence, M Higgs, J Kershaw. In attendance the Clerk Catharine Toms & seventeen members of the public. This meeting would be recorded for the purpose of the minutes 1.8.20 Attendance (as above) 2.8.20 To receive apologies for absence. None. 3.8.20 To receive Members Declarations of Interest. None. 4.8.20 To invite Members of the Public to address the meeting. Standing Orders were suspended to allow members of the public to make comments if they wished. Of numerous contributions made by members of the public and Councillors throughout an extended (90 minute long) discussion, none favoured the application. The main concerns raised were access from Jacksons Lane and safety, as proposed access would be opposite the school, sustainability, whether there was a need for additional housing, the strain it would put on existing fragile infrastructure and worry that if the application got approval then it would surely lead to other development beyond the settlement boundary. Standing Orders were resumed. 5.8.20 To consider and make comment on planning application: Permission in Principle : Erection of seven dwellings. Mill Corner Farm, Jacksons Lane, Reed, Hertfordshire, SG8 8AB – Case Ref No: 20/01605/PIP Cllr. Langley had previously circulated to all Cllrs. a draft response to the planning application. After some discussion, it was proposed to submit an objection to the application in terms of the document already circulated and the views of the public in the meeting. Proposed, seconded and all voted unanimously in favour. (See Appendix A). Resolved. The Clerk to submit response to North Herts District Council (NHDC) by deadline of 14th August. Action: Clerk It was also proposed, seconded and unanimously agreed by all to ask Dist. Cllr. Morris to call in the application for referral for decision to the NHDC Planning Control Committee, should the case officer be mindful to recommend approval. Two planning grounds for supporting a referral were that the application met the criterion for prematurity in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF 49a) and the location of the site conflicted with Policy SP2 in the NHDC Emergent Local Plan. 6.8.20 To discuss other development within Reed and consider the future implications – Reed had already made more than a proportionate contribution to meet the area housing target. An increase of 12% since 2016. Two sites had been agreed with NHDC for their emerging Local Plan 2011-2031, The Kilns (12 houses already built) and the Turney Trust land (22 houses not yet built). These two sites being within the agreed settlement boundary. If the Mill Corner Farm application got approval for Part 1 (in principle) then there would definitely be building on the site, although details were reserved for Part 2 of the application. The application site was partly inside the Conservation Area and outside the settlement boundary. If the application got approved then it would no doubt lead to a flood of other hostile planning applications at a vulnerable time when NHDC did not have a 5 year housing plan in place because of the delay in finalising the Local Plan. The Parish Plan for Reed unfortunately did not have any statutory force, so urgent consideration needed to be given to developing a Neighbourhood Plan for Reed, which once ‘made’, would offer Reed some protection against future hostile planning applications and inappropriate development. This would be an item on the agenda for the September Parish Council meeting. Action: Clerk There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.36pm.