Why on earth are we having an extra meeting?

Last week, I accompanied a member of the public to the Development Control Committee (what we used to call the Planning Committee) meeting at the district council in Thrapston. It was our second bite at knocking on the head proposals for outline planning permission to cram two 2-storey houses into a tight little corner of the village where there is currently a block of 9 garages, owned by a housing association.

It's never a light decision, to address this Committee. It's stressful, it requires hours of writing and rehearsal to get the right words in the right order, in under 3 minutes. Even allowing for the nerves! Then there's the time getting to and from Thrapston, which is time we'll never get back.

Mrs A and I followed the rules to the letter: in our address to the Committee, we stuck to the facts. We quoted from the Oundle, Thrapston & Rural North Plan - the nearest thing we have left to a planning policy now that this government has swept away all the details Policy Statements we used to work to.

Guess what? Of the 2/3 of the Committee who bothered to show up, none of them did us the courtesy of looking at us while we spoke to them from the public gallery. We both felt we had not been listened to - and this impression was redoubled when we realised the members weren't making reference to ANY of the points we'd raised concerning the Plan. Our arguments were swept aside, and the proposals were voted through.

So, not only can we not understand why Planning Officers make some of the recommendations they do ... now we can't even trust the Committee members to do us the courtesy of scrutinising them. If there's the least whiff of a possible Appeal in the air, it's as if the members are looking for excuses to give planning permission, rather than justifying a proper refusal.

It's not as if an Appeal need even be expensive, if the Council were to lose. Which on the face of it they shouldn't.

So, once I'd stopped shaking with frustration, and had had a quiet chat with my Chairman and our Clerk, we all agreed it's time for an Extraordinary Meeting of the parish council to thrash this out and decide what to do next. This Thursday. Before I get any angrier and just hand in my resignation, which is what I felt like doing last week.

Those who read this blog regularly will know that I'm normally a much more positive person than this. But honestly - what is the point of engaging with the so-called 'democratic process' when the process declines to engage with you in return?

Answers on a postcard please. Or be at our village hall at 7.30pm on Thursday and talk me into staying on as your representative.

Guard your gas bottle!

Scrap metal thieves stole 200,000 gas cylinders with a market value of £9m from across the UK last year.

One Calor retailer in Lincolnshire was approached by two men in a pick-up truck who claimed that they had been sent by Calor to collect any empty cylinders. When the retailer refused to give them any cylinders, the men offered the retailer £1 for each empty cylinder. 

Again, their request was refused and the police were notified.

Keep an eye out for any suspicious activity and alert the police (dial #101) if necessary. 
Calor Gas has written to 1,500 scrap yards, urging them not to accept stolen steel cylinders. Even an ‘empty’ empty cylinder will contain traces of highly flammable gas and is a hazard to anyone involved in removing valves or cutting up the cylinder. Fires, serious injury and avoidable deaths have all been recorded.

So far, no gas cylinders have been reported stolen in East Northamptonshire ... so let's keep it that way!

It can't be ... oh, yes, it is!

It's as if Collyweston suddenly wakes up after a long winter slumber. Suddenly everything is going on!

Rehearsals started in early January - and in just a week's time (Thursday 29th to Saturday 31st) Puss in Boots will be strutting his stuff in our village pantomime. This is a village tradition going back at least 15 years, and it's a tremendous way for people - especially young people - to meet other villagers and have a laugh. This year the script has again been written by locals, and it's full of village references and history as well as the usual terrible jokes. And I'm told the singing is REALLY GOOD this year. Trust me - this is a departure from tradition...

Plans for celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in early June are well advanced now. There will be a street party, a may pole, the beacon will be lit, family fun games ... by golly it's going to be good. And there will be more bunting than you can shake a bejewelled orb and sceptre at.

The Annual Village Meeting (Thursday 26th April) is the best possible time to meet people from every local group, charity and interest area. They'll report back on what they've achieved since this time last year, and happily talk to anyone interested in finding out more. There's free tea and coffee too.

Spool forward to Saturday 26th May, and the focus moves to our little church, St Andrews. The Village Fete is a charming traditional event, with games and stalls, held in the lovely nearby gardens of The Hermitage. All profits go to St Andrews Church, which is worth a visit whether for services or its architecture.

It's people who make these things happen. People just like you, and me, who aren't scared to go out and try to make things happen. Some are small things, some are more ambitious. It doesn't matter, as long as things happen. 


That's exactly what living in a community should be about. I heartily recommend it.

Those blue slates - the developer replies

The developer who's building the 2 houses has given permission for this email to the parish council to be made public:

27 October 2011

Dear [Parish Clerk]

I have just been made aware of the article in last week's Stamford Mercury about the 2 new build I am building next to the Collyweston Slater. I thought it appropriate to add my points so that the correct position is known. The article did finish that despite several attempts GP Construction was not available to comment. Certainly nobody has contacted me. I know you on behalf of the Parish Council have my address and direct email, and my mobile number together with contact details of the main contractor are on the site board.

It is absolutely correct in that the original application proposed mock Collyweston slate as I believe is used on a number of dwellings nearby. A planning condition was that materials had to be approved by East Northamptonshire Council. When our proposed materials were submitted in Spring 2010, whilst the local Stamford Stone was approved the roof material was rejected. A letter to my architect on 18 May 2010 from the Council suggested a blue slate. We subsequently met with a development control officer on site in June and showed her a number of samples together with looking at a number of properties within the village, some along the Drove where the roofing materials we were suggesting had been used.

We were unable to persuade the officer to allow such materials to be used and ultimately we accepted the recommendations of the officer to use a blue slate. For reference purposes my final email to the officer is attached. I have blanked out the individual officer's name.

I believe the Parish Council is correct in that policy seems to constantly change in that what is allowed one day is deemed unsuitable another, whether this is actual policy or interpretation by individual officers I am unable to state. As you are aware I experience the same issues on the original planning application in that a main reason for refusal being frontal garages/parking had been passed on the same site less than 18 months earlier on an earlier application. Protracted discussions with planners failed to change their opinion and much time and money was lost in delays, fees and having to appeal.

I hope this does give a little explanation and confirm to the Parish Council that the decision to change roof materials was because building control insisted upon these materials and rejected the product that we had proposed and that was already used in the village.

Yours sincerely

G P Allmand
GP Construction & Developments Ltd

The Stamford Mercury has since then stated that its reporter made several attempts to contact the firm, and left messages, but no one responded. 

...and here is the email Mr Allmand sent to Development Control on 15 September 2010...

Subject: EN/07/02301/FUL

Dear [name deleted]

It is obviously some while since we last spoke, and the project has moved along slowly. We are now almost ready to commence. I understand my architect has now submitted his building regs drawings for plot 1; plot 2 is deferred until the electricity pole on site is moved.

I wish to confirm that the alternative roof sample we submitted is acceptable. After much debate internally we have taken your proposal for blue slate and have supplied a sample of such; our contractors have repriced to me for the alternate material.

I still fail to see why the originally proposed material was not acceptable, given as you have already acknowledged the variety of roof materials nearby and our proposal had already recently been used in the village. However to progress we have taken your recommendation from your letter of 18 May.

I look forward to you confirming acceptable and then I anticipate commencing within 4 weeks. After 3 years it will be good to start; my only issue then is to find a buyer.

Best regards,
Gavin Allmand
GP Construction & Developments Ltd

Please feel free to add your comments here. Or you can contact the Parish Council by email.

Hats

I have an enormous hat collection, only a few of which (the fez, the corked cowboy hat, the see-you-jimmae tartan bonnet) are to do with my showbiz sidelines. I have a black velvet girly-hat with a big brim, a waxed hat for winter, a flat cap I liked as a teenager, and a woolly thing for walking back from the pub or the village hall on blisteringly cold winter nights.

And then there are my 'other' hats: village hall chairman, parish councillor, trustee of the playing field charity, writer for the village magazine, correspondent for the local weekly newspaper.

In a few minutes' time I will open my mental hat-cupboard and pull out the one with 'parish councillor' sewn into the lining. From a previously unopened box at the back, I will also tease out the hat that's made to fit our parish clerk; the poor lady has been felled by a bug and Yours Truly has agreed to take the Minutes in her stead.

The Clerk's hat does not feel comfortable on me, although people will probably say it suits me. I know this is because they don't want to be made to wear the hat themselves!

For most of the evening I will have to wear both hats, because I'm still a functioning councillor as well as writing it all down. I have two - or is it three? - reports to present to the meeting. At least I won't have to take notes of what I say...

During the debate about the Diamond Jubilee celebrations next June, I'll add a third hat - village hall chairman - if the subject of what happens if it rains should come up.

For one item on tonight's agenda, where normally I would have to leave the room during the discussion because I have a personal and prejudicial interest in that ongoing situation, I will have to ask the chairman's permission to remove my councillor's hat but remain sitting there wearing the Clerk's hat. And remember not to open my mouth unless to clarify something for the Minutes.

This could be tricky but I'm sure the Minutes will reflect my impeccable behaviour.

Hopefully I won't need this one.

Wish me luck!

Why not join the Dog Watch scheme?

Following the hugely successful launch of Dog Watch the Dog Watch team have extended the scheme across the whole county and are keen to invite people to join as a member. 

 

Dog Watch, originally developed in Stevenage as a way of extending the already successful Neighbourhood Watch network to the wider community, caught the attention of local Neighbourhood Watch coordinator Ian Blackburn-Elliot, who along with the Dog Watch team, have introduced the scheme to Northamptonshire.

 

The scheme recognises it is often those who walk their dogs, runners or anyone who likes to get out and about, who are the first to spot something unusual or amiss, such as criminal damage or an incident of anti-social behaviour, providing valuable eyes and ears for the community.

 

The scheme is open to anyone aged 16 or over and you do not need to be a member of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme to join Dog Watch.

 

The head co-ordinator Ian Blackburn-Elliot said: “It is a sad fact that the missing links in many crimes are often in out of the way places in our countryside, or areas without passing traffic. Dog walkers are often the means by which vital evidence is found, as dogs stray into areas not normally frequented by passers by.

 

“It has been proved that the ‘Dog Watch’ scheme, not only has the potential to discover evidence, which may help to solve a crime, it can also make a difference to the surrounding community”.

 

Chief Inspector Gary Ashton, a supporter of Dog Watch said: “Since its earliest days, policing has been a community activity. I am always keen to extend community involvement in policing. The Dog Watch Scheme provides such an opportunity, as dog walkers are frequently the first to discover something out of the ordinary in their local area.”

 

To join the scheme, you can either click here to complete the online application form or call the Dog Watch team on 03000 111 222 x 5724.

Those blue slates - a member of the public joins the fray

A resident of the Conservation Area gave permission to reproduce this letter he has sent to East Northamptonshire Council:

Letter to The Chief Executive, East Northants Council
3rd September 2011


Dear Sir,


Collyweston houses on Main Road


Thank you for your letter of 8th August and for the confirmation of Ms Barbara Wiggins on 22nd August that the nearby bungalow with blue tiles you refer to in your letter is number 95 Main Street. I am also aware of the 5 page letter on this subject which you have sent to the Collyweston Parish Council.


Main Street does not exist in Collyweston. If you mean Main Road there is no bungalow at number 95. You may be referring to the house painted white which stands on the Main Road next to the plot of land upon which the old petrol station used to stand. If I am wrong please let me know.


The tiles of the white house are not Collyweston slates and the roof of the old petrol station obviously did not have such slates. I am not sure what they are but they certainly should not have affected your Council’s decision regarding appropriate tiles for the oversized houses at number 85 Main Road. Number 95 stands opposite the far southern corner of the Conservation Area not overlooking its core and a long way from and well out of sight of number 85. Definitely not ‘nearby’ as you say. I suspect that planning approvals were not needed when it was built. If when the old petrol station was built there were any planning approvals necessary the view must have been that the site was not worth protecting. In any event you should have known that neither the type of tile used many years ago on the white house nor for that matter whatever was used on the roof of the old petrol station can be relevant in the 21st century when considering the type of tile to be used at number 85 which overlooks the central part of the Conservation Area. 


The Inspector’s view that the houses would be comparable in scale with other local houses is not only wrong as your  Council clearly felt at the time but its basis is flawed and misleading. Which local houses is he comparing them with? If he is comparing them with houses in the Conservation Area he should accept that the rules applicable to the Area (eg types of roofing slates) should also apply to the new houses. If he is not referring to Conservation Area houses then clearly the most important houses are those immediately adjacent to number 85 – viz. number 83 Main Road and the Collyweston Slater public house. In this respect it is obvious to anyone except a blind man walking down Main Road that the new house already built is of a scale, height and style very much larger, higher and out of keeping with the much lower, smaller and traditionally-Collyweston-slated adjacent buildings. When the second oversized house is squeezed onto the plot the incongruity will be even more pronounced. If you have not viewed the site for yourself I strongly advise you to do so.


The Inspector highlighted the danger that the houses could appear prominent and visually intrusive. His decision to allow the appeal in the face of this concern is incomprehensible but he seemed to feel that this was not decisive provided the proposed materials of construction were adhered to. The problem is that your Council has allowed the original requirement of imitation Collyweston slates to be overturned and it seems even to have proposed that a colour of tile be used which is totally out of keeping with all properties in the immediate area. The Barley Forticrete Hardrow tiles you say the Developer suggested albeit not natural at least had the advantage of having a similar colour to Collyweston slates. By allowing blue/black tiles your Council has strongly emphasised the oversizing and visual intrusiveness which the Inspector in his perverse decision clearly understood was possible. You have therefore made the situation much worse.


In respect of the approval given for houses to be built on the site of the old petrol station your Council has required that imitation Collyweston slates should be used on the most prominent houses because Collyweston slates predominate on roofs in the village. Blue slate and pantiles should only be used on specific less prominent and smaller buildings where some variation may be acceptable. Why therefore does your Council not insist that these highly prominent buildings opposite the core of the Conservation Area be roofed with imitation Collyweston slates? Your Council has been totally inconsistent. If this is the rationale for the roofing of the new buildings on the old petrol station site it follows that imitation Collyweston slates must be required for the highly prominent buildings at number 85.


You say that it would be inappropriate to reverse your Council’s decision because you have considered the matter fully and particularly now that the buildings have been roofed. I do not agree. Your Council has obviously made a big mistake by allowing any change to the original roofing requirement of imitation Collyweston slates. The Inspector made it abundantly clear that his view as to the suitability of the houses on the site depended on the materials of construction being in keeping with the surroundings. He was well aware that the roof tiles of the new houses, one of their most prominent features, were to be imitation Collyweston slates. Your Council has completely ignored this very important point and compounded the problem by promoting tiles which are far more out of keeping and visually intrusive than imitation Collyweston slates. You should take steps to put the mistake right even if this is at significant cost to your Council. Any such cost must not be clawed back as an increase in Council Tax in this case where your Council has obviously made a stupid mistake through negligence and/or incompetence.


You should approach the Developers, admit the mistake and negotiate a deal whereby the roofs are tiled with imitation Collyweston slates. Regarding the roof of the house still to be built you should insist that it be roofed with imitation Collyweston slates. This house has not been roofed contrary to the statement you make in your letter and any minor cost should not influence your decision. Not to take this action will be a dereliction of your duties.


A Village Design Statement is a good idea but your Council does not need such a Statement to avoid glaring mistakes such as this one. Council Tax payers in Collyweston pay large sums of money to you and expect that you will look after the villagers’ interests properly. In this case you have supported the Developers whose only motive is to squeeze the biggest possible buildings onto the plot and maximise their profits. Between you you have created an intrusive blot and eyesore in our village. You have badly let us down. We deserve better than this.


Yours faithfully


[signed]


Richard Cooper
Barrister at law

Do you disagree with Mr Cooper's arguments? Or do you support what he says? There are several things you can do now:

• Write a letter to East Northants Council (and if possible, copy Collyweston Parish Council in on it. ENC have to reply to you. The parish council can publish both your letter and their reply if you give permission, right here on the blog where anyone - including the media - can see them.
  Mr David Oliver, Chief Executive, East Northamptonshire Council, East Northamptonshire House, Cedar Drive, Thrapston, Northants NN14 4LZ
  
• Comment on this blog! You don't have to give your name if you don't want to.
  
• Write to Collyweston Parish Council and ask them to take your views into account in any future dealings with the district council.