– to receive and note questions asked and statements made from members of the public on issues relating to the responsibility of this Advisory Group.
NB members of the public are required to register with Democratic Services three clear working days before the meeting (contact democracy@winchester.gov.uk or 01962 848 264)
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Minutes:
Patrick Davies addressed the meeting as summarised briefly below.
Mr Davies commented on the draft strategic issues and priorities document. He stated that there should be clarity on the exercise involved, including on the carbon neutrality objective which may conflict with national policy, such as the issues covered by building regulations referred to on page 21. He asked whether such a substantial part of the document should cover just this topic, as worthy as it was. The sustainable public transport objective should also refer to buses and trains in addition to walking and cycling as their use should be encouraged. On pages 28 to 31 green belt issues were raised and there should be more emphasis on the rarity of green belts in this part of England, their real purpose and the meaning of exceptional circumstances in order not to raise expectations. On page 35 onwards there should be clarity on the relationship between developers’ aspirations and the SHEELA, the Government Planning White Paper and its fluctuating demand on housing numbers and that they be up to date so as not to cause public confusion. In appendix 1 there was a list of many pieces of work undertaken pre Covid and he asked whether they now relevant and not out of date.
Robert Shields, Bishops Waltham Parish Council, addressed the meeting on the draft strategic issues and priorities document as summarised briefly below.
Although Bishops Waltham Parish Council did not know how many new dwellings were proposed, it would be unlikely to challenge the number, provided the local rural character was preserved and it was commensurate with the limited infrastructure available and close working between the City Council and residents was encouraged.
Two strategic proposals were put forward. Bishop’s Waltham town was long and thin. To retain the character of a market town, with an easily accessible town centre, it needed to be rounded, which required high level planning. The current SHEELA was merely the summation of land offered for development by landowners. Instead, a proper “town plan” should be formulated, with landowners then being approached as needed.
Secondly, about half the current Settlement Boundary of Bishop’s Waltham was bounded by the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA), which constrained all new developments to one direction only. There were some suitable sites for development to the north of the town but the South Downs Authority had no priority in their own plans for developments in this area, further unbalancing the geographical layout of the town. A Statement of Common Ground, or other similar agreement with the SDNPA, was requested to share the number of new developments for the sustainability of Bishop’s Waltham.
Regarding the draft Consultation Document, in summary, the existing vision for the Market Towns was fine, as was the sustainable development objectives; achieving carbon neutrality was important, but parish councils would have limited ability to participate in the opportunity mapping or analysing carbon emissions at parish level; to protect the rural characteristics of the market towns, and villages, it was more important to define local green areas and settlement gaps than to focus on large-scale green belts, and where it was not possible to provide reasonable sized gardens, housing developments should include green spaces for leisure and allotments, as well as play areas.
The Chairperson thanked the public speakers for their contributions.