Broadwoodkelly Parish Council
Minutes of the Broadwoodkelly Parish Council Meeting held remotely via Zoom (Covid-19 pandemic) on Monday December 7th 2020 at 7.30 pm.
Present: Councillor R. Heggadon (Chairman), Councillor D. Reed, Councillor A. Penny and Councillor R. Gant.
Councillor Barry Ratcliffe, Borough Councillor for the Exbourne Ward, was also present.
There were eight members of the public who joined the meeting via zoom. The applicant attended as a member of the public, but did not participate in the meeting.
1. To receive apologies for absence and consider if the reason for the absence should be approved by the council.
Councillors Mrs B. Cook and Mrs K. Brook have sent apologies as their broadband is not good enough to use Zoom. The apologies were accepted.
2. To receive any declarations of interest from members
Councillor Jon Clark is the applicant and was present but was not participating in the meeting.
3. Applic No. 3126/20/FUL Highcroft, Broadwoodkelly – constructon of five new dwellings with associated parking and infrastructure (resubmission of 4033/19/FUL)
The chairman invited the members of the public in attendance to address the council with their comments.
– The proposal offers no benefits to the village. There will be an increase in traffic flow and problems with parking. There are houses being built in Winkleigh. The properties are being advertised as four x two bed and one x three bed, but they appear more like three and four bedroom houses. Each property has been allocated two parking spaces, but most households nowadays have at least two vehicles and thus the aforementioned problems with parking. There are no facilities in the village.
– There will be extra traffic and the proposal offers no benefit to the village.
– Another resident is concerned that if this application gets planning consent then more homes could be built on the site at a later date. Utilities will be affected. The development will be a drain on the water supply, broadband speeds in the village and it is questionable whether the sewage treatment system could handle more homes.
The chairman asked the Borough Councillor if he had any information he could add. Councillor Ratcliffe stated it is currently being considered by the planners, who will heed the Joint Local Plan. Councillor Ratcliffe stated he would remain impartial as he is interested to hear the opinions of the local community. He mentioned S.106 payments, which developers are requested to pay and he understands that a request has been submitted by Devon County Council to go towards education.
Councillor Reed stated the primary school at Winkleigh has already reached full capacity and it is difficult for the school to expand at its current site.
The members of the public were invited to express their comments again:
– The original application was heading for refusal and it was withdrawn and the member of the public did not see the difference between that application and this new proposal. She understands that another planning officer is dealing with the application this time. Highways have not raised any concerns in their view the access is adequate.
– When people visit, they will need to park on the highway.
A member of the public stated they had experienced problems submitting their comments on the West Devon website. Councillor Ratcliffe stated he would follow that up.
Councillor Ratcliffe confirmed that the planning process is continuing as normally as it can with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The application will be referred to the Landscaping Officer who will give their opinion. The planner will come up with his recommendation at which point Councillor Ratcliffe will contact the clerk. He can request that the decision goes to committee.
After some discussion about why the applicant had altered the composition of houses from the previous withdrawn application, Councillor Penny commented that the planning statement indicated the alteration was made after discussions with the planners.
The Chairman stated he had received a number of phone calls from parishioners and the main concern is the highway, which is unsuitable for the extra traffic which will result from this development.
The members of the parish council all expressed their opinions. The parking provision was a main concern and it is in open countryside. The clerk was asked to prepare an objection to receive approval from the council before submission.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.25 p.m.