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Pirton Village Design Statement |
MINUTES OF MEETING
Held on Tuesday 4 December 2001 at The Pirton Sports and Social Club
IN ATTENDANCE:
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Ken Fielder |
Dick Woodward |
Rod Hamilton-McLeod |
Rachel Harley |
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Bren Timson |
Pam Waters |
Colin Packer |
Dave Timson |
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Jonty Wild |
Sandy Bierrum |
Neil Frost |
Brian Somerville |
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Chris Ryan |
Suzy Prichard-Barrett |
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BUSINESS:
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Action |
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1. |
Apologies for absence were received from: Kevin Macan-Lind, Stewart Faulkner, Linda Mercer, Fran Manning, Derek Jarrett and Anne Fausset |
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2. |
The minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 6 November 2001 having been circulated were taken as read, approved by the meeting and signed by Rod Hamilton-McLeod, |
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3. |
There were no matters arising out of the previous minutes. |
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4. |
Review of programme and budget: RHM reported that there has been no fundamental change to the programme, which has shown some slippage, probably by at least a month as the sub-groups had not completed their tasks in spite of their best efforts. The project is within budget. |
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5. |
The Treasurer presented his statement. There has been no expenditure of any significance reported since the last meeting, however we still await the account for the use of the Village Hall for the Village Character Workshop, which Rachel Harley informed the meeting would be at the special price of £35. |
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6. |
RHM could not speak for Geoff Collins in his absence, but the question of funding needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency. He had received a phone call from the PPC registering their concern. RHM was particularly concerned that the VDS may not be eligible for the Vital Villages grant. Geoff put in a brief appearance. He stated that he has made background research into the various grants and applications. However, no grant applications have yet been submitted. He also reported that Andy Beavan says that the 1996 North Herts District Local Plan is still valid and will remain valid for at least the next four years. Therefore, the VDS should refer to policy numbers from the 1996 Plan. |
RHM |
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7. |
Presentations by the buildings, landscapes and settlements sub-groups: Rachel Harley for Landscapes: Complete save for the surrounding areas part. The PEAP has yet to be addressed. Oughtonhead is within the Parish and ought to be included. It is important that the wildlife section has a heading for Protected Species as this can affect planning consent. Note that there are telecoms transmitters on the water tower now, in addition to the ones referred to. It is also important that each section is broken down into two parts: a description and guidelines with policy numbers where appropriate. Photographs and drawings need to be specified and put in hand. Dick Woodward pointed out at length that there was confusion as to which Local Area Plan was the one officially adopted. RHM promised to investigate. (RHM has elicited a response from Andy Beavan (NHDC) that the 1996 plan is valid and would remain so for at least the next four years). The meeting expressed general concern about the legal validity of a VDS, and this needs clarification at a later date. It is not of immediate concern. Bren Timson for Settlements: Complete. Not much need for illustration and only expected to use about four photographs. The meeting felt that it was important to point out that the sewerage system was at capacity. RHM felt that more emphasis should be placed on the village amenities as this represented the ‘life and soul’ of the village. The Ashwell VDS section entitled Community was a good example., It is also important that each section is broken down into two parts: a description and guidelines with policy numbers where appropriate. Brian Somerville for Buildings: policy guidelines needed to be entered and cross-referenced. It was agreed that the references at the beginning of the VDS should include a statement about the Village Appraisal and most importantly that 84% of households had responded. As the VDS must represent the views of the villagers, each sub-group should ensure that their text does not conflict with the Appraisal, or if it does, there must be a statement explaining why it does. RHM agreed to circulate again the Village Appraisal Summary. |
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Editorial sub-group activities leading to first draft: AMB: the text had to come first, and a first rough would be presented before the next meeting. The sub-group leaders would be consulted. AMB expressed his thanks to the sub-groups for their submissions and the high quality of them, which will be of invaluable assistance to the editor in his task of pulling the strands into a consistent whole. |
AMB |
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Any other business: none. |
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The next meeting was arranged for 8.00 p.m. on Wednesday 16 January 2001 at the Pirton Sports and Social Club. |
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The meeting was closed in peace and harmony at approximately 10.00 pm.
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