Annual Parish Meeting Minutes 2024
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY 16 APRIL 2024 AT 6.00PM IN THE LARGE HALL, THE OLD SCHOOL, NETTLEHAM
The meeting commenced at 6pm
In attendance: - Councillor Mrs A. White (Chairman), 5 residents, Councillors D. Newsam, A. Simpson, A. Crook, C. Payne, C. Johnson, P. McNeill, and J. Barrett of West Lindsey District Council.
Also in attendance: Carl Thomas (RFO) and Lucy Waller (Parish Clerk).
The Chairman welcomed all present.
01 TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING HELD ON 18 APRIL 2023
It was RESOLVED to approve the Minutes of the 18 April 2023 Annual Parish meeting and that they be signed as a true record of the meeting.
02/ TO RECEIVE THE CHAIRMAN’S REPORT ON PARISH COUNCIL ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN IN THE LAST YEAR (1 APRIL 2023 TO 31 MARCH 2024), FOLLOWED BY ANY QUESTIONS
The Chairman’s Report was circulated which included an update on the range of projects and activities that the Council had been working on during the last twelve months. The report is attached as Appendix A of these minutes.
- No questions were received regarding the contents of the Chairman’s report.
03. TO RECEIVE A FINANCE REPORT
The RFO delivered a brief introduction to the circulated Finance Report, which is attached as Appendix B of these minutes.
In response to questions raised, those present noted:
- Due to penalties for early repayment, there was no benefit to be gained by paying off Public Works Loan Board Loans early.
- The Parish Council were in the process of moving some funds to higher interest savings accounts.
04 TO RECEIVE AN UPDATE – NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN REVIEW
The Chairman of the Neighbourhood Plan Review Group delivered a presentation regarding the Neighbourhood Plan, the slides of which are attached as Appendix C of these minutes.
Some key points noted were:
- A Neighbourhood Plan once adopted forms part of planning legislation.
- Neighbourhood plans allow for local input in to design and quality standards.
- Around 30% of the Parish of Nettleham is now within the Lincoln bypass (parts of Minster Fields & Roman Gate)
- Public Consultation exercises such as meetings, surveys and articles have formed a large part of the work of the group.
- It has been necessary to produce detailed design codes, these are mostly based on common criteria, but some are site specific.
- The Neighbourhood Plan Review has not been allowed to stipulate housing density or mix of houses.
- The Neighbourhood Plan Review has been examined for compliance. The Examiner broadly supported the efforts at environment enhancement, such as green spaces, green corridors and connecting footpaths, but would not allow the group to specify buffer zones for development plots. He also dismissed the desire for development breaks to the south and the east of the parish; The wish that extensions to existing properties should meet the same parking space provision conditions applicable to equivalent new build properties was also not permitted.
- The Review Group are currently making changes based on the examiner’s comments, and it is anticipated that a referendum will be held in June or July 2024.
- The referendum will not be funded by the Parish Council, and whilst the Parish Council and the Review Group may encourage residents to vote they may not try to influence the outcome of the vote.
As a result of questions asked those present noted that it was not possible to appeal the examiner’s decisions and that the only available options are to make the required changes or to withdraw. If the Council chose to withdraw there would not be funding available to finance a further review and referendum and the current Neighbourhood Plan would be outdated due to changes to planning legislation since its adoption.
The Chairman thanked the group for their work.
05 TO CONSIDER ANY POINTS WHICH ANY PARISHIONER MAY WISH TO RAISE
No points were raised.
The Chairman thanked all present for their attendance.
The meeting closed at 6:53pm
Lucy Waller – Parish Clerk