29 Jul 2006 - PARISH COUNCIL

PARISH COUNCIL

All seven members of the parish council were present at the Extraordinary meeting called on July 19 together with 13 members of the public. In the absence of the clerk, Colm Gibson, the minutes were taken by Cyril Anson.
The object of the meeting was to discuss two matters relating to planning requiring a response to Cherwell District Council. The first was to agree a record of the existing facilities in the parish "Review of Village Categorisation/Hierarchy" due by August 4.
The second was to review the information contained in the "Cherwell Local Development Framework: Banbury and North Cherwell Site Allocation Plan", requiring comment by August 25. The plan currently shows two sites suitable for housing development namely at Quarry Farm and a site on land owned by the Coles Family Trust. At this stage Mrs M. Coles declared an interest and withdrew from the meeting.
Chairman, Keith Hainsworth noted that in the past 26 years there had been an increase of some 22 dwellings in the parish. The council needed to decide what is best for the village. Should their be affordable housing with perhaps the possibility of a sports field and a new village hall along with a major new development or affordable housing without major development or should development continue at the present rate? Further, are the sites listed in the framework suitable for housing development?
Opinions differed so much among the councillors that it was decided to invite Astrid Blackburn, the Community Engagement Officer, with responsibility for coordinating the development framework to an open meeting in the village for further clarification.
The meeting closed with an open forum at which the following points were made: the last proposed development on the site owned by the Coles Family Trust was comprehensively discussed by the village and turned down; it was estimated by the Highways Department that the development would produce some 300 traffic movements per day; drainage is a problem already and a lot of work would be needed to serve any new development; and finally, access from the Quarry Farm site to Rattlecombe Road is definitely a danger hazard.