Wednesday 19 May 21

Held at 7.30pm in Helperby Village Hall

Present: Cllr Nigel Denison (Chairman), Cllr Peter Mitchell (Vice Chairman), Cllr Deirdre Brown, Cllr Mark Darwin, Cllr Jean Featherstone, Cllr Pam Jackson-Vickers, Roger Clements (Clerk).

1. Apologies for Absence
   1. Apologies were received from Cllr Boyle.
2. Declarations of Interest not already declared under the Council’s Code of Conduct or members Register of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests
   1. None were made.
3. Terms of Reference for a Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group (NPSG) and election of a Chairman for the NPSG
   1. Cllr Mitchell proposed that the draft TOR for the NPSD be adopted – resolved.
   2. Cllr Denison proposed the Cllr Mitchell be elected Chairman of the NPSG – resolved.
4. To consider the following Planning matters
5. Planning Application 21/00824/OUT, proposed replacement of garden store with garden annex to main building at the Old Bakery, Main Street, Helperby – Cllrs had no objections to the application.
6. Planning Application 21/00966/REM, reserved matters pursuant to outline permission 16/01142 for construction of 28 dwellings at OS Field 0046, Brafferton – a lengthy discussion took place on the reserved matters of landscape, appearance, layout and scale and the following response was agreed:
   1. Landscape: the public open space in the SE corner drew little comment from the Council but the nature of the Site Memorial Display on SW corner was unexplained and remains a bit of a mystery.
   2. Appearance: it was noted that the dwellings included a variety of styles and included features such as some Juliet balconies and different treatments at front doors. But without more detail it was difficult to form an opinion as to the overall effect on the appearance of the development. The Council was pleased to see at 4.21 in the Planning Compliance Statement a 2m footpath around the site. This footpath appears to extend from the site entrance towards the boundary with the Old Parsonage. The Council believes such a path to be an important feature of the site; it provides part of a safe route for pedestrians (including those with young children and pushchairs) moving between the site and St Peter’s primary school via St Peter’s Close.
   3. Layout: the affordable dwellings are largely grouped in the NW corner and were noticeably plainer in appearance than the other dwellings. It was felt that it would be better to disperse them throughout the development to avoid any impression of a ghetto. Furthermore, despite the argument advanced at 2.8 in the Planning Compliance Statement, it is disappointing that the affordable dwellings percentage is reduced from 50% to 32%. The Council believes the original application, approved on appeal by the Inspector in November 2018, should be adhered to in this regard and should not be altered by policy HG3 of the emerging local plan.
   4. Scale: the Council has no observation regarding the proposed scale of the development.