Minutes of meeting 10th November 2010

Pleasant Residents Association

Wednesday 10/11/10 St Michael’s Hall, Mount Pleasant

Apologies : Joanna Green, Rosie Leak, John & Chris Scott, Carol Leslie

Attendance : Kim Carter, James Pocklington, John Prior, Brenda Nutt, Eileen & Eric Howard, John Hough, Lesley Koumi, Anselmo Kapandil, Sue Locking, Dave Heal, Sylvia Scott, Emma Credland, Betty Pinfold, Paul, John Prior, Mark Page, Leon Page, Jasmin Page

The meeting began with a presentation and talk by Anselmo Kapandila, who is a District health officer within the Nkasi region of Tanzania. Through pictures and statistics Anselmo explained the challenges that face his community where less than half the population have access to a safe water supply. It was a thought provoking talk which reminded everyone present that the public services we take for granted in health, education and utilities or not universally available. Many thanks to Anselmo ,Emma, Lesley and John for providing such an enlightening start to the meeting.

Kim welcomed Sue Locking , our town councillor, and John Hough, our district councillor, to the meeting

Minutes of last meeting read and amended.

Matters arising:

Eileen reported that the new lights are still not switched on at the bottom of Watts Lane. John Hough was aware of the situation and knew that the council were in discussion with the owner of the land near the path and hoped it would be resolved soon.

Dave raised the issue of the unlit street light on the footpath between Little lane and Robinsons lane, Kim agreed to find out who maintained the light and contact them as soon as possible.

James informed the meeting that, regrettably , Brian Shaw had resigned as vice chairman. It was agreed by the meeting that Brian’s contribution to the residents association would be greatly missed. A vote of thanks for Brian’s efforts was taken at the meeting and Kim agreed to write personally to Brian and thank him on behalf of the committee. James offered himself for election as vice chairman, proposed by Kim and seconded by John Prior this was agreed on a show of hands. James reported that the association funds were currently around £900 and that Brian’s efforts in fund raising would be difficult to replace. Sue Locking offered to run a quiz night for association funds, it was agreed to take Sue up on the offer at a later date.

Kim mentioned that there was still a vacancy for secretary and asked the meeting to seek out volunteers for the post.

Dave wondered what was happening with the application appeal for 35 Mount Pleasant, he drew particular attention to the fact that the local school use the junction on Robinson’s lane and Mount Pleasant for Cycle training and that if the plans went ahead this would inconvenience the cyclists as they would have to find another junction . John Prior explained that there was a site visit planned for November by the Planning authority, in fact this may have already happened as an official looking party attended the site recently.

John Hough was pleased to report that the Refuse collecting lorries had agreed to change their rotas and that only one vehicle would be operating through the Watts Lane area in future.

Eileen mentioned that there was broken glass on the derelict site that was Browns garage. Kim said that she had been unable to find out who the new owners of the site were from the Estate agents. John Hough suggested a search of the Land Registry should name the current owners.

Meeting closed at 9.10pm

Cancelled meeting

The next meeting scheduled for tomorrow night (8th December) has been cancelled due to the icy weather.
I hope you all have a peaceful and Happy Christmas,
see you in the New Year!

James

Decision letter on 35 Mount Pleasant

Here is a copy of the appeal decision letter that I downloaded from the Planning Portal website.

It would seem that the appeal has been dismissed solely on it's visual effect on the street, all the other objections, that various residents have made, had no bearing on the appeal decision.

Site visit made on 26 October 2010

by Michael R Moffoot DipTP MRTPI DipMgt MCMI

an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

Decision date: 15 November 2010
Appeal Ref: APP/D2510/A/10/2130000 35 Mount Pleasant, Louth LN11 9Dw

• The appeal is made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 against a refusal to grant planning permission.

• The appeal is made by Mr Chris Fairburn against the decision of East Lindsey District Council.• The application Ref. N/105/00266/10, dated 9 February 2010, was refused by notice

dated 7 May 2010.

• The development proposed is residential development consisting of 4 no. two storey town houses, 2 no. dormer bungalows, 3 no. bungalows construction of a private drive,6 no. detached garages, associated hard standings and boundary treatments.

Decision

1. The appeal is dismissed.

2. The main issue is the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area.

Reasons

3. National Policy in Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 1: Delivering Sustainable Development and PPS3: Housing endorses the effective and efficient use of land in sustainable locations such as the appeal site. It also encourages high quality and inclusive design, advising that design which is inappropriate in its context, or which fails to take the opportunities available for improving the character and quality of an area, should not be accepted. Moreover, both documents seek to promote or reinforce local distinctiveness and ensure that new development is well integrated with and complements neighbouring buildings and the local area in terms of scale, density, layout and access. Saved Policies A5 and H12 of the adopted East Lindsey Local Plan Alteration 1999 are consistent with these objectives.

4. Development on the north side of Mount Pleasant in the vicinity of the appeal site is characterised by a variety of detached and semi-detached bungalows and two storey properties generally set on deep plots complemented by well-established gardens. Older dwellings tend to adjoin the highway whereas later development is set back slightly in a more conventional suburban form. As a consequence,whilst there is no pronounced building line or predominant built form or dwelling style, the linear pattern of housing is clearly evident. It is this context that I consider should inform the development of the appeal site and is a significant factor in relation to the acceptability of the proposal.

5. Plots 1-4 of the proposed scheme would front the highway, and would comprise two pairs of semi-detached, two-storey dwellings with associated garages. The scale, massing and disposition of the buildings would be enhanced by traditional design detailing and materials, and as a result these dwellings would respond effectively to the properties to either side of the site and would satisfactorily integrate with and contribute positively to the wider street scene.

6. The entrance to the shared vehicular and pedestrian access serving the development would be flanked by large paved driveways, garages, hard surfaced frontages and brick boundary walling, with little scope for landscaping to soften the impact of these solid features. Such a wide, conspicuous gap in the frontage would provide views of the single-storey properties to the rear of the site and their driveways and gardens, and the visual impact of the tight-knit layout would be compounded by the tarmacadam access road. Gaps at either end of the frontage would also permit views of the development to the rear of the site, albeit they would be relatively restricted. The compact nature of the layout would reinforce the perception of development in depth on the site; a format which would be markedly at odds with the established open grain and discernible pattern of linear development on the north side of Mount Pleasant that I have described.

7. As a result, the scheme would have little affinity with its surroundings and would fail to take advantage of the opportunities available for improving the character and quality of the area. It would also be incompatible with the aim of the LP to promote local distinctiveness. I acknowledge that national planning policy continues to encourage the efficient re-use of land within settlements notwithstanding the recent deletion of the indicative minimum of 30 dwellings per hectare from PPS3, but this should not be at the expense of the character and appearance of the area.

8. In coming to these findings, I have taken into account other sites in Mount Pleasant where development in depth has taken place. The scheme at No. 63 pre-dates PPS1, PPS3 and Manual for Streets (MfS) which encourage layouts that are responsive to local distinctiveness and context. Although the development at Nos. 53/55 post-dates PPS1, it does not reflect the prevailing pattern and grain of development I have described and to which I attach significant importance, and both schemes reaffirm my view that the appeal proposal is unacceptable. My attention was also drawn to a small housing development at the eastern end of Mount Pleasant, but no details of the circumstances leading to the grant of permission in that case have been provided. I do not therefore accept that this, or the other examples cited,set a precedent for allowing the appeal proposal.

9. For these reasons, I conclude on the main issue that the proposed development would unacceptably harm the character and appearance of the area, in conflict with Policies A5 and H12 of the Local Plan and national policy in PPS1, PPS3 and MfS.

10. I now turn to other matters raised in representations. The Council is concerned that the proposal would result in a poor quality living environment for future occupiers of the new dwellings. I see no reason why the proximity of some of the properties to parking areas and the access road would create unsatisfactory living conditions, as these areas and the access road could be partly screened by appropriate landscaping and other boundary treatment. The outlook from the dwelling on Plot 6 would not be unduly restricted, but the proximity of the front lounge window on Plot 8 to the boundary fence and gable of the dwelling on Plot 9 would be somewhat oppressive notwithstanding that the room would be served by two windows. This matter would not,however, justify dismissal of the appeal.

11. A number of residents in the area have expressed strong concerns regarding the implications of the proposal for highway and pedestrian safety, and particularly on Little Lane, which would generally be the route used to access the appeal site. In view of the limited number of dwellings proposed in relation to the overall amount of properties served by Little Lane, I consider that the traffic associated with the development would not appreciably exacerbate any existing problems for users of the route,including t hose using the footways. Mount Pleasant is also capable of accommodating the traffic generated by the proposal.

12. Visibility would be adequate at the site access, and its proximity to the junction with Robinson Lane would not create significant highway safety issues. The proposal makes adequate provision for off-street parking to serve the development , and any over spill parking that may occasionally occur could be accommodated on Mount Pleasant, where levels of on-street parking are likely to be low given that most properties have off-street parking space. As there are no footways to either side of the site, no justification exists for one along the site frontage.

13. The development would not result in undue overlooking or loss of outlook for surrounding occupiers, and the temporary effects of construction noise and disruption are common to all new development, and can be reasonably restricted by condition to normal working hours.

14. I do not find the level of detail and information in the reason for refusal to be inadequate as the appellant asserts. Furthermore, the Council's objections to the proposal are clearly set out in the officer's report and the subsequent appeal statement which the appellant has had the opportunity to comment on.Other submissions concern matters unrelated to the planning merits of the appeal, and do not affect my judgement of the issues that I consider relevant to the case.

15. Although I have found that most of these other matters do not militate against the proposal, none of them outweighs the conflict with national and local planning policies that would occur if the appeal were to be allowed. For the reasons given above and having regard to all other matters raised, I conclude that the appeal should be dismissed.

Michael R Moffoot

Inspector

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Minutes of meeting 13th October 2010

St Michael’s Church Hall

Apologies: Kim, Carol, John Hough

Attendance: Brenda Nutt, Rosie Leak, Sylvia Scott, Joanna Green, John & Andrea Prior, Sandy Trafford, Keith Dunham, David Heal, Brian Shaw, Ron Stephenson, Eileen & Eric Howard, Judy Purves.

· There was a short discussion on the possible speed check to be taken on Little Lane by the Highways dept. There were mixed opinions on the usefulness of the exercise, although it was agreed that a 20mph limit would help to reduce speeding.

· James explained that there was to be a site visit sometime in November to determine the future of the outstanding planning application on 35 Mount Pleasant.

· The crossing of Monks Dyke Rd at the bottom of Little Lane was discussed briefly. The dangers of crossing such a wide and busy road were highlighted.

· It was noted that the vacant building plot at the bottom of Little Lane had been tidied up successfully, thanks to Brian for contacting the responsible parties.

· James agreed to invite Sue Locking to the next meeting in her capacity as Town Councillor for the Priory Ward.

· Dave Heal raised the issued of disabled access in Louth stores and that he had been in touch with Mark Barnes the town centre manager over the matter.

· The new lights to the park at the end of Watts Lane were still not working, Eileen reported.

· James agreed to invite our PCSO to the next meeting for discussions around the concerns about vandalism and litter in the Watts Lane area.

· The grass had been cut outside No.61 Mt Pleasant, at least once so far.

· The lights were now back on, on Mount Pleasant, thought there were concerns that it may not be a permanent fix, as they had been off four times in the 2 years since their installation.

· Brian announced that there were 25 children and 4 adult tickets booked for the pantomime in January, Judy and John Prior raised the issue of CRB checks for the adults concerned, Brian agreed to look into the matter.

· Judy expressed her disappointment that the application for Lidl on the industrial estate had been turned down by the district council. A lively discussion ensued on the pros and cons of the decision.

· Sylvia had had stones thrown into her garden from the direction of Monks Dyke school. She explained to the meeting that after discussions with the Head teacher this matter was being dealt with, but if there was to be another incident she would involve the police.

Meeting finished 8.50pm Next meeting 10^th November 2010

Meeting 10th November

The committee have decided to change the format of the meetings to make them
a bit more sociable and hopefully more interesting.
The next meeting will include a presentation of their work in Tanzania by John Hough
and Lesley Kuomi. We will then have a short tea break before holding a brief meeting
on any outstanding issues in the neighbourhood.
Please get in touch if you have any thoughts on this idea.
Thankyou
James

Minutes of 8th September meeting

Minutes of meeting held on Wednesday 8th September 2010 , 7.30pm at St Michael’s Church Rooms, Louth
Attended by: Eileen & Eric Howard, John Hough, Brenda Nutt, Joanna Green, Jasmin and Leon Page, Bob Oliver, Chris Scott, Betty Pinfold, James Pocklington , Kim Carter, Brian Shaw

Apologies: David Newlove, David Heal, Veronica Lee.

Minutes read, signed and approved.

Matters arising: Brian has made contact with Translinc and the bus is no longer being driven on the pavement down Mount Pleasant.
James reported that he had spoken to the PCSO regarding speeding down Little Lane, the conclusion being that as there is a 30 mph limit, there is little action they can take. James then spoke to Ian Mickleburgh at Lincs Highways who acknowledged that this area was a cause for concern and said he would try to get a speed monitor on the street for a week to record traffic activity. John explained that if the recorded speeds are around 20mph it would be easier to introduce a 20mph speed limit, than if higher speeds are recorded.
Brian said that the owners of the site on the corner of Little Lane and Monks Dyke Rd would shortly be given official notice to tidy the site within 28 days.
Brian explained that he had dropped in some flyers to relevant town councillors, James agreed to offer a personal invitation to either Sue Locking or Trevor Marris to attend the October meeting.
Brian has left a message with the Dog warden but had had no reply.
Eileen reported that large items of furniture had been dumped on Watts Lane and that there were repeated incidents of dog mess being left on the road.
No further news on development of Brown’s garage site, but opened manholes still posing a hazard.
Brian requested help with collecting Bonus ball funds from Mount Pleasant Ave.
Motorbike activity on Railway walk seems to have been curbed by the locks being replaced to the gate and a new sign prohibiting motorcycles. Eileen reported that a helmet less motorcyclist was doing a “circuit” of Watts lane cutting through the walkway into Robinsons Lane. Kim said she would try to get the Reg.no. and report the individual.
Brian contacted ELDC about the debris in Watts lane play area they promised to get the Police to monitor the issue.
Brian also explained that the grass in front of Andy Dobson’s home would be cut eventually by the council, but as yet still not being done.
John reported that Robert Frost of ELDC was addressing some technical issues with the new street lights on the path towards the play area, and hopefully this long running saga would be concluded soon.
Brian raised the issue of the reported withdrawal of residential wardens from some areas of Louth. John agreed that this was a very real concern and encouraged residents to make their feelings known to the Council.
James asked John if there had been any news on the planning appeal for the development at no.35 Mount Pleasant. John had nothing to report as yet.
Brian informed the meeting of two events planned for the area’s residents. On January 15th a proposed trip to “Jack and the beanstalk” at the Playgoers theatre for 20 local children and 3 adults.
Also a senior citizens, fish and chip supper with musical contributions from local performers, and a chance to reminisce on wartime experiences. The meeting agreed that these were excellent community events to promote in our neighbourhood.
John mentioned that the Monks Dyke Residents Association were holding a Xmas dinner in a local venue on Monday 13th December and invited members of our association to join them.
Meeting ended 8.35pm