Wellow Parish Council

 

Clerk

Geoff White

Myrtle Cottage, Wellow, BA2 8QS

Tel:  01225 830159

 

Minutes of an extra-ordinary meeting of the Parish Council held on Wednesday, August 21st 2013 at 8pm in the Village Hall.

 

Present: Cllrs Andrews, Betts, Caudle, Clarkson, Doman, Karthauser, Prentice, Wheeler and White along with eight members of the public. District Councillor Neil Butters also attended as did Peter Duppa-Miller, Clerk of Combe Hay Parish Council, in his role as secretary of the Bath and NE Somerset branch of ALCA, Avon Local Councils Association.

 

Agenda:

 

13.109              To accept apologies for absence

 

None

 

13.110              Declarations of interest in any matters on the agenda or in July minutes

 

There were no declarations of interest.

 

13.111              Public Participation

 

Chris Wordsworth explained some of the background to the submission of the planning application by Wellow Parish Council in respect of the proposed tennis courts on the playing field.  In particular, he said that he was listed as the “agent” but was really a “representative” who could answer any questions put forward by B&NES or others.

 

13.112              To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on July 8th 2013.

 

There was some disagreement regarding item 13.100, Para 2 which is reproduced below.

 

“The Council noted the report on the Parish Council’s planning application for the installation of two tennis courts, and the Design and Access Statement. The Chairman proposed that the Parish Council support the draft planning application. Cllr Andrews seconded the proposal which was passed by a vote of 4 votes to 3 with one abstention.”

                                                                                             

Some councillors felt that the Parish Council had voted only to support the planning application while others felt that the vote was to agree to the Parish Council’s not only supporting it but actually submitting it.

 

The Chairman proposed that the minutes be confirmed as they stand and the resolution was passed by 5 votes to 4.

 

However, because the vote was far from unanimous and it was clear that there was an element of uncertainty, the Chairman proposed two further resolutions in order to obtain clarity.

 

Firstly, the Chairman proposed that the Parish Council support the draft planning application.  This was passed by 6 votes to 3.

 

Secondly the Chairman proposed that the Parish Council support the application and submit it.  This was passed by 5 votes to 4.

 

It was agreed that the minutes should be confirmed subject to a note being added to them which reflected the outcome of these two proposals.                                   GW

 

13.113              Proposal re planning application for tennis courts

 

                        The agenda item is reproduced below:

 

a.       To agree to withdraw the planning application, Ref: 13/02919/FUL, for the provision of two hard surfaced tennis courts with fencing, lighting and engineering works

 

because

 

Wellow Parish Council did not pass a resolution to submit the application, nor to appoint an agent

 

and

 

in submitting the application, Wellow Parish Council is unable to submit any further evidence nor to respond to the consultation by the Planning Department of Bath and North East Somerset Council.

 

b.      To agree to suggest to the Wellow Sports Group or the Wellow Tennis Club that the Planning Application should be submitted by one (or both) of them.

 

After lengthy discussion the Chairman suggested that the seven conditions already set out provided sufficient safeguard to ensure that the project, if approved, would not proceed without due consideration being given to concerns expressed by the residents of Wellow as a whole.

 

He proposed that Wellow Parish Council withdraw the application, ref: 13/02919/FUL, to B&NES.  This was defeated by 5 votes to 4.

 

Thus, the application would remain in place and there was no need to move on to Part b.

 

No formal resolution was put forward to confirm Chris Wordsworth as the Parish Council’s agent but, since no-one formally objected and his role is alluded to in the proposal, his continuing in this role was tacitly approved.

 

13.114             Date of next meeting

 

The Chairman confirmed that the next meeting of Wellow Parish Council would be on September 9th 2013 at 8pm in the Village Hall.  The meeting closed at 8.15pm.

 

Geoff White

Parish Clerk

August 25th 2013