COMMITTEE MINUTES 27th JULY

LANEHEAD RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
Minutes of committee meeting held at Newhouses, Tuesday 27 July, 7pm

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Ross Anderson, Neil Astley, Pat Cooper, Rex Cooper, Preston Hoggan, John Holland and Jenny Swaile.
Apologies: Pamela Robertson-Pearce.

1. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
The minutes of the previous committee meeting held on 11 June were read and approved by the appointed committee as a true record of what was discussed and agreed.

2. FARM WATCH
A Neighbourhood Watch scheme cannot be pursued for Lanehead according to the police, but we can proceed with plans to set up a Farm Watch scheme.

3. SPEED LIMITS
Discussion with police held over speed limit concerns, but no action likely.

4. LHRA COMMUNITY MEETING
Sunday afternoon tea to be arranged on date TBC in the village hall.

5. GREYSTONES DEVELOPMENT
Ross Anderson reported on the planning committee meeting on 21 July at which permission for the Long House was approved (10NP0022) subject to various conditions, the holiday village application (10NP0023) having been withdrawn and replaced by a revised application (10NP0041) with different access arrangements (to be considered separately in September). The committee were directed by planning officer D Coverdale who recommended approval on the basis that the Long House was a stone and slate construction in keeping with the National Park. The Parish Council's letter of objection had been lost and was read out, but no reference was made to the 13 specific objections made to the development by members of the local community apart from a general comment about local unease. The site plan was projected but could not be viewed in detail. The artist's impression picture of the house was not shown, and so its actual construction from other materials (including stone and slate) was not made clear, nor was its enormous size and scale. The planning office had not received any reports from the highways department about access, but the committee were advised that this should not be a problem.

A discussion followed in which the LHRA committee agreed that the planning committee had acted incorrectly. The local community had not been properly consulted. National Park policy 3 (NP design guide for new build) had not been adhered to. There was a question over whether Rob Cocker had been receiving advice from the planning department since October 2009.

In order both to challenge the validity of planning permission for the Long House and to prevent permission being given for the holiday village without due process, it was agreed that Rex Cooper would write on behalf of LHRA to John Riddle as county councillor for Bellingham and National Park Authority chairman stating our objections and concerns. The Hexham Courant would be informed as press publicity was needed to draw the attention of the public and the planning committee to the strength of local opposition to the Greystones development.

Local residents and the LHRA can submit revised objections to the holiday village proposal (10NP0041) by 13 August or ask the planning office to treat their previous letters of objection to 10NP0023 as applicable to 10NP0041. The Parish Council would meet to consider these developments and had until 20 August to make its own revised objections. In the light of the ineffectiveness of local objections to the Long House development, it was agreed that LHRA should add further elements to its objections to the holiday village. Both the first and the revised planning applications for the holiday village included false statements about "existing access" and the planning committee should be made aware of this. The land on which the holiday village was to be sited is glacial clay unsuitable for building because of drainage problems and flood risk, and the geological aspects should be included in the revised letter of objection.

6. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Date and time to be agreed by the committee members after email consultation.