Neighbourhood Plan Committee

Minutes

Minutes of the NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN COMMITTEE meeting held on Thursday 15^th December 2022 at 19.30 pm

Attendees: Parish Councillors Carolyn Barton, Kristian Berggreen, Claire Tester (Chair) and Ian Weir

Deputy Clerk:  Tracy Forte

NP22/31 APOLOGIES:  Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Bill Hatton.

NP22/32 DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS: None.

NP22/33 MINUTES

Minutes of the Neighbourhood Plan Committee held on the 27^th October 2022 were agreed and accepted as a true record.

NP22/34 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.

There were no members of the public present.

NP22/35 MSDC Draft District Plan 2021-2039.   At the previous meeting of the Neighbourhood Plan Committee held on 27 October 2022, Members agreed to review the content of the Draft District Plan and submit any comments/points they would like to be incorporated in the Council’s formal response, to the Clerk and Chair of this Committee.  Using these comments, a proposed response was then drawn up and circulated to the Committee for consideration in advance of this meeting.

Members then discussed the draft response and agreed a final response to the MSDC Draft District Plan Review which would be submitted by the Clerk/Deputy Clerk to MSDC.

The detailed response can be read in Appendix 1.

NP22/36 Priorities Statement.

Cllr Tester updated members on the progress to date and were advised that:

• Over 50 completed surveys have been received to date – online and paper.
• She has arranged a stall at the Hassocks Christmas Market on Saturday 17 December to promote the Survey. Cllr Berggreen had offered to help.

It was agreed that the office would enter the responses of all paper copies received via the online survey.

It was noted that information about the survey and the stall at the village market had been sent out via social media. A reminder would also be sent out encouraging residents to complete the survey over the holiday period.

NP22/37 Any other business. None

NP22/38 Urgent Matters. None

NP22/39 DATE OF NEXT MEETING. 26 January 2022.

The Meeting was closed was 8.10pm.

Appendix A

AGREED RESPONSES ON BEHALF OF HPC TO THE MID SUSSEX DRAFT DISTRICT PLAN REVIEW.

Policies

DPN3 GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

i) Members noted that some locations identified for ‘safeguarding’ specifically referred to the ‘Green Circle’ around Burgess Hill, a few further sites in East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Worth etc. However Members felt there would be merit to a wider geographical recognition of important green infrastructure sites across the district, and would specifically reference those included in Hassocks Neighbourhood Plan Policy 2. These are LGS1: Land at Clayton Mills, LSG2: Land to the south of Clayton Mills, LSG 3: Land south of Downlands, LSG 4: Land to the west of the railway field and LSG 5: Land at Pheasant Field.

DPS1 CLIMATE CHANGE

i) In respect of the section on adaptation to and mitigation of climate change this should also incorporate the requirement to include natural fire breaks to minimise the risk of wild fires.

DPS2 SUSTAINABLE DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION

i) Members acknowledged that the Plan had been amended and was more reflective of the position the Parish Council has taken over a number of years regarding energy efficiency and improved building standards.

ii) Water Resources and Water Efficiency – the metrics have been removed which, considering this is an area of water stress, means the national standards in Building Regulations apply which may not be strict enough. Therefore it is considered that the metrics should be re-inserted.

DPS6 HEALTH & WELLBEING

i) The Plan should acknowledge the need for residential amenity and provide an adequate buffer at the edge of any new development abutting existing gardens. In recent developments within the village (Hassocks) this has not been the case.

DPC3 NEW HOMES IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

i) The reuse of rural buildings for residential use needs to require a much longer time frame for recently constructed buildings. It is suggested that a rural building should not be converted for at least 15 years from construction otherwise it will provide a route for farmers to promote residential development where it would not normally be allowed.

DPH2 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE THE BUILT UP AREA

i) Development outside of the settlement boundaries should only be permitted where the Local Authority can not demonstrate that the 5 year housing land supply will be met.

Site Allocations

DPH15 2 HURST ROAD (25 properties)

i) It is understood the promoter/developer may not own all of the development site.

ii) In the SHLAA report in January 2022 it stated ‘An assessment of the site has identified severe access issues that are unlikely to be mitigated. It is concluded thatdevelopment of the site is not acceptable’

iii) The District Site Selection process identified that ‘‘The site is principally constrained by its lack of safe or available access and by its location adjacent to the Stonepound Crossroads’.  The site is therefore considered unsuitable for development and has been excluded from further assessment. (NPPF Para 104).

iv) These factors apparently now seem to be overcome in the revised site allocations report (September 2022). However, the Parish Council retains significant concerns over the arrangements proposed for the access route into this site and the potential impact it will have, not only on the general traffic flow within the vicinity of Stonepound Crossroads, but also the AQMA site.

v) Hassocks Parish Council does not believe that another access point and a right hand turning lane opposite Stanford Avenue would work; already there is frequent queuing of traffic back past the Friars Oak Public House. The impact of any shortening of the existing right-hand turning lane for Hurstpierpoint at Stonepound Crossroads would be detrimental, and increase the difficulties for those trying to get out of Saxon Mills.

vi) This proposed site represents the last remaining part of the Hassocks to Hurstpierpoint Local Gap visible from London Road and is important for retaining the separate identity of the two villages.

DPH27 BYANDA (provision of 60 older persons units)

i) Although this application was REFUSED at MSDC planning committee the property remains in the allocation plan.

ii) The Parish Council’s position remains unchanged regarding the suitability of this location for this type of development and it would not support the development site on the following grounds:

The site is unsuitable to accommodate a care home to modern viable standards (50-60 bed) due to the constrained site size, topography (which limits the useable outdoor amenity space), proximity to neighbouring dwellings, flood risk, poor access and proximity to the South Downs National Park.