21/11/12….Thame Neighbourhood Plan over the first hurdle

FOLLOWING six weeks of public consultation, and 221 responses, Thame Town Council has now officially endorsed the Thame Neighbourhood Plan and agreed on the next stage, that it be submitted for examination by South Oxfordshire District Council.

It became clear at a meeting to present the final report on the TNP at the Barns Centre, on Monday (19/11), that the most significant objections to the draft plan during the consultation period had centred on a proposal to build houses on land around the Grade 2 listed house, The Elms, in Upper High Street, Thame. Both SODC and British Heritage (among others), objected to the number and density of the units proposed. As a consequence, the number of units allowed for on this site in the TNP will be reduced by between 20% and 40%, the final number being ?the subject of on-going discussions? according to the town council.

WHAT WERE THE ISSUES OF CONCERN IN THE CONSULTATION?

Several respondents were concerned about a proposed ?linkage access? (path) from any development close by, on the eastern edge of the Stones Close allotments. As a result, this site has now been designated as ?Open space? in the final TNP to give it added protection against development.

Other concerns expressed during the consultation included that of some residents of Griffin Road, where new homes might have backed onto some properties there. Alternative options, including allowing for some possible development on what is currently Meadowcroft?s land, have been put in the final TNP.

No changes to the number of walking and cycling routes, or to the proposals for additional burial space outside the town centre, will be made to the final plan, though some respondents expressed concerns in these areas. On the subject of the number of affordable homes planned for in the TNP, individual developers will now be required to produce their own strategies, avoiding any delay thought likely if they were required to draw up a combined strategy, as suggested in the draft plan.
After presentations from the Clerk, Helen Stewart, Planning Consultant Jake Collinge and Cllr Mike Dyer, questions were invited from the audience.

A resident who asked that Towersey be included in the eventual referendum to decide whether the TNP is adopted or not, was told that although neighbouring villages were consulted, only residents in the Thame parishes were allowed to vote.

Alan Garratt, the Vicar of St Mary?s church, Thame, complained that there had been ?very poor consultation? over what was happening about finding more burial space. No one had told him, he said, that extending the current burial area into neighbouring allotments was not going to happen, nor the results of water table testing. The Clerk replied that the council was still pursuing extending the burial ground into the allotments but that even more additional space would be needed eventually. She said that the council had written to the Environment Agency asking for change of use permission.

A question was raised about how so-called ?windfall? housing developmet would impact on the number of houses Thame has to build in future years. Jake Collinge replied that the council had asked that, when we get to year 10, could we deduct windfalls, but that it was told ?no? because that would cause ?a degree of uncertainty.? However, Jake did add that there was uncertainty over the possible Lord Williams?s Upper school development, so if it has not been built on by 2020, windfall numbers could be deducted from the number of houses left to be built by the end of the period. ?We hope this will be the case, but we cannot guarantee anything,? he added.

Cllr Dyer stated that according to the recently published National Planning Policy Framework, windfalls arising in the first five years can be off-set from the numbers allocated.

Another questioner asked whether the council considered 221 responses to the consultation to be an adequate response. The Clerk replied that such a number is generally considered to be a positive response at this stage of a Neighbourhood Plan. She added that all background papers, including responses to questions will be published but not names.

Angus Lochlan asked if SODC can change the plan when it examines it, but he was assured that it could only make representations to the Inspector who will decide whether the plan is sound or not, on ?conformity? to regulations and processes. The question was raised about how people without access to the internet could follow the process to which the answer was that hard copies would be available at both the town hall and the library, and that it was hoped a simple pr