19/02/13….Town Council drops ‘large’ community centre from Neighbourhood Plan

IN an apparent contradiction to its own published Neighbourhood Plan, Thame Town Council told the Examiner into the plan today that it does not want a 200 plus person community centre included in the plan, despite this being one of its ‘core objectives’ in the published plan.

Speaking on behalf of the town council, Sue Rowlands, of Tibbalds, the Consultants brought in by the council to help it produce the plan, told the Examiner, Mr Nigel McGurk: “The need for a 200 plus community centre has not been identified yet, so no decision has been made about what such a facility should comprise. Therefore, it would not be helpful to include a 200 plus facility as a policy in the (Neighbourhood) plan.”

She added: “The TNP focuses on the wider needs of the community in the town centre.”

This statement seems to be at odds with the plan itself which states:

Community, leisure and wellbeing
Main comments raised by local people during the
consultation include:
■ providing a really large meeting room (200+ capacity)
■ creating more riverside walks
■ another primary school is needed if there is more
housing
■ supporting local people
■ needing to get more people living AND working in
Thame (i.e. reduce commuting)

And, further in the plan:

Community Facilities
5.8 The Plan identifies three alternatives sites that have the potential to accommodate a new community facility large enough to hold 200+ people. The three potential sites
are:
■ the Cattle Market site
■ retaining some existing facilities at Lord Williams?s Lower School should the site come forward for development
■ the northern end of the Southern Road Recreation Area

Dropping a large community facility from the TNP will not be welcomed by many local groups who, in a survey carried out by Cmag, the Thame Cattlemarket Action Group, stated a need for a larger facility.

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

The 92-page plan sets out a vision for Thame which, as well as locations for a community facility, includes the construction of an additional 775 homes, three hectares of new employment land and up to 5,700 square metres of new retail (excluding convenience food) within the town centre and plans for new and improved connections in and around the town and new and improved open spaces.
Read the full plan here: http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Thame%20Neighbourhood%20Development%20Plan-RD.pdf

TODAY’S EXAMINATION HEARING

Today’s hearing was basically the Examiner’s opportunity to hear oral evidence from some of those who had submitted written representations where he required clarification to help him establish whether the NP complied with required Basic Conditions. For this reason, he explained, Sainsburys had not been invited to speak, despite a legal request why they should not, because: “..There were no questions I needed qualification of. Their written representations were sufficient.”

MEETING THE BASIC CONDITIONS

The Basic Conditions for Neighbourhood Plans are specified by law:
? must be appropriate having regard to national policy
? must contribute to the achievement of sustainable
development
? must be in general conformity with the strategic
policies in the development plan for the local area
(SODC’s Core Strategy in this case)
? must be compatible with human rights requirements
? must be compatible with EU obligations.

MORE FROM THE PUBLIC MEETING TOMORROW – Including submissions from developers, land-owners, residents groups and others.

IMAGE: Part of a Concept Plan for a community centre on the Cattlemarket site, produced for Cmag