Agenda item

Karen Abolkheir, Stanton Wick Action Group addressed the Panel. A copy of her statement can be found on the Panel’s Minute Book, a summary is set out below.

My representation today covers the status of the Council’s Gypsy Traveller Development Plan Document and the processing of a Planning Application on the Shale Tip at the Old Colliery, Stanton Wick, which has subsequently been withdrawn. Last month I presented to Cabinet on these subjects and I have not yet had a response.

The local community has serious and justifiable concerns regarding the processing of this application and we would invite the Committee to investigate and scrutinize.

There are unexplained significant errors in the processing of this major application and we intend to ascertain how and why they occurred. We respectfully ask you to press the Cabinet to investigate fully and openly publish their findings without further delay.

I also want to bring to your attention today, the lack of reported progress on the DPD and the provision of sites. Our concerns can be summarised as follows;

- DPD debate postponed twice until June and will not be adopted until Spring 2014, some 16 months delayed.

- No reporting of progress or otherwise at Lower Bristol Road, despite resolution (5) at September 2012 Cabinet which stated that the Council should progress a planning application for gypsy and traveller pitches thus there should be no need to wait especially in light of the deferment of the DPD.

- Communities deserve a full and detailed update on progress of the DPD together with a definitive timetable for the resolution of site provision in such time that the defence of any planning appeal in the district will be robust.

The Council need to be open and rigorous and we implore you to help achieve this.

The Chairman said that she would ask for this statement to be passed to the Cabinet Member for Homes & Planning so that he could issue a response.

Councillor Geoff Ward asked in what way were the Council deficient in advertising the planning application.

Karen Abolkheir replied that it had been advertised in the Bath Chronicle which does not cover the Chew Valley area. She added that this fact had been previously reported to the Council. She continued by informing them that no notification had been placed on the site and that no notification had been to the local neighbourhood or Parish.

Clarke Osborne, Stanton Wick Action Group addressed the Panel. A copy of his statement can be found on the Panel’s Minute Book, a summary is set out below.

He said that he wished to speak regarding the report commissioned by the Council to update the needs assessment for the provision of pitches for Gypsy and Travellers and yards for Travelling Showpeople.

The genuine concerns of the Community centre around the brief provided by the Council, the process and over haste of procurement and the text of the report provided by Opinion Research Service.

He asked for the Panel’s help in finding answers to the following questions.

·  Why did the brief for the update of the Needs Assessment include reporting on individual site preferences which must seek to mislead the reader and cause concern to specific settled communities?

·  Why was the procurement process so rushed and why was the contract awarded in the absence of any competing bid?

·  Why was the report not published until the 2^nd March?

·  Why was a Gypsy & Traveller who is not resident in the district interviewed?

·  Why was the conflict of interest by Maggie Smith-Bendell not disclosed?

·  Why was the comment made by a Showman regarding the Stanton Wick site removed from the report and the three comments by Maggie Smith-Bendell allowed to remain?

·  Why have the Cabinet failed to respond to the questions and serious concerns raised at their meeting on 10^th April?

The Chairman said that she would ask for this statement to be passed to the Cabinet Member for Homes & Planning so that he could issue a response.

Judith Chubb-Whittle, Chair of Stanton Drew Parish Council addressed the Panel. A copy of her statement can be found on the Panel’s Minute Book, a summary is set out below.

Last year the Parish Council came to you to ask you to scrutinise the Gypsy & Traveller DPD due to the deeply flawed process carried out in 2012 concerning the Old Colliery site at Stanton Wick.

The Cabinet resolved in September [2012] to remove that site as a preferred option because of the arguments the parish & action group put forward.

Then in January [2013], a planning application was lodged by the land owner & agent well known to this Council, for a gypsy site, which was classed as a major development. The application was withdrawn last week just prior to determination.

I come to you to ask you to scrutinise the process by which the planning application was allowed to proceed in the first instance.

The parish council asked questions of the land agent & owner and invited them to consult with us to answer such questions as; ‘What is a sewage treatment package?’ No answer was received.

Many hours have been spent over the last 12 months by my parishioners highlighting errors made by BANES during the DPD to prevent gypsies & travellers being denigrated to this isolated, contaminated spot. Now, many more copious hours have been wasted having to highlight once again a multitude of errors that should have meant the application being turned down as soon as it hit the BANES’ Planning Dept reception desk. I respectfully ask the panel to look into the process by which planning application 013/0125/FUL has been managed in the light of such a poor quality application.

The Chairman said that she would ask for this statement to be passed to the Cabinet Member for Homes & Planning so that he could issue a response.