Yeohead & Castleton Parish Council

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-> 29 Jul 2004

Yeohead & Castleton Parish Council

Minutes of the extraordinary meeting held on Thursday 29th July 2004 at 7.30 p.m. at Oborne Village Hall.

1. Present: Councillors J Sherburn, Mrs R Dimond, Mrs J Oliver, P Hunt, J Mason. Ms K. Limer, Clerk Fraser, 12 members of the public and WDDC Councillor R. Gould.

2. No apologies for absence were received.

3. Cllr K. Limer declared an interest in the Grange planning application as a neighbour, but no prejudicial interest is involved.

4. Yeohead and Castleton Parish Council objects to application 1/E/04/001210 (Grange, OBORNE – erect extensions and carry out alterations) for the following reasons:

The parking provision as shown is unworkable. Council is of the opinion that it would be impossible to park 45 cars in the area proposed without unrealistic levels of driver discipline and skill, and/or a team of stewards. Council believes the proposed plan ignores safety implications in the event of an emergency. Further, council believes, bearing in mind previous experience, that provision of a maximum of 50 spaces would be insufficient in the event of the extended building being used to its full capacity. It is appreciated that the building would not be used to full capacity every day of the week; however, in view of the expenditure proposed, the frequency of functions requiring extensive car parking provision would increase significantly.

The removal of the existing landscaping in the overflow car park in order to accommodate 45 vehicles would be detrimental to the attractive environment of the site, and may be contrary to earlier permissions when the land was developed as an overflow car park within a conservation area.

The road access to the Grange is unsatisfactory for the number of vehicles envisaged. Farm Hill is not feasible as an access route as it is single-track, often muddy and icy in winter, with very few passing places. The road through Oborne village is narrow, single track in places, and function traffic in the past has created a nuisance to many residents. Increased traffic flows will only exacerbate existing congestion and road safety concerns expressed by the residents.

The enlarged building appears to be out of keeping with the scale of the conservation area in which it lies, and is contrary to the 1998 West Dorset District Local Plan policy CD1 7.73 (iv).

It is vital that the existing sewage system, regardless of this proposal, be upgraded to cope with the usage levels of the facility. The existing system causes a significant nuisance to neighbours, and council recommends that, should approval for this application be granted, a section 106 agreement is reached to ensure that this problem is eliminated, and that regular monitoring of effluent levels is undertaken by the proper authority.

Please contact us at:-

Mike Fraser, The Parish Clerk, Church Farm Cottage, Oborne, Dorset, DT9 4JY

Tel: 01935 816537

Email: yeohead@dorsetparishes.gov.uk

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