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January 2009 Minutes
Gwernymynydd Community Council Cyngor Cymdeithasol Gwernymynydd
T. M. Richardson C. Eng. M.I.MMM, MIOA Clerk to the Council Telephone : 01244 815083
Minutes of the Meeting held on Thursday 29th January 2009 at the Village Centre, Gwernymynydd.
Chairman: Councillor E. Owens
The Chairman welcomed to the meeting members of the public who had come along to discuss planning issues with the Council and in particular the submitted application for Tros y Wern Farm, the building of 3 sustainable dwellings and the erection of 3 wind turbines on adjacent land.
With reference to the absence at the meeting of PC. Gary Aldous the Chairman welcomed PCSO Andrea Ellis who was attending with respect to the Agenda Item; Police Matters.
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mrs. N. Matthews, G. Morris and PC. G. Aldous.
2. To Approve the Minutes of the November Meeting
The Minutes of the above had been distributed and were confirmed as a true record of the business transacted at the meeting.
3. Matters Arising from the Minutes
3. 3. 3.10 With reference to replacing the commemorative sign on the gates of the NPFA field, the giving of the field to the community by the Waln family, Councillor K. Taylor brought along to the meeting the finished plaque. The Members thanked Councillor Taylor for obtaining the plaque and following on from this Councillor C. Jackson volunteered to undertake the work of fixing the plaque to the NPFA Field gates.
4. To Approve Actions taken by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman
1. The purchase of road salt/grit and together with a salt bin for Minffordd 2. Meeting held with the Leader of Flintshire County Council
The Members gave full approval of the actions taken; with respect to the former the Council agreed to reimburse Councillor Owens for the cost of both the bin and road salt/grit
2009; 31 With reference to the meeting held with the Leader of Flintshire County Council Councillors E. Owens and C. Bradshaw reported to the Members the salient facts of the discussion. Minutes of the meeting were given to the Members for their information; the Clerk has a copy on file.
5. Gwernymynydd Development Plan
This as in previous meetings Councillor C. Bradshaw presented to the Council the main theme of the Plan. He provided information for Members to discuss and to give their comments and observations. Councillor Bradshaw outlined the papers given to the Members; Gwernymynydd Community Council, Where are we Now (an Exhibition and presentation plus a list of invited organisations) and an information leaflet to be given to Village Residents. Councillor Bradshaw drew the Members attention to the proposed time frame, a 3 year Plan which incorporated not just housing and working alongside the Flintshire County Council’s UDP but a community development taking in such topics as footways, footpaths, the A 494 trunk road, the Village Centre and the CP School for the benefit of Gwernymynydd residents.
The proposed date for the Public Meeting as stated in the ‘Where are we Now’ paper is Sunday 10th May 2009 and to emphasise the launch is to bring the Plan to the attention of the members of the public, their comments and input being a valuable contribution.
6. Gwernymynydd Youth Club/Youth Council
Councillor E. Owens reported to the Members that the Youth Club meeting held on the 9th January 2009 had been well attended. However again it was acknowledged that the gap between Club meetings did have an effect on attendances and the changing of Youth Leaders from meeting to meeting did not help the situation but hopefully these problems would be overcome and the Youth Club would thrive. The next meeting of the Youth Club is on the 10th February 2009.
7. Reports
1. Police Matters
PCSO Andrea Ellis informed the Council that there had been no incidents reported in the Gwernymynydd area, the Christmas and New Year period being quiet.
Speeding vehicles through the residential areas and obstructive parking were still concerns expressed by the Members, a request was submitted for the police to monitor the problems and where possible to take appropriate action.
PCSO Ellis informed the Council that ‘Speed Gun’ training sessions were taking place with the view to making more officers available to deal with problems involving speeding vehicles.
Thanks were conveyed by the Members to PCSO Ellis for attending the Council meeting 2009; 32 2. Outside Bodies
With reference to the Village Centre Management Committee, Councillor K. Taylor provided an update of information for the Members. Caravan rallies had been booked, there being 5 definite and 1 further possible in the coming months. Flintshire County Council will be holding an Emergency Planning meeting at the Centre and again the Centre will be used as a polling station for the forthcoming European Elections on the 4th June 2009.
Councillor Mrs M. Thomson reported to the Council on the recently held One Voice Wales (Wrexham/Flintshire Area) meeting. The main speaker was Mr. N. Jenkins from Hacker Young, Chartered Accountants, the Company being the appointed auditor for Audit Wales. Information concerning Councillor/Clerk training was received, the first training session being in the Wrexham area, details of which are to follow.
3. Sub-Committees
With respect to Minute 2008; 20; 3.8.5 reference to vehicles speeding through the housing estates, a proposal to hold a meeting to discuss the issue and to resolve the problem still needs to be held. This matter is to be progressed.
The Clerk reported concerns received about the condition of the goalposts on the NPFA Field, it was resolved that the Clerk should investigate the matter and take appropriate action as approved by the Council.
With reference to the ‘Kick Back Wall facility’ Councillor Taylor related that the goal area netting needed to be replaced, the Clerk was requested to pursue the matter.
4. A494, Gwernymynydd/Cadole
Councillor Mrs. N. Matthews provided information about the Llys Enfys/A 494 road junction for the Council via e-mail, this relates to concerns expressed regarding the 90º turning, Mold to Ruthin direction. A road improvement scheme is to be submitted by Flintshire County Council to the North Wales Trunk Road Agency under the classification of a minor scheme.
With respect to the road works undertaken on the A 494 by Jones Bros (Ruthin), contracted by Flintshire County Council, the Members were very pleased with the work done, the efficiency of the project and the amicable nature of the workmen when questioned about the contract by members of the public and Councillors. The Clerk was requested to write to the Contractor to express the thanks of the Council.
Councillor T. Barley related the problem of obstructive and dangerous car parking on the grass verge and the trunk road along the A 494, Cadole and Loggerheads. The Clerk was requested to write to the Chief Constable, North Wales Police, in order to remedy the situation. 2009; 33 5. Gwernymynydd and Cadole; Area Reports
Cadole: Swan Lane: Llys Enfys: In these areas there were no items reported for discussion.
Blaenwern; Councillor C. Jackson requested a salt bin and salt for the garages/car parking area, also obstructive parking of vehicles was causing a nuisance: Tros y Wern; Concern was expressed about the recent electrical problem caused by a power surge, the Clerk was requested to write to Scottish Power on the matter, 44 houses were affected: Ruthin Road; Litter and dog fouling of the footways were of concern, Hafod Road to Siglen Ucha.
8. Correspondence
Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 were received by the Council.
With reference to item 2 the Council agreed to accept the quotation received from Deeco Lighting for a new street light to be located along Gwernaffield Road, Cadole. The amount being £525 plus VAT.
9. Late Correspondence
The following information was received by the Council:-
Flintshire County Council, the Flintshire County Forum, a request for topics for discussion at the next meeting: A letter from Mr. G. Humphreys requesting the support of the Council for the Rainbow Inn to be classified as a Listed Building by Flintshire County Council, this request to be discussed at the next meeting of the Council: Flintshire County Council, Draft Version of the County’s Leisure Services Strategy Policy; An update from Mrs. Lowey, on the Highfield, Ruthin Road, planning application.
10. Planning Matters
Ref: DGJ/045783: The erection of 3 sustainable dwellings and the erection of 3 wind turbines on adjacent land and comprehensive landscape proposals located at Tros Y Wern Farm, Ruthin Road, Gwernymynydd. NOT AGREED Councillor Mrs. E. Parry declared an interest in this planning application and as a consequence she took no part in the proceedings.
Councillor E. Owens welcomed members of the public to the meeting; he gave an opening address relating the history of the proposal taking into account the previous application and the granting of outline permission for the building of 3 dwellings. Councillor Owens then invited comments from the public before asking Councillors for their observations and comments.
The Council most strongly resolved to object to the proposal for the following reasons.
. 2009; 34 1. This planning application must be treated as a complete new proposal and not as the next step forward, a detailed application, to the previous outline application Ref: DGJ/041819This application proposes 3 dwellings of approximately twice the size of the previous outline with the addition of 3 wind turbines each 16m in height with a large blade span and located in a very prominent position. The Council perceives this application to be completely different to the original application; the 3 dwellings have a completely different footprint on the land to accommodate their very large size.
2. The application proposes a residential development on a site which lies outside the designated Gwernymynydd Village Envelope; this constitutes building in open countryside and breaches the concept of a green belt. The proposed wind turbines lie even further out into the open countryside.
3. The site is reached by a narrow lane which services the existing farm; this access cannot be widened to accommodate any increase in traffic. The inevitable increase in traffic in the lane would further exacerbate the verge/hedgerow erosion and damage to the boundary stone wall. This is already evident. Also residents have raised complaints that the surface water run-off from the lane results in localized flooding and damage to their properties. The lane leads onto the road Godre’r Mynydd, the building of more dwellings would result in an increase in vehicular traffic through a residential housing area so posing an additional threat to the safety of people on the estate.
4. The visual impact of the proposed development both from Gwernymynydd and Mold is unacceptable, the very size of the dwellings and associated wind turbines means that they would all be very prominent on the landscape and clearly seen in the open countryside and the designated AONB. A definitive footpath although not obstructed passes very close to the site, the visual impact to people appreciative to the existing open countryside would be one of disdain.
5. The size of the proposed dwellings and their location will result in the appearance of an overbearing nature, they will dwarf the properties on nearby Godre’r Coed with the suggested landscaping proposal being inadequate to achieve its objective.
6. The Developer proposes sustainable dwellings together with 3 wind turbines on adjacent land to serve at least 50% of the required electricity need and to comprehensively landscape the area. The large size of the dwellings to accommodate additional solar panels (electricity and hot water) to achieve the sustainability factor should not be considered; the proposed houses are too big for the development site and would be totally out of place in the village setting. The landscaping proposal would make the site out of character with the existing natural beauty of the open countryside.
7. The Developer concentrates on sustainable houses with necessary associated features, the fact that local stone in keeping with the existing farmhouse has not been considered in the buildings makes the proposed dwellings look even further out of place in the community.
8. The Lifetime Homes Criteria has not been fully explained, the proposed dwellings do not meet with the requirements and the Consultant’s argument in this respect is flawed and not accurate. 2009; 35
9. There is great concern about the impact the wind turbines will have with respect to noise. Members of the community will find the noise from the turbines distressing especially taking into account the existing quiet rural location. Wind turbines create noise and the amount varies with wind speed or rpm. Some turbines can achieve 100 dB(A) at 14 rpm, the standards and advice ETSU-R-97 and PAN 45 are more appropriate for noisy urban locations than they are for quiet rural areas. More accurate information must be obtained from both the Developer and the Consultants.
This application was thoroughly discussed in the Council meeting with the observations and concerns of Councillors and local residents being considered and taken into account.
Ref: AW/045764: The erection of eight 3 bed houses and two 1 bed apartments above garages, located at the Rainbow Inn, Ruthin Road, Gwernymynydd, Mold and the including the Amendment application which followed. NOT AGREED The Council approved in principle the building of low cost houses on this particular site. However, the Members raised objections to the proposal in its present form for the following reasons:-
1. Access to the site from the A 494 Trunk Road is on a bend in the road on the brow of a hill, visibility for motorists in this location is restricted in both directions.
2. The Rainbow Inn’s car park, the access into the site, frequently fills up at peak periods, opening times, with the proposed housing area presently accommodating the parking overspill. The building of too many houses on this site will exacerbate the situation by removing those extra customer parking spaces. Parking of customers’ vehicles outside of the Inn’s curtilage will result, as it has done so in the past, with vehicles being parked on the narrow Llys Enfys/Bryn Eithin housing estate road. This nuisance of additional vehicle parking in the residential area would create further road user problems bearing in mind the 90º ‘T’ junction Llys Enfys/A 494 turning in the Mold to Ruthin direction.
3. The proposed housing density is too high for the site with at least 4 houses (plots 7-10) fronting onto the pavement. The high density of houses also gives rise to the concern of the availability for the parking of vehicles belonging to residents and visitors to the properties.
The Council respectfully requested Flintshire County Council to refuse the application as presented, the applicant needs to resubmit the proposal in a more acceptable and sensible form, one which would be in keeping with the location.
Ref: LEJ/045798: Erection of a coach valeting workshop and relocation of coach hire business Ref: 041585, a removal of an applied condition; Eagles and Crawford. AGREED
Ref: LEJ/045843: Erection of a 2-storey extension to form a new 1st floor bedroom and ground floor living room located at Bryn Tirion, Ruthin Road, Gwernymynydd. AGREED
2009; 36 Ref: CZR/045838: Erection of a new porch to the side elevation located at Bwthyn Gwyn, Swan Lane, Gwernymynydd. AGREED
With reference to the above application, Councillor E. Owens declared an interest in the proposal and consequently took no part in the discussion or the final decision.
11. Finance
Determination of the Council’s Precept and Budgetary requirements for the forthcoming Municipal Year 2009/10 from Flintshire County Council based upon the calculated Council tax Base of 552.04 Band ‘D’ equivalent properties.
The Clerk had recommended that the Precept for the Council for the year remains the same as 2008/09, that amount being £14,000.
The Council having studied the presented finances resolved to accept the recommendation submitted. The Council’s Precept for 2009/2010 will be £14,000.00
Payments were authorised and cheques signed totalling £2,092.33
Chairman….........................................................................................................
Payments authorised at the meeting held on the 29th January 2009.
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