Eastleigh Borough Council Bishopstoke, Fair Oak and Horton Heath Local Area Committee Meeting

The Committee appointed Councillor Tidridge as Chair in the Chair for this meeting as Councillor Parker-Jones was unable to attend.

There was no public participation on this occasion.

Councillor Tidridge declared a non-pecuniary interest in Item 9 of the Agenda as she is a member of Bishopstoke Parish Council.

RESOLVED -

That the Minutes of the meeting(s) held on 27 September 2023 be confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Chair reported that Remembrance events had taken place this year at Fair Oak Square and St Mary’s on Remembrance Sunday and at a temporary site on Bishopstoke Closed Graveyard on Armistice Day, where Councillor Parker-Jones laid a wreath on behalf of Eastleigh Borough Council.

She reported that Councillor Caws had attended the service at St Mary’s, and she and Councillor Couldrey attended the Remembrance Service at the bandstand in Eastleigh.

The Chair wanted to let people know that there were various festive fairs taking place across the wards, including at Fair Oak Junior School on Friday 1 December and Fair Oak Scout Hut on Saturday 2 December. 

The Chair was pleased to see that Fair Oak Library, a project that the Bishopstoke, Fair Oak and Horton Heath Local Area Committee had contributed to, was holding a Christmas Magic Show and Story session for 4 to 8 year olds on Wednesday 20 December, in addition to their weekly activities for children.

The Chair informed the Committee that Bishopstoke Players’ pantomime this season was Dick Whittington, which would be held at their current home of Durley Memorial Hall from 25 to 27 January.

The Chair was pleased that it was now possible to follow a cycle route from the River Inn in Bishopstoke all the way through to the colleges on Chestnut Avenue and onto Parkway station, following the Hampshire County Council extension from Eastleigh station – which was proving useful to commuters and students.

The Chair reported that at Monday’s Eastleigh Borough Council meeting, she had asked about the status of the asset transfer of the allotments at Bow Lake Gardens in Bishopstoke and had received a response from the cabinet member with responsibility for planning, which was covered by the Local Area Manager in the finance report on this agenda. 

The Chair reported that Councillor Parker-Jones had taken the Council’s two new directors to see the problems with the lack of asset transfers at Sewall Drive and Bow Lake Gardens, the problem with the missing permissive path at Bishopstoke Park and the site of the proposed SANG at Stoke Park Farm, which had been very helpful.

Monday’s Council meeting was also informed by the Leader of the Council that there were plans to increase the number of dwellings to be built on the One Horton Heath development – going up from 2,500 by an additional 350 to 2,850. He had also indicated that the number had potential to go up further to 3,000. The Chair stated that it would be good to learn more about the process and consultation related to the proposed increase.

Finally, The Chair wanted to mention that the Stoke Park Farm SANG proposal, which many people were interested in, was expected be on the agenda for January’s Local Area Committee meeting, but that it could not be confirmed until closer to the time, and she was hopeful that Councillor Parker-Jones would be able to chair that meeting.

The Chair and Committee wished Councillor Parker-Jones a speedy recovery.

Consideration was given to the report of the Lead Local Area Manager (Agenda Item 7) that contained recommendations for expenditure from the Committee’s budget and developer contributions.

The Lead Local Area Manager updated that Vistry had advised that the contract for the outstanding repairs to the Bow Lake allotment building had been awarded and they were waiting for confirmation of the start date from the contractor. The statement from the Cabinet member for Planning had confirmed that a letter was to be sent to the developer requiring action within 21 days. If action is not taken, the Council’s Legal team will be investigating what formal action can be taken.

Councillor Broomfield requested an update on the funds available to replace or install bins.

The Lead Local Area Manager agreed to provide an update to the Committee.

RESOLVED –

That the Committee noted:

1.  the expenditure of £910 towards bin infrastructure in the local area; and

2.  the current status of the asset transfers at Bow Lake Gardens and Sewall Drive, Bishopstoke. 

The Principal Planning Officer gave a short presentation on guidelines that had to be taken into account when determining planning applications; in particular the aspects that could, and could not, be taken into account. This was set against the broader policy framework.

The Committee considered the report of the Service Director for Planning and Environment (Agenda Item 9) concerning an application for demolition of existing memorial hall, parish office and storage shed at Bishopstoke Memorial Hall, Riverside, Bishopstoke, SO50 6LQ. This will also encompass the hedge line adjacent the building (Ref: C/23/95647).

There were no updates.

The Committee requested that it be noted that they would like any future applications for development on site to take account of the current biodiversity value of the site before demolition occurs when calculating biodiversity net gain.

Councillor Broomfield suggested that Bishopstoke Parish Council take a photo record of the memorial hall as it currently stands in its distressed state so there is a historical record as the building was erected as a memorial to the Great War.

RESOLVED -

That permission be delegated back to the Service Director for Planning and Environment in conjunction with The Chair and Vice Chair to GRANT CONSERVATION AREA CONSENT with the conditions within the report, and subject to:

•  A Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) being written and sent to Natural England.

•  A response from Natural England on the HRA.

•  A Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) agreed with consultees.

(NOTE: Councillor Tidridge declared a non-pecuniary interest in Item 9 of the Agenda as she is a member of Bishopstoke Parish Council.)

The Committee considered the report of the Service Director for Planning and Environment (Agenda Item 9) concerning an application for Erection of 1.no 3-bedroom bungalow with associated parking following the demolition of existing garages and severing of land at 5-7 Allington Lane, Fair Oak, SO50 7DA (Ref: F/23/95753).

There were no updates.

RESOLVED -

That permission be delegated back to the Service Director for Planning and Environment in conjunction with The Chair and Vice Chair to GRANT PLANNING PERMISSION with the conditions within the report, and subject to:

•  Securing contributions towards the Council’s New Forest Mitigation Strategy.

•  Completion of the Habitats Regulations Assessment Process.

(NOTE: The developer spoke in support of the application.)

The Legal Services Manager reported:-

(a)  that the following appeals had been lodged:-

39 Fair Oak Road, Bishopstoke, Eastleigh, SO50 6LF

Appealed against the Council’s refusal of erection of two-storey dwelling to rear garden of 39 Fair Oak Road and insertion of new first-floor bay window to rear elevation of 39 Fair Oak Road (F/23/94642).

This was a delegated decision.

RESOLVED -

That the report be noted.