MEVAGISSEY PARISH COUNCIL

http://mevagisseyparishcouncil.co.uk/

Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held as a virtual meeting

On Thursday 22 October 2020 at 7pm

Present Cllrs. M Roberts (Chairman), M Facey (Vice-Chairman), D Drake, J Gann, J Morgan, H Nathan, L Price,

G Shephard, J Whatty.

In Attendance Cllr. J Mustoe (Ward Member), Dr James McClure (St Austell Health Care), P Howson (Clerk),

12 members of the public.

UNRATIFIED UNLESS SIGNED

1. Apologies for absence had been received from Cllr. Hereward.

2. Cllr. Price declared an interest in agenda item 11g (15 Polkirt Hill).

Cllr. Facey declared an interest in agenda item 32 (Cornwall Council’s free parking day).

3. Dr James McClure of St Austell Healthcare described the operations of the group and how the Mevagissey surgery was being incorporated into it. IT and phone systems are now fully interconnected, and they are busy catching up on the backlog of patient reviews. All patient requests are triaged to ensure that they see the right person first time. There has been some abuse by local patients of local reception staff and he asked that they be treated with respect at all times. Dr McClure took questions from members and undertook to keep the Council updated with progress.

4. The presentation by Owen Beynon of Alan Leather Associates on proposals to develop the Waterside, Polkirt Hill site into holiday apartments is deferred to the next meeting.

5. Public participation. No members of the public chose to speak.

6. Proposed by Cllr. Whatty, Seconded by Cllr. Facey that the minutes of the meeting held on 17 September 2020 be accepted. Carried.

7. Proposed by Cllr. Shephard, Seconded by Cllr. Drake that the minutes of the extraordinary meeting held on

8 October 2020 be accepted. Carried.

8. Proposed by Cllr. Gann, Seconded by Cllr. Morgan that the minutes of the extraordinary meeting held on 15 October 2020 be amended to show that appreciation for the contribution of the resigned members had been expressed and that Cllr. Facey had apologised for losing his temper and had volunteered to undertake Code of Conduct training. This was Carried but subsequently invalidated because the event described in the first part of the motion had not occurred. The minutes will be amended to show the second part of the motion and will be presented for adoption at the next meeting.

9. The Clerk reported that:

• The external audit of the Council’s accounts for 2019/20 was completed with no issues raised;
• The public footpath to Heligan Mill has now been resurfaced, completing the agreed package of PROW works;
• He had submitted the Council’s response to the Marine European Sites SPD Consultation;
• He had arranged for Tall Trees (aka The Hollies) to be added to the Cornish Building Group’s ‘buildings at risk’ register;
• He had reported damage to the ‘unsuitable for HGV’ sign at the foot of Church Lane and this had been repaired within two days;
• The fabrication works to the Polstreath steps have been completed;
• The owners of The Fishermen’s Chippy had thanked the Council for organising the extra litter bins and have donated £500 to the Mevagissey Bay Association towards the cost of the bins and the public toilets.

10. The Ward Member presented his report which can be seen on the Council’s website. It includes notes from his meeting with the St Austell Healthcare partner leading the takeover of Mevagissey surgery, and the news that he has been unanimously selected as the Conservative Candidate for the new Mevagissey and St Austell Bay Cornwall Council division at next year’s local elections.

11. Planning and Enforcement.

11a. PA20/02210 : Construction of a terrace of three houses and a detached one and a half storey house, reconstruction of existing pedestrian access and adaption of existing carparking (previously approved under PA18/08553) (amended plans). Land Adjacent 38 Kiln Close Mevagissey PL26 6TP. Proposed by Cllr. Gann, Seconded by Cllr. Shephard that the Council awaits further clarification of the Conservation Officer’s concerns, particularly regarding the slate walkway; is concerned at the proposal to screen the car park with invasive bamboo and would welcome alternative proposals; would like the planned maintenance of all plantings to be extended from 12 months to 5 years; and would like natural grass to be used in place of the proposed AstroTurf. Carried.

11b. PA20/07047 : Work to various tree species – to cut back overhanging foliage – 1 metre from boundary no tree felling within a Tree Preservation Order(TPO). Woodland West Of Mevagissey Fire Station Valley Road Mevagissey Cornwall PL26 6RZ. Proposed by Cllr. Gann, Seconded by Cllr. Facey that the Council makes no objection subject to the views of the Tree Officer. Carried.

11c. PA20/07946 : Proposed loft conversion to include front and rear dormers with proposed balcony and internal alterations. Shangri La Valley Road Mevagissey PL26 6SB. Proposed by Cllr. Shephard, Seconded by Cllr. Facey that the Council makes no objection. Carried.

11d. PA20/07317 : INSTALL REPLACEMENT WINDOWS TO FRONT OF PROPERTY. Sweet Thunder Cliff Street Mevagissey PL26 6QH. Proposed by Cllr. Facey, Seconded by Cllr. Nathan that the Council is content to follow the recommendations of the Conservation Officer. Carried.

11e. PA20/07318 : LISTED BUILDING CONSENT TO INSTALL REPLACEMENT WINDOWS TO FRONT OF PROPERTY. Sweet Thunder Cliff Street Mevagissey PL26 6QH. As above.

11f. PA20/08158 : Application for tree works: works to trees subject to a tree preservation order: removal of dead branches that over hang the road and are also likely to bring down telephone lines. Both the oak trees on the bank have deadwood to remove. Beachcomber Old Boatyard Portmellon Mevagissey St Austell Cornwall PL26 6PN

Proposed by Cllr. Shephard, Seconded by Cllr. Gann that the Council is content to follow the recommendations of the Tree Officer. Carried.

11g. To consider the latest information received and agree a way forward on PA20/04346 : 15 Polkirt Hill.

Cllr. Price withdrew for the duration of this item, having declared an interest.

Proposed by Cllr. Gann, Seconded by Cllr. Whatty that the Council’s position is that the application as it stands is not ready to be put forward for consultation. Despite the applicant’s claims, the Senior Building Control Officer has confirmed that a) demolition of the building is not something they have asked for, b) planning approval must be in place before any demolition work starts, c) the scaffolding at 11-13 Polkirt Hill is not propping up no. 15 and so could come down, and d) the internal scaffolding at no. 15 is preventing any danger of collapse. The submitted drawings of the existing building are incorrect. The building is not square and neither is the site, which suggests that the proposed replacement may not be accommodated within the site. The existing windows are not as shown on the plans and the owner of no. 17 has objected that one of the proposed new windows would be within his garden. The existing roof appears to be a work of fiction. It is shown as a standard pitch, but is in fact double hipped, an unusual feature providing character. It is a legal requirement for a Heritage Impact Assessment to be prepared by a suitably qualified person and submitted for review before an application to demolish a building in a Conservation Area can be considered. This has not yet happened. What has been submitted is inadequate. Neither is there a full schedule of materials to be used in the construction of the proposed replacement. All of these issues need to be addressed before the application can be properly considered. Once the correct information is made available the Council will be in a position to start their considerations.

11h. To receive an update on planning enforcement cases.

i) Property 1 at Portmellon: Breach of planning identified.

ii) Property 2 at Portmellon; Investigations underway.

iii) Landscaping at properties on School Hill: In light of the continued refusal by the LPA to take enforcement action, it was Proposed by Cllr. Gann, Seconded by Cllr. Shephard and Carried that legal advice should be sought from CALC (Cornwall Association of Local Councils).

iv) WC and boat storage at Portmellon car park: no update.

11i. No planning decisions have been received.

12. To approve the monthly finances.

The addition of a further £24 for councillor training and £930 for attendants at PCs 17-23/10/20 was noted.

Proposed by Cllr. Shephard, Seconded by Cllr. Price that the accounts be accepted and the bills paid. Carried.

13. Cllr. Facey reported that a cistern in the Valley Road ladies’ toilet was leaking and would be taken out of service pending a refit, and that charging would be introduced following the refit at some future date. Income from the West Wharf toilets would be c. £9,700 for the year, and next year should cover half the running costs.

Proposed by Cllr. Facey, Seconded by Cllr. Shephard that the additional spend on the public toilets following measures introduced following the Covid-19 risk assessments should be retrospectively ratified. Carried.

14. Cllr. Gann reported that he and Cllr. Shephard had recently attended a conference with the Cornwall Community Land Trust. The current pandemic is inhibiting progress on identifying and obtaining land for affordable housing.

15. Cllr. Facey confirmed that the Polkirt Hill one-way scheme had been reinstated and would remain in place until the end of the month. A longer-term solution will be considered for the future.

16. Cllr. Morgan reported that plans to relocate the Pentillie dog-waste bin had met with complaints. Proposed by Cllr. Morgan, Seconded by Cllr. Shephard that the bin should remain in its original position. Carried.

17. Cllr. Whatty reported that the Climate Emergency Working Group had commissioned a Climate Audit for the parish which would reveal how much CO₂ is being produced and by whom, and the results would feed into the evolving Climate Action Plan.

18. Cllr. Facey reported an ongoing problem with trade waste being dumped at the recycling banks, and the wrong sort of cardboard bank had been provided which allowed for boxes to be dumped without being flattened first.

19. Cllr. Shephard gave a presentation on the government’s proposals for reform of the planning system in England (‘Planning for the Future’). Proposed by Cllr. Shephard, Seconded by Cllr. Morgan that the Council should satisfy CALC’s request for local councils to write to their MP in support of Cornwall Council’s response to the consultation, but to include a request for further consultation on issues not adequately covered by the proposals including the role of Neighbourhood Plans, the impact of ‘first homes’ on exception sites, the consideration of historic buildings and Conservation Areas, and the imposition of nation-wide standard designs. Carried.

20. Proposed by Cllr. Shephard, Seconded by Cllr. Price that the principle of a working group to consider planning consultations and make recommendations to the full Council should be agreed, for the purpose of reducing the length of monthly meetings. Carried.

21. Proposed by Cllr. Whatty, Seconded by Cllr. Facey that a letter supporting the application by the ‘Our Only World’ conservation charity to provide water bottle refill stations should be sent. Carried.

22. Proposed by Cllr. Whatty, Seconded by Cllr. Drake that a grant of £400 should be made to the Merlin Centre.

Carried.

23. Proposed by Cllr. Drake, Seconded by Cllr. Facey that a grant of £300 should be made to Little Nippers for children’s Christmas gifts. Carried.

24. Proposed by Cllr. Shephard, Seconded by Cllr. Morgan that Cllr. Facey is mandated to create a working group involving parish councillors and officers from Cornwall Council and Cormac to investigate options for mitigating traffic congestion in Fore Street in the short, medium and longer term, and to report back to the Council for a decision on the next steps. Carried.

25. Proposed by Cllr. Facey, Seconded by Cllr. Morgan that the Council should make a one-off payment of up to £300 to Cormac in return for ongoing maintenance of the disputed area in Wesley Court. Carried.

26. Proposed by Cllr. Facey, Seconded by Cllr. Shephard that Standing Orders be suspended to allow the meeting to continue beyond three hours. Carried.

27. Proposed by Cllr. Gann, Seconded by Cllr. Shephard that the Council should write to Cornwall Council to highlight the danger to public safety represented by the dangerous cliff above Glanville House on East Quay. Carried.

28. It was agreed that the Council should respond to Cornwall Council’s survey on the problems posed by dogs on public beaches by confirming that existing arrangements are satisfactory.

29. Proposed by Cllr. Facey, Seconded by Cllr. Gann that GCF’s quotation for operating the public toilets next year should be accepted, with no winter closure of any facilities. Carried.

30. It was agreed that Cllr. Gann would create an informal working group to liaise with local businesses and recycling companies for the purpose of maximising recycling within the village. Cllrs. Morgan and Whatty agreed to assist.

31. Cllr. Gann wants the Council to create a presence on social media. He will discuss options with Cllr. Whatty and make proposals at the next meeting.

32. The Council had been invited to apply for participation in the ‘We’re Watching You’ anti-dog fouling campaign.

Noted.

33. It was agreed that the ‘Christmas free parking day’ in Cornwall Council operated carparks in the parish should be on Saturday 12 December. (NOTE: this was subsequently changed to Saturday 19 December).

34. Christine Leiser and Alex Williams were co-opted to fill the casual vacancies on the council arising from the previous resignations of Nigel Florence and Jane Blackmore. The Chairman welcomed them both and looked forward to seeing them at the next meeting.

35. The meeting ended at 10.25pm.

Date of next meeting: 19 November 2020 (virtual meeting unless advised otherwise).

Signed …………………………………………………………………………….. Dated ………………………………