Gestingthorpe Village Design Statement

The VDS file is too large to be put on this site, but it can be downloaded directly from the BDC website by clicking on the link below

http://www.braintree.gov.uk/downloads/file/1360/gestingthorpe_village_design_statement

 

Notice of Meeting

As the project is now complete the closing meeting of the Gestingthorpe Village Design Statement Group will be held in the Village Hall on

Wednesday 9^th November at 7.45 p.m.

               Chairman Chris Harman

 

The Agenda will include:-

• Chairman’s Report
• Treasurer’ Report
• Formal Winding Up of the VDS Group

For further information please contact Mary Bolter

 01787461604 or marybolter@cbb4u.co.uk

 

 

 

Gestingthorpe Village Design Statement

making  the file too big for the ECC server,

 

1. The chairman welcomed all to the meeting.

2. Apologies for absence. Received from Jan Cole, Ashley Cooper, Ben Hoogewerf, Marilyn Neate, David Nott, Michael and Elaine Sharp.

3. Minutes of the meeting on 12.04.2011 were read. It was proposed as a true record of the meeting by Leslie Crumpton-Taylor, seconded by Andy Craig and accepted unanimously.

4. To approve the draft Village Design Statement.

The completed draft of the Village Design Statement is to be presented to the Parish Council on July 7^th. The chairman and Tony Dagnall will be present at the meeting.

There has been some feedback on the draft copy that has been circulated to residents. Tony Dagnall reported the comment made by Jan Cole on the draft sent to Braintree District Council, ‘it actually made my eyes watery. Fabulous’. Other comments have been equally congratulatory.

A letter has been forwarded by the Parish Council that was received from the solicitor of a resident, Mr Adam Ley of Ellis Farm. The content was discussed fully and the points made noted. The Parish Council have also forwarded a copy of the reply sent in response to this letter by Emma Boaler on behalf of Braintree District Council Planning Policy Office. Hugh Cannell asked why these points have been raised at this late stage of the Village Design Statement production process when there has previously been a number of consultation events and opportunities for discussion of content by concerned residents.

The chairman replied that this letter was in direct response to the circulation of the draft VDS.

The letter requested that the wording in 3.2, 3.6 and 6.3 be changed and the word must be substituted by the word should.

The response from Braintree District Council stated that ‘The final decision on the use of the word ‘must’ or ‘should’ is the responsibility of Gestingthorpe VDS Committee and the Parish Council, however I am not against the use of the word ‘must’ in paragraphs 3.2, 3.6 and 6.3 and feel able to recommend the draft Gestingthorpe VDS for approval by councillors, as material planning consideration in the District.

After full discussion on the interpretation of the words, the proposal that the word ‘must’ be retained in paragraphs 3.2, 3.6 and 6.3 was made by Terry Flower, seconded by Hugh Cannell and carried unanimously.

The second point made in the letter from Linda Russell, solicitors to Mr Adam Ley, to the Parish Council. This concerns the village envelope which is outside the terms of reference of this committee and no comment can be made.

It was noted that the village envelope and the settlement boundary are not identical and it was proposed by Andy Craig that the wording in the VDS be amended accordingly. The motion was seconded by Claire Smith and carried unanimously.

It was agreed that a reply to the solicitors of Mr Adam Ley will be send after the Parish Council have considered the draft Village Design Statement.

Copies of the latest draft were circulated and discussed. A number of suggestions for changes in the wording were made by Steve Bolter and accepted by the editors. There were also corrections to dates made by Peter Nice that have been made. It was noted that there is some duplication of photographs in this addition and these will be changed.

Leslie Crumpton-Taylor proposed that the wording of the Village Design Statement be accepted. This was seconded by Hugh Cannell and carried unanimously.

A copy of the Gestingthorpe Village Design Statement amended in-line with the proposals made at this meeting will be sent to the Parish Clerk in time for circulation to Parish Councillors before the scheduled meeting on the 7^th July 2011. Debbie Nott and Tony Dagnell will co-ordinate this.

Claire Smith suggested that residents should be given the opportunity to view the photographs to be used in the VDS at an exhibition, possibly I September. This proposal was seconded by Debbie Nott and carried unanimously.

Chris Harman clarified that that the final report to the National Lottery has to be submitted in November Expenses should be claimed before this.

      5   Matters arising from the minutes not already covered by other agenda items. None

      6    Any other business None.

      7    The date of the next meeting.

To be arranged after the response from the Parish Council is received. .

The meeting closed at 8.45pm

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Working group meeting 12.04.2011

 

The meeting opened at 7.45 pm

 

1. The chairman welcomed all to the meeting.

 

2. Apologies for absence.

 

Received from Michael and Elaine Sharp and Ashley Cooper

 

3. Minutes of the meeting on 10.02.2011 were read and a correction to the date shown in item 5 to 24.12.2011 was made. It was proposed by Leslie Crumpton-Taylor, seconded by Andy Craig and accepted as a true record.

 

4. Matters arising from the minutes not covered by other agenda items.

 

None

 

5. Report and discussion on the consultation exercise on draft guidelines and response from residents.

 

Tony Dagnall gave a brief summary of the process so far. He explained that the initial draft had been submitted to Emma Boaler at Braintree District Council and as a result some changes were implemented.

 

Debbie Nott explained that the present draft has corrected some errors indicated by members of the committee and included some of the suggestions made that were appropriate to the content and ethos of the Village Design Statement brief.

 

Tony Dagnall expressed the hope that the draft will be able to be submitted to BDC for written comment on the draft text.

 

Jan Cole explained that there may be a delay in perusal by BDC because of the local elections on May 5^th.

 

Steve Bolter has widely circulated a number of concerns that he had about the content of the draft copy he listed some of these and Debbie Nott replied that the wording has now been changed. There were other points stressed by Steve that he felt should be included in the final statement but Jan Cole explained that many of these comments are already covered in other sections of the statement. Debbie Nott confirmed that some points are addressed elsewhere and that it was the editors’ wish that all design guidelines should be positive to set the tone of the document. A number of other points were presented by Steve Bolter and Debbie Nott justified each non-inclusion.

 

Hugh Cannell the remarked that both editors, Tony Dagnall and Debbie Nott, have done an excellent job on producing this document.

 

The chairman then confirmed that the next action was to be that the amendments agreed during this meeting were adopted and the draft circulated to the committee before being sent to Braintree District Council.

 

This was proposed by Steve Bolter, with a note of thanks to the editors and seconded by Hugh Cannell. The meeting were fully in agreement.

 

 

6. Selection of photographs and illustrations.

 

That this should be done by a sub-committee consisting of Claire Smith, Debbie Nott, Tony Dagnall and Andy Craig, was proposed by Hugh Cannell and seconded by Leslie Crumpton-Taylor. The motion was carried.

 

 

7. Update Action Plan

 

A copy of the updated timeline was distributed by the chairman and he explained the proposed changes. An updated plan will be circulated to all members shortly.

 

 

8 Financial Report

 

The treasurer reported that the funds stood at £2430.00 after the hire of the hall for this meeting has been paid

 

 

9  Any other business

 

None.

 

 

 

10. The date of the next meeting.

 

 To be arranged in June or July.

 

To present the final draft and photographs

 

 The meeting closed at 9.10pm

 

 

 

 

Gestingthorpe Village Design Statement

November 2010   Papers for AGM           <   Please Click on link

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Village Design Statement Working Group

Wednesday 15^th September 2010 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall

 

Agenda  

 

1. Welcome

2. Apologies.

3. Minutes of the meeting of 9th June.

4. Matters arising.

5. Update by AD & DN on Draft text.

6. Financial report.

7. AOB & date and time for next meeting.

 

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V D S Working group meeting

 

 09 June 2010  Village Hall, Gestingthorpe 

 

Minutes

 

Present:

Chris Harman (chairman)

Mary Bolter (secretary)

Leslie Crumpton-Taylor (treasurer)

Steve Bolter (vice-chairman)

Hugh Cannell

Ashley Cooper

Andy Craig

Tony Dagnall

Terry Flower

Debbie Nott

Elaine Sharp

The meeting opened at 7.30

1. The chairman welcomed all to the meeting
2. Apologies for absence. Received from Jan Cole, Michael Sharp and Claire Smith.
3. Minutes of the meeting on 13.05.10 were circulated and accepted as a true and fair record of the meeting. Proposed by Hugh Cannell and seconded by Steve Bolter.
4. Matters arising from the minutes not covered by agenda items.  None.
5. Decisions on the content and composition of the VDS

Some suggestions had been circulated with the agenda and others supplied at the meeting. These were discussed in detail by all members of the group.

Comments included:-

• How would the older part of the village be distinguished?
• It would be better to treat the village as a whole
• Specific points should be illustrated by examples from existing properties.
• Should the group use other examples as a template?
• Maps should be used to illustrate points.
• Photographs and illustrations should be chosen at a later date to fit around the text.

Update on progress

The introduction is complete written by Debbie Nott

The overview of responses to the questionnaires has been prepared

The history and topography of the village is ready.

Suggestions made by villagers have been summarised.

 

Tony Dagnall and Debbie Nott will work on the main body text for discussion at the next meeting.

 

It is estimated that the overall cost of the project is between £4,000 -£5,000. Further grants will be needed. Tony Dagnall will attend the next Parish Council meeting to ask for some financial support.

 

6        Any other business

Attention was drawn to the launch of the Community Led Planning Network on 26^th June.

The date of the next meeting.

Wednesday September 15th - 7.30pm in the Village Hall

 

The meeting closed at 9.15pm

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V D S Working group meeting

 

 09 June 2010  Village Hall, Gestingthorpe 

 

Gestingthorpe Village Design Statement

Working Group Meeting

Village Hall         7.30pm

AGENDA 09.06.2010

 

1.       Welcome and introduction by the Chairman, Chris Harman

2.       Apologies for absence

3.       Minutes of the meeting on 13/05/10

4.       Matters arising from the minutes

5.       Decisions on the content and composition of the VDS

• See attachment: Gestingthorpe VDS - Suggestions for completion of booklet.

6.       Any other business

9.       Date and time of next meeting

Appendix 1

Suggestions for VDS Document   6 June 2010

Maximum 24 pages (multiples of 8 pages preferable for printing costs)

12,000 to 14,000 words (Tony Dagnall estimate)

Minimum 12 font

Minimum of 2 photographs on each page.  Preferable not to have too many specific properties (which would need owner’s permission) but wider views that would be seen by majority of villagers and visitors. 

Map of the current Parish boundary in centre pages – 2 pages

Introduction - ‘What is a VDS?’ and ‘Why are we preparing a VDS?’ and ‘How have the villagers contributed to the VDS?’. How will VDS be used by Parish Council and Braintree District Council. How the VDS aims to meet the requirements / objectives of villagers and BDC – 2 to 3 pages

General overview of the responses from villagers to be included within each section of the VDS:

• i.e most disliked was speeding traffic; other dislikes were no Community spirit and not too bothered about overhead cables.  Each section to have a response of how the VDS will address the dislikes.
• i.e. village is considered peaceful / friendly / pleasant.  Each section in the VDS to comment on how to maintain / improve this.
• i.e views on future development and how villagers want development to be halted / progress / controlled.
• How we see / want the future of the village and the local community to develop and how we will be involved to aid it.

Topography, Location and Settlement – 1 page

History with old map-  1 pages

What makes our village special? – ½ page

Local people and Social History : i.e. how many villagers born and bred and still in the village.  Local past and current employment patterns - 1 page

The developed areas of the village.  Split developments into the overall environment and also into (three) age categories.  What are distinctive features? What has been lost / demolished and what has been gained i.e lost Post Office, bakers, bus station, (two?) pubs, forge etc.  Lost employment in the village envelope.  We have gained, social housing, broadband, regular bus service, improved amenities such as electricity, mains water, roads, refuse collection.    

Areas of the village identified.  Each section to incorporate and identify Concerns and Guidelines.:

• The Older village – 2 pages
• The Industrial Revolution – 1 page
• Modern Times – 1 page
• Outlying areas – 2 pages
• Our amenity areas – 1 page
• Roads / Lanes / By-Ways / Paths / Bridleways – 1 page
• Infrastructure & Services – 1 page

Drawings / contributions from young people – 1 page

Contributions from adults – 1 page

Summary / Glossary - ½ page

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The meeting opened at 7.30

• 1  The chairman welcomed all to the meeting.

 

• 2 Apologies for absence.

Received from Ashley Cooper, Jan Cole and Roger Spencer.

 

• 3 Minutes of the meeting on 11/02/10 were circulated and accepted as a true and fair record of the meeting. Proposed by Tony Dagnall and seconded by Steve Bolter.

 

• 4 Matters arising from the minutes not covered by agenda items.

None.

 

• 5 Feedback from the Exhibition.

Tony Dagnall reported on the successful day. There was a steady stream of 58 visitors and all the comments and feedback were collected. A report will be published in the June edition of the Parish News.

 

The competition winners were:-

Children’s art competition: Harriet Nott, art materials.

Under 18 photo competition: James Prior, WHSmith token.

Quiz: Stephanie Callister-Jarrold, wine.

 

Thanks were expressed to all who had helped in any way particularly including Tony Dagnall, Elaine Sharp, Terry Flower and Andy Craig.

 

• 6 Progress on Project Plan

• The next stage is consultation and preparation of draft text.

All members to bring suggestions for guidelines to the next meeting after considering:-

Results of questionnaire

Comments from the exhibition

Braintree plan

Exemplar VDS

 

• 7 Financial report and funding update.

The treasurer reported that grants are becoming more difficult to access as funding has become much tighter. An application will be made to ‘Awards for All’ by the Chairman, Treasurer and Tony Dagnall.

Current financial position, £279 in bank with £30 outstanding payments.

• 8 Any other business

Michael Sharp asked for confirmation that that the Parish Council will not be able to override the guidelines of the Village Design Statement. The response was that provided all procedures are correctly followed the VDS will become supplementary planning guidance used directly by Braintree District Council and others.

 

Michael Sharp then raised sustainability and employment matters. Steve Bolter replied that employment responses were mentioned on the questionnaire.

 

• 9 The date of the next meeting. Wednesday June 9^th - 7.30pm in the Village Hall

The meeting closed at 8.50pm

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The meeting opened at 7.50

1. Chris Harman welcomed all to the meeting.
2. Apologies for absence

Received from Ashley Cooper, Andy Craig, Peter and Rachel Drury, Hannah Jarvis, Marilyn Neate, Peter Nice, David Nott, Michael Sharpe, Roger Spencer.

1. Minutes of the inaugural meeting on 24.11.2008 were circulated and read. That they be accepted as a true record proposed by Steve Bolter and seconded by Leslie Crumpton-Taylor. Motion carried.
2. Matters arising from the minutes

Chris Harman gave a brief update of the progress of the plan. The questionnaires are being collected from all homes in the village. The updated timeline was considered.

1. Chairman’s Report

The chairman thanked all who have helped and supported the group throughout the year. Particular mention was made of the support from Tony Dagnall, Michael Sharpe, Andy Craig, Ben Hoogewerf, David Nott and Debbie Nott and all who worked on the activity day. He also thanked the other officers for their help.

During the coming year there will be a need for further support as the reports are prepared for the exhibition and consultation in the spring and then preparing for publication.

It would be nice to see greater involvement from other villagers.

1. Financial report

Leslie Crumpton-Taylor distributed copies of the current financial report.

The only expenditure has been payment for the use of the village hall.

The group is applying for further grants with support from Jan Cole (RCCE).

It was proposed by Tony Dagnall and seconded by Debbie Nott that the report should be accepted. There was unanimous acceptance.

1. Chris Harman passed the chair of the meeting to Mary Bolter
2. Election of Chairman.

It was proposed by Elaine Sharp and seconded by Peter Collett that Chris Harman should be elected Chairman of the group for the coming year. As there were no other nominations the motion was adopted.

1. Election of other officers.

Treasurer: Leslie Crumpton-Taylor, proposed by Elaine Sharp and seconded by Tony Dagnall and accepted

Secretary: Mary Bolter, proposed by Elaine Sharp and seconded by Tony Dagnall and accepted

Vice chairman: there were three nominations – Tony Dagnall, Steve Bolter and Peter Nice. Tony Dagnall withdrew and a paper vote of those present at this meeting was conducted. Steve Bolter was elected.

10.  Date and time of next Group Meeting

Thursday 11^th February 2010 in the Village Hall at 7.30pm

 

11.  AOB

Youth Involvement. The possibility of a competition for young people was discussed. This should be offered to all young people and there should be two sections each with a small prize. Elaine Sharpe and Debbie Nott to bring suggestions to next meeting

A recap of the next stage of the project plan was arranged. The responses to the questionnaires should be analysed by a group of volunteers.

 

 

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The meeting opened at 7.55

1. The chairman welcomed all to the meeting.
2. Apologies for absence

Received from Jan Cole, David Nott, Peter and Rachel Drury.

 

1. Minutes of the meeting on 15/07/09 were circulated and accepted as a true and fair record of the meeting. Proposed by LC-T and seconded by TD.

 

1. Matters arising from the minutes

The character assessment notes produced by group D had been taken by Jan Cole at the Workshop Day and not yet returned. Group A reported that their report was also with Jan Cole. MB will find out what has happened to these.

The text for the section on the surrounding countryside is being written by DN.

 

1. a)         i) There was discussion on the need to divide the village into separate areas based on architecture. The character of the scattered outlying homesteads must be reflected and photographs will be needed to support this for the exhibition. DN to liaise with CH.

ii) The Questionnaire

David Nott, Ben Hoogewerf, Steve Bolter, Tony Dagnall and Andy Craig were thanked for their work on the Questionnaire. Michael Sharp was thanked for printing the 350 copies that have now all been delivered to every house in the village by CH, TD and SB.

 

b)           i) A copy of the updated timeline was presented by CH. ( attached)

ii) Collecting the Questionnaire will be completed by all the volunteers during November. Each household who responds will be given a raffle ticket entering the prize draw to be held at the exhibition.

iii) CS, AD, SB, ACr, HJ, LCT and TF volunteered to process the responses.

iv) The Exhibition planning and preparation will now be in February and March.  The exhibition day will be held in April. Resources for the exhibition must be prepared and advice from other villages will be sought.

 

1. Financial report and funding update.

The treasurer reported on the Financial Meeting.

The group currently has £500 in the bank but owes money for the rent of the Village Hall for meetings.

£5000 is the estimate for the overall costs of the production of the Village Design Statement and further grants will be applied for.

 

1. Annual General Meeting.

The group is one year old and the AGM will be held on 25^th November 2009 at 7.45 in the Village Hall. The agenda is attached.

 

1. Any Other Business

The Youth Club should be contacted with suggestions for contributions to the Village Design Statement from the young people.

 

The meeting closed at 9.50pm

 

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 Gestingthorpe Village Design Statement

Minutes  of Working group meeting, 15.07.2009

Village Hall, Gestingthorpe

 

Present: 

Chris Harman (chairman)              Mary Bolter (secretary)                 Leslie Crumpton-Taylor (treasurer)

Wilfred Teverson                         Bessie Teverson                           Debbie Nott                                 Tony Dagnall

Steve Bolter                                Rachel Drury                               Peter Drury