[These and previous minutes are available as a web page on conservation.ecclesfieldgroups.com Just click on "Minutes" for the minutes of the last meeting]

Minutes of the Conservation Group meeting of 2010-07-19 (Monday) at 19:30, downstairs in the Black Bull

[Numbers and letters in square brackets refer to corresponding items in the agenda of the same date. This version of the minutes was last amended on 2010-07-21]

Attendance

[a] Keith Fish chaired the meeting, and welcomed members.
[ ] Jim Percival jim AT ... took these minutes.
[b] 13 people attended the meeting. 4 people sent their apologies, and 27 people currently receive emailed minutes.

Things we are doing

[z] Because of the holidays, the next meeting of the Conservation Group will be on 2010-09-20 (Monday) at 19:30 in the Stocks.
[1] KF reported that there had been less progress on Ladycroft Meadow than usual, and that the two Payback teams were likely to be unavailable again next week. Keith had to tell us that some of the 30 tones of soil we purchased had been stolen. Fortunately, the keen eyes of one of our members, and the bravery of another, enabled the registration number of the vehicle to be reported to the 101 crime reporting number. The police then identified the miscreants and obtained from them, a £6 "compensation" for in-Bloom funds. In spite of our having possibly made a profit on this, the meeting expressed a determination to distribute the remaining soil, which we hope to do this week.
[2] Since no one managed to locate a Gazebo, that could be borrowed for our joint stand at the Ecclesfield Gala in the Park, we decided that PB should purchase two 3m * 3m (one of which will be used by Bloom). [PB says he has now ordered 2 red gazebos at a total cost of £156.47 as these were reduced by 50% and are of considerably better quality]. PB said that he could store the gazebo, and could provide tables, but it would be useful if some chairs could be found for anybody who wished to sit. SH is to provide a quiz. KH said the Council can provide display boards to advertise  in-Bloom. People are needed to erect and man the stand from 10:00 am on Sunday 5th September (especially since KF himself is not able to attend). We had been asked to display pictures of the Church, and this was agreed. Pictures of other historical  places  would be made available in the various books that PB can bring to sell on the stand. JP agreed to print out a version of our constitution for display [I've just found that our constitution runs to 5 pages, not including our 2 pages of aims, so I might have to present "Extracts of..." - JP].
[3] JP brought a map showing Sheffield City Council's "Development Framework - Draft Proposals Map", and expressed an interest in attending the meeting on 20th July at 18:00 in Chapeltown Library. He was asked to seek a larger map to display details of the Conservation Area at the Gala. [A map has now been Requested - JP. There is also a report of this meeting below - JP].
[4] It was suggested that some mill stones might be available for purchase and engraving as boundary markers. For  large stones the main barrier was thought to be the cost of the crane that would be needed to lift them!
[y] In our secretary's absence, JP said that RT had replied to the email we received about the "Rocpower" biofuel generation plant. Concern was expressed about the possibility of palm oil being used as a fuel, and JP was asked to download and keep a copy of the declaration about the fuel to be used as recorded on the planning web site.
[y] JE gave out instructions, and an example of a traffic survey sheet. It was agreed to discuss this further at our next meeting when traffic patterns become more normal after the school holidays.

Things we have done

[x] There were no new planning permissions. However, in accordance with the decision of the last meeting, RT had been asked to reply to an email we had received expressing concern about the fuels that were to be burnt at the proposed new power station on Loicher Lane. Concern was also expressed at the possible burning of "palm oil", rather  than the "rape seed oil" and "sunflower oil", that was mentioned in the agenda, and considered during our meeting of 2010-04-19. This meeting therefore asked JP to record for our reference the commitments made by Rocpower during  and before the planning process. [Firstly, I record here and have archived documents, showing that the only fuels mentioned in the planning documents are still "rape seed oil and sunflower oil", which gives me and probably others the impression that these are the fuels being considered by Rocpower for the station. Secondly, I apologize to the meeting for having erroneously said that the decision had been made. It is in fact still listed by SCC as "pending", and comments seem to still be being accepted here.].

Resolutions Passed

[c] Copies of the Minutes of the meeting of 2010-06-21 (last amended on 2010-07-06) were distributed and approved.

Other matters discussed

None

Notes and Information

[] The next meeting of Ecclesfield in Bloom will be on 2010-08-03 (Tuesday) at 19:00 pm, upstairs in the Black Bull as indicated on www.ecclesfieldinbloom.co.uk.

[] As suggested above, JP attended a public consultation meeting on the Sheffield Development Framework at Chapeltown Library on 20th July. The meeting was Chaired by Councillor Vic Bowden, and was supported by Paul Gordon of Planning Officer Development Services. Sheffield City Council is actively seeking comments, on their web site, by email, letter, or if in doubt by ringing them on 205 3075. See Map and an easy to read Key. Since there is no Conservation meeting before the deadline for comments ends on 30th July, I report the content of the meeting as follows...

Reasons given for people to comment included the fact that since Regional Policy has been abolished, planning and other decisions will largely be determined by comparing the proposed development to the new map. This implies that if the map is wrong, the decisions are likely to be wrong, and development could occur in the wrong places. Particular concerns noted were...

i) The exact location of the green belt, since this is one of the strongest planning constraints.

ii) The designation (or lack-of designation) of "Local Nature Reserves", Ancient Monuments, and other areas of special character, since protection of these is a new feature of the map.

iii) The importance of avoiding even a minor bad or unwelcome planning decision, such as one which occurred last year in the Ecclesfield Conservation Area, because of the danger that it creates a precedent.

More specific issues discussed included provisions for local employment, including the designation of Station Road/Nether Lane for a lighter mix of industries, and "Smithy Wood" for heavier industries. The yellow area which included Morrisons supermarket on "The Common" was mentioned, and produced some concern as allowing any compatible use. Finally, although the planning process does control "houses in multiple occupation", it became apparent that it has difficulty controlling any excess of flats in areas designated for housing, such as in the centre of Ecclesfield.

Also noted was that the rejected application for 52 dwellings on Green Lane, had not been appealed as I thought, and the houses are unlikely to be built.

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