Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Blunden, Brand, Dowd, England, Harrison, Murray, O’Sullivan, Rackham and A Wade.

To note any declarations of interests made by members in connection with an agenda item.  The nature of the interests must also be specified.

Members are asked to discuss any possible interests with Democratic Services prior to the meeting.

There were no declarations of any disclosable pecuniary interests by Members.

It was acknowledged that there were a number of councillors who were also members of Hampshire County Council.

To consider a report following the Place and Sustainability Overview and Scrutiny Panel’s consideration of a Call-In request on the following decision:-

·        Hampshire Minerals and Waste Plan (Partial Update) Consultation Response

The Panel, at its meeting on 7 March 2024, resolved that the decision should be referred for debate at a Special Council meeting.

Notes:-

Under the Council’s Call-In Procedures, the Portfolio Holder will reconsider the decision as soon as reasonably practicable after this Council meeting, in the light of the Council debate.

After reconsideration the decision, whether amended or not, may be implemented immediately and may not be called in for a second time under these procedures.

The Chairman welcomed Members to the Special Council meeting and invited Cllr Haywood to speak who had the following procedural motion to put to the Council:-

“That Standing Orders be suspended to enable Venetia Rowland and Cllr Anna Wilson to speak at this Special Council meeting, for up to three minutes each, as provided for by the procedure for public participation at meetings of Overview and Scrutiny Panels.”

Cllr J Davies seconded the motion.

The motion was carried unanimously by the Council and Venetia Rowland and Cllr Anna Wilson of Fordingbridge Town Council each addressed the Council in turn.

Venetia Rowland reported that Midgham Farm had received 962 objections as part of the previous Regulation 18 consultation undertaken by Hampshire County Council, which amounted to 42% of the overall responses to the consultation.  She highlighted that the plan needed to demonstrate deliverability and viability as part of its overall stated policy.  Issues relevant to the site included public rights of way, air quality and health, amenities for local residents, landscape, protected habitats and species, noise and dust, loss of agricultural land, ground water, flood risk, restoration, archaeology, traffic cumulative impacts, and the overall need for the site.  She cited concerns about leaving these issues to be addressed at the planning stage.  Previous applications in the 1990s were noted as having been withdrawn as the impacts could not effectively be mitigated and it was suggested that the position had not changed.

Cllr Anna Wilson, Fordingbridge Town Councillor highlighted in particular the loss of large areas of green space to strategic planning sites in Fordingbridge and that Midgham remained vital to be retained in the light of that.  She was concerned about the impact of such a minerals site on local people and suggested that it was incorrect to term Midgham as an extension of an existing site.

They both encouraged councillors to uphold and enhance their objections to the Midgham Farm site.

Following the public speakers, the Chairman of the Place and Sustainability Overview and Scrutiny Panel offered a brief introduction to the item, as Chairman of the Panel that had made the referral to Council.  He highlighted that Hampshire County Council was the decision maker in the matter and the District Council was a consultee.  To that end, all councillors were offered a briefing on the matter by Hampshire County Council officers, and the Portfolio Holder had sought input into the consultation response from relevant local ward councillors, prior to making the decision.

Cllr S Davies moved the following motion:-

“This Council, as a consultee to the Hampshire Minerals and Waste Plan, is concerned about the continued reliance on the Avon Vally for extraction, and the impacts that this may cause locally.  There are strong and heartfelt concerns and objections, and we ask that the Hampshire County Council and the Secretary of State take the concerns raised by the local community into account and carefully consider them during the examination of the proposed plan.

Furthermore, that both Hampshire County  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71.