Meetings 250612 Nppf

· The National Planning Policy Framework was a relevant structure of planning policy for most parts of the country. The documents that had been circulated had a point of contact stated on them for each case. The documents outlined the key planning and decision-making policies. It was explained that sustainable developments were to be encouraged and given permission quicker and in turn this would supplement sustainable economic growth. There was a requirement of the Royal Borough to support a five year supply of housing sites and the Borough was so far under delivering on this.
· In reference to green belt boundaries a sustainable pattern was encouraged, including those building extensions in the green belt.
· The extract from the document on the back page was the government’s view on the National Planning Policy Framework in regards to rural areas. It was claimed that developers would love it and some villagers would hate it. The debate on housing developments and land were critical. There were concerns about if the Framework would be robust enough, which was a government concern, including the policy on traveller sites.
· Neighbourhood Plans have to go through a referendum and general public scrutiny.
· Cllr Hilton said that there was a positive Neighbourhood Plan in Ascot/Sunningdale’s vision statement. He stated that there were three parish councillors involved and no borough councillors. He stated that residents generally hate developments that change the character about a place and this was important to keep in mind.
· Cllr Mrs Bateson impressed that everyone could contribute and that farmers could help Neighbourhood Plans.
· Geoff Copas stated that he was involved in Cookham and Bisham’s Neighbourhood Plan and he went to the parish council meeting and residents were against the Neighbourhood Plan because they had had little input in it. He stressed that the plans were not public enough and that it who just a small group of people who influenced it. He explained that Bisham seemed to want to get on with action and Cookham did not want to do anything. Cllr Mrs Bateson said that Cookham had not had so many meetings and it was decided that decisions were up to local people and Cookham and Bisham should go their separate ways on their Neighbourhood Plans.
· Simon Hurrell said that he understood that Bisham Parish Council would go alone in their design statement and legal status. There would be a public consultation and then this would be translated into a Neighbourhood Plan.
· Cllr Mrs Bateson stressed that Neighbourhood Plans had to be formed with public input and consultation. Cllr Hilton agreed that it was important as people did not want plans to be dismissed when they went to public consultation.
· Philip Everett stated that farmers needed to pursue their needs in Neighbourhood Plans. Cllr Mrs Bateson said a farmer should be sent to speak at the Windsor Forum.
· Geoff Copas stressed that he did not want to see the subdivision of land. Cllr Mrs Bateson stated that the Rural Forum was a forum mainly for farmers and that not many farmers were present to discuss such important issues, and that there had been a continuation of discussed dates and cancellations.

Geoff Copas stated that similar walks were organised with Wycombe Rural Forum. Cllr Hilton said that he enjoyed seeing the progress being made. Cllr Mrs Story and Cllr Mrs Bateson said that they had enjoyed it immensely and commented on the number of huge machinery that worked the land. Cllr Hilton added that some of the equipment was worth half a million pounds and one key seemed to fit in all. Anne Chalmers said that she would comment on this later during the Forum.

Geoff Copas remarked on the unusual weather. He said that in March it seemed as if summer had arrived and it had gone from a drought to a flood. The season seemed to be behind and nature needed to catch up. He said that a farmer friend of his had too many strawberries and they cut the price of them at Waitrose. He stated that the price of grain seemed to be easing up.

Harjit Hunjan, the Community and Business Partnerships Manager, updated on the Broadband Delivery Project: (PDF:70.8KB)

 Meetings 250612 Broadband Update



· He explained how bids could be made for funding for broadband coverage for ‘white areas’ (areas with little or no broadband coverage). The scheme was about local areas coming together to try to attract economic and development growth. The initiative was driven by people and not government. The funding was said not to be great and the Royal Borough’s broadband coverage was supposedly worse than West Berkshire.
· Cllr Hilton stated that there would be farmers like Mr Emmett who would be fine with his current arrangement.
· Cllr Mrs Bateson illustrated that in Fifield they had had terrible broadband and now in three years they had better broadband.
· Cllr Mrs Bateson said that Ian Trenholm was a supporter of the broadband initiative on the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership and now Cllr Kellaway was supporting the scheme.
· Tim Parry stated that the public needed to be encouraged to sign up to superfastberkshire.org.uk and that this could be publicised in ‘Around the Royal Borough’ as a percentage of interest needed to be registered by the public before anything could be done.

· The theft of agricultural and plant machinery was high and sometimes one key (or a spoon handle) did fit in all. She stated that the problem was a cross-border issue and that tracker marking was being offered at a 20% discount.
· Hare poaching had been a problem raised.
· Metal theft was a big problem and churches and homeowners had been targeted too. She urged everyone to sign up for Thames Valley police alert. She also stated that the police had organised Cesar marking event days.
· Philip Everett said that he had spoken to the Chief Constable of Surrey Police about rural crime and that it was surprisingly high up the Police agenda:
· Robert Byde described incidents of lorries at road sides being broken into and the diesel stolen, and that three tractors had been stolen and the criminals drove them away at such speed that the trackers could not be detected. Anne Chalmers advised to sign up to the Thames Valley travel alert so that they would be forewarned by five to ten minutes. Cllr Mrs Story said that alerts were for Ascot and Windsor and not the rural area.