Management Group Meeting minutes 08.03.23

Call to order

A meeting of the Management Group of Hoylake Vision Community Planning Forum was held at 21st Amendment Bar on 08.03.23.

Attendees

Attendees: Tom Hutchinson (TH), Nigel Blacow (NB), Mark Howard (MHo), Maureen Hanson (MHa), Jon Morgan (JM), Alex Woods (AW), David Burke (Guest)

Members not in attendance

Jade Wright (JW), Caswell (Jon C), Andrew Snell (AS)

Approval of minutes

The February meeting had been cancelled. The minutes of the January meeting were approved.

Management Group Meeting Reports

• Update on Beacon Scheme: David Burke (Guest)
  David Burke, director of Hylgar Properties, gave the group a helpful update on progress on this scheme. He explained that Hylgar are continuing to liaise with government to reach a position where the scheme can progress. It is hoped a further site visit will take place in the coming weeks. Time and costs had increased as a consequence of Covid and while confidence in the F&B and cinema sector across the country is lower than it was pre-covid, the partner operators remain on board and Hylgar remains committed to delivery at the earliest opportunity.
• Response to Councillor Cox social media comments
  The group discussed recent comments made on social media concerning incorrect information pertaining to the Beacon Scheme. Councillor Cox had made vague but critical comments about the forum management group that the management group felt were entirely unjustified and therefore needed to respond to. Cllr Cox also claimed, incorrectly, that the planning application for the Beacon Scheme had been approved after he had been elected and he would have objected if he could have done. In fact both he and Councillor Gardner were elected three months prior to planning approval and neither objected at the time. Action: MHo to contact the Head of Law at WMBC to put the matter on record and to propose a meeting with the Head of Law and ward councillors to try to find a more positive way of moving forward.
  
• Return of remaining funding to Locality
  The group agreed to return unspent funds to Locality. MHo and JM would meet to go through the process. Action: MHo/JM
  
• Update on Conservation Area Funding
  TH updated the group on the work he has done with Hoylake Conservation Areas Association to create a crowdfunding campaign to raise £10,000 towards the much needed Conservation Area Appraisal which will inform a new Management Plan. If successful the council will match fund the project. Action: TH to update the group on progress as it happens.
  
• Local Heritage Listing
  TH reported that the Local Heritage Listing project, intiiated by MEAS and covering the City Region, was ceasing at the end of March 2023. However Chris Han at Wirral Council had suggested that they are hoping to continue with the project. Action: TH to monitor and MHo to contact MEAS to seek information about the reasons for closing the scheme.
  
• Local Plan Examination
  TH reported that the first hearings are 18 April to 12 May, with an opportunity for us to make representations on 19 and 20 April at Wallasey Town Hall. The second hearings would be in September / October. MHo would be happy to attend but asked if TH could make a value judgment on whether this would be helpful. MHo also suggested that it would be ideal if TH could appear in both the April and September hearings but acknowledged that  this is would be a significant time commitment in terms of both attendance and preparation. Action: TH to look at what is involved and report back
  
• Report of meeting between MHo, TH and AS
  MHo and TH reported that the meeting with new management group member Andy Snell had been very productive. AS will attend future meetings. Andy has extensive interest and experience in community sports and business investment, with a good range of contacts. It is hoped his experience and contacts could be an excellent stepping stone towards bridging the gap between the high level ideas within the NDP and Masterplan and options for delivery.
  
• Printing of Design Guide and Codes
  MHo reported that while we still have copies of the Masterplan, we have run out of the Design Guide and Codes booklets. The group approved expenditure of £320 to reprint. Action: MHo to order.
  
• Library Update
  
  NB reported that following the failure of bids to secure the library building under the ‘Community Asset Transfer’ proposal, the council are considering their options. The ACV (Asset of Community Value) process would only be triggered by a formal decision by the council to dispose of the building by sale or on a very long lease. It is thought that the council are currently considering the possibility of leasing the building on a commercial basis and have had interest from a number of parties, this option would probably not trigger the ACV process but we will continue to monitor this. Action: NB to monitor and report on progress.
• Planning Application Updates
  
  • OUT/22/01701 Outline Application with all matters reserved except for access for the demolition of barns and the erection of up to 8 residential dwellings. New Hall Farm New Hall Lane, Hoylake, Wirral, CH47 4BG 

    The group were pleased to see that the proposal excludes the New Hall Farmhouse, built as part of Lord Stanley of Alderley’s estate and the adjacent New Hall Farm buildings, both of which are identified in Policies DI1 and DI2 of the NDP as character buildings (non-designated heritage assets). However it was noted that the site is within NDP masterplan area CL2 which requires comprehensive mixed-use redevelopment as part of a phased masterplan approach. This area is highly accessible (close to a town centre and rail station less than 30 minutes into a major City) and therefore the Council should consider the implications of allowing piecemeal development without an overall vision, masterplan and design codes to secure the optimum configuration of buildings and activities that could secure much wider public benefits for the area. Action: TH to make a representation of general support with the caveats above

  • APP/22/01190 Single storey wrap-around extension, erection of garden pod, subdivision of plot and creation of newbuild two-storey detached dwelling. White Gables, 4 St Margarets Road, Hoylake, Wirral, CH47 1HX

    This proposal, within the Kings Gap Conservation Area, appears to be considered to be of good quality design and appropriate scale and density however TH will look in more detail at the supporting information in the application before sumitting a representation. Action; TH to respond after consideration of the supporting information

     

  • APP/22/02206  Change of use of ground floor vacant former take-away to residential and conversion of first and second floor apartment to form a single residential dwelling over three floors. Sunflower Fish And Chips, 4 Birkenhead Road, Hoylake, Wirral, CH47 3BN

    Concern was expressed that the proposal conflicts with planning policies in the Local Plan and NDP Policy HS1 (Active Frontages) with regard to retaining active ground floor frontages within centres. The Vision for Hoylake in the NDP is to strengthen the role of the town centre as a place for shopping, services and community facilities and to assist in increasing footfall. By removing active ground floor frontage towards one end of a linear town centre, this proposal could harm the viability of surrounding businesses and the centre as a whole. The proposed poor quality design does not sufficiently reflect the surrounding character. Action: TH to submit an objection.

• AOB
  None
  

Provisional date of next meeting Weds 12 April 2023