Record of Public Meeting on 08.02.18

A Public Meeting was held at Hope Church, Hoylake on 8 February 2018 @ 7 pm. 40 people were in attendance.

The following presentations by Management Group members were delivered:

1. Hoylake Vision Management Group’s Planning Adviser Julian Priest gave brief updates on
   1. Presbyterian Church
   2. St Lukes Tennis Courts development
   3. Blue Anchor pub / Co-op redevelopment
2. In his role as a Director of Hoylake Village Life (HVL), Julian Priest reported on a recent meeting between HVL and WMBC regarding the alternative proposals for a Wildfowl and Wetland Centre and Golf Resort. In attendance were representatives from HVL, Wildfowl and Wetland Trust Consulting (WWT); Golf Environment Organisation (GEO); Merseyside Environmental Advisory Services (MEAS) and Council Officers working with the current council / Nicklaus Joint Venture Group proposals. A brief open floor conversation took place and Julian Priest answered questions. Key points were:
   1. The Council had agreed to extend the ‘red line’ of the project to include the whole of Hoylake, which means any future environmental studies and planning considerations must take the wider ecosystem into account. This was seen as a very positive step forwards and had the strong support of WWT, GEO and MEAS.
   2. The Council agreed to take the Golf Environment Organisation onto its Key Stakeholder Group. This was seen as a positive step forward since it should help influence future decision making and would encourage more critical review of current proposals.
   3. The Council agreed to continue an open dialogue with HVL.
   4. Comments from the floor indicated some skepticism about whether the Council were simply offering ‘lip service’. HVL considered that to be a possibility however it should not be a reason to close down what could be a positive dialogue. HVL are working with WWT to produce a proposal for a viability study which they hope will be ready within the next few weeks. The cost is anticipated to be in the region of £10,000; a very small amount compared to the studies commissioned this far by WMBC.
3. Interim Chair Mark Howard gave an update on the Beacon Scheme (in his role as a Director of HVL and member of the Beacon Steering Group). Comments from the floor were invited; no concerns were raised. An audience member subsequently raised a concern about impact on parking in the surrounding area by email. The planning application had been submitted to WMBC and therefore any comments on the application should be made via the council’s planning pages.
4. Management Group member Richard Stowe raised concerns about Council Officer procedures for recording public comments and communications relating to  planning applications with Alderley Road Presbyterian Church and related car parking considerations as a recent example. It was agreed the Management Group would create a checklist for Officers to use when considering any planning applications within the NDP area.
5. Management Group member Alex Woods presented a brief report on the Christmas Cracker event and the Forum’s emphasis on the importance of evidence based decision making. A survey on Elderly Care Provision had not been very successful in soliciting responses. Various suggestions from the floor were made for how to encourage greater levels of response.
6. Secretary and Treasurer Chris Moore:
   1. Explained the changes in the revised constitution post-referendum which was approved by the forum and made publicly available on the Hoylake Vision website
   2. Explained the statutory process of re-designation of the forum for the next five years
   3. Invited expressions of interest for new Management Group members
   4. Announced pending appointment of new chair Mark Howard
   5. Announced pending appointment of a new management group member Michael Coates
7. New Management Group member Michael Coates introduced himself to the forum and set out his hopes to encourage more varied open public events with a view to improving the breadth and depth of public consultation; in particular improving engagement of younger people.
8. Interim Chair Mark Howard closed the meeting with a renewed call for volunteers. Nigel Blacow put himself forward and would be invited to attend a future Management Group meeting.