Meeting Minutes: 15th August 2024

KIMBOLTON & STONELY PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES of the annual Council meeting held at 7 p.m. on Thursday 15 August 2024 in the Youth Hall at the Mandeville Hall, Kimbolton.

PRESENT  Councillors Mrs D Hellett (in the Chair) J Lee; K Hutchinson and Ms H Bradbury . 

IN ATTENDANCE  District Councillor J Gray; Lionel Thatcher, Clerk to the Council and 3 members of the public.

135/24   APOLOGIES  were received from Councillors L Farrer; P Seabrook; Ms C Jessup; Mrs J Stainer; Mrs R Lloyd; M Buckley and R Gooderham.

136/24   PUBLIC FORUM   Residents of Hunters Way were present and a statement was read, which is reproduced below at the request of the resident.

‘We want to take the public forum slot to put our side of the land sale as no one from the PC has approached us. 

In the late 80s our house was built with the garage right on the build line next to the open space in Hunters Way and we have lived there from new since 1989

In 2008 we found out that the PC wanted to acquire the land from HDC in order to put play equipment on it. We appealed as we felt that the land was not suitable due to an electric sub-station and there is only one access in and out of the land with no natural surveillance and the subsequent anti-social behaviour that the equipment would attract. The development Control Manager of HDC confirmed our views on this. In 2009 the PC declined the transfer of the land.

Around 2015 we discovered that an arrangement between the doctors and HDC was being done where by the doctors were going to acquire the land for substantially less than market value. We bought this to the attention of Councillor Jonathan Gray as this was not an open and transparent deal and certainly not getting best value for the land at that time. 

In 3/5/18 I spoke to Jonathan regarding the potential sale to the doctors and he said that the council were waiting for a planning application but that we also should have the opportunity to buy a part of the land so that we could at least have a buffer to any potential car park so that we could maintain our land and property and have some protection from the noise and pollution that would ensue from the land becoming a car park.

I emailed Jonathan again in June 2020 to find out if there had been any progress which there had been none but he suggested that we approach the Estates Manager Jackie Goldby to register our interest in the land. This we did on 7/8/20 and then paid £500 for a nomination form for disposal of small land parcels. This £500 covers a number of consultations such as:

With other council services

Partner organisations

Local councillors and the Parish and Town Council

Legal investigations into the ownership title of the land and any restrictions that may exist on it.

This process took nearly 2 years and on 22/3/22 Jackie told me that she had a response back from the parish Council and the over-riding view from all stakeholders was that there was a substantial need from the surgery but that also either both of us would have a slice of the land or neither of us. 

The land has been independently valued by surveyors and we know that we are being asked to pay much more per square metre than the doctors but it is worth it to us for us to a safe buffer zone from any potential development as our property is right next to the open space where as all other properties have at least 15 metres buffer from the land. This will not enhance the value of our property over and above the costs we are paying together with the estimated £10k of putting up a fence in fact having a car park is more likely to reduce the value of our house, 

All we are after is fairness to protect our space, property and well being from noise and pollution. If the land was going to be guaranteed permanently to stay as open space then we would not want to buy the small parcel we have applied for but this is not going to be the case.

We are happy to provide you with a copy of this to enable it to be published in the minutes’.

137/24   DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST.   

   No declarations were made.

138/24    PLANNING

 The following application was considered.

24/01273  1 Tudor Court, Kimbolton – erect single storey rear extension

It was proposed by Councillor Lee, seconded by Councillor Ms Bradbury and unanimously agreed to recommend approval.

139/24 LAND AT HUNTERS WAY

Councillor Hutchinson responded to the statement made earlier and reproduced above.    He said it was not entirely correct or complete as it is stated that ‘if the land remained as public open space, the resident would not wish to purchase it’ yet this appears to be contrary to a planning application for change of use from open space to garden made by the residents in 2001 and which was refused.

One wonders, if the land was in 2001 considered to be a public open space, what has caused a change in views which now has made the District Council advertise it for sale.

Councillor Gray said that the needs of the Medical Centre and those of Hunters Way residents subjected to parking problems have over-ridden the need for a public open space.

Councillor Hutchinson pointed out that the Medical Centre doctors have said that they are not yet in a position to purchase the land and he thought that, if it is sold, it should be sold to the Medical Centre and in the meantime the District Council should hand it over to the Parish Council to maintain it as a public open space.

The resident present said that if the land is sold to the medical Centre, his property should be respected and protected from the noise of vehicles parking close to his boundary; car doors slamming; radios playing etc and that is why he wishes to purchase a ‘buffer zone’.

It was agreed to write to Huntingdonshire District Council and to ask to see the assessment of the Public Open Space team and to ask what has changed over the years.     It was also agreed to ask whether HDC has followed its own procedures relating to the advertising of the land for sale – particularly regarding transparency – and to suggest that the land be transferred to this Council as a public open space pending any decision upon disposal in the future.

The above was proposed by Councillor Hutchinson, seconded by Councillor Lee and unanimously agreed.

Councillor Ms Bradbury had to leave the meeting at this point, thereby rendering it inquorate, so the meeting was closed.

140/24   NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Council will be on Thursday 29 August 2024, commencing at 7pm in the Youth Room at the Mandeville Hall..

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 1950 hours.