Report of Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group to Hankelow Parish Council
Annual Meeting, 2nd May 2018
Neighbourhood Plan News - what's the latest?
Report of Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group to Hankelow Parish Council
Annual Meeting, 2nd May 2018
Recent News
Your Village at a Crossroad (First published October 2017)
In July 2017 the village lost the planning appeal against the closure and demolition of the White Lion enabling developers to build 5 four bedroomed houses on the 200 year old site. At the end of September, the Brookfield Golf Course closed and an application has recently been made for the Clubhouse to be converted a private dwelling.
One of the key attractions of Hankelow, as stated by our residents, is its strong sense of community, and while not everyone used the Brookfield Golf Course or the White Lion, these venues, particularly the White Lion, provided a focal point to the village and a destination for people to meet and get to know each other - creating a 'social glue' and a sense of 'belonging', even if it was just seeing the pub's colourful outside lights gently illuminating the green.
The loss of both venues means it will be difficult to maintain Hankelow's spirit of identity. Many comments were made about the importance of the pub to the village and how a wider range of services would be useful. An independent working group set up to see if the White Lion could be run as a community venture identified that the investment needed to purchase the White Lion, plus the amount needed to bring it up to standard, was in excess of £800,000 and would not a viable proposition for a community run business.
An option that has been put forward is to develop a 'Community Hub' for the village, a building with a versatile space to house a shop, coffee bar, cafe, pub etc, on a new site. This is estimated to cost under £400,000 plus the cost of the land; BUT this land lies outside the village settlement boundary therefore, for this land to be released, there would need to be agreement to further develop housing on the potential site.
Hankelow is surrounded by open countryside that, in places, extends into the village and it is this close proximity to the countryside that is highly valued by our residents. There are few places where houses directly face each other and any development on the scale proposed to surround the 'Community Hub' will alter the character of our village. On the other hand, studies by Oxford University have shown that when people have a 'local' pub they are happier, more satisfied with their lives and have wider network of friends. Such social interaction encourages community cohesion and a collective sense of well-being. There is also evidence that a 'local' positively influences the value of properties and the desirability of the village.
At least one of the potential areas for the 'Community Hub' has been consistently under pressure to allow building and this could be an opportunity to influence what is developed whilst directly benefiting our village.
The Neighbourhood Plan cannot prevent development, as this is unrealistic, but it will be used to set the boundaries on development and to guide it so that it contributes to the Vision Statement (see above). With the exception of Lodge Farm (a former industrial site), development within the village has been largely infill and incremental and has not, so far, been on 'green field' sites. So what do we, as residents of the parish want to do? The questions are these:
A) Should we continue with the existing approach of allowing limited infill within the village boundary, but adjust the edges of this boundary to allow for future growth recognising that we have no 'local' centre for people to meet socially and reducing our settlement's sustainability?
OR
B) Allow for more housing development in a limited area that will change the character of the village in the area affected but enable the development of a 'Community Hub' to provide a social centre for our village for future generations (assuming that we, as a village are prepared to raise the money to build and run such a centre)?
What are your thoughts? Should the Neighbourhood Plan concentrate on maintaining the current infill approach and if so where should the village development boundary stop? Is developing a 'Community Hub' important and, if it is important, would you support additional housing as part of the package? Can you suggest other alternatives?
The Neighbourhood Planning Team are holding 2 drop-in sessions on Saturday 18th and 25th November at the Methodist Chapel Schoolroom
alternatively please email your views to [email protected]
In July 2017 the village lost the planning appeal against the closure and demolition of the White Lion enabling developers to build 5 four bedroomed houses on the 200 year old site. At the end of September, the Brookfield Golf Course closed and an application has recently been made for the Clubhouse to be converted a private dwelling.
One of the key attractions of Hankelow, as stated by our residents, is its strong sense of community, and while not everyone used the Brookfield Golf Course or the White Lion, these venues, particularly the White Lion, provided a focal point to the village and a destination for people to meet and get to know each other - creating a 'social glue' and a sense of 'belonging', even if it was just seeing the pub's colourful outside lights gently illuminating the green.
The loss of both venues means it will be difficult to maintain Hankelow's spirit of identity. Many comments were made about the importance of the pub to the village and how a wider range of services would be useful. An independent working group set up to see if the White Lion could be run as a community venture identified that the investment needed to purchase the White Lion, plus the amount needed to bring it up to standard, was in excess of £800,000 and would not a viable proposition for a community run business.
An option that has been put forward is to develop a 'Community Hub' for the village, a building with a versatile space to house a shop, coffee bar, cafe, pub etc, on a new site. This is estimated to cost under £400,000 plus the cost of the land; BUT this land lies outside the village settlement boundary therefore, for this land to be released, there would need to be agreement to further develop housing on the potential site.
Hankelow is surrounded by open countryside that, in places, extends into the village and it is this close proximity to the countryside that is highly valued by our residents. There are few places where houses directly face each other and any development on the scale proposed to surround the 'Community Hub' will alter the character of our village. On the other hand, studies by Oxford University have shown that when people have a 'local' pub they are happier, more satisfied with their lives and have wider network of friends. Such social interaction encourages community cohesion and a collective sense of well-being. There is also evidence that a 'local' positively influences the value of properties and the desirability of the village.
At least one of the potential areas for the 'Community Hub' has been consistently under pressure to allow building and this could be an opportunity to influence what is developed whilst directly benefiting our village.
The Neighbourhood Plan cannot prevent development, as this is unrealistic, but it will be used to set the boundaries on development and to guide it so that it contributes to the Vision Statement (see above). With the exception of Lodge Farm (a former industrial site), development within the village has been largely infill and incremental and has not, so far, been on 'green field' sites. So what do we, as residents of the parish want to do? The questions are these:
A) Should we continue with the existing approach of allowing limited infill within the village boundary, but adjust the edges of this boundary to allow for future growth recognising that we have no 'local' centre for people to meet socially and reducing our settlement's sustainability?
OR
B) Allow for more housing development in a limited area that will change the character of the village in the area affected but enable the development of a 'Community Hub' to provide a social centre for our village for future generations (assuming that we, as a village are prepared to raise the money to build and run such a centre)?
What are your thoughts? Should the Neighbourhood Plan concentrate on maintaining the current infill approach and if so where should the village development boundary stop? Is developing a 'Community Hub' important and, if it is important, would you support additional housing as part of the package? Can you suggest other alternatives?
The Neighbourhood Planning Team are holding 2 drop-in sessions on Saturday 18th and 25th November at the Methodist Chapel Schoolroom
alternatively please email your views to [email protected]
Your Village at a Crossroad: Providing a Community Hub Questionnaire
(Article first published March 2018 - placed into Archive 3/02/2018)
During the week commencing 26th March 2018 the Questionnaire: Providing a Community Hub, Hankelow Neighbourhood Plan (Second Consultation) was hand delivered to each household within the Parish by members of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group and volunteers.
The Questionnaire was developed following 'Drop-In' sessions on the development of the Neighbourhood Plan raised strong concerns from residents that the closure of the White Lion and Brookfield Golf Club had removed a place for villagers to meet and that this would lead to reduced community cohesion.
The Questionnaire, seeks residents views on whether:
a) Hankelow Chapel, owned an operated by The Methodist Church provides a sufficient community hub facility
OR
b) Option A: A purchase of Hankelow Chapel as a village owned Community Hub to increase the flexibility of the facilities by removing a restriction on the purchase and serving of alcohol and securing the future of the Chapel building for the communuity. In this scenario, the Methodist Church would continue to have a long term agreement that Church services would, as currently, be performed on Sunday and other key Church dates
OR
c) Option B: That, in return for allowing residential development of agricultural land, a plot of land would be set aside by the landowner for the village to build a community hub/pub.
Two options are offered:
Option B1: Land behind the Swedish Houses (Landowner: David Thickett)
or
Option B2: Land to the North East of the Village Centre
(Landowner: David Thelwell)
To assist residents to complete the questionnaire by providing an opportunity to clarify any issues, or express their views, the Hankelow Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group have arranged a meeting in the Hankelow Chapel Community Room for 7p.m. on Wednesday 11th April 2018.
The Questionnaires will be collected on a door to door basis, usually by the person who delivered them, NO LATER THAN SATURDAY 14th April
If they are not collected, or you wish to hand them in personally, please contact either Ian Jones (812555) or Gin Foster (811558)
(Article first published March 2018 - placed into Archive 3/02/2018)
During the week commencing 26th March 2018 the Questionnaire: Providing a Community Hub, Hankelow Neighbourhood Plan (Second Consultation) was hand delivered to each household within the Parish by members of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group and volunteers.
The Questionnaire was developed following 'Drop-In' sessions on the development of the Neighbourhood Plan raised strong concerns from residents that the closure of the White Lion and Brookfield Golf Club had removed a place for villagers to meet and that this would lead to reduced community cohesion.
The Questionnaire, seeks residents views on whether:
a) Hankelow Chapel, owned an operated by The Methodist Church provides a sufficient community hub facility
OR
b) Option A: A purchase of Hankelow Chapel as a village owned Community Hub to increase the flexibility of the facilities by removing a restriction on the purchase and serving of alcohol and securing the future of the Chapel building for the communuity. In this scenario, the Methodist Church would continue to have a long term agreement that Church services would, as currently, be performed on Sunday and other key Church dates
OR
c) Option B: That, in return for allowing residential development of agricultural land, a plot of land would be set aside by the landowner for the village to build a community hub/pub.
Two options are offered:
Option B1: Land behind the Swedish Houses (Landowner: David Thickett)
or
Option B2: Land to the North East of the Village Centre
(Landowner: David Thelwell)
To assist residents to complete the questionnaire by providing an opportunity to clarify any issues, or express their views, the Hankelow Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group have arranged a meeting in the Hankelow Chapel Community Room for 7p.m. on Wednesday 11th April 2018.
The Questionnaires will be collected on a door to door basis, usually by the person who delivered them, NO LATER THAN SATURDAY 14th April
If they are not collected, or you wish to hand them in personally, please contact either Ian Jones (812555) or Gin Foster (811558)
Your Village at a Crossroad: Outcome of Community Hub Questionnaire
(Draft Headlines 3-5-2018)
(Draft Headlines 3-5-2018)
John Durrant, Chair of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, gave the Parish Council a report on the activities of the Steering Group, and in particular, the outcome of the recent Community Hub Questionnaire (Second Consultation).
His report summarised the progress the Steering Group has made in the past year and concentrated on the initial results from the recently completed questionnaire (second consultation) to identify views of parishioners on a number of options that could lead to the development of a community hub following the loss of the White Lion and Brookfield Golf Course. These options included housing development on two greenfield sites on the village boundary in return for land for a village hub/pub and the offer from The Methodist Church for the Parish Council to purchase the Chapel as a village hub, removing the current restrictions on alcohol, in return for the continuation of Sunday and other regular Services.
Mr Durrant praised the response of the village to the questionnaire. 219 completed forms were returned, an exceptional response rate of 79%.
The objective of the questionnaire was to establish if there is a need to allocate greenfield land for development in order to obtain a site for a new community building. We needed to do this before we can proceed in developing the draft Neighbourhood Plan.
The outcome is that we will not need to do this.
Question 1 asked if it is important that the village should have a community building. 90% of respondents answered “Yes”.
Question 2 asked if the Methodist Chapel and Hall as adapted already provides an adequate community hub. Here the response was that 48% answered “Yes” and 46% answered “No, the village needs a new facility”
Question 3 gave two options for a new facility. 39% of respondents replied that the village should explore the purchase of the chapel to secure it as a village asset and enable modifications to be made, and 43% opted for allocation of land in order to secure a site for a new building. However only 39% selected this option and went on to select one of the proposed sites, which gives us sufficient guidance to continue the Neighbourhood Plan without continuing to explore the allocation of land.
It is now purely academic, but we asked that if the choice was to be to allocate land, which site was preferred, and the response indicated that Site B was preferred by a 3:1 ratio.
We asked if villagers would consider investing in a new facility. 18% would invest in the chapel, and 34% would invest in a pub. It should be noted here that the fact that the White Lion site came back on the market while the questionnaire was out has probably influenced this result.
We asked if the respondents would be willing to get involved in any way the provision and/or running of the community hub, and 19% responded positively.
Just over 50% of respondents added a comment, and these will be published separately on the website soon, however about two thirds of the comments made expressed the view that there should be no large scale development on greenfield sites.
Thanks to members of the parish for expressing their views.
John Durrant advised the Parish Council that the Steering Group can now proceed with preparing a draft Neighbourhood Plan. This plan will be put to the village for a mandatory 6-weeks consultation, after which it will be subject to inspection by an independent inspector appointed by Cheshire East. If it succeeds in passing that stage there will be a referendum, and if the vote is in favour of the plan, it will be “made” and will have the same legal status as the Cheshire East Local Plan.
His report summarised the progress the Steering Group has made in the past year and concentrated on the initial results from the recently completed questionnaire (second consultation) to identify views of parishioners on a number of options that could lead to the development of a community hub following the loss of the White Lion and Brookfield Golf Course. These options included housing development on two greenfield sites on the village boundary in return for land for a village hub/pub and the offer from The Methodist Church for the Parish Council to purchase the Chapel as a village hub, removing the current restrictions on alcohol, in return for the continuation of Sunday and other regular Services.
Mr Durrant praised the response of the village to the questionnaire. 219 completed forms were returned, an exceptional response rate of 79%.
The objective of the questionnaire was to establish if there is a need to allocate greenfield land for development in order to obtain a site for a new community building. We needed to do this before we can proceed in developing the draft Neighbourhood Plan.
The outcome is that we will not need to do this.
Question 1 asked if it is important that the village should have a community building. 90% of respondents answered “Yes”.
Question 2 asked if the Methodist Chapel and Hall as adapted already provides an adequate community hub. Here the response was that 48% answered “Yes” and 46% answered “No, the village needs a new facility”
Question 3 gave two options for a new facility. 39% of respondents replied that the village should explore the purchase of the chapel to secure it as a village asset and enable modifications to be made, and 43% opted for allocation of land in order to secure a site for a new building. However only 39% selected this option and went on to select one of the proposed sites, which gives us sufficient guidance to continue the Neighbourhood Plan without continuing to explore the allocation of land.
It is now purely academic, but we asked that if the choice was to be to allocate land, which site was preferred, and the response indicated that Site B was preferred by a 3:1 ratio.
We asked if villagers would consider investing in a new facility. 18% would invest in the chapel, and 34% would invest in a pub. It should be noted here that the fact that the White Lion site came back on the market while the questionnaire was out has probably influenced this result.
We asked if the respondents would be willing to get involved in any way the provision and/or running of the community hub, and 19% responded positively.
Just over 50% of respondents added a comment, and these will be published separately on the website soon, however about two thirds of the comments made expressed the view that there should be no large scale development on greenfield sites.
Thanks to members of the parish for expressing their views.
John Durrant advised the Parish Council that the Steering Group can now proceed with preparing a draft Neighbourhood Plan. This plan will be put to the village for a mandatory 6-weeks consultation, after which it will be subject to inspection by an independent inspector appointed by Cheshire East. If it succeeds in passing that stage there will be a referendum, and if the vote is in favour of the plan, it will be “made” and will have the same legal status as the Cheshire East Local Plan.
Hankelow Housing Needs Assessment 2010 - 2030
In May 2018, Cheshire East Council assisted the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group by drawing up a Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) for the Parish. The HNA covers the period 2010 - 2030 and shows a profile of the local population and its likely requirement for housing over that period. There is much of interest in the report, nevertheless the key headline is that the target number of new dwellings predicted to be required by 2030 by the HNA is 16-18; at the 31st March 2017, there were 11 new dwellings completed and a further 32 committed bringing the total new build to 43.
Further details of the HNA and the file can be found here.
In May 2018, Cheshire East Council assisted the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group by drawing up a Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) for the Parish. The HNA covers the period 2010 - 2030 and shows a profile of the local population and its likely requirement for housing over that period. There is much of interest in the report, nevertheless the key headline is that the target number of new dwellings predicted to be required by 2030 by the HNA is 16-18; at the 31st March 2017, there were 11 new dwellings completed and a further 32 committed bringing the total new build to 43.
Further details of the HNA and the file can be found here.