ECCLESHALL PARISH COUNCIL – PLANNING COMMITTEE MINUTES

August 13^th 2025

 DRAFT

A meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council Planning Committee was held on August 13^th 2025, at Eccleshall Community Centre at 7.30pm.

 169/25).   Present were: –

 Councillor B. Delanchy (Chairman)          Councillor G. Dale

Councillor R. Langford                                Councillor M. Gosling

Councillor P. Jones                                     Councillor D. Hill

Councillor C. Wilkins                                  Councillor S. Mifflin

Councillor A. Reid                                        Councillor D. Feneysey

Councillor R. Taylor

Mrs Stacey Worden (Clerk)

One member of the public (until 7.35pm)

 170/25).  Apologies

Apologies were received from Cllrs. Perren, Kean, Hall and Ryan-Bloor.

 171/25).  Declarations of Interest and Councillor requests for dispensation relating to items on the agenda:

There were no requests to receive, and no declarations of interest were made.

 172/25).  Public Participation

A member of the public enquired about application 25/40749/FUL but were advised that the committee had already submitted a response to this application. It was noted that the resident concerns on the portal were in relation to building regulation requirements and not planning matters, which are the material considerations on which this application was assessed.

 173/25). To approve the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 16^th July 2025

The minutes, which had been previously circulated, were agreed and signed.

 174/25).  Planning Decisions of Stafford Borough Council:

25/40654/HOU – Variation of condition 2 of 24/39062/HOU. Spinneys Church Street Eccleshall. Approved.

25/40641/HOU – Proposed single storey rear extension & new glazed gable to rear. Cherry Cottage Sandy Lane Offley Hay. Approved.

25/40413/FUL – Demolition of existing office block and erection of new office block. Morgan Sindall Ltd Adjacent Units 2 And 3 Cold Meece Estate Cold Meece Road Cold Meece Stone Staffordshire ST15 0UD. Approved.

25/40791/LDCPP – Lawful Development Certificate – Proposed garage outbuilding and

track with new access to Ginger Lane. The Laurels Croxton Lane Croxton.  Permitted Development.

25/40748/FUL -Retrospective change of use from Agricultural to Residential amenity space. The Villa Old Hall Lane Mill Meece. Approved.

175/25).  Delegated responses submitted for planning applications received since the last meeting:

25/40749/FUL – Retrospective application for extensions and alterations to existing agricultural building and creation of additional hardstanding. The Villa Old Hall Lane Mill Meece. Variation of condition 2 of 24/39062/HOU. Spinneys Church Street Eccleshall. There were no objections to this application.

176/25)   Planning Applications for consideration:-

25/40570/FUL – Conversion & extension of an existing barn, including change of use to one bed holiday let. Fledgling Farm Old Hall Lane Mill Meece. It was resolved to object to this application as the proposal is not on the same footprint of the existing barn.

25/40692/FUL – Demolition of existing garage and construction of a single detached two-storey dwellinghouse on the site of 5 Gaol Butts, to be delivered as a custom self-build project including associated hard and soft landscaping and new vehicular and pedestrian access to proposed site and also 5 Gaol Butts. 5 Gaol Butts Eccleshall. There were no objections to this application but the council notes that access arrangements are down a slope and should be assessed to ensure safe access.

177/25).  To consider any further applications:-

 There were no further applications for consideration.

178/25).   Any Other Planning Matters: –

• To provide an update on the work to date with Urban Vision Enterprise planning consultancy
  • Dates have been provided for an online meeting with Hannah to discuss the key issues and the next steps for the growth strategy, with the best date identified for attendance to be Weds 27^th There were concerns about the delays in meeting and the timescales for completion of the work required to provide detailed and effective representations. The Clerk was asked to request a face-to-face meeting in Eccleshall for w/c 18^th August. The Clerk will not be in attendance.
  • There was an extensive debate regarding the planning consultancy process, the time taken to arrange the initial meeting and concerns over the timescales needed to be ready to submit responses to the planning applications as they arise. To provide assurances to the council and the residents, the Clerk will request:
    • Background information from UVE on previous experiences of working with parish councils to object to planning applications.
    • Confirmation that the resources are in place to complete the work in time to provide representations for both the council and its residents as required.
    • An update on work completed to date, prior to meeting.
  • The Clerk will also clarify the professional qualifications in relation to other planning objection providers.

• Feedback from Save Eccleshall Resident Group:
  • Wilkins raised a query about whether a letter with a standard format, but with a space for personalised comments (including name and address), would be accepted as a separate communication per resident, or would it be grouped with the others in the same format as one submission as he felt advice received to date was inconclusive. Cllr. Wilkins will provide the template and UVE will be asked for advice.
  • The residents ‘Save Eccleshall’ group has found that the most effective method of distributing information to residents for planning responses has been by door to door printed materials, as many residents involved do not use social media. Cllr. Wilkins will prepare a proposal for consideration at the next meeting for the Council to provide a grant for letter printing costs.
  • It was advised that the Save Eccleshall members wish to object to all of the recent proposals put forward by the developers, currently six sites in total, all located on sites outside of the settlement boundary.

  179/25).   Correspondence:-

• Members noted receipt of correspondence relating to Cotes Heath solar farm consultation.
• Members received the response from Stafford Borough Council, which turned down the request for a strategic assessment due to cumulative effects on the area from multiple planning proposals. The letter has been uploaded to the parish council website so that it is available to residents.

  180/25).   Accounts for payment:-

Authorisation was sought for payment of the following accounts:-

All were in favour and the accounts will be paid accordingly. Cllrs. Taylor and Reid will process the approvals online.

 181/25).    Date and venue for next meeting:

Wednesday 3^rd September 2025, at Eccleshall Community Centre, following a meeting of the Parish Council.

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 8.40pm.