North Nibley Parish Council

2nd July 2025

My informal notes from last nights Parish Council meeting that I attended along with SDC Cllr. Braun and SDC/GCC Cllr. Cohen.

Normal formalities. No apologies. Good to see that one Cllr. declared and interest in the planning item. So they will not take part in any debate or vote on that item.

Two members of the public were present. The public forum is where members of the public can ask question directly of the council. A great opportunity to ask questions and seek answers. On this occasion the members of the public were just here to observe the proceedings.

There was a brief mention from the clerk about the trees in the churchyard being worked on on the 16th July (an action from the previous meeting). The minutes of the previous meeting were also approved.

It's a long SDC District Councillors' report this month. Too long to read out but a number of questions arose. The £35m cost of the 96 new council homes was thought to be expensive. £364k per dwelling. Sadly, the average house price in Gloucestershire is £380k. :( The houses that SDC are building, however, are top spec. and cheap to run with minimal energy requirements for tenants. They do represent very good value for money. A Cllr. asked if they could be lost to 'Right to buy'. New builds are subject to different rules. SDC loses about a dozen homes a year (out of a stock of 5000) with right to buy, so it has little impact.

Cllr. Braun gave a quick update on Greenway progress, few more bits to finalise. With the planning decision for 500 new houses in Charfield there is a section 106 agreement in place that will see £750k used towards the Greenway. This will help Wotton too, linking to the new railway station that's due to open there in 2027.

There was concern voiced about the lack of infrastructure incorporated into that application. No new school or medical centre. A Cllr. expressed exasperation that the new car park in Wotton is still not operational. Part of the justification for the Symn Lane Car Park was based on the need to support the residents of this Charfield development! 10 years on, neither is complete; a bell-weather for our planning system? Symn Lane Car Park potted history.

Vegetation encroaching onto the pavement in Tyndale Close, Barrs Lane was raised. This was supposed to have been completed by back in April. Cllr. Braun will chase the Housing Team for an update. The planning and communities teams will be asked if there is anything that can be done to tidy up the disused garage site on New Road or maybe bring it back into use. The works done on developments in Stumpwell Lane are to be checked with planning/enforcement as they are within the Cotswold natural landscape.

Cllr. Cohen read through her report as the Cllrs. had little time to read it before the meeting. Most importantly was the news that Rushmire Hill will reopen on Friday 4th July. People need to observe speed limits and remember that pedestrians have been used to using this road without thinking about cars for the last few months.

We have a new bus service to Yate, the Y8, also known as the Yate Link, and is due to extend its route into Wotton-under-Edge starting from August 31. The new administration is keen to reduce speeds to 20mph where communities live and work, where there is support from parish councils.

A Local Government Reorganisation engagement exercise if going on as the national government wants to change how local councils work. You can have your say here.. Loads more in Cllr. Cohen's report (above).

There was a quick verbal update from councillors on their activities since last meeting not covered in agenda. One Cllr. is keen to find out more about The Keepers' and the work they do in the community. Maybe an informal meeting at the Black Horse or the community hall. The CEO lives in North Nibley. The village has five defibrillators now, in various locations, plans for more. One Cllr. has been on a course to properly assess the safety of play equipment, risk assessment etc.

Planning application S.25/1032/HHOLD for a two storey side extension and external alterations. This was discussed at length. Third time the application had been submitted. The first was refused the second withdrawn. Eventually the council decided to object based on the detail in front of them although they didn't object in principle to the actual extension. [Personally, I think that pre-application advice is essential to ensure smooth progress of an application].

Myself, Cllr. Braun and Cohen left the meeting at this point for a 'street-meet' to catch up on a myriad of other issues.