Neighbourhood Plan Minutes (signed) 13-07-2020

Minutes of a Meeting of the Neighbourhood Plan Committee
Held on Monday 13th July 2020 at 6:00 pm via Zoom

Attendance:
Councillor A Appleby                                       Councillor R Hood
Councillor O Bowen                                         Councillor P Hulbert
Councillor J De’Ath                                          Councillor M Jefferys
Councillor A Drummond                                Councillor C O’Neill
Councillor K Yarrow

Also Present: Debbie Baines – Town Clerk, Cathy Whitaker – RFO, Julie Ashton – Minute Assistant, Philippa Winter, 1 Member of the Press and 7 Members of the Public

The Mayor took the chair for this item
N/20/07/1 To elect a Chairman
The Mayor nominated Cllr Appleby. There were no other nominations. A vote was taken, and the following was agreed:

N/20/07/1.01 Resolved
That Cllr Appleby be elected as the Chairman of the Newmarket Neighbourhood Plan Committee for 2020/201

Cllr Appleby took the Chair and welcomed the Town Clerk on her first day with NTC

N/20/07/2 To elect a vice Chairman
The Chairman nominated Cllr Yarrow. There were no other nominations. A vote was taken, and the following was agreed:

D/20/07/2.01 Resolved
That Cllr Yarrow be elected as the Vice Chairman of the Newmarket Neighbourhood Plan Committee for 2020/21.

N/20/07/3 Chairman to read fire safety notice and announce that proceedings may be filmed or recorded.
The Chairman opened the meeting and announced that proceedings are being recorded and to advise that all participants will be muted by the host of the meeting who will unmute the individual the Chairman has invited to speak.

N/20/07/4 Apologies for absence
Apologies were received from Cllr Kerby. Cllr Fitzgerald was absent.

N/20/07/5 Declaration of members interests and to remind councillors of the need to keep up to date their register of members interests and to consider any requests received for members dispensation.
None noted.

N/20/07/6 Terms of reference
Members noted the Terms of Reference for the Newmarket Neighbourhood Plan Committee approved by Full Council on 29th June 2020.

N/20/07/7 Chairman’s opening remarks
The Chairman welcomed members to the inaugural meeting of the NNP Committee whose remit is to progress the Community Actions and objectives of the NNP.

He advised that although this is a Town Council Committee, he anticipated that the proceedings would be conducted in open forum and the 3-minute speaking rule for members of the public would not necessarily apply. All members of the public are welcome to attend and encouraged to become involved in the various Working Groups that will be set up to look at various topics.

The main purpose of the Committee is to facilitate the Community Actions in accordance with the Policies and the focus will be on priority and achievability. The Committee will be meeting on the second Monday of each month and he encouraged residents to email their views on any subject relevant to the Committee.

The NNP document is owned by NTC and the intention of this Committee and Council is to action the NNP to protect and promote the best interests of the Town making Newmarket a good place to live, work and visit.

N/20/07/8 Open forum
Members of the public were invited to join the discussion to direct the way forward for this Committee.

The Mayor was looking forward to hearing the views of residents and the wider public to assist with deciding which Community Actions to take on. He suggested that Working Groups should be considered to cover Community Actions B8 – Severals, C3 – Trees, C7 – Yellow Brick Road, E4 – Cycling network, E10 – Car parking and F3 – Public realm. A further suggestion was made to add E9 – Public transport services and that C5 – Recycling Centre should be a priority.

Members were advised that the NNP should be reviewed and updated with a new vision on a 5-year cycle for longevity.

A resident asked if there was anything that could be done to encourage new traders to the Town. However, it was noted that this was not in the remit of NTC and was determined by market forces.

A resident asked if champions would be appointed as a focal point for groups/activities. It was noted that each Working Group would have a Chairman as the main contact.

N/20/07/9 Community actions
The Mayor emphasised that the Community Actions had been graded for priority, ease of action and with timescales. The document would keep the Committee focussed and give guidance on how to proceed.

N/20/07/10 The way forward
The Chairman hoped that more of the public would join the Committee as it moves forward.

Members discussed the use of working groups within the structure of the Committee to engage and involve the wider community in the delivery of the Community Actions. The Community Actions that were suggested earlier were considered and the following was agreed:

N/20/07/10.01 Recommendation
That Working Groups be set up to cover the following Community Actions:

B8 – The Severals
C3 – Trees
C7 – Yellow Brick Road Linear Park
E4 – Cycling
E9 – Public Transport Services
E10 – Car Parking
F3 – Public Realm

Cllr Bowen joined the meeting

N/20/07/11 Date of next meeting
Monday 10th August 2020 via Zoom.

N/20/07/12 Items for next agenda
• B8 – The Severals
• C3 – Trees
• C7 – Yellow Brick Road Linear Park
• E4 – Cycling
• E9 – Public Transport Services
• E10 – Car Parking
• F3 – Public Realm

Meeting closed at 6:30pm

Signed ______________________________ Date ______________________