Land South of Main Street

In 2015 we identified land at the front of the proposed Strawberry Fields site immediately adjacent Main Street as an asset that was of interest to the community and the land was nominated to give it a status that allowed a Community Right to Bid, should the asset ever be sold.

The land is now to be the subject of a sale (assumed due to the proposed housing development) and the Forum has been contacted to see if it is intending to submit a bid. If the Forum is considered eligible (and there is some doubt about this at the present time) and wished to submit a bid there would be a 6 month period where potentially a bid could be put together. Nothing can happen on the site during those 6 months, in what is referred to as a Moratorium Period.

The name of the bidder would formally be the CVNF, but obviously any bid would be put together by the community as a whole. The Forum has until the 20th January to register its intent to bid. The Forum does not have to submit a bid if the efforts of the community are unsuccessful.

It is obvious that the cost of the land will be very significant and the Carlton Community is only small, but nevertheless it was felt that it was neither right to dismiss the possibility of submitting a bid or agreeing to do so without testing the views of local people. If you have views as to the action to be taken please let us know at the soonest opportunity and by Thursday 16th January recognising the last date that intent can be registered is the 20th January.

Involvement of the Community as a whole would be required if there were strong views that a bid should be made. The Forum is attempting to put together a Neighbourhood Plan for Carlton which represents a lot of work and without considerable community commitment in attempting to raise funds such a bidding venture would not, it is thought, be realistic.

Links

Message from Carlton Juniors – Dog Litter at Shayfield Park

SHAYFIELD PARK we have been asked to publish the following by Carlton Juniors.

Can we remind dog walkers that Carlton park (Shayfields) isn’t a toilet for dog walkers. Carlton juniors play on the pitch most Sunday mornings, which is clearly marked out as a child football pitch. I had to pick up 8 dog s**ts this morning all probably from the same owner. They’re are all other the pitch. I’d be fairly certain it’s the same person & probably a local resident who’s allowing this. The park has 2 black bins & one dog poo bin. This is a children’s facility & it’s not acceptable. I’ll be advising the council to add it to the spot checks they do around Leeds in a morning. Please can you post this. Thanks, Carlton Juniors.

There has also been quite a few complaints recently in the village on the amount of dog deposits on the pathways, can all dog owners please pick up their dog poos and put them in the bins provided.

Strawberry Field Planning Appeal Decision

The result of the Strawberry Field planning appeal was announced today.

Unfortunately, it was not the result we or Leeds City Council wanted. The appeal was allowed, which means the developers are able to proceed and develop the site.

The initial planning application was only for access and the number of houses. The type of houses, layout of the site, etc are all still to be decided. We look forward to working with Leeds City Council and the developers as these plans are developed.

The full appeal decision can be viewed here.

In the meantime, we will be calling a village meeting and AGM soon. We will post details of date and time once they are confirmed.

Thanks again to everyone who helped with the appeal preparations, our councillors, and Steve Carmody, Verity Britton, Kevin Kuszyk, and Peter Ellis who all presented at the appeal.

Strawberry Fields Planning Appeal Response

Following our village meeting on 29th July, this post contains the detail of our submission to the Stawberry Fields planning appeal.

Summary

This document is the summary of the key points that Carlton Community raise with regards to the proposed Strawberry Fields Application from Miller Homes.

The key points objections are:

  1. The Community does not require the level of housing proposed, which is shown in our consultants document on housing need in the area. See Appendix 1.
  2. The size of the development will almost double the village site in a 10-year period based on developments in the last 10 years. The scale is unsustainable on current infrastructure.
  3. The development is not sustainable due to the scale of the development and this has not been considered by the Developer in their submission. Key points on this are shown in our comments in Appendix 4.
  4. The site has never properly been considered for housing and the presumption the site should be considered for housing is premature. This is shown in the Refusal of Outline Planning Permission notice from Leeds City Council.
  5. The Developer has failed to consult with the community properly and has not engaged with the Neighbourhood Forum. None of the key data and advice the forum has gathered have been considered. These are defined in Appendix 2, 3 and 5.
  6. The Developer is trying to use a gap within the land allocation process to bring this site forward. This does not align with local and national planning policy.

Detail

The full submission and appendices can be found below:

Planning Appeal Submission Final

Appendix 1 – Housing Needs Consultancy Report Carlton
Appendix 2 – Neighbourhood Forum Objectives and Community Vote Results
Appendix 3 – Neihbourhood Forum Community Meeting Minutes and Objective Votes
Appendix 4 – Neighborhood Forum Planning Application Response
Appendix 5 – Neighborhood Fourm SWOT Analysis Agreed at Community Meeting 29th July 2018
Appendix 6 – Leeds City Council Highway Comments

SWOT Analysis

In order to assist in the formulation of the Neighbourhood Plan the following Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats were identified by the CVNF, presented and agreed by the Carlton Community on 29th July 2018.

If you have anything to add, please post a comment below.

Strengths

  • Good access to M1 and M62 other major routes
  • Within easy reach of Leeds and Wakefield but still rural village character
  • Largely surrounded by green belt land, so should not be in immediate danger of being over-developed or absorbed into neighbouring towns
  • Post office, farm shop and pubs within or very near to the Designated Area
  • Community facilities: Social Club
  • Very good primary school
  • Active community organisations e.g. Carlton Village Residents Association
  • Comprehensive range of footpaths across fields and rural surroundings of village (excludes pavements)
  • Good number of skilled and experienced people willing to contribute to voluntary activities
  • A defined heritage
  • A quality location
  • A desirable place to live
  • Good allotment provision
  • Village fetes e.g. rhubarb festival
  • Village greens
  • Playground facilities for children (Shayfield)
  • Sports facilities eg Cricket and Football pitch

Weaknesses

  • Viable public transport system
  • Through Road traffic
  • Heavy vehicles on narrow roads
  • Village not large enough to support a wider range of leisure facilities
  • Insufficient parking, particularly near the school
  • Minimal employment opportunities in the village
  • A high proportion of older residents
  • Lack of school sports pitch provision
  • Access to broadband not sufficiently enhanced
  • Drainage system inadequate
  • No NHS facilities eg doctor or dentist
  • Roads poorly maintained
  • No road crossings
  • Poor visibility on current road network for crossing
  • Narrow pavements and narrow roads

Opportunities

  • Sensitive development could keep the village character and environment while ensuring it does not stagnate
  • Developments within Carlton could provide funds to improve road infrastructure and footpaths
  • Opportunities to increase social provision within the village, particularly if some further housing is introduced eg bungalow/one level houses
  • Amelioration of traffic issues
  • Creation of improved children’s sports facilities
  • Protection of important areas e.g. natural environment and buildings
  • Traffic flows – one way system Chapel Street/Queen Street
  • Cycle Routes
  • Integration / linking streets via footpaths eg Shayfield

Threats

  • More houses in the area could make the village busier with increased through traffic
  • Significant areas of green belt land could at some point in the future be released for building and change the character of the village. Need to avoid sprawl/spreading into neighbouring area and be distinct
  • Continued congestion on the A61, and potential increase of its capacity, could impact on Carlton and particularly the potential for it to become a “rat run” for motorists
  • Increasing house prices could change the demographics of the village and force young people with village connections to move away
  • The lack of a ratified Leeds Site Allocation Plan could promote (and has already promoted) exploitation by developers to introduce inappropriate housing provision
  • Closure of Community facilities due for example to limited “footfall”
  • Apathy or lack of interest by local people
  • Sale or use of farmland and open spaces for development

Strawberry Fields Planning Appeal Meeting

You may or may not be aware that Miller have put forward a planning appeal on strawberry fields.

The council and neighbourhood forum would like to have a village meeting to discuss this process and the proposed plan of action for the community.

We appreciate time is challenging, so we have booked the room at the social club for the 29th July, between 6 and 8.

As many people as possible in attendance would be appreciated, as this is your last real chance to engage and get involved in the procedure and we wish to all do our best for the village.

See you all there.

Strawberry Fields – Our Comment

Earlier this week we submitted our official comment to Leeds City Council on the Strawberry Fields planning application. You can read the full letter here.

We would encourage everyone to submit a comment before 30th March 2018, as only comments submitted during this consultation period will be considered, should the application be rejected and go to appeal.

Please also refer to the guidance for writing an objection from our friends at Save the Rhubarb Triangle.

Strawberry Fields Planning Application

The Strawberry Fields planning application has now been submitted to Leeds City Council by Miller Homes.

The reference number is 18/00370/OT. The closing date for comments is Friday 30th March 2018.

We will be hosting a village meeting to discuss the application on Sunday 4th March 2018. 7pm at Carlton Social Club.

We have invited Leeds City Council and the developers.

Updated 26th February 2018
Added the date and time of the public meeting.

Updated 14th March 2018
The closing date for comments has been changed to 30th March 2018.