Alison Sawalhi

Informal consultation continues

We hosted two drop in events in the village hall in January (15th and 18th) to showcase the progress made to date. This included:

• Draft vision statement
• Draft spatial strategy
• Draft objectives for a number of different areas that the new plan will cover including: Housing, Design and Heritage, Natural Environment and Biodiversity, Transport and Infrastructure, Community and Climate Change.
• For each theme we also highlighted key national and local planning policies that the objectives will help to deliver (as we are obliged to do) and the survey evidence that indicates community support for all the objectives.
• We also put up extracts from a draft Design Code (being prepared by Government appointed consultants, AECOM) indicating the historical and landscape context of the buildings in Husthwaite and also an analysis of the key features of the village in terms of layout, building materials and styles and relationship with its rural setting.

Non-heritage assets and surveys

Also on display was a paper prepared by the Husthwaite History Society setting out a variety of historical features (buildings, street furniture, landscape etc) which should be considered as non-designated heritage assets i.e. not listed but given some level of protection by planning rules.

Finally we invited attendees to complete two surveys – one asking for feedback on the new website and one asking about interest in setting up a community shop including a willingness to volunteer some time towards this..

Attendance

About 30 Parish residents came to have a look and generally were very complimentary about the amount of work that is going into this critical project.  Some very helpful feedback was provided on the wording of some objectives and this has already resulted in some minor amendments to the text.

Husthwaite PC also hosted the Local Parish Council Forum on the evening of the 15th so the display was also reviewed by parish councillors from Crayke, Coxwold, Ampleforth, Carlton Husthwaite and Brandsby, as well as North Yorkshire councillor, Nigel Knapton. Mr Knapton endorsed the importance of neighbourhood plans and all councils present indicated they were thinking of embarking on similar projects.

Accessing the documents/Next steps

The slides on the display boards have been put on the website (see here) as has the History society paper (see draft here). The shop survey has been circulated to those on the VH mailing list and anyone else who would like to see the survey can email Sheila Mowatt on sheila_mowatt@btinternet.com or contact Julia Hampshire ℅ husthwaitepc@hotmail.co.uk.  Paper copies are available on request.

We will continue to update parish residents via the website, mailchimp and newsletter. We are happy to receive feedback or answer questions any time – just email us ℅ husthwaitepc@hotmail.co.uk.  The next parish-wide survey will be when we seek comments on the draft plan which we hope will be in April.

Working group news

The working group are delighted that Keith Gittens has joined us as, quite apart from being another much-needed ‘pair of hands’(!),  he brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge in relation to the local environment.  Keith is currently helping to review the revised draft Biodiversity Appraisal which Wold Ecology has just produced and also is part of a sub-group (with David Aspinall, Alison Sawalhi and Julia Hampshire) who are preparing a Local Landscape Character Assessment. This will provide a very useful level of granular detail which means the new plan can be as effective as possible at protecting and enhancing the unique and special features of our parish.

Meanwhile AECOM has just produced the first full draft of the Design Code and Philip Hewitson and Sonia Hunter are reviewing this. Sarah Harper is leading on photographs and design, while Sheila Mowatt and Alison Sawalhi manage all things relating to communication including the website. Sheila is also our ‘documents manager’.  Sam Milburn is helping with the collation of statistical evidence and community engagement.  Finally, our marvellous planning consultant (grant-funded), Steve, is starting to chivvy us towards actually writing the plan building on all the consultation and evidence gathering that has gone on over the last 18 months.  He has produced a somewhat daunting outline and the writing begins now!

Can you help us?

I am hugely indebted to all of the working group for their efforts – and for continuing to retain a sense of humour in our weekly project meetings!  If anyone else in the Parish could give us a bit of help with the next stage, we would be very grateful.  This could include:

• Acting as a ‘first reader’ for sections of the plan. This would be really helpful  as we need to make sure the plan is very clear and accessible to all.
• Helping compile a statement recording all consultation events and activities
• Helping compile a Equalities Impact Assessment (using template)
• Doing some online research to obtain any missing data needed for the plan
• Preparing graphs or other diagrams to illustrate our plan
• Taking and selecting photographs to illustrate our plan
• Helping to design the visual layout of the plan and also ensuring its accessibility
• Hand delivering a letter to all households in the parish once the plan is drafted and ready to be reviewed (the ‘Reg 14 consultation’)

If you think you could help and/or want to find out a bit more about what type of commitment might be required, please email Sarah Aspinall ℅ husthwaitepc@hotmail.co.uk and we can find a time to speak.

Sarah Aspinall
Parish Council lead of Husthwaite Neighbourhood Plan Project

The latest planning update from the Parish Council has been issued here.

A huge amount of work has taken place in recent months including:

• Identifying all relevant national and local planning policy and other key initiatives that will provide the context and support for our new plan.
• Collating and reviewing responses to our survey of local estate agents (to which we received an unprecedented 100% response!).
• Collating responses to our survey of businesses in the parish (to which we got a respectable 60% response).
• Identifying with the Husthwaite History Society possible additions to the register of non-designated heritage assets which will be given protection under the new plan.
• Commenting in detail on the draft Ecological Assessment carried out by Wold Ecology.
• Reviewing and commenting in detail on a local housing needs assessment compiled by Government appointed consultants, AECOM. This work included obtaining very helpful comments from our liaison planning lead at North Yorkshire Council.  The housing needs assessment is important evidence required to support housing policy in the new plan.
• Reviewing and commenting in detail on a first draft of the introductory sections of a Design Code for the parish, on which we are also working with AECOM consultants. Once finalised the Design Code will form part of the neighbourhood plan and will be subject to the same consultation process.
• Providing regular updates to the Parish Council.
• Preparing for a drop in event in January at which we will share our draft themes and objectives for the new plan and also the work being done for us by AECOM.

Local Estate Agent Survey

Five local estate agents were sent an online survey asking about the local housing market   – both sales and rental.  The online survey was supplemented by the delivery of paper copies and this resulted in returns from all five!  The survey results are available here but particular points of interest include:

• The rural character of the area was the most important factor that drove sales followed by proximity to York and other market towns
• Three bed houses were the most popular for both renting and sales
• Shops and other local facilities were the most important in determining exact location within the area. For sales, off road parking was also a key amenity while having a garden was important for rentals.
• All agreed there was a shortage of smaller properties to buy in Husthwaite.

Parish Business Survey

Twenty two respondents to our parish wide survey last year identified themselves as business owners.  We sent all of these a follow up survey asking for what development they might require to help them prosper in their respective business areas.   We got 14 responses (a 64% response rate).  The survey results are available here but particular points of interest include:

• With one exception, all felt Husthwaite was a good place to run a business
• Many mentioned community spirit and location as factors which were important to them
• Slow internet was the main disadvantage – 6 out of 14 mentioned this.
• There was not much call specifically for more parking or local housing or employees but 8 out 14 thought traffic improvements would be beneficial to businesses generally while 7 out 14 backed a community energy scheme.

Non-designated heritage Assets

Local heritage – whether buildings, monuments, sites, places, areas, historic parks and gardens or other designed landscapes – plays an essential role in building and reinforcing a sense of local character and distinctiveness in the historic environment. All plans are required to set out a positive strategy for the conservation and enjoyment of the historic environment.

Heritage assets are of two types:

1. Designated heritage assets, which are largely designated nationally under the relevant legislation (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, etc.) – there are eight of these in the parish.
2. Non designated heritage assets, which are locally identified as having a degree of heritage significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, but which do not meet the criteria for designated heritage assets.

The Local History Society has very kindly produced a draft ‘Local Heritage List’ for consultation.  Its purpose is to celebrate the breadth of the historic environment of the parish by encompassing the full range of heritage assets that make up the historic environment and ensuring the proper recording of these. The list includes some houses within the village Conservation Area and these are already automatically treated under planning law as non-designated assets but others, such as Throstle Nest Farm, Beacon Banks  and the village’s red pillar boxes do not currently have any protection.

The proposed list will be made available at the drop in event and comments are invited.

Preliminary Ecological Appraisal report

Wold Ecology carried out a desk top survey of the parish in spring 2024 followed by an on-site inspection (by drone) of the green areas in and close to the village. They produced a draft report in July and we have now sent them back some detailed comments and requests for clarification/expansion. We are awaiting the updated draft.

The report will be particularly useful in a) providing a general landscape classification for the parish, b) identifying the different habitat types in and around the village and c) evidence of species types in the same study area. As all development is now required by law to produce a net gain for biodiversity, the report will indicate where further detailed surveys might be required before any development is approved/commenced.

AECOM Housing Needs Assessment

Although there is NO requirement for a neighbourhood plan to allocate sites for housing, we are expected to identify local development requirements, and to address them in our plan where possible.

While there are a number of factors which influence the appropriate location for affordable housing e.g. transport and services, the parish wide survey indicated a strong support for more affordable housing in the village to meet local demand. This reflects a key objective of the Hambleton Plan which was to address the district-wide shortage of housing that is affordable for households on low incomes and first time buyers.

At national level planning policy on this is required to be informed by “a local housing need assessment, conducted using the standard method in national planning practice guidance”, Locality, which administers government funds to support neighbourhood planning, provides expert consultants such as AECOM to carry out these assessments.

The assessment is a desktop study which uses a variety of publicly available data to assess the current supply of low cost and social housing, the average cost of entry level housing and the average household income for the neighbourhood area.  As this is a very small study area, there is not a lot of parish specific data available so the assessment is by necessity somewhat ‘broad brush’.  In particular the low number of house sales each year means that it is not possible to identify a realistic average market price. Therefore, the analysis uses 2022 (where there were 8 sales across a range of property sizes)  to calculate a median price of £272,500 and a lower quartile price of £226,400 (used to estimate entry level prices).   The median price is in line with the current median figure for Hambleton district.

Based on an estimated average household income of £43,200 (in 2020) and a lower quartile income of £18,400, AECOM’s conclusion is that local households on average incomes are unable to purchase entry-level homes unless they have the advantage of a very large deposit.   Their modelling suggests that Husthwaite could see a potential demand for an additional  nine affordable home ownership dwellings over the anticipated plan period of 2025-2036.   AECOM modelling suggests that there will be no significant requirement for additional affordable rental housing in the same period.

This assessment is not part of the new plan but it is important evidence that will support a housing policy that looks to facilitate the development of smaller affordable units.

The Steering Group has been very busy through September/October gathering evidence to support our prospective plan.   The results of our very well-supported parish wide survey have given us a good idea of what the Husthwaite community would like to achieve through its new plan but we have to ensure that any proposed policies fit with national and local planning rules e.g. on heritage, landscape etc.

We are also looking for statistical information (mainly from the 2021 Census but also other sources including official North Yorkshire Council records) for the plan, particularly in relation to the provision of  services required by our community.

We are still consulting – in September we sent out a short online survey to local estate agents in an attempt to gain more information on the local housing market and in late October we launched an online survey aimed at respondents to the parish survey who identified as business owners so we can get a more detailed understanding of their needs.  We are also reviewing the findings of our preliminary Biodiversity Audit carried out by Wold Ecology and are considering the need for further detailed surveys of key wildlife in the area.

Work has started with the expert consultants (grant funded) who are:

• preparing a draft set of design codes for the Parish and
• conducting an up-to-date housing needs assessment.

Design codes are a set of illustrated design requirements that provide specific, detailed parameters for the physical development of an area. The aim is to secure high quality, sustainable buildings, wherever sited.  Sadly the weather was not kind the day the design team visited  but their first impressions were still very favourable and they are excited about helping us to achieve essential growth while preserving the ‘essence of Husthwaite’. Watch out for further updates on their work and on our draft overarching ‘vision’ for the plan which we will be sharing soon.

Our call for help – posted both online and in the village newsletter – has not resulted in any response.   If anyone does have some time they could offer over next few months, please do get in touch with Sarah (Aspinall)  via husthwaitepc@hotmail.co.uk.  Absolutely no prior knowledge of planning law required!!

 

A huge thank you again to all who took part in the Husthwaite Neighbourhood Plan (HNP) survey – the results have been really helpful.

The HNP Team are now working hard using YOUR answers to establish the baseline evidence required for the development of planning policies in the areas that YOU told us are important. These include the following;

• Housing & Heritage: led by Philip Hewitson & Sonia Hunter
• Landscape, Natural Environment & Biodiversity: led by Sarah Harper & Alison Sawalhi
• Business, Transport & Infrastructure: led by Sheila Mowatt & Julia Hampshire
• Sustainability: led by David Aspinall

In addition, Sam Milburn is leading on Equalities Impact and Community data, and we have the help of a Planning consultant, Steve Besford-Foster, paid for by a government grant.

For all these themes we have to pull together all the relevant national and local planning policies and compile relevant statistics and data. This includes more detailed surveys, and carrying out a full Housing Needs Assessment.

How can you help…..?

There is a lot to do and we are keen to keep up the momentum so we can produce the draft plan the community has asked for as soon as possible. We would love some more people to join our team so if you have a particular interest or expertise in any of the above topics, we would be very pleased to hear from you. How much time you can devote is entirely up to you – you can help with research and/or you can get more involved with the creation of the plan itself.

If you are interested and would like to get more information, please get in touch with Sarah Aspinall, by email on husthwaitepc@hotmail.co.uk or by telephone on 01347 868155.

The steering group had a day’s meeting with Steve Besford-Foster, the planning consultant who is guiding us through the process of creating the Neighbourhood Plan. He visited the Parish and advised the group on our next task, which is to put together the base evidence for the plan.

There is a lot of work to do to put together this evidence before we can draft the plan. This includes, for example:

• Consultation with statutory bodies such as the County Council, Environment Agency, Natural England, Historic England, and voluntary/community bodies.
• To research and gather demographic data and historic information about the Parish
• To survey businesses and local estate agents
• To look at national and local planning policy

He was able to point us in the direction of many useful resources and we are now starting work on the themes identified in our survey – Community, Transport, Natural Environment, Heritage and Design, Business/Economy, Facilities.

We need you!

We are keen to bring on board anyone who would like to help with the preparation of the plan – please contact Sarah Aspinall via husthwaitepc@hotmail.co.uk if you are interested or would like to find out more.

 

We are delighted to announce we have a NEW village website.

Our previous website served us very well, for which we give enormous thanks to Lawrie Hill. It was Lawrie who designed, set up and single-handedly ran the old website for many, many years. We are extremely grateful for all his help and support and his creative input into the NEW website, including the fabulous Neighbourhood Plan/Parish Council logo which he designed.

Thanks to local grants and funding we now have a new platform for the community to enjoy, led by the Parish Council, it allows a number of key village groups to access and edit their own pages and areas of interest. This helps spreads the work to keep the site up to date. On the website you can find out local news and what’s going on in and around Husthwaite.

The NEW website features;

Calendar of events
Parish Council minutes and agendas
Planning applications information
Community information
Details about clubs and societies
News
Photo galleries

Tell us what you think!
Please let us have any suggestions you might have to enhance the website.
Your feedback is important