Minutes of Meeting held on Thursday 25th. September 2025 in the Upstairs Room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon at 7.00pm.

Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).

Councillors J. Cox, S. Dickinson, D. Hughes, C. Hogan, R. Lovell & K. Shaw.

In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.

Two Members of the Public.

64/25 Apologies for Absence.

There were no apologies for absence.

65/25 Declarations of Interest.

There were no declarations of interest at this point.

66/25 Chairman’s Address.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

He reported that there had been a fatal traffic accident in the Parish. Vice Chairman Richard gave further details of the accident which had occurred near to Dunwood Hall.

67/25 Public Comments.

The two members of the public raised concerns about an extension that was taking place adjacent to their properties which had a window, not shown on a recent planning application, which was overlooking them. They thought it was invading their privacy.

They had contacted the owner without success.

Councillor Cox, in her capacity as a District Councillor gave them advice on conferring with SMDC Planning Department about their situation.

The actual planning application involved was on the agenda for discussion later in the meeting.

68/25 Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 7th. August 2025 had been circulated, and it was agreed that the minutes be signed as a true record.

69/25 Matters Arising.

(a) Defibrillator Cabinet.

The details regarding the electrical connection together with the installation of the heated cabinet had been sent in and an acknowledgement had been received.

It was agreed to write and ask for a progress report.

(b) Staffs Parish Councils Association.

The Association had been notified that the Council would not be joining the organisation at this time. However further correspondence had asked the Council to re-consider.

(c) Memorial Hall Meetings.

Contact had been made with the Memorial Hall Management Committee through two sources but no replies had been received.

(d) Common Land.

It was reported that the benches on the site were rotten and that there were areas of overgrowth. It was suggested that the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust could be involved but Councillor Dickinson offered to dispose of the rotten benches. The offer was accepted with thanks.

70/25 Other Business.

Lengthsman Instructions.

The lengthsman had contacted the Clerk to report that the work mentioned by Councillor Cox at the last meeting had not yet been completed and should be regarded as work in progress.

He would also be instructed to clear the vegetation around the bus stop at the end of Leek Old Road and attend to the path overgrowth on the common land.

Remembrance Day Poppies.

It was agreed to feature poppies around the village again this year. Two poppies were lost or stolen from their locations last year. The chairman agreed to create replacements and display them.

71/25. Correspondence.

The following had already been distributed to Councillors: - SMDC - Suggested sites for future development.

SMDC – Community Repaint.

Classical Music Concert – 10th. September 2025.

SMDC – Local Government Re-organisation Meeting – 21st.August 2025.

Moorlands Climate Change Summer Newsletter.

Moorlands Climate Action Fashion Show – 18th. September 2025.

Defibrillator Training Meeting – 15th. September 2025.

Town & Parish Network Event – 24th. October 2025.

Chair of Parish Assembly – Devolution Information.

72/25 Planning Matters.

Application No. SMD/2025/0380 Land adjacent to High View, Sutherland Road, Longsdon.

Due to the timescale the following comments were forwarded to the planning authority.

It is inappropriate development in the Green Belt.

It is not an infill plot. This was decided by the inspector during refusal Appeal Ref. APP/B3438/W/128/34204059 in 2018 and there have been no material changes since which would require that decision to be overturned.

As the Parish Council previously said, a retrospective application in April 2011 for an additional entrance on the site stated that the land was agricultural and this application states that it is garden land.

The application says that the method of sewerage disposal is unknown but since there is no main sewer in Longsdon that should have been addressed.

Surface water runoff from the plot could impact Sutherland Road since there is no main sewer to accommodate it.

Longsdon has insufficient infrastructure, no schools, no shops, no doctor surgery and a very poor bus service to support further development.

Increased road traffic due to inadequate bus service will lead to more use of the dangerous egress from Sutherland Road onto the A53 where numerous accidents have recently occurred.

Application No. SMD/2025/0406 Application for the removal of Condition 2 in relation to Application SMD/2024/0409 for the removal of Prefabricated Garage and the Construction of a new living room and entrance area.

After some discussion a majority agreed to object to this application.

73/25 Finance Matters.

Orders for Payment.

It was agreed that the following items be paid:

74/25 Public Comments.

The members of the public made two further comments on their situation.

75/25 Items for Inclusion in the Agenda for the Next Meeting.

There was no business under this item.

76/25 Date of Next Meeting.

The date of the next meeting was arranged for Thursday 20th. November 2025 at 7.00pm in the upstairs room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon.