The minutes of the March 2025 meeting, below, are available in PDF form, primarily for offline reading and printing. Please note that all minutes are draft until approved at a subsequent Parish Council meeting, and in any conflict between the version below (provided for ease of access online) and the PDF version, the latter shall be deemed authoritative.
GREAT GRANSDEN PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 3rd March 2025
Those present were:
Parish Councillor Nick Ginn (chairman)
Parish Councillor Chris Bane Parish Councillor Michael Capps
Parish Councillor James Catmur Parish Councillor Cathy Davis
Parish Councillor Nigel Day Parish Councillor Andrew Pett
Parish Councillor Alan Rowbotham.
Also present: County Councillor Stephen Ferguson, District Councillor James Catmur, a representative from the Guilden Morden 3-Tuns Pub Community Interest Group and 28 members of the public.
- The meeting was opened with a silent prayer.
- Apologies for absence: Parish Councillor Paul Greenland.
- Declarations of Interest: None.
- Minutes of the previous meeting held on 3rd February 2025: the Minutes were proposed by Councillor Day, seconded by Councillor Ginn and unanimously approved.
- Open Forum:
• Report from County Councillor Stephen Ferguson highlighted:
a) some of the recent history in Cambridgeshire of pub closures or applications for change of use. Councillor Ferguson noted his support for the Parish Council view on the Crown & Cushion.
b) CCC Precept: as expected, the maximum allowable agreed.
• Report from District Councillor James Catmur highlighted:
a) the increase in council tax Band D rate in Huntingdonshire District.
b) the HDC Active Travel consultation for walking / wheeling / cycling.
• VE Day 2025: Noted, that a joint Bluebell Villages celebration is planned.
• Planning Applications:
• REF. 25/00197/PCB – BT Public payphone removal 1767677211 – Telephone Kiosk Middle Street Great Gransden: A resident noted the interest in the village for keeping the phone box and that it to be adopted by the Parish Council, as in other villages. One resident raised the concern that there would be no public phone should mobile networks go down.
• REF. 25/00079/LBC – Change of Use, including internal works, from Public House (Sui-Generis) to Dwelling (Class C3) – Crown And Cushion West Street Great Gransden SG19 3AT.
• REF. 25/00078/FUL – Change of Use, including internal works, from Public House (Sui-Generis) to Dwelling (Class C3) – Crown And Cushion West Street Great Gransden SG19 3AT.
Contribution and questions on the Crown & Cushion applications were taken together, 25/00078/FUL being the full application and 25/00079/LBC being the listed building consent.
A representative of the Three Tuns, Gulden Morden Community Group gave a presentation on the
journey there from closed pub to re-opening and current pub activities.
Issues raised from the floor included:
- Length of time between change of use application to final decision, which can sometimes be lengthy.
- Potential buyers in the village: it was noted that in Great Gransden there both private buyers and the Great Gransden Community Benefit Association who are interested in purchase, with at least two offers submitted.
- RICS valuation: it was noted that a RICS valuation of a property is considered to provide a legally correct sale price.
- There were questions on the share issues made in Guilden Morden in order to raise funds.
- Planning Applications:
6.1 REF. 25/00197/PCB – BT Public payphone removal 1767677211 – Telephone Kiosk Middle Street Great Gransden:
Noted, that the phone box is a Grade 2 Listed Building. Noted, the interest in the village for retaining the box perhaps with a community use, as in other villages. Unanimously agreed, that the Parish Council enquire with BT about adopting the phone box.
In respect of the planning application; proposed by Councillor Catmur, seconded by Councillor Ginn, with
unanimously objection to the removal of the telephone box.
6.2 REF. 25/00079/LBC – Change of Use, including internal works, from Public House (Sui-Generis) to Dwelling (Class C3) – Crown And Cushion West Street Great Gransden SG19 3AT: (see combined minute with item 6.3).
6.3 REF. 25/00078/FUL – Change of Use, including internal works, from Public House (Sui-Generis) to Dwelling (Class C3) – Crown And Cushion West Street Great Gransden SG19 3AT.
Items 6.2 and 6.3 were considered together 25/00079/LBC concerning listed building aspects and 25/00078/FUL being the full application. Noted, was the more than 120 neighbour responses on the planning portal showing considerable interest in the outcome of the planning applications. Also noted, that the whole Crown & Cushion property has Asset of Community Value status and is a Grade 2 Listed Building. There was also considerable discussion on further points including; lack of information in the LBC application on changes proposed to the Listed Building; factual errors and mis-use of statistics in the applications; sale marketing being difficult to find and negotiate, with an aspirational sale price; the impact on the village and community of the potential loss of its last pub; that no effort had been made to re-open the pub since the Covid pandemic; and the pub as part of the historic Listed Building environment and Conservation Area of the village.
Proposed by Councillor Pett, seconded by Councillor Ginn, with unanimous objection to both planning applications, as they fail to demonstrate compliance with the following policies and statements of the National Planning Policy Framework 2024, Huntingdonshire District Local Plan and the Great Gransden Neighbourhood Development Plan:
National Planning Policy Framework 2024: “a presumption in favour of sustainable development, building a strong, competitive economy; conserving and enhancing the natural, built and historic environment” and paragraph 88 supporting a prosperous rural economy, favours “the retention and development of accessible local services and community facilities, such as local shops, meeting places, sports venues, open space, cultural buildings, public houses and places of worship.”
HDC Local Plan:
Local Plan Policy LP22 which seeks to protect local services and community facilities, which by definition includes public houses. The loss of the public house from this central village location is a disbenefit and there is considerable community support for re-opening the Crown & Cushion. Reasonable steps should have been taken to market the property and the Parish Council does not consider this to be the case. The Parish Council considers that the loss of the last public house in the village does not fulfil this criterion; the great level of support for the pub re-opening is witnessed by well over 100 objections from villagers; and that reasonable steps to market the property have not been taken. Additionally, the asking price does not represent the true market value, as determined by a recent RICS Red Book valuation.
Local Plan Policy LP9: states in its rationale that a Small Settlement which offers a range of services such as a shop, village hall, public house and primary school offers far greater opportunities in principle for sustainable development. The Parish Council considers that closure of the final public house in the village does not accord with the aims of Policy LP9.
Great Gransden NDP:
Policy G12 states in its policy context and rationale that “residents consider that any increase in the number of dwellings in Great Gransden should be accompanied by improvements in community facilities…decided on the basis of local priorities”. The Parish Council considers that the closure of the last pub in the village does not meet this policy objective as witnessed by the large number of objections to this proposal.
- Matters Arising:
7.1 CIL grant application – Sportsfield car park: The application has been unsuccessful.
7.2 Net Zero Villages grant application – Solar panels project: The Expression of Interest has been successful. The full grant application has now been submitted for 100% funding. Phil Taylor, Bowls and Croquet Club was thanked all his work in putting the application together and Anne Constatine, Reading Room Committee for submitting the application.
7.3. Play equipment maintenance update: The wet-pour has been repaired. Other maintenance will good ahead in drier weather.
- Bowls & Croquet Club – fencing quotes: Proposed by Councillor Ginn, seconded by Councillor Catmur and unanimously approved the quote of £3378 inc. VAT, plus £500 as a contingency for any errors in measurements, ground level changes or tree roots.
- Street lights – quotes: The quotes were unanimously approved for replacement of the non-working lanterns with LED lamps for PC2 – (Middle St. opp. Little Lane) and PC16 – (Crow Tree St. opp. West St.) at a cost of £601.92 + VAT each.
- RFO’s Financial Statements and Budget Review:
The Financial Reports for February 2025 and Budget Review February 2025 were proposed by Councillor Catmur, seconded by Councillor Ginn and unanimously approved. - Payments for Approval: The March payments were proposed by Councillor Ginn, seconded by Councillor Pett and unanimously approved.
Payments for approval at the Parish Council Meeting on Monday 3rd March 2025
Cheques/Bank Transfers payable March 2025
- Mr R McIntosh (Garden of Remembrance) £7.50
- Mr Andrew Pett (Microsoft 365 February & March 2025 £3.98
- Clerk’s Salary – March 2025 £745.70
- RFO’s Salary – March 2025 £362.69
- HMRC Tax & NI (Month 11 ending 5 March 2025) £135.30
Automated Payments payable March 2025
- DD BT – Broadband Reading Room £47.86
(11 March 2025) - DD SSE – Street lighting £203.39
(3 March 2025)
*Invoice expected, but not available in time for meeting
**Approximate amount. Subject to slight variation. (Not available in time for meeting)
- Highways & Rights of Way
• Any repairs or maintenance needed:
• A number of highway issues have recently been reported including potholes and drainage grid problems on Waresley Road, Crow Tree Street and by the Old Plough.
• TTRO applications – Church Street and Fox Street: Approved, the resurfacing of the footways subject to access being retained to services and homes.
- Correspondence and Consultations
13.1 VE Day and Gransden & District Royal British Legion event: Noted, support for the combined Bluebell Villages event for VE Day.
13.2 Recent village burglaries and Police liaison: Following the spate of burglaries in the village an open discussion meeting has been organised with the police on 17th April, 1-3 pm, at the Reading Room.
13.3 Motor bikes on the Playing Field: Agreed, the reposting of the Rules of the MUGA on Touchbase and in Roundabout to coincide with the longer days and increased seasonal use.
- Date of Next Parish Council Meeting: Monday 7th April 2025 which will commence at 7.30pm.
- Date of the Annual Parish Meeting: Monday 28th April 2025 which will commence at 7.30 pm.
The meeting ended at 9.30 pm.