Second Annual General Meeting of The Billericay
                       Design Statement Association

Some of the members of the Steering Group Wednesday 14 November 2007 Agenda                                     click here to download the 2008/2009 accounts 1 Introduction The main aims of a Design Statement are to improve new development in the town by providing guidance to developers, architects and homeowners before they prepare designs, and to reduce unsympathetic proposals by making it easier for the planning authority to modify or reject applications which are not favoured by local people. It will not stop change from happening, but it can help affect how any new building fits in to the town. It achieves this by influencing the operation of the statutory planning system, which itself is in the process of change. Basildon District Council, along with all other planning authorities, is required by the Government to produce a Local Development Framework, an integrated plan that will set out how and where all aspects of development in the District will be managed over the next 15 years. The LDF has provision for community involvement, which allows advisory recommendations emanating from a Design Statement to be used as Material Guidance when planners are considering applications from a specific area; these recommendations can be given greater weight by adoption as a Supplementary Planning Document or an Area Action Plan incorporated within the LDF. It is important to note that the recommendations included in the Billericay Design Statement are derived from two stages of public consultation and reflect the views of the community in Billericay - not necessarily the BDSA Steering Group. 2 2008 AGM Minutes To be approved 3 Chairman's Report Progress during the past year Achievements in the preceding year can be measured by reference to the two essential aspects of a Design Statement: - Preparing a written description of Billericay, supported by appropriate illustrations, largely in terms of the town's built environment and its setting in the surrounding countryside - A public consultation programme to obtain the community's views on how they see the town today and how they wish it to develop in the future, and using the outcome to influence the planning process. The text of the descriptive sections or chapters of the Design Statement is at an advanced stage and amounts to some 120 pages of text with accompanying maps and illustrations. The Steering Group expects that the first complete draft, DS1, will be issued to key bodies for review and comment shortly. The Association held a second public consultation - Stage 2 - during the last quarter of 2008. The results of the 2007 consultation were analysed and details relating to planning matters were used to create a list of 56 planning proposals forming the basis of the S2 questionnaire. The aim was to validate the findings of Stage 1 and confirm that these proposals fairly represented the views of the community. The consultation followed a similar pattern to S1 with 9 days of road shows at various venues around the town; it was completed at the end of February with 712 returns which included nearly 60 on-line submissions via the BDSA web site. Respondents could add comments relating to each of the questions, and the completed questionnaires produced over 38,000 opinions and 3,300 comments under some 300 headings. All 56 proposals have received more than 50% support. 50 of them received greater than 67% support and 40 more than 80%. We were able, therefore, to present them to Basildon District Council with some confidence for consideration as future planning controls applied to Billericay. In February we had a meeting with BDC Planning Officers who are reviewing each proposal as Material Guidance in the planning process; this means that the proposals will be taken into account when assessing planning applications, but are not mandatory. Also during the year, the Parish Council of Great Burstead and South Green decided to cease participation in the Billericay Design Statement. Because many residents of Great Burstead and South Green had participated in BDSA consultations and were unhappy with the Parish Council's decision, the Steering Group felt that GBSG should remain part of the Design Statement, and that it would continue to represent residents' opinions. Year three As mentioned above, the first complete draft statement DS1 will be circulated for review during the next couple of months. Responses from relevant bodies will be used to produce a second draft, DS2, which then will be available for public comment, leading to final editing and publication of the Billericay Design Statement later in the year. During this time, we expect Basildon District Council to implement the BDS planning guidelines in accordance with wishes expressed by the community. Other issues highlighted by Stage 1 consultation, not directly relevant to the planning process, are being notified to appropriate organisations for consideration and any necessary action. I thank members of the Steering Group for their hard work during the year, people who contributed in many other ways, the Rural Community Council of Essex and Town, District and County Councils for their support - and the people of Billericay who took the trouble to participate in Design Statement surveys. 4 Treasurer's Report This report should be read in conjunction with the attached Income and Expenditure account which provides a detailed analysis of costs and income received during the year with prior period comparatives. The Income and Expenditure account is subject to audit. Expenditure last year amounted to £1,404 most of which was incurred on the second Public Consultation process. Expenditure on the second stage of the Public Consultation was slightly higher than originally estimated (up £109); other spending was in line with the original estimate. Interest income of £32 was received. This represents a return of less than 2% per annum reflecting, in part, the need to maintain money in the Current Account and the reduction in interest rates on savings accounts. No funding was received last year. This is in line with expectations. Due to the excess of expenditure over income of £1,372, the amount on account with the bank fell by a like amount to £2,233. Up until 31 March 2009, the project has cost £3,481, most of which has been incurred on the two Public Consultations. The Steering Group has undertaken a revised estimate of the costs necessary to produce a Design Statement for Billericay, Great Burstead and South Green. It is estimated that a further £12276 will be needed, bringing the total cost of the project to £15757. This estimate has increased from that notified at the last AGM mainly as a result of the likely increase in the size of the Design Statement. We now expect the document to contain about 120 pages compared to the previous estimate of 80 pages. Since the end of March the Association has received £1,000 from Basildon District Council as a contribution to the production of the Design Statement and written notification from Essex County Council of a contribution of £4,203.50. With these contributions of £5,203.50, current bank deposits of £2,233 and £5,000 available from Billericay Town Council in 2009/10 (total £12,436.50), we expect to be able to complete the project (just) without recourse to further funding. It is important to state that the major expense in producing a high quality Design Statement is not the cash cost but the notional cost of the time spent by individuals on the Steering Group and those who assist them. To date, close to two thousand unpaid hours have been devoted by these people working on the project. Another 'unseen cost' is the cost of services provided free to the Association by Billericay Town Council, notably use of premises for the Association's monthly Steering Group meetings. 5 Election of Officers The existing officers being eligible for re-election are willing to stand: Chairman - Ian Davie Vice-Chairman - Ron Capes Treasurer - Alan Veats Secretary - Lynda Kelly There were no other nominations. 6 Composition of Steering Group In addition to the officers, founder members who continue to serve on the Steering Group are: Peter Bowditch; Jo Clark; Trevor Draper; Andrew Dyckhoff; Clifford Mullett The following members were elected to serve on the Steering Group at the Annual General Meeting of the Association on 15 May 2008: Susan Savage; Sue Sheppard; Mik Dunn 7 Any Other Business 8 Close