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A meeting of Stoke Gabriel Parish Council was held on
Monday 27th June 2005 at 7.00 pm
Ten minutes were allowed at the beginning of the meeting for members of the public to put matters to the Council
Mr Russell Collings kindly offered to fence a footpath on land which he owns in order to make an entrance in to Hoyle Copse. This would form an extension to the wood and allow better access. The chairman thanked him for his generosity.
2 members of the public were present
Present: Mr R Tully (chairman), Mrs C Hunt, Mr W Deval, Miss P Ellis,
Mr N Hill, Mr I Jones, Mrs R Rowe, Mr B Tarr
1 Apologies – Mr C Wigfall, PC J Hodgson, Cllr T Pennington
2 Urgent business brought forward by the chairman
Following the 10-minute session the council agreed to accept Mr Collings’s generous offer and to look into the possibility that they may be able to contribute towards the cost of the fencing. The new entrance would be in addition to the other entrances already available, and there would be no plans to close any of the other access points. Mr Jones has discussed the matter with the Wildlife Trust who are in agreement with the proposal.
3 Reports from County & District Councillors
Mrs Rowe reported the following:
Recycling – South Hams Council will be providing a roadshow on Tuesday 26th July from 10am-1pm in the Old School Room. Leaflets will be distributed from 18th July, bins will be delivered by 1st August, with a view to commencing the new system on 15th August.
Flat 1A Paignton Road – this property which is owned by Torr Homes has been unoccupied for approx 3 years, and the grass is rarely cut. Mrs Rowe took up this cause some time ago but it appears nothing can be done, and she expressed her disappointment that this flat could have been used by a family in need of a home.
Cllr Pennington sent the following report:
30mph signs – he has taken up the matter of moving one of the signs with the Highways Department
Coombe House Lane ditch – the matter has been passed to the Highways supervisor
Internet Access – this has been passed to the relevant officer at DCC who should contact the Parish Council shortly
Weed Growth on road edges – the Operations Team will look into this and report back
4 Planning
In her role as District Councillor, Mrs Rowe took no part in planning discussions
Applications
1) The Caravan Club, Ramslade, Paignton Road – formation of new vehicular entrance on to highway, alterations to existing entrance & creation of parking
and late arrival area. Mrs Hunt declared a personal interest and took no part in the discussion on this item. Objection
2) The Old Cottage (Slees), Flood Street – listed building consent for alterations to dwelling. No objection
3) Newman’s Barn, Bowhay Farm, Aish – resubmission of application 52/0652/05/F conversion of barn to 1 dwelling. No objection
4) Riverside, Whitestone, Cornworthy – part demolition of large barn and resiting of existing juice store, boat store & apartment. Objection
5) Riverside, Whitestone, Cornworthy – demolition of existing dwelling & construction of new store and thatched dwelling house. Objection
6) Dominoes, Byter Mill Lane – outline planning permission for erection of dwelling. No objection
7) Four Cross Garden Centre – relocation of boat store and display area. No objection
8) Dart View, Coombe House Lane – extension and alterations. No objection
Applications granted by SHDC
1) 1 Body Hayes Close – erection of single storey rear extension
2) Elmcroft, Broad Path – alterations and extension to dwelling, erection of car port and shed
3) 26 Barn Park – conversion of roof space & insertion of dormer window
Appeal to Secretary of State
1) Tullys Mead Farm – retrospective application for change of use to B2 (general industry)
Other Matters
1) Old School Room, Church Walk – informal request to approve formation of disabled access and addition of disabled toilet. Correspondence has been received from the Pre-School and a reply sent on behalf of the council to the effect that no approval could be given until formal plans have been submitted via the normal channels.
2) No. 2 Footpath Ferry House, Duncannon – proposed diversion of footpath. No objection
5 Accounts
Payment of the following accounts were proposed by Mrs Rowe and seconded by Mrs Hunt:
J Hamilton – clerk’s salary June 2005 £233.34
- quarterly expenses Apr-June £ 50.00
- office requisites £ 15.95 £299.29
R Teague – grass cutting May & June £170.00
J Bolt – refreshments for Youth Consultation £ 51.91
Mr Tarr questioned the authorisation of payment for the youth consultation, which was added to the agenda since the last meeting, with the Chairman’s approval. The amount agreed with the Chairman had been £100 but the whole amount was not required.
Accounts for 2004/05 – the Chairman signed the audit form which will be forwarded to the Audit Commission. He thanked Ian Potham for carrying out the internal audit free of charge.
6 Matters raised by the clerk
Mayor – the Parish Council gave permission for the Mayor of Totnes to wear her chain of office at the Stoke Gabriel Art Exhibition on 7th August.
Police Beat Managers – the police have sent a letter explaining that some boundaries have been changed but that PC John Hodgson’s area will remain the same for the foreseeable future and therefore Stoke Gabriel will not be affected.
Temporary Road Closure – Coombe Shute will be closed on 22nd July while the supply of a new gas service is carried out.
30mph Road Sign – DCC Highways are not prepared to move the sign opposite Lavender Hill Nurseries.
Coombe House Lane ditch – DCC believe that piping the watercourse is not viable, and suggest completely exposing the ditch leaving a small verge/bank adjacent to the highway, with reflective posts on top.
Weeds – DCC expect to carry out weed spraying on the road edges at the end of June.
Street Sweeping and Grass Cutting – SHDC have supplied a map of the areas of grass for which they are responsible. Mr Tarr offered to liaise with them on these matters.
Fixed Penalty Notices – the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 has been passed. This gives Parish Councils authority to issue fixed penalty notices for such issues as litter, graffiti, fly-posting, dog fouling and other dog offences. A small number of measures came into effect on 7th June 2005 although the majority will be in by spring 2006.
Litter Bin – two verbal requests have been received from parishioners about the siting of the litter bin under the Parish Council notice board, which makes the notices difficult to read owing to the smell of the bin and the presence of wasps. The clerk also reiterated that she finds it difficult to reach the top right side of the board because of the presence of the bin. A site meeting will be held.
Stoke Gabriel in Bloom – the Parish Council are finding it useful to receive the minutes. The council have been asked whether Stoke Gabriel in Bloom members are covered by the council’s insurance, and the clerk read out a paragraph from the Personal Accident insurance which would cover any volunteers between the ages of 15 and 75 working on the Parish Council’s behalf. On this basis it was agreed that as long as the Parish Council knew in advance that specific work was going to be carried out, that the volunteers would be covered by the insurance. They will be asked to supply a planned programme of work so that a risk assessment can be carried out.
Clerk’s salary – some discussion took place on this subject but no conclusion was reached.
Youth Consultation – the event which took place on 17th June was a success, with 40 young people taking part. The competition to find a name for the group was won by Anna Caseldine who chose the name M8s (pronounced Mates) and the feedback from the session will be published in due course.
David Bellamy’s new book – it was agreed that “Conflicts in the Countryside” should be purchased at a cost of £9.99.
7 Minutes of Last Meeting 23rd May 2005
The following amendments were proposed:
Item 4 Cllr Pennington’s report – amend “Marldon” to read “South Brent”
Item 7 Millpond area – amend “Broadpath” to read “Byter Mill Lane/Coombe Shute”
Item 11 add “Youth Project - £100 approved for spending towards barbecue”
Subject to the above amendments the minutes were agreed and signed.
8 Matters arising from the minutes
Recycling – Mrs Rowe reported that eventually there will be uniformity across Devon in the way waste is collected. It was noted that recycling still does not apply to businesses, and glass waste is being dumped on landfill sites. Mrs Hunt kindly offered the Parish Council use of her land for the siting of a bottle bank at Broadleigh Farm. The clerk will contact South Hams Council to see if this is viable,
Internet access – the Post Office had been suggested as a possible site for an Internet “cafe” but the owners would not be prepared to supervise its use in addition to running their own business. Mr Deval is prepared to go to a village which already has such a scheme to see how it works. A notice will be placed in the parish magazine to determine the need.
Planning enforcement – the enforcement officer will be asked to visit 6 Rydon Close following reports that the building may not be according to the plans.
9 Highway and Hedgerow Matters
Footpath marker – the sign at Hillfield has not been reinstated after being knocked over by a vehicle
Flood Street – DCC will be asked to supply a sign to deter large vehicles.
Rydon Acres – a resident has requested that the “no through road” sign be removed. The council did not agree, since Rydon Acres forms a circle and does not give access to any other road and is therefore a no through road. The “no through road” sign on the wall outside No1 refers to Long Rydon which is a cul-de-sac.
Rydon Cross – the 20mph sign has been knocked down by a vehicle and needs reinstating.
Planks at Mill Pond – the work to repair these is being costed.
Barn Park – a pot hole has appeared outside No 29. Highways will be informed.
Hoyle Copse – a grant application has been submitted to SHDC for £2652 towards the cost of gates at Aish, stone pillars, fencing, 4 pillars at the copse and repairs to the lime kiln. After the last meeting the half the meadow was cut again and the orchids are coming up.
10 Matters raised by Councillors
Bus service – the service was put out to tender and Stagecoach will be operating the bus for the next 5 years with a county council subsidy. They state that the position of the bus stops cannot be changed because of insurance requirements.
Castle Inn – complaints have been received that chairs from the pub have been taken across the road for patrons to sit drinking on the pavement, forcing parents with pushchairs to walk in the road in order in order to pass. Pc Hodgson will be asked to see the landlord to explain the difficulties.
Trees at Rydon Acres – the Tree Officer will be asked to investigate the new acer trees planted at the foot of the cherry trees, bearing in mind the possibility of a preservation order on the cherry trees.
Website – 8700 visitors. The leaflet is about to go to press.
Caravan behind Body Hayes Close – the enforcement officer will be asked to look into this again.
The meeting closed at 9.10pm
Next meeting
Monday 25th July 2005 at 7pm in the Primary School Hall
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