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A meeting of Stoke Gabriel Parish Council was held on
Monday 30th April 2007 at 7.00 pm in the Village Hall
Ten minutes were allowed at the beginning of the meeting for members of the public to put matters to the Council
41 members of the public were present
Present: Mr R Tully (Chairman), Mr W Deval, Miss P Ellis, Mr N Hill,
Mr I Jones, Mrs R Rowe, Mr B Tarr, Mr C Wigfall
1 Apologies: Mrs C Hunt, Cllr T Pennington
2 Speaker – Mr Dave Kenyon, Planning Officer for South Hams Council
The chairman announced that Mr Kenyon was not able to attend because of an urgent family commitment.
3 Urgent business brought forward by the chairman
Mr Tully read a statement from himself regarding allegations by the clerk against the chairman and four other councillors made to the Standards Board for England in 2006 and quoted short extracts from the Standards Board’s 3-page letter of their findings. Mr Jones then added that he thought the clerk ought to resign, and that she should resign with immediate effect. The chairman asked the clerk if she had any comment to make and she replied that she had not.
4 Reports from County & District Councillors
Cllr Pennington had nothing to report.
Mrs Rowe reported the following:
Elections 3rd May – Mrs Rowe will be standing for South Hams District Council as a candidate for East Dart ward, but will not be standing for the Parish Council. She thanked everyone for their support.
5 Planning
Applications
Mrs Rowe declared an interest and took no part in discussions on planning applications.
1) Myrtle Cottage, Flood Street – extension and alterations to dwelling. Objection due to over-development of the site.
2) Sandridge Park – construction of link extension and associated alterations. No objection.
3) Sandridge Park – listed building consent for construction of link extension and associated alterations. No objection.
4) Higher Well Nurseries, Broadpath – replacement of existing storage and workshop building with portal framed building. No objection.
5) Yarde Farm, Paignton Road – Barn conversion to 3 holiday units to include access improvements. No objection.
6) Yarde Farm, Paignton Road – listed building consent for conversion of barn to 3 holiday units. No objection.
7) To reconsider application for alterations to Gabriel Court Hotel and erection of 14 new dwellings in existing grounds. Mrs Rowe explained that due to the timetable at South Hams Council, the hearing for this application may not take place until July so parishioners still have time to send in letters of objection or suggestions if they wish. By a majority vote the parish council objected to the proposal as it stands but added that some form of development on this site may be acceptable if a new proposal were submitted. Mrs Rowe abstained from the vote.
Applications granted by SHDC
1) Swallow Barns, Higher Well Farm – conversion to one dwelling
2) Greenacres – ground floor extension to north side of property and bay and balcony to south side
Applications refused
1) Newmans Barn, Aish – re submission of application for insertion of conservation rooflights
6 Accounts
Payment of Accounts
Payment of the following were proposed by Mrs Rowe and seconded by Mr Tarr:
J Hamilton – clerk’s salary and expenses March 07 £ 380.10
Stoke Gabriel in Bloom – grant for planting expenses £ 250.00
Stoke Gabriel Village Hall – hire charge Jan-Mar 07 £ 33.00
SLCC Bookshop – 3 copies of Parish Councillor’s Guide £ 34.80
Allianz Cornhill – Insurance £ 735.98
Darren Roche – building and maintenance work £6934.31
Transfer of Funds
It was agreed to transfer £3000 from the deposit account to the current account. Mr Tully and Mrs Hunt will transact this business at the bank.
7 Matters raised by the Clerk
Stoke Gabriel Cricket Club – a letter has been received thanking the council for their donation of £1000 towards the new changing rooms.
Stoke Gabriel Boating Association – a contribution of £25 has been sent to the parish council for replacing the sign at the top of the slipway. A letter of thanks will be sent.
City of Exeter – a letter from the Lord Mayor of Exeter was received putting the case for making Exeter a unitary authority.
Tamberley, New Road – the new owners have changed the name of this house to Orchard’s End to avoid confusion with other properties with the same and similar names.
Yalberton Valley – Mike Fox, Assistant Director, has replied to the council’s letter about the proposed new development. He expects to have recommendations by late summer 2007. Donations have been received from the public for the Yalberton Valley Action Fund.
New Code of Conduct – a revised version has been received, the main change being that it includes a clause on bullying. All councillors will be obliged to sign the new document.
Refuse collection – some difficulties are still being experienced in Hillfield, where wheeled bins are not allowed. On SHDC’s instructions, clear sacks have been used for garden waste, but these are now not being collected and the residents have been advised to put garden waste in black sacks instead, and it will be sent to landfill sites and cannot be recycled SHDC also advise that no wheeled bin should be placed on the public highway as it constitutes an obstruction.
7a Report by Police
Inspector Paul Morgan gave a presentation about the new setup for neighbourhood policing. The Beat Manager for Stoke Gabriel is PC Marcel Pearse and the Police Community Support Officer is Paula Frain. Insp Morgan will liaise with John Hodgson about the removal of double yellow lines and traffic speed in Paignton Road. Marcel Pearse will be invited to speak at the next parish council meeting.
8 Minutes of last meeting 26th March 2007
Item 7 Elections – 4th May, amend to read 3rd May. Follaton House, amend to read The Pavilion. Guide Book, amend sentence to read “It was agreed to only purchase 3 copies at a cost of £11.60 each to make a comparison with the old book”.
Item 10 Ramslade. Delete “Mr Jones will draft a letter”.
Item 11 Traffic. Add “Mr Jones will draft a letter to Mr George, Highways Dept.”
Computer Data. Add “He proposed that a copy of the data be kept off site”.
9 Matters arising from the minutes
Four Cross – most of the offending signs have been removed, with the exception of the one advertising gas sales. The Enforcement Officer will be contacted again.
Building Work – Darren Roche have finished the war memorial, orchard and benches. The other company will commence their work shortly. The village sign is repairable for under £200 and it was agreed to go ahead with restoration work. The council thanked Mr Jones for the contracts and supervising the work.
Litter in orchard – it was suggested that the new policeman may be of assistance.
10 Highway & Hedgerow matters
To consider tenders for gardening contract – it was agreed to award the gardening contract for the orchard to Plandscape at a cost of £75 per visit.
Kings Rydon Close – the condition of the road surface will be reported to Highways Dept.
South Downs – cars are parking in the turning bay as the sign has gone. Mr Tully will replace it.
War memorial – Mr Jones will spray the brambles.
Stoke Gabriel in Bloom – a letter has been received from a resident of Rydon Acres expressing the view that the building and planting work being carried out there is inappropriate and not in keeping with rural nature. It was suggested that when the new council is formed, they may wish to take steps to purchase the land in question, which at present is not registered.
Duncannon footpath – although the footpath has been re-routed there is still a sign which says “Private Drive”. The clerk will write to the three households concerned and ask them to remove it.
Mill Point – the ground is eroding due to 4 x 4 vehicles driving on it. The Boating Assoc will be asked to remind its members not to do this.
11 Parish matters raised by Councillors
Litter – the clerk will write again to the two ladies who voluntary pick up litter in Waddeton thanking them for their voluntary work.
2 School Hill Cottages – a building has appeared in the garden and the Enforcement Officer will be asked whether planning permission is required.
Foreshore – Mr Deval wishes it to be minuted that he and Mr Jones have voluntarily cut some trees and branches overhanging the foreshore between Mays Quay and Stockham (Stoke) Pool.
Parish Plan – the steering committee has applied for funds and a consultation meeting will be held on the evening of 1st June and the morning of 2nd June in the Village Hall.
Website – 22700 visitors. When asked why the minutes have not appeared on the website since 2006 Mr Wigfall stated that he had lost his data and he hoped it would be sorted in a couple of weeks.
Yalberton Valley – the council have sent a letter to Torbay Council registering their strong objections to the proposed development.
Parish Council – the chairman gave thanks to the council for their four year term of office, and the council returned thanks to the chairman.
12 To set agenda for Annual Parish Meeting 21st May 2007
The agenda will include a presentation by a representative of the Highways Dept, the police, the parish plan and Yalberton Valley.
The meeting closed at 9.30pm
Next Meetings: Annual Parish Meeting on Monday 21st May 2007at 7pm in the Village Hall. This will be followed by the First Annual Meeting of the new Parish Council
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