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AYLESBEARE PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES of the Meeting of Aylesbeare Parish Council held in the Village Hall on Wednesday 2 December 2015 commencing at 7.30pm.
PRESENT
Cllr Ken Chun (Chairman)
Cllr John Ayres (Vice-Chairman)
Cllr Mrs Gillian Hichens
Cllr Noel Finegan
Clerk: Mrs L Parker
Others Present: District Cllr Matt Coppell and 3 members of the public
1. Apologies of Absence
Apologies were received from Cllr Mark Fisher who was away and County Cllr Christine Channon who was officiating for DCC. District Cllr Paul Carter was attending a prior meeting at EDDC but had hoped to be present.
2. Declarations of interests in Items on the Agenda
No interests were declared.
3. Minutes
The Minutes of the Parish Council meeting dated 4 November 2015 were confirmed to be correct.
4. Matters Arising
The Topics team is happy for the Parish Council to use the front page to inform the parish of the need for the Parish Council to be complete. This would be aimed towards the January issue and the Chairman would liaise with a volunteer regarding the design. He would also word an article for the January issue pressing home the point that people need to come forward to fill the empty space/s.
The railings in Marwood Road have been repaired but the ditch has still not been cleared as was promised. Helen Selby, Devon Highways, is responding with the landowner to get this sorted.
Further enquiries have found that Community Speed Watch is operated by the Devon & Cornwall Police who provide all the equipment and training necessary.
5. Police Report
No report had been forwarded.
6. Reports of County & District Councillors
County Cllr Christine Channon
Cllr Channon had informed the Clerk that Aggregate Industries will not be dealing with the applications for Straitgate Farm and Blackhill Quarry until March as extra information is required which so far as not been forthcoming.
District Cllr Matt Coppell
Cllr Coppell reported that Newton Poppleford Parish Council would be willing to explore the Parishes-Together fund, together with Aylesbeare, for verge and grass cutting etc.
Local devolution from the Government to the South West is moving forward. This will be discussed fully at the EDDC December meeting with decisions being made in London in March (hopefully).
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7. Chairman’s Report
Cllr Chun had received explanatory plans from Devon Highways of what grass cutting used to be done and what will be done in the future which equates a reduction of about 95%. EDDC has two teams visiting the village – road sweeping every 12 weeks (unless they have to attend to anything more important) and grounds maintenance which tidies the play area, Village Hall and around Scotchmead. The field below the playing field is of less importance so gets cut annually at best. The Chairman is keen to encourage everyone to try and help by sorting their own properties (e.g. grass verges) thus helping the short-fall. Residents have come forward to keep the grass triangle at Madges Cross cut and if other residents could follow in this vein it would be most helpful. Recycling Centres will now take grass cuttings. He will put a brief article in the January edition of Topics to encourage residents to take on more personal responsibilities.
The Chairman thanked David Timms for attending the recent Communities Resilience Course on behalf of the parish. Arrangements would be made for a meeting between David, Anna Thompson and Rob Lillicrap to carry things forward.
Philip Stacey is now working with David Griffiths on necessary remedial tasks in the playground.
Cllr John Ayres will attend the Development Management Committee meeting at EDDC on 8 December to express the thoughts of the Parish Council on a planning application that is being considered.
8. Clerk’s Report
There was no report.
9. Reports of Parish Council representatives on other bodies
Quarries Liaison Meeting – 1 December 2015 – Cllr John Ayres
This was postponed and will be re-scheduled for a later date.
Meeting of Town & Parish Councils with EDDC – 1 December 2015 – Cllr Ken Chun
The Chairman and Parish Clerk represented the Parish Council at this well-attended meeting which was opened by Cllr John Hart, Leader of DCC. The current year saw cuts to funding for the fifth year in succession which translate into savings in the Council services of £174m. Unfortunately there are still to be more cuts ahead. Last week the Chancellor gave the Government’s Autumn Statement and there will be an additional 2% rise in Council Tax. Cllr Hart is very aware of the grass cutting and pothole problems being experienced in rural parishes but is still persuading parishes to find some way of dealing with these situations themselves. He did mention that there are mobile speed-detector signs that are available to parishes. The Clerk would follow this up with Helen Selby. Tony Hogg, the Police & Crime Commissioner for the Devon & Cornwall Police Authority spoke next. He had rather had the wind taken out of his sales as the Police budget was not now being reduced. He spoke of the necessity for PCSOs and how members of the public drew confidence at their presence. Mark Williams concluded the speakers on the subject of devolution which could pick up steam over the next few months. The Government is keen to devolve power to various regions of the country and to provide finance to help develop improvements to local economies. Somerset County Council has joined forces with Devon County Council together with the District and Unitary Councils in Devon into a group they call The Heart of the South West. The Government is eager to know the ‘unique selling point’ of these districts so that it can invest in these Local Enterprise Partnerships and raise the level of productivity. Mark Williams explained that this could be Marine (Devonport and Appledore), Nuclear (Somerset) and Environmental Futures (Exeter University). With the technological skills building up at the Science Park and the super-computer (biggest in the World and valued at £97m) being built in Exeter the Chairman felt there was much to focus on in this area.
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10. East Devon District Council: Planning Applications – Approvals
Application No: 15/1390/VAR
Applicant: Mr P Stacey
Location: 55 Village Way
Proposal: Retention of garden shed (variation of condition 7 of planning permission 13/0360/FUL)
Application No: 15/2061/VAR
Applicant: Sunsave 49 (Great Houndbeare) Ltd
Location: Great Houndbeare Farm
Proposal: Variation of Condition 2 (plans) of planning permission 13/1390/MFUL to amend the approved plans to provide revised layout including reduction of fence height, removal of CCTV cameras and introduction of 4 no transformer cabinets and access roads, reduction in height of panels and revised dimensions to DNO sub-station
11. Finance
Payment of the following invoices was approved:
Cheque No Payee Amount
000933 Mrs L Parker – Parish Clerk £264.15
Neighbourhood Plan
000934 Mr D Timms - Printing of flyers £45.00
000935 Groundwork UK- Underspend of grant £756.00
A payment made between meetings due to time constraints was ratified:
Neighbourhood Plan
000932 Devon Communities Together - Community
Survey and report £3,127.00
A donation to the Citizens Advice Bureau was considered and it was
Resolved: not to donate on this occasion
12. Recreation Area
In order to get any grants to fund the inclusion of a multi-use hardcourt area the Parish Council will be required to take ownership of the area. As the only suitable area would be in the vicinity of the football field enquires had been made of EDDC, from whom the Parish Council currently leases the ground. EDDC has forwarded an application form to transfer the premises. The Chairman will contact Devon Communities Together for advice on the legal aspect of this. This had been welcomed by the community in the Neighbourhood Plan survey and, if it comes to fruition, would increase the use of the area which at present lies wet and muddy for much of the year.
13. East Devon District Council: Paper copies of planning applications
The proposal (forwarded electronically to all Councillors) to stop all paper copies with effect from 1 May 2016 was considered. This was felt to be quite a complex subject to finalise. It is possible to load planning applications onto a laptop, obtain a projector and screen and show the applications at meetings. This could cost in the region of £1,000 to set up but it was felt that this would not solve the problem when site visits are necessary.There had been a suggestion that any expenses incurred could be used as part of the Parishes-Together fund – more information will be forthcoming. Or maybe EDDC would permit parishes to purchase the odd application which requires really large plans – Councillors can look at A4 plans adequately online. Another thought is the introduction of WiFi to the Village Hall to be used in conjunction with a possible Cinema Club but again this would come at a cost. Further enquiries will need to be made.
14. East Devon District Council: Gypsy and Traveller Development Plan
The document (forwarded electronically to all Councillors), with a closing date of 4 January 2016, was considered. This document consists of the strategic assets being expected for land used by
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gypsies. EDDC has notified landowners asking them to come forward if they have suitable ground. It was therefore
Resolved: that no further comment is necessary at this stage
15. Correspondence Received
EDDC: copy letter sent to the occupier at 53 Village Way regarding unauthorised extension of the garden by the reduction of car parking space.
Devon Senior Voice: Autumn 2015
Realise Futures: eco furniture
Ottery St Mary Health & Care Forum: minutes of meeting dated 28 September 2015
Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust; various proposals
Healthwatch Devon: Autumn 2015
Clerks & Councils Direct: November 2015
Devon Highways: changes regarding applications to erect banners or decorations over the highway
16. Date of Next Meeting
Wednesday 6 January 2016 at 7.30pm
There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.35pm.
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Chairman
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Date
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