HOLNE PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Wednesday 4 January 2006 in Holne Village Hall
Present: Cllrs Richard Copus, Cynthia Irish, Michael Maddicks (Acting Chairman), Belinda Owen, Gill Simpson
Clerk: Joanna Radford
Members of the Public: County Cllr T Pennington, District Cllr C Ramsay, Mr M French (DNPA), Mr P Arrowsmith, Mr T Howard, Mr K Evans, Miss R Roberts, Mr D Mudge
Public Forum : Mr Arrowsmith drew the Council's attention to the leat by the Tithe Barn which was about to spill water on to the highway because its banks require attention. He asked what action the Council was proposing to take on Minute 0511.10 (barn convernsions). The Clerk reported that no action would be taken until consultation on the subject was requested: the proposal agreed simply stated the Council's position on the matter, no resolution had been proposed to communicate the results of the discussion to any body. He reported that he had made a formal complaint to the Standards Board for England on Cllr Melville's failure to declare a personal and prejudicial interest in the discussion of barn conversions and had had confirmation that this would be investigated.
Mr Howard commented on the low quality, as he perceived it, of the Christmas Tree and its lights this year. Mr Arrowsmith, who had volunteered to organise this, responded. After discussion it was decided the subject should be on an Agenda in the near future, so that the question of the possible need for a separate (from the Church House Inn) electricity supply could be addressed in good time before next Christmas.
Mr Evans asked for information on the law relating to hedge trimming. He then made a complaint as to the way the Council proposed to deal with the fact that its reserves were falling below an acceptable level. Agreed that the subject should be discussed in detail at the next meeting.
Miss Roberts, in her role as Tree Warden, handed to the Clerk a leaflet on hedge management which was placed in the Circulation File. She then asked the Council to discuss her recent letter on delegation in planning decisions by the Planning Authority, requesting that the discussion be minuted and views on it recorded (The Clerk, in response to a question from her on what action the Council would be taking on the letter, had stated that it had been put in the circulation file for information, and discussion if requested by Councillors, as the letter had not asked for any resolution by the Council).
District Cllr Ramsay , County Cllr Pennington and Mr French made reports on the work of their organisatins and answered questions from those at the meeting. In particular it was agreed to put on the next Agenda an item to discuss play facilities in the Parish, as it appeared the South Hams has funding for this, and needs ideas.
0601.01 Apologies for Absence were received and accepted from Cllrs Iles (work) and Melville (longstanding previous engagement).
Members of the public left the meeting during the ensuing items, with only Mr French attending to the end.
0601.02 Minutes of the Meeting of 7 December were approved by those present at it and signed.
0601.03 Declarations of Interest None
0601.04 Planning Matters Cllr Owen, in response to the Clerk's report on a site meeting at the River Dart Country Park, asked for an Agenda item on the Council's views on retrospective planning applications.
The following planning application had been received that morning and would be on the next Agenda: Full Planning Application for Agricultural Dwelling at Gallant-le-Bower Farm for Mr & Mrs D Mudge.
The following planning decisions were reported:
HS/0907/05 Reduce size of single storey extension and increase pitch of roof, 7 Church Park: permitted development, fee to be refunded.
0839/05 Conditional permission for oil tank and shed at Sylvana (materials to match existing, slate grey roof, screening of oil tank)
0851/05 Conditional permission for additional bedroom with en-suite shower room, Brackenwood (external walls and roof to match existing, new external joinery to receive painted finish within one month of installation).
(Minor amendments re these and other planning matters were placed in the circulation file for information)
0601.05 Accounts for the Month The following payments were approved:
- Mrs J Radford salary October-December inclusive - £200.00
- Mrs J Radford expenses for the same period - £88.53
- internet access @ £10 per month £30,
- Stationery £17.89 (inc VAT 2.92),
- Telephone £14.64 (VAT 2.08)
- part subscription to Society of Local Council Clerks £26
- Post Office Counters for stamps - £21.00
- DAPC/Community Council of Devon for New Councillors' course - £25.00
0601.06 Housing Needs Committee A meeting would be held in the Village Hall on Wednesday 25 January, with the following speakers attending: John Gillespie - Southern Development Manager for the Community Self Build Agency, John Cunningham - Affordable Homes UK, Sue Southwell Devon County Rural Housing Enabler. Cllr Simpson reported that she had received written confirmation form Mr A Dinning, Chairman of Buckfastleigh West Parish Council, that he would attend the meeting.
0601.07 Hedges Cllr Owen reported that she had requested this item as some of the roadside hedges in the parish require attention. The law was clarified: that roadside hedges should be trimmed for safety reasons at least once a year, and that all hedge trimming had to be done before the end of February and the start of the bird nesting season, with a recommendation that they should not be cut before November to allow access by wildlife to berries and other food sources. Agreed to write to the new owner of a field that had belonged to Miss Roberts, on the road past Play Park to the Moor, with the Clerk researching the new owner's address.
0601.08 Local Development Framework Consultation The Council considered the document produced by Dartmoor National Park Authority, in particular the "issues for consideration". It was agreed to approve the principle of the core strategy development document. Detailed responses, which are attached to these Minutes, were made to a number of the "issues"
0601.09 Consultation on Closure of Kenwyn Cllr Owen proposed that the Council should recommend that the home should not be closed but be upgraded and maintained. Agreed.
0601.10 DNPA Delegation Scheme in respect of Development Control Agreed to write to the Planning Authority to put the Council's view that delegation should occur only on the most routine of planning applications, but that in principle all applications should go before the Planning Committee of the LPA.
0601.11 Highway Matters Before his departure Cllr Pennington agreed to pursue matters that the Clerk had written to the Local Services Officer about and had no response to date. (NB After-meeting note: Mr Jim Morrison, prompted by Cllr Pennington, has now been in touch and will deal with all the matters raised, in particular he will ask Newton Abbot LSO to use any spare grit on the Holne to Holne Chase road, he is 90% certain that wooden bollards can be installed instead of the plastic one, he will look at the tree at the Cattle Grid and talk to Tony Halse of DNPA to come to an agreement here, and will look at the leat banks).
0601.12 Letter from the Standards Board of England The Clerk read a letter received that day stating that the complaint against Cllr Melville would be investigated by an Ethical Standards Officer of the Standards Board.
0601.13 S Hams on its Local Development Framework Consultation - on the next Agenda
0601.14 S Hams budget meeting/briefing on 19 January : no Councillor present wished to attend
0601.15 S Hams New Waste Collection System Briefing on 12 January: no councillor present wished to attend
0601.16 Chairman's Urgent Business Agreed that the clerk would ask the District and County Councillors if they would be prepared to send written reports before the meeting, so that if they did attend a meeting, their contribution could be limited to answering questions form Councillors and public present. It was hoped this would shorten the public forum which was far too long at present.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 10.10 pm. The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Wednesday 1 February.
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