Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on held on Wednesday 7 March 2006 in Holne Village Hall
Present: Cllrs Paul Arrowsmith, Belinda Owen (Acting Chairman),
Ru Roberts, Gill Simpson
Clerk: Joanna Radford
Members of the Public: Mr & Mrs Tom Powell, Mr K Evans, Mr
M French,
Apologies for absence were accepted from Cllrs Copus, Irish, and
Maddicks, District Cllr Ramsay, and County Cllr Pennington
Public Forum: Mrs Powell spoke on their application
discussed by the Council last month. Cllr Arrowsmith wondered if people had been
contacted by planning committee. Mrs Powell also told meeting that they would be
applying for listed building application for internal alterations etc.
Mr French reported from recent DNPA meetings, particularly on wind
turbines where planning applications had been turned down, though in future the
assumption will be that they will be approved. He spoke also on the Dartmoor Preservation
Association view of military use of Moor. Members of DNPA are with DPA on this in
the hope of curtailing military use of Moor. The state of vegetation of the Moor,
in particular Holne Moor which in a particularly bad state, had addressed as a matter
of concern. Dr Nick Atkinson announced that he is retiring on September 30th – he
had taken over from Ian Mercer in 1991. Mr French feels that his successor will
be taking over “a bed of nails”. Cllr Arrowsmith asked for definition of “state
of Holne Moor” : the answer was that it is felt that the overgrowth of furze/gorse
of Holne Moor and other parts of Moor is caused by undergrazing. Mr French gave
a description of how the Holne Moor had been farmed/grazed in the past in comparison
to stock numbers there now..
Mr Evans spoke about the publicity that the affordable housing
group proposed – would an agenda be published? The answer was "no". He stated that
he does not believe that constructive comments can be made at beginning of parish
council meetings. Feels that the subject is not being well addressed by the Council.
0703.01 Minutes of the meeting of 7 February 2007 were approved
and signed. 0703.02 Declarations of Interest: none.
0703.03 Development control in Holne Cllr Roberts spoke and reported
meeting with Chris France on provision of rented housing. She cited examples from
recent DNPA agenda. She asked the Council to pass the following resolutions: "In
order to retain and increase rented accommodation it is resolved that:
1. The test of separate accommodation/ dwelling shall include all of the following:
separate….. council tax , heating, lighting, access, parking, front door… and no
intervening doors, passage etc..and preferably a solid party wall with no flying
freeholds and a separate T.V. license.
2. When considering an extension, including conservatory, the council will recommend
a section 106 agreement be entered into that ensures that any part of the dwelling
so extended shall remain as ancillary accommodation in connection with the residential
use of the dwelling house and will not be sold off or let as a separate dwelling."
Discussion of these followed when Cllr Arrowsmith stated that he felt that the Council
cannot change the law relating to certificates of lawfulness, and that it can only
deal with section 106 conditions as they come up, not as a matter of principl, so
could support both resolutions. Cllr Simpson agreed. Cllr Roberts proposed that
1 & 2 stand but this proposal, on a vote, was lost. An amendment was put that
the second only stand, and this was unanimously agreed .
0703.04 Accounts for the Month: The following payments were approved:
a) Mrs J M Radford salary January-March inclusive £210.00
b) Mrs J M Radford expenses for the same period:
Telephone £11.50 (incl £1.71 VAT), Internet Access £30, Use of home as office for
48 weeks at £2 per week (SSLC & Revenue agreed rate) £96
£137.50
0703.05 Affordable Housing Working Group Cllr Simpson spoke to the report which is attached to these Minutes and had been circulated with the Agenda. It is unlikely that Sue Colwill will agree to be the Buckfastleigh West representative. Date for meeting between Sue Hitchcock, Rachel Bland, Liam Reading & Chris France in Holne Village Hall on 3 April. The Group is pursuing land sites. She presented the resolution that the Council authorise the carrying out of a new housing need survey for the Parish: Cllr Arrowsmith proposed that the Clerk write to CCoD to ask them to carry this out. Agreed. The role of secretary of the Working Group was discussed: Agreed that group members would take notes at meetings and that the Clerk would deal with correspondence and other clerical work.
0703.06 Fete Committee proposals for Play Park: Cllr Arrowsmith reported on the work that the Fete committee would like to undertake: repair of the damage to surface from moles, and repair also resulting from the maintenance by S Hams which has also caused some. Fete Committee would like to do the following remedial work to the field: hard topping, harrowing, heavy rolling, and then arranging the topping/mowing once or twice a month through the season – the cost would be covered the committee – but how would S Hams react? Meeting closed to talk to Mr K Evans as representing Holne Church Charity. Cllr Roberts proposed that the fete committee be thanked, asked to go ahead, and to talk to S Hams to liaise on aintenance/mowing. All approved. It was agreed that none of the work proposed needed to be discussed with the Church Charity.
0703.07 Play Park Hedge: Cllr Roberts reported that she had applied for conservation plan award to lay the hedge but had had a reply from Natural England who said that “budget was under review” and they would be in touch when this had happened, but in the meantime no expenditure could be incurred. The Clerk reported that she had contacted the Rural Skills Trust through its website, but had had no reply as yet.
0703.08 Public liability insurance for any band or group asked to play for the Fete: Cllr Arrowsmith reported the Fete Committee's wish to hire a local band that does not have its own public liability insurance. The Clerk reported contact with both the existing insurance broker, Community First, and with the Council's previous insurers, Allianz Cornhill. Both had confirmed that any band hired for performance would be required to have its own public liability insurance whatever the terms of the Council's insurance.
0703.09 mendments to the Model Code of conduct for Local Authority Members Agreed to make no response.
0703.10 Village of the Year Competition: Cllr Roberts proposed that should enter, Cllr Arrowsmith and Simpson agreed, Cllr Owen against. (NB The clerk has sought to get more information on this, and fears that the deadline for the 2007 competition has in fact passed)
0703.11 Correspondence Reports from County and District Cllrs (former in Circulation file and latter distributed to members) Royal Garden Party on 19 July: Agreed to nominate Cllr Irish for the ballot to attend Chairman’s Urgent Business Nomination papers would be sent to the Clerk in the next week (13/3 now received) and would be available from her or direct from South Hams District Council (for completion and return by 4 April)
0703.12 Agenda items for future meetings Agreed that the Annual Parish Meeting and Annual Meeting be on April meeting agenda. The Annual Parish Meeting would be held on 25 April and the date of the Annual Meeting would be delayed until Cllr Roberts reported on initiatives for carbon reduction: on agenda for next month and documents in circulation file.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.50 pm. The next meeting of the Council will be on Wednesday 3 April.
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