Agenda for September 2021 meeting

Newton St Cyres Parish Council

Notice of Meeting of Parish Council

Dear Councillors

I hereby give notice that a Meeting of the above-named Parish Council will be held Council will be held in the Club Room, Parish Hall on Thursday 2 September 2021 at 7.00pm.

All members of the Council are hereby summoned to attend for the purpose of considering and resolving upon the Business to be transacted at the meeting set out hereunder.

Dated this 27 August 2021

Signed Jane Hole

Clerk to the Parish Council parishclerk@newtonstcyres-pc.gov.uk 01392 851148

Public Participation

Public Question Time. Members of the public are invited to give their views and ask questions on issues on this agenda or to raise issues for future consideration by the Parish Council.

Formal Business

(Members of the public may not take part in the formal business of the Parish Council except under special circumstances)

01/09/21 Apologies - To receive apologies

02/09/21 Declaration of Interest

2.1 Register of Interests. Councillors to update as required

2.2 Personal Interests. Councillors must declare any personal interest in items on the agenda and their nature.

2.3 Prejudicial Interests. Councillors must declare any prejudicial interest in items on the agenda and their nature and they must leave the meeting for that agenda item.

03/09/21 Minutes of the last meeting held on Thursday 1 July 2021 (previously circulated)

To be agreed and signed as a true record

04/09/21 Mid Devon District Council

4.1 Planning Applications:

21/01388/LBC - Listed Building Consent for the installation of 14 photovoltaic panels to stable roof at East Holme Farm, Newton St Cyres

21/01429/FULL - Erection of a roof over existing silage clamp at Five Elms Lane

21/01491/HOUSE - Demolition and replacement of existing extensions and alterations to internal layout at Bidwell Barton Farm, Newton St Cyres

21/01495/LBC - Listed Building Consent for demolition and replacement of existing extensions and alterations to internal layout at Bidwell Barton Farm, Newton St Cyres

21/01501/FULL - Demolition of existing school buildings, including adjacent detached classroom buildings and erection of 8 dwellings with garages at Former Primary School Site Newton St Cyres, Planning check list circulated separately together with comments from Climate Officer

21/01405/FULL - Erection of dwelling following demolition of agricultural building utilising the Class Q fallback position at (Barn) Hill Farm Newton St Cyres

20/01554/FULL - Erection of 4 dwellings and associated works following demolition and removal of agricultural buildings at Bidwell Barton Farm, Newton St Cyres – revised drawings

4.2 Planning Decisions:

21/01009/LBC and21/01007/HOUSE - Listed Building Consent for the erection of a boundary wall at Rose Cottage, Newton St Cyres, EX5 5AA and alterations to existing driveway – grant permission

21/00392/FULL -Alterations to existing access and creation of additional parking for the Church – application withdrawn

20/00317/CLU at Winscott Barton appeal upheld

4.3 To consider invitation to National Model Design Code testing pilot workshops – see below

4.4 District Councillor, Cllr G Barnell, to report on MDDC business relevant to the Parish – see report below

05/09/21 Finance

5.1 Parish Council Receipts Current Account: Allotment rent: £90.00

5.2 Parish Council Payments Current Account:

To ratify payment in August for Grass Cutting at Churchyard - £80.00; Grass cutting in parish £160.00

Item	Payee	Purpose	Amount £
5.2.1	DCC	Return of unused covid 19 grant	316.55
5.2.2	SLCC	Training course for Clerk	58.80
5.2.3	Devon Communities Together	Membership	50.00
5.2.4	J Hole	Salary and expenses (July and August)	655.48
5.2.5	HMRC	PAYE	82.00
5.2.6	Unity Trust Bank *	Deposit	500.00
5.2.7	Hydo-Logic Services *	Timeview/maintenance for rain gauge	678.00

* to be agreed after discussion later in the agenda

5.3 To approve signatures for this month’s cheques

5.4 Balances (after above transactions)

5.4.1 Parish Council Current Account balance: £12,236.15

5.4.2 Footpath Account: £268.02

5.4.3 Car Park resurfacing fund balance: £7,514.46

5.5 Update on changing to Unity Trust banking – application form to be signed by signatories and £500 deposit required to ensure that we can use the new account straightaway as the switch can sometimes be rejected by the other bank which means we would be without funds to use in the new account.

5.6 Financial Statement and Budget Monitor (attached)

06/09/21 Matters raised by the Chair

6.1 To note Clerks appraisal and consider request for an additional two hours per month

6.2 To consider a Neighbourhood Plan – details circulated separately

07/09/21 Councillor’s Reports

7.1 Areas of Responsibility reports

7.1.1 Allotments – update following site visit; to agree quote for removal of asbestos from shed (see below); review of tenants agreement

7.1.2 Surgery - Report from July surgery

7.1.3 Rain Gauge – to consider new maintenance agreement – circulated separately

7.1.4 To note risk assessment of assets – circulated separately

08/09/21 Clerk’s Report - none

09/09/21 Parish Council

9.1 To agree if we need a new bench for School Hill as the old one is broken beyond repair.

9.2 Climate – update from Climate Officer; to note guidance from DEFRA for PC’s (circulated separately) and to agree actions we can take.

9.3 Old School Path – to agree notice for path (see below). To note work required to path ie new posts

9.4 Road Warden Scheme - update

9.5 To agree attendance at DALC AGM/Conference on 5-7 October - £40.00 for first delegate then £10.00

9.6 To note emails from Langford residents regarding nuisance tractors along Langford Road (see below)

9.7 Parish Hall Car Park – to note discussions regarding resealing car park surface

9.8 Update on Affordable Housing

10/09/21 Devon County Council

10.1 Outstanding Highways issues (see below)

10.2 New Highway issues - Virtual Highways Conference – to complete survey – email circulated

10.3 County Councillor, Cllr M Squires, to report on DCC business relevant to the parish

11/09/21 Miscellaneous Correspondence - Various newsletters; Peninsular Transport Vision consultation

12/09/21 Minor Matters and Items for Future Agenda

Each Councillor is requested to use this opportunity to report minor matters of information not included elsewhere on the agenda and to raise items for future agendas. Councillors are respectfully reminded that this is not an opportunity for debate or decision making.

13/09/21 Date of next PC meeting: Thursday 7 October 2021, 7pm in the Parish Hall

End of Formal Business - Public Participation

Agenda Item 4.3

Dear all,

As some of you will be aware, Mid Devon was selected as 1 of 14 national pilots for testing the new National Model Design Code and work has been underway since March to understand how Design Coding can be utilised across the District.

Recent new amendments to the National Planning Policy Framework now require Local Authorities to prepare their own Design Codes. Prior to this announcement, the government published the National Model Design Code to outline to Local Authorities the template for how these Design Codes should be structured and how they should be carried out and they selected 14 pilots to test this process in a variety of contexts.

Design Codes can offer a powerful tool for making sure design quality is upheld in a variety of situations and that planning policy is design led. The recently adopted District Design Guide (Oct 2020) has shaped how the landscape and historic settlement character should shape design decision making in relation to development in a variety of situations and the work on testing the National Model Design Code builds on the District Design Guide.

As well as the challenges of upholding existing character, Mid Devon is looking to the immediate future and the challenges of adapting to climate change. Design Codes also offer the opportunity to plan carefully for communities and in Mid Devon this means the interdependency between rural and town environments. The NMDC testing process so far, including an initial workshop with Mid Devon District Council Members and officers, has considered how a Design Vision for Mid Devon can reflect the universal, district principles as well as varied localised conditions.

We are now planning two additional workshops and the invitation list has been expanded to include more local participation, in particular representatives from Town and Parish Councils within the areas of focus (see below), Neighbourhood Planning Groups and a small number of other selected organisations.

In workshops 2 & 3 the focus of the National Model Design Code testing will be on more specific areas of the District and work will consider the potential contrasts in Design Codes which may be developed for these areas.

The team working on the NMDC testing are considering the variety of issues needing addressing across 3 parts of the District: The Culm Garden Village, The Tiverton to Tiverton Parkway corridor and the Crediton valley corridor and at workshop 2 (Sep 9th 13.00-16.00) we would like to ask you to be involved in exploring the issues relevant to each of these 3 hypothetical Design Code areas. The key consideration is: If after this piloting exercise Mid Devon District Council were to prepare Design Codes for each of the 3 areas, what issues should they address and what should the content of the Design Code be?

At workshop 3 (Sep 27th 13.00-16.00), having consolidated the input from workshop 2, we propose to share draft contents for potential Design Codes which could be prepared for the 3 areas above.

As Mid Devon moves forward with its Local Plan, and with the emerging National Planning Policy Framework requirement for Design Codes, there is a real opportunity to be pro-active in ensuring design quality is upheld and all the right issues are addressed. Design Codes can become a tool for effective development management, as well as a tool to implementing the Council’s strategy for net zero carbon. These workshops are aimed at making best use of the pilot process to be prepared for when Coding is carried out for real.

If there is interest in taking part, please can you identify one or two representatives from your Town or Parish Council and/or Neighbourhood Plan Group to attend the workshops and provide an email address for each representative. A Zoom invitation will then follow.

I hope you will be able to attend.

Kind regards

Tina

Agenda Item 4.4

A District Councillor’s Diary

Road Safety

The first meeting of the new A377 Action Group took place this month. At the moment the Action Group consists of local County, Parish and District Councillors representing the communities and areas between Crediton and Exeter. I hope that residents from each community along the A377 will soon be able to join.

The Group exists to:-

Identify and prioritise key road safety and traffic problems arising for the A377 and associated subsidiary minor roads between Crediton and Exeter.
Formulate proposals for remedying these issues including:-
- Footpaths and safe road crossing points in the communities that sit on the A377.
- Speed calming along rural lanes that are increasingly being used as “rat runs” including through Shobrooke and Sweetham, .
- Average or other speed cameras along the A377
- Cycle Ways especially between Exeter to Crediton
Agree plans to address these issues
Engage with DCC Highways Dept and other key statutory agencies to implement the plans.

Please send me your ideas and suggestions to me as Chair of the Group on the issues you think we should be working on first. I will be posting minutes of the Group on my District Councillor Facebook Page.

In the meantime it’s been good to see the stretch of footpath along the A377 between Tytheing and the centre of Newton Village cleared of plant growth and other debris BUT we await the new controlled road crossing that we’ve been promised!

Biodiversity and the Church

I’m just one of several people, including members of the Newton Environment Group (NEW), who have been supporting the Church Council in their plan to allow the Churchyard to become a haven for wild flowers, animals and insects. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the succession of different wild flowers and grasses as the summer has progressed. Many of us had only guessed at the rich diversity of plant species that had somehow survived years of repeated summer mowing. Many thanks to the Church Council for this!

The Church Council have been advised by one of the County Ecologists that the Churchyard should be mowed in September and the cut material taken away and composted separately. Are you up for helping with the clear up? If so please contact me.

Biodiversity and Farming

We are fortunate in having local landowners in the Quicke Family who are keen to promote climate and nature friendly farming practices. Their business has experienced a difficult period through COVID. Like other famers the Quicke Estate also face uncertainty about the new Government funding arrangements for farmers now we have left the EU. In spite of this Mary Quicke has readily agreed to meet with myself and Sue Rowell in November to discuss how we might work together to promote biodiversity and climate friendly practices on their farm. I hope to learn a lot!

By the way Sue Rowell is the Parish Council’s new biodiversity and climate change lead. She brings a wealth of experience to the role from her career in the Environment Agency.

Planning , Development and the Old School site

Jenner Homes have now submitted a Planning Application for eight new homes on the site of the old school. The Parish Council are due to consider their response to this application at their meeting on 2^nd September. Everyone I’ve spoken with seems to be generally supportive of Jenner Homes’ proposals. However there a several detailed issues that are causing concern. Local residents of Sandown Lane and nearby roads met recently to discuss these issues and have written to the Developers asking for some changes to the plans.

I will continue to work with all parties to ensure local concerns are satisfactorily addressed.

I will also be supporting the Parish Council in seeking contributions from the Developer towards a safe road crossing between Sandown Lane and Tytheing and also for improvements to the surfacing and fencing of the permissive footpath from Sandown Lane to Pump St.

Graeme Barnell, MDDC District Councillor, Newbrooke Ward, August 2021

Agenda Item 5.6

Budget Monitor

Agenda Item 7.1.1

	Removal of Asbestos only	Removal of overgrown vegetation and asbestos
Company A	£904.00	£1,744.00
Company B		£1,400.00

Agenda Item 9.3

Newton St Cyres Parish Council

This path may be used by parishioners on the understanding that it is not a right of way

Strictly No Dogs and No Cycling

Agenda item 9.6

Email correspondence from Langford Road residents

Dear Jim
In response to (name removed) email, I can confirm his comments regarding both frequency and the timing of these tractor & trailer movements.

The speed at which these (presumably contract) tractors drive along the single track road section with the blind bend outside our house is totally irresponsible and unacceptable.
My family are on holiday in Devon and we have been in the garden all afternoon and they have all commented on the speed and noise of these vehicles thundering past just feet away from us.
I appreciate that at this time of year there must be additional agricultural activity, but this cannot continue without an accident - we have put out cones to try to prevent further damage to the verge, but the cones are regularly flattened by tractors. The young drivers can often be seen with a mobile phone in one hand.
There is absolutely no consideration whatsoever to local residents or the safety of other road users.
Should there be a serious accident, the local authorities will be as culpable as the driver responsible.
Regards

Dear Jim

Having been plagued with tractor trailer movements over the last four days, on average at least 6 to 8 movements an hour, can I ask you to comment on the following:-

On Saturday night the tractors were operating up until 1am is this permissible? There is strong evidence that digester tractors are using Langford Rd to both enter and exit the digester site is this correct? UK tractor regulations stipulate that tractors in excess of 2.55 mtrs wide including the width of the tyres are limited to 20 MPH this is obviously not the case in Langford Rd could you comment please.

Regards

Agenda Item 10.1 - Outstanding Highways issues

Speed restrictions in Station Road – SCARF re test requested – with Cllr M Squires/NHM to action
Request for a School sign in Station Road and possible zig-zag lines outside the school. With NHM to consider a sign and or a SCARF retest
Drain cover on A377 – passed to BT as a fault – with NHM
Relocate grit bin from outside old school to Tytheing Close – no update
School Hill – now cleared
Salt bin for Kingfisher Close – Cllr M Squires confirmed the request had been submitted.
Gateway to Mid Devon sign
Broken street lights on Village Green – with Western Power to fix - road closure required

Agenda for September 2021 meeting

Agendas for Parish Council meetings 2021

Agenda for September 2021 meeting