Minutes November 26 2018
Minutes of the Meeting of Stoodleigh Parish Council held at 7.00pm on Monday, November 26th in the Village Hall
Members present -: Chairman- Cllr P Talbot Vice Chair - Cllr D Honnor Cllr L Biles Cllr G Parkman Cllr P Pennington
1. Apologies – received from Cllr Rigamonti
2. Declarations of Interest – none declared
3. The Public – no members present
4. Minutes of the Meeting held on September 24th – these were approved and signed as a correct record
5. Planning Reports and Outcomes -:
18/01000/FULL Internal & external alterations, Ashcombe – grant permission
18/01444/CAT Tree surgery at Barns Cottage – no objection
18/01449/FULL Removal of condition 7 pertaining to removal of agricultural building within 3 years cessation of use – Adjacent to Ashcombe Farm – permitted with conditions
18/01486/PNCOU Change of use agricultural building to dwelling, East Stoodleigh Barton – approval of prior approval
18/01527/PNAG Erection of storage shed, Gibbet Moor – development accepted
18/01586/CAT Tree surgery, Kingsmede – withdrawn
18/01632/CAT Tree surgery, St Margarets – no objection
18/01711/MFUL building of open silage clamp, Gibbet Moor –awaiting decision. Apparently Cllr Honnor had had problems with e mail and the latest update on this had failed to reach all council members. This application should now be categorised under industrial not agricultural use. The intention is to store material to feed the anaerobic digester at Willand. There could be issues arising with the nearby water course and because of the size of the construction the council thought worthwhile to submit comment. Chairman to ACTION.
18/01553/CAT Tree surgery, Court Place – no objection
18/01786/PNAG Extension to livestock buildings, Ash Hill Farm – awaiting decision
6. Reports
a) County Council & District Council A copy of the report is attached. In addition Polly Colthorpe mentioned the repeated vehicle damage to Bickleigh Bridge. Investigation is underway to possibly install close circuit TV cameras to both deter offenders and identify those who should be contributing towards the repair costs. District Cllr Andrew Moore reported on a wide variety of matters. Introducing 20mph speed limits are costly and seem to have little effect on reducing actual speed. Security measures are to be put in place after Christmas in the area between Market Walk and the Pannier Market. The good news is that all the units have now been let. Work on the Premier Inn site is going to time. The principles of the Local Plan have been approved and the associated hearings are scheduled. The Government Settlement figures should be announced earlier this year, MDDC has still to make some adjustment in order to reach their target. On the 24th January “The State of the District Debate” will be on Brexit. The new arrangements on eligibility for S106 funding are on circulation and it is well worth considering ideas for the future to take full advantage of these terms. The council policy to deal with gypsies and travellers is also out for comment.
b) Parish Councillors – the organised Litter Pick was well supported by all age groups. Some of the rubbish is still to be collected along with newly abandoned furniture. Credit should be given to the many residents who constantly make an effort to keep the village litter free.
c) The Police –again no response
7. The Playground – In the absence of Cllr Knowles little progress could be made on the choice of resurfacing material. Cllr Biles is awaiting response from contacts and enquiries made regards enhancing the playground. A special provision for those with dogs would complicate grass cutting and be heavily reliant on owners taking responsibility for keeping the area clean. Cllr Parkman had looked at the adjustment needed for the gates to close correctly and thought that this might only require minor work.
8. Historic Signpost Restoration – the Kissing Gate project has been completed. Significant repair had been necessary and along with the deterioration in weather had resulted in extra work. Thanks go to Roger Hill and John Holland for their efforts. Volunteers will hopefully be recruited in the spring for the other 2 previously identified posts in disrepair.
9. Highways – a new roadside fence has been erected between the Sawyard and Rull. The incorporation of barbed wire has caused some concern and Steve Leigh is liaising between the parties involved. -The Winter Survey response was sent from the Chairman on behalf of the parish council. There are speeding issues on occasion in the village and the gritting policy is not considered sufficient. The idea of only treating one route into Stoodleigh fails to take account of the scattered location of the residential properties and travel in adverse conditions.
10. Finance
Current HSBC balance as at 12th October - £8403.81
The budget and precept submission were circulated and discussed. It was decided to keep the Precept at £4000 for next year. The council felt that additional monies should not be sought without a definite reason. The current funds are estimated to be further reduced by £2500 by the end of the financial year, the cost of a contested election 2019 has been partially factored in already. S106 funding would probably contribute towards playground improvements.
The following payments were APPROVED - Life Saver Technology £170 Chairman £7 ( electric meter) Village Hall £66 and in addition R Holland £61.82