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Parish Council Minutes July 27 2020

Minutes of Stoodleigh Parish Council Meeting held remotely at 7.00pm on Monday, July 27th via Google Meet

 

Members present – Chairman Cllr L Biles, Vice Chair Cllr J Widdowson, Cllr S Davey, Cllr W Knowles, Cllr G Parkman, Cllr C Payne, Cllr G Talbot 

District Cllr A Moore

  1. Apologies - County Cllr Colthorpe was thwarted by IT and unable to join
  2. Declarations of Interest – Cllr Talbot declared a personal interest in the planning application 20/00644/CAT although the outcome had already been decided
  3. The Public – 1 member in attendance. Mr Radford gave a brief explanation of the resubmitted planning application 20/00883/FULL.
  4. Minutes of the Meeting held on May 18th 2020 – these were approved as a true record. Signing is to follow later in the week
  5. Reports

County Council – a copy is attached

District Council, Andrew Moore –

  1. Mid-Devon is in a very fortunate position regarding CV19.  As of 22 Jul 20 there had been 209 tested cases in the District and 17 deaths with a positive result.  In a population of circa 80 000 the incidence is very low, although this is not a reason to be complacent.
  2. Full credit to the finance team in Mid-Devon which has now issued nearly £28M in CV19 related grant support and rates relief to local businesses.
  3. An emergency budget will be prepared for Council consideration in September, working on the basis that the Council's loss of income due to CV19 is estimated to be circa £1M.  That said, the government has been providing the Council with financial support to date but is unlikely to meet the full bill.
  4. The plan is to take a phased approach to reopening Leisure Centres, beginning 3 Aug 20, with swimming likely to be the last facility to be reopened in late August / early September.
  5. It is hoped that the Local Plan will be signed off at Full Council on 29 Jul 20.
  6. The next major plan on the horizon is the Greater Exeter Strategic Plan (GESP) which is an area-wide view stretching west of Exeter and including Mid and East Devon.  This is a significant set of proposals.  Whilst some elements are good there are some significant concerns.  Cllrs are urged to review and respond to the proposals when out for comment in September.

Parish Councillors

Highways & Footpaths – Cllr Davey reported that there are still problems with overhanging branches on Footpath 1, adjacent to Stoodleigh Court. The solution now is to try DCC for remedial action.  Cllr Widdowson said that there was a Byway notice missing at Coleford Bottom. Cllr Payne offered to provide one. Cllr Widdowson brought up the subject of recent damage to the bridge at the bottom of Hangman’s Hill. This was caused by a horse lorry and details of the driver are to be forwarded to DCC for a possible insurance claim.

Defibrillator – Cllr Payne offered to purchase a new battery. If this proves problematic the Clerk will approach the original supplier for the information.

  1. Planning Applications and Outcomes

18/01711/MFUL Building of an open silage clamp, new vehicle access etc Gibbet Moor – to be considered. Further information is being sought before a decision is reached.

19/01772/FULL Erection of a dwelling etc for the Devon Badger Watch visitor centre, land and buildings East of Stoodleigh Barton – permitted with conditions to discharge

20/00437/FULL & 20/00439/LBC Erection of toilet facilities & structural alterations, Stoodleigh Parish Hall - withdrawn

20/00478/FULL Conversion of a barn to ancillary accommodation, Wheatland Farm – granted

20/00529/FULL Change of use from agricultural land to mixed agriculture and game bird rearing, also erection of 2 silos, West Steart NGR 292669 119951 – permitted with conditions to discharge

20/00542/HOUSE Erection of a single storey extension, Wheatland Farm – approved

20/00644/CAT Tree surgery at Jessica Cottage – no objection

20/00650/FULL Erection of an equestrian worker’s dwelling, Lower Ford – awaiting decision. This application for a 4 bedroomed house sited in a spectacular position provoked some discussion. It was generally thought that if approved it should be conditional on an AOC

20/00654/CAT Felling of 9 Ash Trees at Penbrae – no objection

20/00660/HOUSE Erection of a front porch & 2 story extension, Fairview – awaiting decision

20/00686/PNCOU Change of use from an agricultural building to a dwelling under Class Q, Bellbrook Farm – prior approval granted with certain conditions.

20/00883/FULL Replacement of an underground reservoir with a holiday cottage, Ash Hill – awaiting decision. The application for 2 units was refused and the revised plan is for a single dwelling. The council raised no objection provided that the drainage concerns are addressed

20/00931/HOUSE Erection of an extension & front porch after removal of outbuildings, Rull Farm – awaiting decision

20/00987/FULL Conversion of an agricultural building to 2 holiday lets, Higher Rifton – awaiting decision

20/01552/PNOU Planning for a barn conversion near Stoodleigh Beacon has been passed under current government guidelines.  Cllr Payne had reservations because the site is at the highest point in Mid Devon and the parish council were given little or no opportunity to comment.

The permitted development which seems to encourage the increase in “woodland sheds” has led councillors to have doubts as to the long term use of these buildings and possible contraventions of planning legislation. District Cllr Moore will raise this with the Planning Officer.

Alridge Mill – there has been no information following a proposed visit by a Planning Enforcement Officer. The caravans appear to have been moved behind the house but there still appears to be 7 or so families living in temporary accommodation.  District Cllr Ray Stanley is aware of the situation

Cllr Talbot proposed site visits should resume, seconded by Cllr Widdowson and thus agreed.

  1. The Playground

When reopened the onus will be on parents, with notices displayed to this effect plus the bio- security guidelines. Public liability remains a concern and until there are more requests from parents the area will remain closed. Subject to be revisited.

Mole activity has not increased

Purchase of surface bark is currently on hold

Following annual inspection, the items considered medium risk for remedial action and listed by Cllr Talbot will be circulated. It may then be necessary to set up an Action Group to carry out the work. The trees overhanging the Trim Trail will be cut back by Cllr Widdowson.

The Title Deeds are lodged in Tiverton at HSBC. The Clerk needs authority to access these from another signatory. this was agreed. The deeds will remain in safekeeping at HSBC but there is some doubt whether these have ever been entered at the Land Registry.

  1. The Website –

The updating of information has been a mammoth and still ongoing task undertaken by Cllr Talbot.  The variation in document formatting has been very time consuming to correct. MDDC has now set a target of reformatting papers created since 2018. Many older records will be deleted.

  1. Corona Virus

After discussion it was unanimously agreed to put a message of appreciation and thanks to all involved on the website. So many people were involved by volunteering, generally being neighbourly in so many different ways that it was difficult to name individuals.

  1. Councillor Advocate Scheme

The Community Police Initiative to involve parish councils was met with no enthusiasm. Several councillors expressed disillusion following recent experiences.   Cllr Widdowson agreed to read the paperwork before agreeing to be the contact.

  1. Finance

Current HSBC balance as at 12th July £8628.96

The Clerk has an updated spreadsheet of 2020/21 expenditure but as there has been few payments made for this financial year it had not been circulated.

Marie Curie Foundation – a donation of £100 was agreed by a majority vote, 4 in favour. Cllr Talbot suggested that similar requests should only be considered on predetermined dates

Retrospective approval was given to Community Insurance £225.06 & Tax &Accounts £48.

Depreciation on the Fixed Asset Register was confirmed – the original valuation stands until the item is written off.

The Clerk suggested that the council consider subscribing to the Information Commissioner’s Office at an annual figure of £40, mainly as an insurance policy where data protection is concerned. She stressed that she had considered this before but had concluded that this was not applicable where Stoodleigh was concerned. The subject is deferred to the next meeting.