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Minutes Council Meeting September 25 2023

Minutes of the Meeting of Stoodleigh Parish Council held on Monday, 25 September 2023 in the Village Hall at 7.00pm

Members Attending -: Vice Chair Cllr J Widdowson  Cllr S Davey  Cllr J Mansfield  Cllr G Parkman  Cllr C Payne  Cllr D Wotton

County Cllr R Chesterton  District Cllr C Adcock

  1. Apologies – these were received from District Cllr R Gilmour and the Chairman Cllr W Knowles
  2. Declarations of Interest – Cllr Mansfield did declare a personal interest with regard to St Margaret’s Church, being a member of the committee
  3. The Public – there were 4 members in attendance. Mr Aplin owns land either side of Bakers Wood and had extreme concerns as to what was happening regards what he believed was unauthorised development in the apparently unregistered land adjacent to his property. This would seem to be a Planning Enforcement Issue but he had to date received little response from a solicitor, the police or MDDC. He was advised to put the subject on the Washfield Parish Council agenda as technically the land was located in that parish . Cllrs Chesterton, Payne and Adcock thought a visit worthwhile although Mr Aplin has photographic evidence of the clearance and construction work done to date.
  4. Minutes of the meetings held July 25th and 31st – these were approved and signed as correct records
  5. Planning Reports and Outcomes

23/01267/FULL Variation of Condition 3 of 20/00650/FULL. Erection of an equestrian workers dwelling – the occupation of the dwelling hereby approved shall be limited to a person solely or mainly employed, or lasty employed in the locality in equestrian, agriculture or forestry, or a dependent of such a person residing with him or her, or a widow or widower of such a person. Lower Ford (Maryleigh Livery Stables) EX16 9QQ – decision awaited. The council were if favour of this modification

23/00837/FULL Erection of an agricultural building on land NGR 291686 119244, Ash Hill Farm – permission granted

23/00928/FULL Conversion of front entrance hall and adjacent room to village shop, The Old Post Office – permission granted

23/01388/HOUSE Infill open porch with a window and door, Finistere – the council were in agreement to support this, MDDC decision awaited

  1. Miscellaneous Planning Issues –

Unauthorised building and trespass issues near Stoodleigh Drive, affecting land belonging to George Aplin – this was basically covered under Paragraph 3. Any resolution is probably not straightforward.

On this slightly related topic Oakford Parish Council had repeatedly raised concerns about supposed forestry sheds erected in Great Wood and Quarry Wood which then seemed to enlarge and encompass other facilities. Cllr Payne had previously compiled a list of potential breaches regards woodland development and it was decided that he would be the ideal contact to possibly pursue this matter further.

The request from Paul Draper to cover his vehicle with tarpaulin for the winter did not raise any particular objections

  1. Reports from County and District Councillors – these were circulated and very comprehensive of the recent events.
  2. The Village Hall – the offer from the District Council to hold a surgery before each parish council meeting was felt to be well worthwhile. The problem going into the winter months is the limited accommodation for parishioners to discuss any such matters in confidence on a Monday night and the weather probably not ideal for waiting outside. The possibility of changing the meeting to another night when the entire building might be available was discussed and the Clerk asked to research.
  3. Register of Interests – to date there were 3 outstanding for return to MDDC. Cllr Knowles had forwarded his completed forms to the Clerk
  4. Highways – a) a vote was taken on the 20s Plenty Response to the Totnes Town Council Initiative. The motion to support this application to the government to reduce the speed limit in all residential areas was passed by 5 votes to 1. The single objector’s reasoning was that this was most likely to be unenforceable if introduced.
  5. b) Grit bins – councillors were requested to check the level of salt available in their locality and then report back to the Chairman by 31/10/23 who could then co-ordinate additional supplies.
  6. Defibrillator – The rota to check that the battery etc was working correctly was not always working. A new rota had been drawn up and Cllr Widdowson suggested that he issued regular reminders by email as to who was responsible for that week. A generous offer from Phil Talbot to routinely inspect was declined as it was felt should be the responsibility of the current council
  7. the Playground – equipment is either in full use or written off, the usual depreciation over time is not applicable where this is concerned. The Clerk highlighted that the parish assets increased over time and never seem to reduce. The current insurance cover is therefore inadequate and should be increased to cover renewal of such items. The Clerk had had some clarification as to the increase in annual premium, around £25 and it was unanimously agreed to accept this quote.
  8. St Margaret’s and the boundary wall – it would now appear from the title deeds that the responsibility for the wall had most likely been incorrectly attributed to the playground when the separation was made. The decision was that the area would be tidied up and made safe as the cost of repairing the stone wall was prohibitive. A site visit would be arranged to investigate the best course of action.
  9. Finance –

HSBC current account as at 12/9/2023   £11770,15

A copy of the cashflow spreadsheet was given to Cllr Mansfield to scrutinise. He identified the monthly bank charges

Payments approved to DALC £24.39  Bampton Town Council £57.07  MDDC Election expenses £127.35  R Hill £114  Clerk salary £360  HMRC £90  Village Hall £59

Admin expenses for 6 months £162.69