Minutes Council Meeting September 24 2024
Minutes of the Meeting of Stoodleigh Parish Council held on September 24th 2024 in the Village Hall at 7.00pm
Members present -: Vice Chair Cllr J Widdowson, Cllr J Mansfield and Cllr G Parkman
County Cllr R Chesterton District Cllrs C Adcock and R Gilmour
1. Apologies – were received from Cllrs S Davey, W Knowles, C Payne and D Wotton
2. Declarations of Interest – none declared
3. The Public – none present
4. Minutes of the Meetings held on July 30th, August 29th and 5th September – these were approved and signed as a true record
5. Planning Applications and Outcomes –
24/00285/FULL Erection of 7 workshops (Use Class B) and café to serve development (Use Class E) following demolition of general industrial buildings, Shadow Ponds – permitted with conditions to discharge
24/00818/FULL erection of dwelling and detached double garage/log store with home office following the demolition of the existing dwelling, Oakdale – permitted with conditions to discharge
24/00982/PNCOU Change of use of land to a temporary campsite consisting of 12 pitches, 3 touring vehicles and associated structures under Class BC for a period of up to 60 Days from 27/07/24 until 20/09/24, Lower Ford – delegated decision
24/01159/PNAG Prior notification for erection of an agricultural storage building, NGR288143 117100, Gibbet Moor Farm
24/01211/CAT Reduction in height of 1 conifer tree by 5m and reduce the crown of 1 Golden Cypress by 4m in a conservation order, Ford House – approved
24/01114/HOUSE Retain conversion of outbuildings to kitchen/diner/utility room, Pine Cottage – approved
24/00179/FULL Variation of condition (2) of planning permission 22/00999/FULL Erection of dwelling following removal of existing buildings, to allow substitute plans, Land and buildings at NGR289588 120181, Bellbrook Valley Trout Fishery – approved
6. County Councillors Report
A full report had been circulated earlier. Access to the proposed Greenway Landfill and Recycling Site has been amended to roads via Sampford Peverell instead of via Halberton. Highways had raised concerns. Improvements on the road from Stoodleigh to Lower Washfield will be actioned in 3 stages, resurfacing of the worst areas, patching of the potholes and finally application of a surface dressing.
There is no date as yet for attention to the Wormsworthy road but it has been acknowledged and logged. There are a number of road signs either obscured by vegetation or algae, the suggestion was made by Cllr Mansfield that correction could possibly be carried out by community service volunteers.
District Council
A report had been circulated at the beginning of September. If the Labour government sanction devolution this could have an impact on local planning. The number of proposed new dwellings at the Culm Garden Village should satisfy meeting the targets without involving too many other rural communities and locations. Wind turbine applications may well increase. Progress with enforcement action on the various contraventions with unauthorised development at Spurway Barton, Oakford seems extremely slow.
7. The Playground and the Boundary Wall
Work on the wall was started last weekend and another working party is scheduled for the 28th September. Much of the vegetation has been cleared and the stone put aside for future use. A mini digger will be needed to access the existing foundations and it was felt that Richard Hill should be offered payment for his contribution to the restoration work. Cllr Mansfield had received a very competitive quote from a local stonemason for the rebuild and it was agreed to accept this quotation. The work will be funded by a generous donation from a former parishioner. The council wished to express grateful thanks to both Richard Hill and Mandy Widdowson for assisting council members to prepare the site.
It was decided that Playsafety Ltd should continue to carry out the annual playground inspection.
8. The Notice Board
Cllr Mansfield is to check how best to incorporate the existing plaque in memory of Gerald Palfrey before going ahead making the final order. Greenbarnes was one of the preferred suppliers. The DCC £800 contribution has already been credited to the current account.
9. The Swap Box
A suggestion had been made by Cllr Davey that perhaps the facility could be used for a longer period throughout the year and not as initially thought just for surplus plants and produce. It was appreciated that the box needs some maintenance and although Trevor and Shirley Cope are willing to carry out some routine attention but they could not be expected to do more. Roger Hill is to be asked for a quote for repainting etc. The overgrown hedge which somewhat obscures the box will be looked at by Cllrs Widdowson and Mansfield will a view to trimming back.
10. The Parish Plan
The list of known interested parties was to be forwarded to Cllr Mansfield who thought that possibly Roger Hill might be willing to chair the project. Cllr Mansfield felt it was important that the reason for undertaking this revamp was clarified and deemed worthwhile. Previously in 2005 there had been some financial help towards the cost of quality printing of the end result from MDDC, District Cllr Adcock agreed to do some research. District Cllr Gilmour advised strongly that if there were places within the parish that should be preserved, these should be highlighted and included in such a report to avoid future complexities especially with planning.
11. The Civic Service
In his absence Cllr Knowles was nominated to attend on the 13th October at St Peter’s church.
12. EV Charging Points
At the July Meeting it was agreed that the Village Hall was the obvious place to install such a facility at no cost to the parish. Cllr Parkman is to broach the subject at the next Village Hall meeting, 25th September.
13. Finance
HSBC current account as at 12/09/2024 £11,606.31
The Audit Report had highlighted that there was some discrepancy between the Standing Orders and the Financial Regulations and the Clerk had corrected this. The amended documents would be uploaded to the website.
Payments were approved of £360 clerk’s salary, HMRC £90, Village Hall £66, admin expenses £233.99. Cheque reissued to J Larcombe owing to damage on receipt.
The Clerk pointed out that the purchase of an additional defibrillator was not anticipated when the 2024/5 budget was compiled, although this had been largely funded by an anonymous donation. Similarly the cost of printer cartridges had almost doubled.
The Clerk also asked the council to consider purchasing a dedicated laptop and printer in the future whenever a new clerk is appointed.
The VAT refund of £61.80 was finally credited after 2 applications to HMRC.
HSBC charges to date, £8 per month and £1 per cheque = £66
NS&I account is to be reviewed because of the more worthwhile recent interest rates.