ASHPRINGTON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Meeting Held Thursday 5th March 2026 @ Ashprington Village Hall – 7.30pm
1) Open Forum –
a) Potholes – 4 of the 6 holes at Yetson have been filled in now.
b) Planning Application no 0041/26/HHO, comments from a Parishioner present – The proposed garage will impact on 2 listed buildings close by, the siting and size and proximity to the listed buildings are a concern being 3.5 metres away from them, this would affect the view from the walled garden and the heritage of the building. The applicants have been spoken to and concerns have been voiced.
c) Johnny Gurr – Defib support group, now taken over from Sophie, with the funds in the account his intention is to replace the 2 defibs in the Parish.
2) Present Cllr R Rogers (Chairman), Cllr P Thompson, Cllr K Throgmorton, Cllr S Greaves, Cllr S Paterson, C Cllr S Rake, D Cllr J McKay.
Attended by – 2 members of the Public.
3) Apologies – Cllr T Green, Cllr L Stocks, Pam Macey (P3), Ian Bentlett (Ashmeadow).
4) Declarations of Interest.
5) Previous Minutes
Minutes of the meeting held Thursday 5th February 2026.
The minutes have been distributed and read. Proposed by Cllr K Throgmorton and seconded by Cllr P Thompson with all in agreement. Duly signed by the Chairman – Cllr R Rogers.
6) Matters Arising
a) Thermal Imaging Camera Loan – South Dartmoor Community Energy have been unable to give the Parish Council a date for this because of the large take up this year by Parishes, the Clerk will ask them if Ashprington & Tuckenhay can be put first on the list for next winter.
b) Damaged Silver Jubilee Bench by the Church – new bench now ordered and awaiting delivery.
c) Dog Bin in Duncannon Lane – Cllr Mckay is looking into this at SHDC as they replied to the Clerk that due to a change of policy they cannot currently add it onto their round.
d) LGR Consultation – 4,5,1 – Cllr P Thompson proposed that the Parish Council should support this option – seconded by Cllr K Throgmorton with all in agreement.
e) Ashprington Cemetery – There are now only a few plots left so the piece of land beyond the path will need to be prepared and then consecrated, some new paths will then need to be constructed and plots marked out, the bench at the top to stay in situ. All Cllrs in agreement, the Clerk will make some enquiries about getting the ground consecrated.
f) Overhanging Tree branches in the River (between Watermans & Chapelle Cottage) – Cllr Rogers confirmed has spoken to the owners of the trees, they are not in danger of blocking the river, no further action to be taken by the Parish Council .
7) Reports.
a) County Councillor – Cllr S Rake reported – budget has been passed at County, 7.7% increase for childrens services, 4 million for potholes, drainage etc and 15 million for capital repairs on the roads, the backlog of work value is way over this amount. Libraries budget cut has been reversed and will remain unchanged.
b) District Councillor – Cllr J McKay reported – complaints about Travellers are being received from Ashprington residents. Council Plan process has just been done, this coming year has a balanced budget but the next 2 years after this will not balance due to the withdrawal of funds from main government. NPPF – Is being discussed and amount of homes in the South Hams being proposed by main government. LGR – devolution of assets will be needed when SHDC is no longer in existence, the Parish Council should look at what assets are in the Parish that could be taken over by the Parish Council.
Funding – currently the National Lottery has a grant around Food & Agriculture which can be applied for.
c) Ash Meadow Recreation Ground – £2000 grant has been awarded from SHDC towards the new composting bunkers.
d) Tree Warden.
e) P3 Co-Ordinator.
f) Defibrillator Group – reported in Public Time 1c).
g) Emergency Plan.
h) Village Hall – Cllr L Stocks reported by email – Although the hall continues to be booked regularly, overall bookings and hours booked decreased slightly in 2025. This will need monitoring in the coming year. Two Trustees attended a South Hams Village Hall meet up where representatives from neighbouring Village Halls met to share experiences and advice. It was interesting to note that the majority of the problems experienced were common to the most of Village Halls. The committee have looked into the requirements of a Safeguarding Policy and are making necessary amendments to practice and hire policies. The Secretary has been nominated as the Safeguarding Officer for the hall. All paperwork should be in place shortly. The need for planning permission for replacement windows and the removal of two trees was discussed as the hall lies within the Conservation Area. All residents are invited to attend the AGM that will take place on Tuesday 12th May at 7.00pm in the hall followed by a committee meeting. The Village Hall is NOT registered with the Land Registry. As the PC are the Holding Trustees it is up to them to ensure that it is registered. The Clerk will contact the Chairman of the Village Hall Committee to ask for any deeds and constitution, the Chairman of the Parish Council and Clerk possibly to have a meeting with the Hall Chairman at some point in the future.
i) Dart Harbour Commissioning Group – Cllr P Thompson reported – awaiting a response from the Harbour Master hopefully he could come to the April meeting. Meeting next week of the Dart Harbour Commissioning Group – Johnny Gurr will attend this meeting as Pam cannot go.
8) Planning Applications / Matters.
Applications received from South Hams District Council –
a) Application no 0267/26/TCA – Quillet Hill Park TQ9 7UX – Fell Ash T1, T2 & T3, due to Ash Dieback and proximity to house and BT line. Remove self-seeded saplings growing in boundary wall and beside access lane due to structural damage risk. Support – all in agreement.
b) Application no 0041/26/HHO – Yetson Barn TQ9 7EG – Householder application for erection of detached garage. The Parish Council do not object to a garage in principle but are concerned about the size of the garage and height and its close proximity to the neighbouring listed buildings. Proposed by Cllr P Thompson & seconded by Cllr K Throgmorton with all in agreement.
Decisions received from South Hams District Council –
a) Conditional Approval – Application no 3719/25/HHO & 3720/25/LBC – Jasmine Cottage TQ9 7UW – Replace asbestos roof tiles and make driveway & garden steps more accessible.
9) Correspondence –
a) Harberton Neighbourhood Plan Consultation – this has been circulated to Cllrs, all in agreement it’s a very good plan and have no comments to make.
b) Cemetery Path & Tap – many thanks to Cllr Throgmorton who has swept the paths in the Cemetery, a request has also been made to put a piece of hose on the tap so that water does not spray out when turned on. Cllr Throgmorton confirmed he would attend to this.
c) Email regards Travellers at the Cross Roads (to the West of Bowden Pillars) – noted in D Cllrs report item 7b).
10) Highways
a) Blocked Drain in the Corner of Duncannon Lane – Cllr Rogers confirmed he would get the lengthsman to look at this to see if it can be cleared.
11) Finances.
Payments
BACS – 6.2.26 – £29.99 (vat £5.00) – Simon Roberts (Ashmeadow – Hanging Hooks).
BACS – 6.2.25 – £205.00 – Steve Hunt (Lengthsman Works).
BACS – 24.2.26 – £16.42 (vat £2.74) – Ian Bentlett (Waterproof Tape – Ashmeadow).
BACS – 5.3.26 – £1,213.68 – Sharon Raggett (Clerks Salary Jan, Feb & March 26).
Bank Balances March 2026
Treasurers Account = £32,658.44
Monies held within Parish Council Account
Cemetery Fund – £2,283.46
P3 – £530.54
Ash Meadow – £2,592.24
Defib – £4,181.94
12) Any Items to go onto the next Parish Council meeting Agenda.
a) Next Meeting Date – 2nd April 2026.
There be no further business the meeting closed 9.05pm.
ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WHO HAS SPECIAL NEEDS AND REQUIRES A COPY OF THESE MINUTES SENT TO THEM – PLEASE CONTACT THE CLERK 01364 654607. They can also be found on the Parish web site – ashpringtonandtuckenhay.co.uk
Download in pdf format: Minutes of the Meeting 5th March 2026