ASHPRINGTON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the PARISH COUNCIL MEETING on Thursday March 7th, 2024 at 7.30 pm held in Ashprington Village Hall.
Present; Cllr Rogers {Chair}, Cllr S. Paterson, Cllr K. Throgmorton, Cllr. Thompson, Cllr S. Greaves {Vice Chair}, Cllr Stocks.
Also present: Michael Read, Clerk. District Cllr J. McKay, No members of the public.
1.Declaration of interest in items on the Agenda.
Cllr Rogers – Planning App – 0678/24/PDM Higher Sharpham Barton Farm.
- Apologies. M. Pearey, Tree Warden, P Macey, P3 Co Ordinator, Cllr T. Green, County Cllr Hawkins
- The minutes of the Parish Council meeting dated February 1st were approved.
- Matters arising from the meeting of February 1st, not on the agenda;
Highway Maintenance Community Fund.
It was agreed that the Council would apply for funding from this fund to maintain the verges of the parish’s roads. Cllrs Stocks and Thompson will prepare the bid when applications are invited.
Commemorative Tree
The Village Hall Committee were not happy with the positioning of the tree. Enquiries were made to establish whether Ash Meadow might be a better location. Ian Bentlett is happy with this proposal and it will be located next to the totem pole. Thanks go to Nigel and Lyn Paterson who are happy to move it.
Potential Double yellow lines Application.
This proposal was due to be discussed as the Council sought to discourage parking at certain pinch points in the village. However, given that DCC have decided to discontinue gritting in Ashprington, between the War Memorial and the Watermans, the proposal will be discussed later this year.
Lengthsman
Cllr Rogers is to proceed with recruiting volunteers to clear up verges, manage drains and buddle holes in addition to the work completed by a lengthsman.
Thermal Imaging Camera
It seems that Kingswear PC do not own a thermal Imaging Camera. The parish might therefore borrow from SHDC but only if there is proven demand.
Purchase of Parish Laptop
It was proposed and agreed that the parish purchase a laptop up to the value of £500.00
- P3 Report.
Work is proposed to the footpath through Holly Villas Away Gardens which are suffering as a result of all the recent rain. Pam Macey is completing the P3 survey and Financial report and will include the cost as a grant request for this work and the remedial work to Lime Lane pending an estimate for the work. Pater Mantle of Crownley Woods is obtaining estimates for work to the bridge and steps on his access land to the woods from the National Trust.
- District and County Councillor Reports
Cllr McKay reported that the SHDC Budget has been approved. The Councils Strategic Plan has also been passed including an Affordable Housing Strategy. Work has been done on reforming the planning process and Enforcement. The Joint Local Plan is under review but unlikely to change.
7.Tree Warden Report
Nothing to report
- Planning
4063/23/ARC Steps Cottage Application for approval of details reserved by conditions. Part Approved/Part Rejected.
4053/23/ARC Steps Cottage. Application for Approval of details reserved by conditions. Part Approved/Part Rejected.
4026/23/LBC 1 Frogmore Farm. Listed Building Consent for reinstatement of field gateway. Approved.
0504/24/VAR 4 Orchard Close. Application for Variation of condition 2 {planning Document OHH/182} to planning consent 4680/21/HHO. Support.
4519/22/PDM Higher Sharpham Barton Farm. Application to decide if prior approval is required for a proposed change of use of agricultural building to 5No dwelling houses. Support proposal to decide if prior approval is required.
- Correspondence
A safety concern was raised by a parishioner regarding the road into Ashprington at the bend by Bowden Pillars. He suggested that a white lane be painted in the road to deter vehicles cutting the corner. The Clerk has passed on the request to the DCC Highways Officer although the area is not in Ashprington parish
Flooding
The very high tides experienced in recent weeks have left a number pf parishioners having to cope with flooding in their homes. Although it is the responsibility of individual landowners to protect their property there is some funding available through the Devon Emergency Resilience Fund. This is managed by Devon Communities Together, an independent charity that works with communities across Devon to help them tackle challenges such as flooding. The grant can only be applied for by specific groups, NOT individuals. One scheme that is available is for groups that have a Community Emergency Plan. Ashprington Parish Council has such a plan so they qualify to apply for a grant on behalf of parishioners for up to £1500. The grant is to provide the rapid purchase of simple equipment such as shovels, road signs, emergency blankets, torches, high visibility jackets, temporary portable flood barriers, pumps, sand bags etc. Parishioners would have to combine together to decide what equipment would be of most use, provide details of why it was needed, what risks the grant would mitigate against and give full details of the item and cost of the items to be purchased. The Parish Council would then apply for and facilitate the grant. At present the funding is only open until April but there could be the possibility of further funding in the future. Devon County Council also has a Property Resilience Fund with grants of up to £5,000.
- Finance.
Treasurers Account -Balance £26,557.57, Cemetery Account – £353.84, P3 Account – £487.71. Expenditure approved -Defibrillator – Various. Income – Grant from Cllr Hawkins Locality Budget. – £500.00.
- Ashprington Village Hall Report.
Two new trustees were welcomed on to the committee. Keeping a fine balance between income and expenditure is something that has to be monitored. There has been a lot of maintenance work done on the hall during the last year resulting in increased expenditure but it should not need to be repeated for some time. Further maintenance work needs to be done and although the Village Hall bank balance could cope with the costs it was considered to be pertinent to apply for funding if it is available.
Bookings for the hall are steady. There has been interest to form a Pickleball Club and there will be a trial for a Badminton Club so there could be potential increased use of the hall.
There is to be a return of the Summer Lunch on June 8th and a possible 60’s/70’s disco in the winter.
The Commemorative tree that was planted to mark the Coronation of King Charles III needs to be moved if it is to continue to grow properly. The committee felt that there was nowhere else suitable on the green in front of the hall to reposition the tree so it was suggested that it be planted on Ash Meadow.
Our longstanding and hardworking Chair, Ali Carlyon, will be moving to a new home so has had to resign her position. She was thanked for all of her work and leadership and was presented with a bouquet and a bottle of “fizz”. The new chair will be Matt Redwood.
The next meeting will be the AGM followed by a short committee meeting on WEDNESDAY 22nd May at 7.00pm in the hall.
- Other Business/Councillors Areas of Responsibility.
Salt Marsh Wall
A hole in the wall was reported by a parishioner as a matter of concern. However, Cllr Thompson reported that Nigel Mortimer and others stated that it was quite safe and should not be an issue of concern.
Defibrillator Quiz Night, Feb 29th
Cllr Paterson reported that the Quiz evening held in the Durant was a great success – £601.00 was raised on the evening from the quiz entry fees/raffle, plus a donation of £120.00 from the profits of the catering.
The meeting closed at 9.15pm.
Next Council meeting will be on Thursday April 4th, 2024 at 7.45pm in the Village Hall, preceded by the Annual Meeting at 7.30pm Michael Read Ashprington Clerk spooks49@michaelread.plus.com.Tel. 732047
Download the meeting minutes in Microsoft Word format here: PC Minutes March 2024