Agenda 2025 December 08

Dec 3, 2025 | Agendas

To all members of Blackawton Parish Council 3 December 2025

You are hereby summoned to attend the monthly meeting of Blackawton Parish Council to be held on Monday 8 December 2025 at 7:30 p.m. in Blackawton Village Hall for the purpose of transacting the following business.

a. Open Forum

The Chair invites Questions from Parishioners.

b. Councillors Forum

Cllrs may raise items for attention or for future consideration.

AGENDA

  1. Apologies

To receive apologies for absence.

  1. Declarations of Interest

To receive declarations of Members’ interests in Agenda items.

  1. Minutes of Previous Meetings

To approve Minutes of the Meeting held on 10 November 2025.

To note the approved Minutes of the Personnel Committee Meeting on 26 March and draft minutes of the Personnel Sub-Committee Meeting on 1 December 2025.

  1. Report from South Hams District Council Councillor

  2. Report from Devon County Council Councillor

  3. Planning Applications

    1. South Hams District Council’s Planning Decisions

To note the decisions as follows:

  • 2635/25/PDM Land At Sx 801 505, Blackawton, TQ9 7AZ. Application to determine if prior approval is required for a proposed change of use of agricultural barn to 4no. dwellinghouses (class C3) & for associated development (Class Q (a+b)). Refused

    1. Review of New South Hams District Council Applications

To consider commenting to SHDC on the following applications:

  • 3266/25/HHO The Anchorage Main Street Blackawton TQ9 7BG. Householder application for extension of existing dwelling & associated works.

  • 2889/25/HHO Brocks Down13 Dartmouth Green Blackawton TQ9 7FE. Householder application for replacement of existing single storey garden room with oak framed garden room.

  • 3452/25/VAR Hingston Farm Lane To Hingston Farm East AllingtonTQ9 7QA

  • New Premises Licence – Higher Hutcherleigh, Blackawton, TQ9 7AD. Supply of alcohol off the premises:- Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00. Sunday 10:00 to 15:00. The premises will package hampers for distribution and will not be open to the public.

    1. Review of New Devon County Council Application

To consider commenting to DCC on the following application:

  • Informal Consultation – Public Path Diversion – Blackawton Footpath No.4 Higher Pasture Farm, Blackawton.

  1. French Furze Development

To receive an update.

  1. Maintenance of Churchyard Wall

To note the Report and email correspondence from the Engineer.

To confirm that the Clerk will now obtain quotes for the recommended works.

  1. Churchyard Gates

To note the Clerk’s Report, to consider arrangements for projects to move the southern lychgate into the Church and to photograph all churchyard gates, and

To confirm: a community working group to help to seek grants for the repair and maintenance works, and to ask the School and the local History group if the works might be a learning opportunity.

  1. Planting Trees in the Churchyard to Replace Felled Trees

To note the Clerk’s Report.

To confirm the variety of rowan trees to plant in an avenue in the Churchyard.

To review or confirm the spacing of planting in the avenue.

To authorise payment of up to £50 for a crab apple (malus) John Downie.

  1. South Devon National Landscape’s Offer of a Wheelchair Friendly Picnic Table with Two Bench Seats

To review BPC’s choice of a wheelchair accessible site to locate the table/bench.

  1. Personnel Sub-Committee

To consider approving the recommendations of the 1 December Personnel Sub-Committee meeting:
-to book a DALC whole council bespoke training course (short course for up to 10 people cost of approximately £250 plus travel), and to confirm the topics and date,
-no action is required regarding pension contributions,
-a system where the Clerk arranges annual leave by notifying the Personnel Cllrs in advance and within legal time-frame, -to continue to pay the Clerk for 15 hours per week from October to January inclusive (excluding when on annual leave). 15 hours per week is the average total weekly budgeted staff hours for 2025/26.

  1. BPC’s Gritter

To plan action to assess the gritter, and to decide whether and how to repair it.

  1. Finance

    1. Update on Current Financial Position

To receive Reports and Bank Reconciliation.

    1. Payments & Receipts

To authorise the following payments

  • Clerk November Expenses Reimbursement £35.29

  • Royal British Legion Donation £50.00

  • DALC, Managing Projects webinar training £42.00

  • Churchyard Wall Engineer’s assessment of works £940.85

Payments authorised since the last monthly meeting:

  • Bat Survey of churchyard trees prior to felling £536.00

  • Parish Lengthsman October 2025 £132.00

  1. Cemetery Transfer of Deeds of Grant

To note that effective 17 November 2025, the fee for obtaining copy documents has been revised from £1.50 to £16.

  1. Meeting Action items

To briefly review.

  1. Next Meeting

To confirm the next meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Monday 12 January at 7:30 p.m.

  1. Closure of the Meeting

To consider a resolution, in accordance with the 1960 Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act, to exclude the public and press during consideration of the following item(s) because of the commercial-in-confidence nature of the business.

  1. Grounds Maintenance Contract 2026

To consider accepting the costs proposed.

  1. Noticeboard Quotes

To consider the quotes and arrangements to install a Parish Council noticeboard in the Main Street bus shelter.

  1. Churchyard Trees

To consider the quotes to purchase rowan trees to plant an avenue in the Churchyard.

PRESS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE VERY WELCOME TO ATTEND

Annette Thom

Parish Clerk