Agenda 2025 September 08

Sep 3, 2025 | Agendas

To all members of Blackawton Parish Council 3 September 2025

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

a. Water Quality in the River Gara and Slapton Ley Catchment

An introduction of the BLUEprint for Rivers Project: a collaborative project designed to unite local stakeholders in restoring the health of our rivers, estuaries, and streams by 2027.

To invite BPC to a summit on 4th October 2025.

b. Open Forum

The Chair invites Questions from Parishioners.

c. 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 14 July 2025.

  1. Report from Devon County Council Councillor

  2. Report from South Hams District Council Councillor

  3. Planning Applications

    1. South Hams District Council’s Planning Decisions

To note the decisions as follows:

  • 1505/25/PDM Land At Sx 801 505 (Woodford Barn), Blackawton. Application to determine if prior approval is required for a proposed change of use of agricultural building to 2No dwellinghouse (class C3) & for associated development (Class Q (a+b)). Prior Approval Required and Refused.

  • 1876/25/AGR Land at SX 780 509 Blackawton. Application to determine if prior approval is required for proposed excavations or deposits of waste material reasonably necessary for the purposes of agriculture; to create a small car park in the paddock. Prior Approval Required and Refused.

  • 1520/25/PDM Land At Sx 801 505 (Woodford Barn), Blackawton. Application to determine if prior approval is required for a proposed change of use of agricultural building to 2No dwellinghouse (class C3) & for associated development (Class Q (a+b)). Prior Approval Required and Refused.

  • 1604/25/HHO 8 Cheavestone Lea Blackawton TQ9 7AU. Householder application for proposed single storey rear extension. Conditional Approval.

  • 1712/25/HHO The Anchorage Main Street BlackawtonTQ9 7BG. Householder application for extension of existing dwelling & associated works. Withdrawn.

  • 2088/25/TCA 1 Tumbling Fields Main Street Blackawton TQ9 7BG. G1: x1 Bay & x1 Cypress – remove. No Objections Raised.

  • 2314/25/TCA St Michaels Church Church Hill Blackawton TQ9 7BQ. T1 – T8 (Cherries): Removal of the avenue of cherry trees leading from the southern gate of the churchyard to the porch of St Michael’s Church T9: Conifer – Removal, the roots of the large conifer are damaging the retaining wall of the churchyard (both the next to Main Street and the adjoining wall next to the small garden area), if the tree is not removed the walls will become dangerous. No Objections Raised.

    1. Review of New Applications

For information:

  • 2380/25/CLP The Granary Millcombe Farmhouse Blackawton TQ9 7AE. Certificate of lawfulness for proposed siting of caravan within the domestic garden to provide ancillary accommodation.

    1. Application received since the 14 July Meeting of BPC

The following applications were circulated within BPC and no extraordinary meeting considered required to comment on them:

  • Pavement Licence Application – Smith Street Deli, Dartmouth, TQ6 9QR

  • Variation application premises licence Royal Castle Hotel, Dartmouth TQ6 9PS

  • Dartmouth Pavement Licence – Seale Arms

  • 2148/25/ARC Ebenezer Blackawton. TQ9 7BN. Application for approval of details reserved by condition 3 (Windows & Doors) to planning consent 0619/25/HHO.

The Tree Warden commented on the following application:

  • 2088/25/TCA 1 Tumbling Fields Main Street Blackawton TQ9 7BG. G1: x1 Bay & x1 Cypress – remove.

The Tree Warden noted that the Bay tree is causing damage the adjacent wall and overhanging the adjacent property, and that the Cypress is intertwined with the Bay tree. They requested the opinion of the South Hams Tree Officer.

  1. Consultations

  • South Hams District Council: series of events in September and October to discuss the Local Government Reorganisation proposals to help inform a final proposal.

  • South Hams Draft Statement of Licensing Policy 2026 – 2031. Closes 30/09/2025

  1. Management of Trees in the St Michael’s Churchyard

To consider:

  • a decision on whether to remove the conifer from the southeast corner

  • a decision on whether to remove the dead cherry tree on the avenue to School Lane

  • management of further cherry trees located on the path from Church porch to School Lane which may be dying

  • whether the arrangement of a ‘Bat Survey’ is required

  • arrangements for use of cherry wood by local craftspeopleproposals to leave cherry tree trunks in situ as habitat deadwood, or if that is not acceptable then stacking any unused cut wood in a series of low piles against the north Church wall

  • the proposal to Replant the avenue from Cousins Cross to the Church porch with Rowan trees

  • the proposal to Replace the dead cherry on the path to School Lane with a Hawthorn tree

  1. Maintenance and Restoration of Gates in the St Michael’s Churchyard

To note that a meeting is being arranged with both representatives of the Church and of SHDC to agree an appropriate approach to the works, and to note a Project Enquiry to the Heritage Fund regarding grant funding for the works.

  1. Blackawton Emergency Plan

To plan how to progress the work from the June 2025 Workshop to create a current Blackawton Emergency Plan.

  1. Blackawton Community Owned Wind Turbine

To consider the proposal for BPC to apply for a Government grant to pay for a feasibility study for a Community Owned Wind Turbine.

To consider the proposed tender documents (to source a supplier) and project plan (to run the project).

  1. Parish Lengthsman

To receive the Report on work done from July 2024 to the present.

  1. Maintenance and Repair of the Railing at the Church’s Lychgate, on Church Hill

To consider the proposal from a volunteering resident to remove the railing, repair, and reinstall with a materials budget of up to £150.

  1. Community All Areas Cut of the Churchyard

To decide the arrangements for the community project.

  1. French Furze Development

To receive an update.

  1. Tree Warden Vacancy

To agree how to proceed to fill the vacancy.

  1. Stoke Gabriel Ukraine Action Group

To consider inviting the Action Group to make a presentation at a separate public meeting in the Village Hall and to make a donation to this group in kind, in the form of any hall booking fee.

  1. Meeting Action items

To briefly review the list.

  1. Finance

    1. Update on Current Financial Position

To receive Reports and Bank Reconciliation.

    1. Payments & Receipts

To authorise the following payments:

  • Clerk July & August Expenses Reimbursement £99.08

  • Cllr Coe Emergency Plan Workshop Refreshments Expenses Reimbursement £4.79

  • Grounds Maintenance Churchyard Frequent cuts 8 & 22 August £204.00

  • Grounds Maintenance Cemetery Frequent cuts 8 & 22 August £216.00

Payments authorised since the last monthly meeting:

  • Supplies to restore phone box & re-fix loose slab on wall around War Memorial area £68.87

  • Cut flush Churchyard wall vegetation, fell three saplings growing on the wall & insert ecoplugs £742.50 first payment made. Total of £1,000 approved by Clerk and Chair for the complete work.

  • Grounds Maintenance Churchyard Frequent cuts 5 & 19 August £204.00

  • Grounds Maintenance Cemetery Frequent cuts 5 & 19 August £216.00

  • Webhost to set-up cost for provision of additional Email addresses for Community Shop & Allotments (for GDPR compliance) £22.00. The ongoing cost will be £20/year including a the existing extra 10 Email addresses.

16.4 Local Government Pay Award 2025/26

To note the new Award and its implementation.

  1. Correspondence

To note or consider:

  • Peninsula Transport £100k Rural Mobility Fund Closes 5/10/25

  • Strete Parish Council Meeting, 17/07/2025, Open Public Forum with Slapton Line Partnership Adaption Manager, Minutes shared with BPC

  • UK Policing’s notice of South West’s Cyber Resilience Centre: Free Cyber Support available for Sole Traders/SME’s/Charities/Public Authorities etc.

  • Slapton WW2 Research Project. For BPC’s information

  • Invitation: Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service: Community Conversations Webinar on 10/09/2025 at 12:00pm, Road safety

  • Invitation: South Devon National Landscape Partnership Meeting 19/09/2025, Hybrid: Repton Room at Follaton House and online via Zoom. 10am – 12:00pm

  • Invitation: South Hams Energy Assembly 18/10/25 Kingsbridge Community College

  • Invitation: Scribefest 9/10/2025, 9:30am – 4:00pm

  1. Next Meeting

To confirm the next meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Monday 13 October 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. Management of Trees in the St Michael’s Churchyard

To consider quotes received for the removal of the avenue of cherry trees from Cousins Cross to the Church porch and of the large conifer in the south-east corner of the Churchyard.

PRESS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE VERY WELCOME TO ATTEND

Annette Thom

Parish Clerk