Approved Minutes 2023 April 04

Apr 13, 2023 | Minutes

The Approved Minutes can be read below or downloaded here: MN_2023_April BPC Approved Minutes

APPROVED Minutes of the Monthly Meeting of Blackawton Parish Council held on
Tuesday 4 April 2023 at 7:30 p.m. in Blackawton Village Hall

Carbon Savers Course

Module 1 – Calculate your Carbon Footprint. The video was viewed and discussed. The action from the module is to calculate your carbon footprint. Knowing your carbon footprint allows you to target your efforts where you will have the biggest potential impact. The Carbon Savvy website offers three calculation methods: taking from 5 minutes to a full calculation taking about 45 minutes. The resources will be shared on the Parish website.

Open Forum

No members of the public present.

Present: Councillors Rake (Chair), Coe, Mallyon, Ougton, and Thomas were present, as were South Hams District Cllr Reeve, Devon County Cllr Brazil (for his report), and A Thom (Clerk). No members of the public.

  1. Apologies

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Mewes and Cllr Curry was also absent.

  1. Declarations of Councillors’ Interests in Agenda Items

None declared.

  1. Minutes of Previous Meetings

The minutes of the Meeting held on 7 March 2023 were approved.

  1. Report from South Hams District Council Councillor

SHDC Cllr Reeve reported that the mobile library service is struggling. There is an alternative home library service.
Cllr Reeve has met with an SHDC Officer on-site at French Furze to assess the play area. There has been an internal meeting of SHDC Officers to discuss French Furze, and Vistry is organising a meeting with SHDC, DCC, and DPC to take place later this month with a view to progressing the transfer of ownership of the playground, MUGA, and car park.

SHDC Cllr Reeve has looked into an enquiry about the requirement under the S106 for the planning approval for four new dwellings being constructed on Greenslade Road for a new public footpath to be constructed and has been advised that the footpath’s completion is expected in August 2023 along with the completion of the first houses.

  1. Report from Devon County Council Councillor

DCC Cllr Brazil reported that extra money has been received by DCC from central government for road maintenance. The DCC Cabinet will meet to decide how the extra road maintenance money will be spent. Cllr Brazil asked if there are areas in the Parish which require maintenance, and which are well used but not on a main road.

  1. Planning Applications

    1. SHDC Planning Decisions

The following decision was noted:

  • 0020/23/HHO Heyes Main Street Blackawton TQ9 7BG. Householder application for a single storey extension to side/rear of the property to replace current shed/workshop. Conditional Approval.
    1. Review of New Applications

  • 0591/23/HHO 4 Cheavestone Lea Blackawton TQ9 7AU. Householder application for conversion of garage to recreational/quietspace.

It was resolved by unanimous resolution to comment in Support.

  • Variation to the premises licence of The Seahorse Restaurant, 5 South Embankment, Dartmouth, TQ6 9BH.

No comment made by BPC.

  • For Information: 4163/22/CLE The Brake Blackawton TQ9 7DE. Certificate for lawfulness for existing use of: The workshop as a furniture making workshop, Jackson’s Cabin and Kale’s place as independent unit of residential units. Use of buildings have been undertaken for a period of 10yrs. Certificate of lawfulness also sought for the development of: The Workshop, Jackson’s Cabin, Jake’s Place, The Studio & the Bakehouse. Buildings have been complete for in excess of four years.

Noted by BPC.

  1. Sustainable South Hams Assembly – Rivers, 18 March 2023

A verbal Report was received on the Assembly. Measurements of local river quality are taken by the Field Studies Centre. More data is required to provide evidence on which to base interventions. There is a project by the Citizens Science Initiative scheme to take regular samples at multiple local sites. It was resolved to approve expenditure of £100 to fund the purchase four water testing kits if Blackawton is accepted into the Citizen Science Initiative as volunteer samplers.

It was confirmed that BPC will continue communications with South West Water regarding sewage outflow into local rivers.

  1. Consultations

  • South West Water, Draft Water Resources Management Plan. Closes 9 May 2023.

It was resolved to delegate the Clerk authority to respond, in consultation with Cllr Oughton.

  1. S106 requirement for a new public footpath with planning application approval 1972/17/FUL- Erection of four dwellings at Greenslade Road Blackawton

This matter was addressed by SHDC Cllr Reeve above.

  1. Re-location of Slapton Line Memorial

It was resolved to accept the proposal that the Parishes jointly accept re-location to the Field Studies Council (FSC) site with FSC management of the land because the only alternative option is storage of the Memorial stonework, and BPC will await FSC’s proposed terms.

  1. Parish Website – COVID Resources Pages

It was confirmed that the pages will be removed.

  1. BPC Information Management Policy

It was resolved adopt the proposed Policy and to unadopt the 2014 Information Security Policy.

  1. Maintenance of the Closed St Michael’s Churchyard

It was agreed that the Clerk will carry out work to examine records to try to establish BPC’s position regarding legal responsibility for the maintenance of the closed St Michael’s Churchyard. The Clerk will report to BPC with a conclusion or a draft request for legal advice from the National Association of Local Councils.

  1. Community Energy

BPC is open to considering specific proposals to support local groups.

  1. Affordable Housing in Blackawton

SHDC may be carrying out a housing needs survey in July 2023, with further action based on the results of the survey.

  1. 20’s Plenty for Devon Campaign

Councillors support the proposal in principle. Whether to resolve to support this campaign will be an item on the May Agenda.

  1. Finance

    1. Update on Current Financial Position

The Reports showed a total balance of £52,513.69 and an unearmarked General Fund of £12,307.30 on 31 March, and the cashbook reconciled with BPC’s bank statements.

    1. Payments & Receipts

It was resolved to authorise the following payments subject viewing the Devon Communities Together membership renewal documents.

  • Devon Communities Together membership, £50.00

  • Westdown Farm Ltd, Cemetery Hedge, £90.00

  • Clerk, March Expenses reimbursement, £17.69

The following payments made since the March meeting were noted:

  • Clerk, March Salary, £474.49

  • HMRC, March, £122.20

  • NEST Pensions, March, £42.77

  1. Correspondence

The following correspondence was noted:

  • 9/3/22 Neighbourhood Team Sergeant Introduced and provided contact details.

  • Anthony Mangnall MP Open meetings with South West Water’s representatives: Brixham: 30th March 2023 at 5pm & Totnes: 27th April 2023 at 5pm.

  1. Annual Parish Meeting

It was noted that the meeting will take place on 18 April 2023 at 7:30 pm.

  1. Next Meeting

It was noted that the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council and the next monthly Meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Tuesday 16 May 2023 starting at 7:30 p.m.

  1. Closure of the Meeting

It was resolved, in accordance with the 1960 Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act, to exclude the public and press during consideration of the following item because of the commercial-in-confidence nature of the business.

  1. Parish Council Insurance

It was agreed that the quote from Zurich insurance appeared preferable and resolved to delegate the Clerk authority, in consultation with Cllr Rake, to obtain an updated quote which includes Key Personnel Cover and an increase in the value of insured assets in 23/24 by 15% of 22/23 values, and to make a final decision.

The meeting closed at 22:04.