COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT
* – Attendance; A- Absent; N – No Apologies Received
Cllr. M. Fice – Mayor (in the Chair) *
Cllr Mrs C. Bricknell *
Cllr T. Lang *
Cllr R. Whitfield A
Cllr Mrs L. Sinnott A
Cllr K. Baker *
Cllr Mrs N. Turton *
Cllr P. Lafferty-Holt *
Cllr M. Long *
Also in attendance:
Dist. Cllr S. Wright *
Dist. Cllr Mrs Pearce A
Cty. Cllr. R Gilbert A
Gill Claydon (Clerk) *
Pete Robinson (Cemetery Manager and Project Officer) *
WPC Jo Pengilly A
PCSO P. O’Dwyer A
Sam Acourt Kingsbridge Gazette *
1. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Members were invited to acknowledge any declarable interests, including the nature and extent of such interests that they may have in any items to be considered at this meeting. Cllr Long declared an interest in application 1849/18/FUL being a personal friend.
2. OPEN FORUM
Stephen Alcock of Bonaventure Road wished to speak to 0471/18/FUL which proposed works adjacent to Bonaventure Close. He also advised he was speaking on behalf of other neighbours who shared his concerns. The block plan in the documents showed the road immediately adjacent labelled as a private drive but this was in fact part of Bonaventure Road an unadopted highway. In the planning statement it indicated that the southern side of the site was bounded by Bonaventure Road but this was the northern side and could cause confusion with those not familiar with the site. He had spoken to the agent who acknowledged the errors and said she would rectify them and would get back to him but had not so far responded. At this point he did not wish to comment on the merit of the application but noted there were no other houses along Bonaventure which were built directly on the road and it was not a private drive. Due to its proposed location any works would cause disruption to neighbours during the build and also on the main road. This area already had a significant lack of access and the plan red line was not the correct line.
Roger Pettibrown as Deputy Church Warden had provided maintenance figures for the cemetery. What they were looking for was some assistance with the annual costs. There would be an additional one off cost for making safe the gravestones but he was hoping that Cty Cllr Gilbert would fund this out of his County allowance. He also explained that the church clock was a public clock and the maintenance contract was £232 for last year with another service required in July this year. With these outgoings and less money coming in they were struggling to keep the church going. Cllr Lafferty-Holt was curious about the jump in costs and it was explained that this was partly due to an area of cemetery being included which had increased the size maintained due to it becoming a closed area. Another suggestion was that the probation team could be used but they would not be able to grass cut regularly as this was an ongoing monthly task but perhaps a certain project might be possible.
Police Report – PCSO O’Dwyer advised by email that the police report for the last 30 days was good news in that there had been 2 crimes reported for the parish. The first was a theft of electrical items from a garden of a domestic property within the town and the second crime was a serious burglary from a retail store in the centre of town. Enquiries were still taking place and the police were very eager to see any CCTV that would help them identify the culprit responsible. There was also positive feedback from the shops regarding CCTV and WPc Jo Pengilly asked if the town council would revisit this provision as businesses may now be prepared to contribute to the cost. There were 2 crimes reported for the same time period last year.
The police had been busy dealing with non-crime related incidents around the area including road traffic collisions, domestics and the serious burglary in Salcombe town.
The bad weather had a massive impact on everyone locally and police worked hard to respond to several incidents within the parish. Naturally they were hampered by the snow and conditions but made good use of our 4×4 police vehicle to aid their response. It was fair to say that the public were amazing in supporting them during this difficult time and they even had a local resident who was a special constable volunteer his own 4×4 vehicle to aid in responding to emergency calls. At times like this communities really came together and this parish really stepped up to the mark. On behalf of Devon and Cornwall Police, he asked if town council could please kindly thank the community for its understanding and support during the recent bad weather.
Stephen Alcock and Roger Pettibrown left the meeting.
DISTRICT COUNCILLORS REPORT:
District Cllr Wright mentioned District was researching building their own councils houses and providing employment opportunities and units throughout the district. Officers had been asked to prepare a paper towards the end of March. They had also just launched a survey to understand the housing need in the local area and he urged people to feed into this. Even if people had fed into the Devon Home Choice questionnaire they should also do this to inform the authority. This was to support local communities and included those who had to move out of the area and wanted to return.
With regard to Storm Emma and the following snow and how this had affected the council he was delighted to say that although Follaton House doors had shut and officers did not drive to work the authority was fully functioning having 200 people working from home. Hopefully by the end of this week the waste collection would have caught up from the weather delays.
The Community Reinvestment Fund was ceasing. This was not money from developers but Government fund New Homes Bonus which had been set aside by District for local projects and was now to be used elsewhere.
The Mayor asked what reserve was being used for local jobs and economy and how would it be used. There was a provision for Business Rate Appeals and there was a significant appeal that had a massive impact and District Council took the decision to claim 100% of this off Government and the remainder had been put aside for bringing forward business opportunities. There were 7-8 units at Dartmouth and 4 at Totnes. Previously the Community Reinvestment Fund could only be bid into by parishes who took the development but this economy reserve would be used across the South Hams.
The Mayor noted a press release on assistance in accessing district council services and various sessions around the South Hams but there were none in Salcombe. Dist Cllr Wright advised that there were in fact two sessions but the details had not been confirmed and he would advise in due course. The mayor continued that he was concerned with regard to an email from Dist Cllr Mrs Pearce in relation to an application at the top of the hill that town council objected to as the plans did not illustrate what was being done. There had been no measurements nor elevation and block plans. She responded that although town council had queried the plans as no good refusal was ‘not on the cards’. How could this application be approved when it did not show the true picture?
Cllr Long noted employment land designated in planning policy but asserted it did not appear to be worth the paper it was written on because applicants were get planning for RA4. When proposals went to Appeal they seemed to go through on the nod. RA4 was in the previous development plan but that did not have its five year housing provision so the National Planning Policy Framework overruled this. The Mayor agreed that all felt they were fighting a losing battle. Certain concerns on properties were noted and some appeals had gone against South Hams planning because enforcement action was not taken quickly enough. Cllr Long felt that the legal paperwork and enforcement notices served needed to be in place immediately a breach was reported no matter how long the follow up action took.
Town Council asked to be advised which businesses had indicated they might contribute to CCTV. They would need a meeting with the CCTV provider as the representative never met with town council representatives to discuss cameras and operation. A councillor raised concern that town council represented the residents and should not use tax payers money for the businesses but it was explained that it was the town council ability to access to funding pots that was required.
3. CO OPTION
No applications having been received this was DEFERRED.
4. MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting dated 14th February 2018 were considered before being APPROVED by council and then duly signed by the Mayor as a true and correct record.
5. PLANNING APPLICATIONS:
The following applications were considered under delegation and such observations from town council submitted to District before this meeting.
Cllr Long left the meeting whilst 1849/17/FUL was considered.
• 1849/17/FUL READVERTISEMENT (Revised Plan Received) Erection of dwelling with parking and repositioned access Land adjacent to Mallory, Kingsale Road, Salcombe TQ8 8AW – Objection due to overdevelopment of the site and reduction in amenity for the current and proposed new property.
• 3419/17/FUL READVERTISEMENT (Revised plans) Demolition of existing garages and erection of 1no. dwelling (revision of 0877/17/FUL) Land at Baptist Lane, Salcombe – Objection as this proposal remained an overdevelopment of a small plot which would in turn change the style of the area. The only amenity space proposed was a small corner of grass where currently there was a tree and this was not felt to be enough provision for a four bedroom property. There would also be a loss of parking spaces in an area where parking was of a premium and thus would affect the locality. The proposal did not blend with the street scene and the wall along Devon Road being in a Conservation Area should remain as current. The design was not felt appropriate for a Conservation Area as it did not blend with the locality.
• 0353/18/HHO Householder application for erection of small store in the rear garden 28 Church Street, Salcombe, TQ8 8DH – No objection.
• 0377/18/LBC Listed building consent to create new internal opening between no. 6 & 7 Buckley Street, Salcombe TQ8 8DD – No objection.
• 0471/18/FUL Erection of dwelling and associated landscaping work Site to East, Bonaventure Close, Salcombe TQ8 8BA – Objection. This was felt to be inappropriate in the proposed location and thus overdevelopment of the site. It would restrict Bonaventure Road being larger than the boundary of the permitted garages and affected the street scene being set forward and occupying a larger area. An Appeal Inspector took into account the extant permission for garages but felt that the proposed property was significant and would appear shoehorned into the land which this would also. The plans illustrated a private drive when in fact this was highway and the drawn boundary came a long way out into the road over and above where the boundary currently sits so it was suggested that the plans registered needed to be checked. There would also be a knock on loss of amenity for parking on open land, due to nothing being fenced off, in an area of the town where parking was at a premium.
PLANNING CORRESPONDENCE
• 0285/17/HHO Appeal Ref: APP/K1128/D/17/3188765 Notification received of the Appeal date for 9 Buckley Street, Salcombe TQ8 8DD and that no further comments can be submitted although earlier representations could be removed. Noted
Dist Cllr Wright left the meeting.
6. OPEN SPACES SPORT AND RECREATION PLAN
The following changes were made to this document then town council AGREED it should be put out into the public domain for comments..
Pg 4 – Floodlights picture not for these as hockey ground picture.
Pg 9 – Stated football pitch did meet the size requirements but this was not so the team played at Malborough due to no changing rooms. No boundary around given.
Pg 10 – Sports and leisure facilities should include rowing club and yacht club.
Pg 11/12 – Beaches harbour – Jubilee Pier condition was not satisfactory.
Pg 16 – Item 7 It had not been agreed that the town council offices would be at the Mortuary and it should just refer to community centre.
Pg 21 – Council would manage areas for biodiversity, wildflower, ponds etc.
A revision date was needed on the document to keep track of updates.
The document would be placed on the council website with a link from Facebook and sent to the What’s On in Salcombe. There would also be a few copies printed off for the Library, Over 60s, Church and Information Centre. It would also be sent to all those who were originally contacted for input. This would not be done until April after the Neighbourhood Plan consultation was over. Kingsbridge Gazette would be asked to do an article that time too. Copies would be sent to the District Councillors and Rob Sekula and the Mayor would forward a copy to the Neighbourhood Plan group. This linked with the emerging Joint Local Plan and not Our Plan as it no longer existed.
7. GRANT
Requests for grants were AGREED as follows:
(a) by the organisers of Crab Festival to provide a bus to ferry attendees from the park and ride into town up to a cost of £288 – AGREED.
(b) from Plastic Clever to provide 200 non-plastic mugs to be given to Salcombe school children up to a cost of £400 – AGREED for School and preschool children to provide approximately 150.
(c) from Plastic Clever to pay for printing of laminated A1 or 2 posters and A4 posters to highlight the plastic campaign up to a cost of £400 – NOT AGREED. Town Council support the project but not financial support for advertising.
(d) towards the Salcombe Church yard and public clock annual upkeep – AGREED grant towards the graveyard headstones renovation up to £400.
8. JUBILEE GARDEN
Following a site visit;
(a) to consider what action to take regarding the collapse of a section of unstable wall during maintenance works together with further work which would secure the whole wall. It was AGREED to increase this contract to £5000. Cllr Long explained what needed to be done to lower one section and carry out works to secure the whole wall.
(b) this tree had since failed completely in the storm weather and thus it was AGREED to remove it with volunteer assistance and if replanting was required to do this at a later stage.
9. MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS
The quotes received were tabled and it was AGREED to award all maintenance works to South Hams District Council Maintenance Team for £9989.59 p.a. with the War Memorial tubs going to Fiona Cranford-Smith for £300p.a.
10. HANDYMAN PROJECTS
A report was provided on various costings for works outstanding and offered under the handyman contract were AGREED as follows:
• Women’s Institute Memorial Oak in Bonfire Hill – due to further consideration quotes for such move to be sought from tree experts
• Noticeboards x 4 oiled £320.00 – APPROVED.
• Cut back vegetation from fence belonging to South West Water – APPROVED £300 quoted to cut back ivy from fence but an additional section of works required will also be added.
• Cemetery gates £435 – APPROVED.
11. CEMETERY MAPPING
The request by the Salcombe History Society to have access to the town council maps to assist them writing up the history of the town was AGREED with the old paper version to be made available. Due to the condition of the maps Town council would get them copied with the society to pay for such cost.
12. EMERGENCY PLAN
The use and operation of the plan in the recent bad weather was considered and it was AGREED that town council needed to revisit the plan operation and areas to be treated. The County shovel and high viz jacket had been returned to Cllr Mrs Turton by the previous emergency officer. Town council thanked Richard Turton for ensuring all the gritting around the town was dealt with.
13. MAYOR’S REPORT
The Mayor noted the draft Neighbourhood Plan and the forthcoming drop in sessions at which support was needed. Councillors were asked to respond individually with comments on the Neighbourhood Plan. Cllr Lang had raised previously that the Park and Ride field should be included in open spaces and he was asked to put this point in as a comment for consideration.
The Mayor had received an email with regard to Egremont Trust and this matter would be an agenda item for the next meeting.
He continued that some members of the Neighbourhood Plan group had a meeting with David Parkes with regard to what was happening at the Batson end of Shadycombe and it appeared discussion had moved on a lot further than town council was advised of. Now there was a much firmer proposal which included items discussed at the forum in Cliff House and he had been advised of further matters. Harrison Sutton were also at this meeting representing the landowner above Shadycombe which had been indicated as suitable for affordable housing within a Community Land Trust. A submission for funding from David Parkes went into the Coastal Community Fund providing figures of costings for a multi storey car park and housing units so it seemed that projects had advanced. Peter Sandover suggested town council representatives should also be in attendance but they were not invited. Technically District Council was not able to interfere with the emerging Neighbourhood Plan although some of these points could do so.
14. COUNCILLORS REPORTS
Cllr Mrs Turton – Attended the CEO and Mayors meeting at Follaton House along with the town clerk wherein Sophie Hosking confirmed that she was now sole Head of Paid Services, and Steve Mullineaux Deputy. Helen Dobby was in charge of Commercial Services. Rob Ellis, an Asset Specialist for Community Housing, had taken over from David Parkes, who was now a Surveyor with a team carrying out other projects. Officers had been asked to put together a paper on building council houses and District was hoping to work with Community Land Trusts to achieve this. District had joined a National Lobby for funding towards this. There was a possibility of purchasing land out of the Community Initiative Fund of £200,000, or using District owned land. Locality Officers were being trained to help residents learn how to pay by internet or through the Post Office now that District was not accepting cash or cheques at their offices as a saving mechanism. Paperless Planning was coming very soon, but they did acknowledge the need for a “Download All” button! They had created an ‘Engagement Portal’ and were trialling a chat room to enable two-way conversations and a new level of transparency.
They also talked about the A379 at Slapton, but events were already ahead of them at the time of the meeting, as Government and County had made positive announcements.
She also attended the Coastal Communities Team meeting on 5 March and the latest funding round had been launched. Composite Fishing and Tourism projects were being followed up by Tim Beavon from The DR Company to develop into a full Coastal Communities Fund application. Within this application were improvements to Salcombe Fish Quay and yachting facilities, which adhered to the CCF criteria of job creation and productivity improvement. Once there was further information a follow up meeting would be held.
She was invited to a book launch at the Museum by Roger Barrett so he could show her the new displays and thank town council for their grant.
Cllr Lafferty-Holt –Noted the flooding in town from a burst water pipe and gulley outside Bonningtons which was full of silt. It was hoped that this had been cleared by previous works but appeared not. Whilst he was abroad in Wellington he noted a pop up village provided by shipping containers 8ft deep lined up to create a market in a neat way. He wondered if in a busy period this could be done at Batson.
Cllr Long – Noted email correspondence, a phone call and comments to town council from a resident in Coronation Road complaining about pine trees in Shadcyombe graveyard which were taller than the houses cutting out light. The two trees referred to were in fact yew trees covered by Tree Preservation Orders and sited some 10 metres from the cemetery wall boundary with the house having a fair sized garden and therefore did not impact. It was not excessive in height nor tall and a distance away. There was no loss of light east to west because the sun came to the front of the property. No action to these yews was necessary but maybe the buddleia and laurel could be removed as it was growing in the wall and had been trimmed away from gravestones but not over the property so should be addressed on a regular basis.
He had been notified that day of another conifer down in the cemetery. It was a yew further along the cemetery past the mortuary which looked as though branches had fallen off and the just sheared off. It had fallen into the cemetery so was not a nuisance and just needed cutting and clearing away. As this was a TPO tree photos of the collapse would be sent to Alex Whish, Tree Officer.
Cllr Lang – Following his footpath report he had further reports on trees down due to the storm. Hanger Lane to Motherhill there was a tree down so he dealt with this blockage. On the Bridleway from North Sands to Collaton where the hard-core surface was replaced a horse rider stated it was impossible to get down although another rider said it was perfectly alright.
CLERK’S REPORT
• Email from a resident requested that town council approach the Woodland Trust and their leaseholder to request that signs warning of fines for wrongful cutting back or felling of trees within the Plantation be erected. The concern was that works had been carried out without permission for what seemed improvements to views from properties. Ground cover management had taken place which was legitimate and town council did not feel a request for more signage was necessary.
• A request was received from an adjacent owner to Shadycombe Cemetery to reduce the height of some trees and cut back bushes due to it affecting the light to their property. The Tree Officer had reviewed this request and reported back earlier in the meeting.
• Licensing sub-committee meeting would take place 19th March 2018 at 10a.m. in relation to the premises licence application for Bearz Bar, The Kidz & Co. Island Street, Salcombe. The response previously forwarded to District licensing had been provided on the summary of key points form and returned noting no formal attendance from town council.
• A report was provided with regard to the attendance by the town clerk and project officer at the General Data Protection Regulations training. All documentation held had to be reviewed and a retention policy would need to be drawn up but the main point was that neither of the officers could be appointed as the Data Controller and the company that provided the training would charge £600p.a. This matter was to be brought to the next meeting.
• Licensing had advised that Kingsbridge Police Station had applied to hold a Marine Awareness Day with activities proposed of a display of enforcement agencies and emergency service vehicles to be held on 4th April 2018 between 8am and 4pm at Whitestrand car park, Salcombe. Businesses need the car park open at this time of the year over Easter. If there was no impact on the car park there would be no problem but the town clerk was asked to clarify usage.
• Chris Lane advised that the contract acceptance for works at the Council Hall had gone into his SPAM box and therefore he had only just found the email. Due to the scheduling of his work already booked in he advised that he would commence works in May 2018.
• Highways had advised that any time between 1st April and 1st October 2018 Coronation Road and/or Bonfire Hill could be closed for up to 5 days for cleaning, patching and lining. Advance warnings would be placed 7 days beforehand. Highways were to be advised that they could not do these works during August nor any of the half terms.
• Rent demands to the Information Centre and Museum had been sent out as per last year.
15. FINANCE
Bank Balances
Current Account £383.50
Deposit Account £309,452.90
Receipts: None
Councillors APPROVED Internet payments to:
Bayleaf (February) – £546.98
Concorde I Ltd – Copies used £6.68
Marketing Means – Summary Survey and questionnaires to 2244 addresses Neighbourhood Plan £3067.20
Hawthorns Accounting Sers Ltd – Payroll October 2017 – March 2018 £102.00
Softcat plc – Office 365 £30.85
Sandover Associations – Neighbourhood Plan Consultancy Exhibition Material £613.78
Triangle (Nick Walker Printing) – 50 x Neighbourhood Plans £297.00
Greenspace (February) – Maintenance £474.33
Cheques: None
16. NEXT MEETING
The next town council meeting would be held on Wednesday 28th March 2018 in the Library at Cliff House, Cliff Road, Salcombe at 6.30p.m.
Meeting Closed: 21.27p.m.
……………………………………………….. 28th March 2018.
Town Mayor.