DITTISHAM PARISH COUNCIL
Incorporating the Hamlet of Capton and the Manors of Bozomzeal and Coombe
Draft Minutes of the meeting of Dittisham Parish Council held in Dittisham Village Hall, on Wednesday 14 September 2011 at 7.30 p.m.
Present: Cllrs J Walker (Chair), M Faulkner, A Stevens, S Stothart, J Tucker, P Unitt, H Watson; County Cllr J Hawkins
2 members of the public were present.
92/11 Apologies
Apologies were received from Cllrs Harris-Evans and Wotton.
93/11 Declarations of interest in items on the agenda
Cllr Unitt declared an interest in 99/11.5 below, with regard to discussion of the Sailing Club concession. Cllr Watson declared an interest in 97/11.1 below. In line with normal procedures – Cllr Tucker did not participate in item 97/11 below.
94/11 Minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council held on 13 July 2011, and of the Extraordinary meetings held on 21 July 2011 and 17 August 2011.
The Minutes were approved as follows: 13 July 2011 - proposed Cllr Stothart, seconded Cllr Walker; 21 July 2011 - proposed Cllr Unitt, seconded Cllr Faulkner; 17 August 2011 - proposed Cllr Stevens, seconded Cllr Faulkner.
95/11 Public issues
95/11.1 Report from Police Community Support Officer
PCSO Broad had sent a written report at the beginning of August to note 6 incidents in the parish over the previous months – of which 5 had been false alarms, following activation of security alarms (or, in one case, a silent 999 call made accidentally by a young child). The sixth incident was the theft of an outboard motor from a dinghy moored at Dittisham, and this had not yet been recovered. Since the beginning of August there had been only one further cases of reportable crime in the parish – a domestic incident:
The next Police Surgery would be held on Wednesday 5 October in the Village Hall between 10.30 and 11.30am. Additionally, there were plans to set up a Facebook page (further details to follow) to enhance communications between residents and the Neighbourhood Team.
Notice had also been given of a public meeting to be held at the Guildhall in Dartmouth on the evening of Wednesday 9 November (time to be confirmed) for residents to ask questions or to raise any concerns they might have regarding the restructuring of the policing in Dartmouth. The Chief Constable, Steven Otter would be attending the meeting, along with the Neighbourhood Team and the local Inspector and Superintendent.
It was noted that from 5 September 2011, 101 would be the national number for callers to use to reach their local police station for non-emergency (i.e. non-999) calls. A public information notice had been supplied by South Hams Constabulary, advising parishioners of this change, and would be placed in the Village Hall.
95/11.2 Footpaths
The Clerk reported that, on the advice of the Footpaths Officer, the wire netting covering timbers on the bridge on Footpath No 19 had been repaired.
95/11.3 Trees
The Tree Warden reported that, following high winds, the remaining trunk/branches of a mature ash tree adjacent to The Ham car park had been cut down as an emergency measure to prevent the tree falling onto vehicles. The roots would be removed in due course and a more appropriate tree species would be planted to replace the ash. The Tree Officer at South Hams District Council had been advised of this. The Tree Warden also noted that there would need to be some pruning of other trees in this location, and the Parish Council gave approval in principle for such works to be progressed.
95/11.4 Other issues
A member of the public drew attention to some overgrowth around the post box at the top of Manor Street, and the Manor Street sign, which she undertook to cut back. She was thanked for dealing with this on the Council’s behalf.
It was noted that a grey Mercedes had been parked on Riverside Road for some time. This had been brought to South Hams District Council’s attention, but – as it still had a valid tax disc – it could not yet be classified as an abandoned vehicle. It was noted that the tax would, however, expire in the next month. At this point – if the vehicle remained in the same place – action should be possible.
96/11 Matters not on the agenda but arising from the minutes
96/11.1 Ham Lane strimming / The Triangle
In the absence of Cllr Wotton, this item was deferred.
96/11.4 111/112 Bus Service
Following his meeting with Devon County Council Highways Officers, the Dartmouth & Surrounding Area Transport Group and Simon Newport (Managing Director of First), County Cllr Hawkins reported with regret that these services would not be re-instated. However, it had been agreed that the autumn bus timetable would include improved connections to Torbay Hospital.
97/11 Planning/tree applications
97/11.1 18/1999/11/F and 18/2000/11LB Householder application for planning consent and listed building consent for proposed garage and store building. Bruckton Linhay, Dittisham TQ6 0HW
Unanimous decision: No objection (proposed Cllr Stevens; seconded Cllr Stothart).
97/11.2 18/2180/11/F Householder application for demolition of existing conservatory and erection of two storey oak framed extension. Herongate, Lower Street, Dittisham TQ6 0HY
Unanimous decision: No objection (proposed Cllr Walker; seconded Cllr Watson).
97/11.3 18/2251/11/TCA Works to trees in a Conservation Area Application to remove 1 prunus Tryst Cottage, Lower Street, Dittisham
Unanimous decision: No objection (proposed Cllr Faulkner; seconded Cllr Watson).
98/11 Communications from South Hams District Council/Devon County
Council in relation to planning/tree applications.
The following communications were noted:
· 18/1856/11F Renewal of householder application 18/1587/08/F for alterations and rear extension to dwelling. Vipers Quay, Dittisham TQ6 0HE. Conditional approval granted
· 18/1816/11/F Householder application for existing extension to be removed and replaced with new, with general alterations to dwelling and grounds. Barton Cottage, The Lane, Dittisham TQ6 0HB Cllr Tucker advised that this application would be proceeding to South Hams Development Management Committee. The Chair would arrange appropriate representation at this meetin.g
· Resubmission of 18/2365/10/F for demolition of April Cottage and replacement with 2 dwellings. April Cottage, The Level, Dittisham TQ6 0ES South Hams District Council Development Management Committee had agreed to undertake a site visit on 20 September 2011. It was agreed that the Chair would represent the Parish Council at this visit.
99/11.1 Proposed clarification of Standing Orders
The Clerk proposed the addition of the following paragraph to the Standing Orders to clarify decision-making processes with regard to urgent issues that could not be deferred to a full meeting of the Parish Council.
23 b If an urgent decision is required, on a time-scale that precludes full consultation with the Parish Council, responsibility for responding shall be delegated to the Parish Clerk following consultation with the Chairman and at least one other Councillor.
This modification was approved in principle, but it was agreed that it would be helpful to expand the Standing Order to make provision for emergency decision-making if either the Clerk or Chair (or both) were for some reason uncontactable. The Clerk undertook to re-draft the new Standing Order with this in mind, for review at the next meeting.
99/11.2 Ratification of revised Ham Working Party structures
In response to an increasing range of Ham-related issues, the Clerk had produced a paper over the summer proposing a re-structuring of Working Parties reviewing and overseeing activities on The Ham. This would replace the current single Ham Working Party with three groups:
· Ham Maintenance Working Party Cllr Watson (Chair), Cllr Stevens, Cllr Wotton
· Ham Car Park Working Party Cllr Stothart (Chair), Cllr Faulkner, Cllr Stevens (with Ham Car Park Attendant by invitation as non-voting member)
· Ham Events Management Working Party Cllr Harris-Evans (Chair), Cllr Faulkner, Cllr Watson
Remits had been drafted for all three Working Parties, all of which were advisory to the Parish Council rather than decision-making fora in their own right. Their role was essentially to bring recommendations to the full Council on a range of issues as directed by the Council. The proposal – informally agreed by Councillors over the summer – was now formally ratified (proposed Cllr Tucker, seconded Cllr Unitt).
99/11.3 Report from Village Guide Working Party
The Parish Council had received a written report from the Village Guide Working Party in advance of the meeting. This recommended the production of a village map (similar in size to the map of Dartmouth recently circulated in ‘By the Dart’). The map would show at least two walks, and the map itself would be surrounded by blocks of text/inserts giving: information on the walks; a short history of the village; details of where to get a history of the church; some information on car parking; a small amount of advertising, and (possibly) a small number of old photographs. The Chair of the Working Party provided a mock-up of what was planned, and reported a quotation of £480 for production of an initial major print-run.
As a further recommendation, the Working Party recommended acquiring a new Parish Council rack for the foyer of the Village Hall, which would contain copies of this map alongside other useful public information (such as: ferry times; bus times; current copies of ‘By the Dart’ (plus the Dartmouth map); the Dart Harbour guide, and information on Greenway House).
The Parish Council welcomed and approved these recommendations (proposed Cllr Tucker, seconded Cllr Stevens) and thanked the Working Party for their excellent work, which they were now invited to progress further. The Clerk would research possible sources/styles for a new rack, and pass these to the Working Party for consideration. Additionally, the Clerk would investigate securing a grant towards the cost of publication.
The Parish Council also noted that proposals regarding web information would follow in due course.
99/11.4 Report from (former) Ham Working Party
The Parish Council had received a written report in advance of the meeting from the (former) Ham Working Party – now to be reconstituted as the Ham Maintenance Working Party – considering the June 2011 report from the inspection of the play area commissioned by South Hams District Council. It was noted that the Category A items identified in the report had already been undertaken by South Hams, and that Working Party members had undertaken themselves to address Category B items - such as the jet-washing of safety surfaces, replacement of several bolts and washers and a general tidy up – over the coming months. In addition, Cllr Stevens had undertaken to look into whether some minor works might be needed in relation to benches. Working Party members were thanked in advance for their work in this respect. The Working Party recommended that no action be taken at present in respect of the following (non-essential) suggestions arising from the inspection:
· fencing off the play area;
· placing a barrier around the swings
· installing additional warning signage.
The Parish Council approved this recommendation (proposed Cllr Faulkner; seconded Cllr Stevens).
Additionally, it was noted that the notice board by the car park had now been repaired and was functional. Paul Heighway was thanked for undertaking this work. It was agreed that Cllr Stevens would be key-holder for the repaired notice board and would ensure presence of an up-to-date ferry timetable and tide table. With very limited space additional space available, it was agreed that the Ham Maintenance Working Party should be asked to make recommendations at their next meeting on (small scale) charges for local businesses to advertise there, if they so wished.
Action: Cllr Stevens; Ham Maintenance Working Party
99/11.5 Report from Ham Car Park Working Party
The Parish Council had received a detailed written report from the Ham Car Park Working Party in advance of the meeting. Key recommendations were as follows:
Sailing Club Concession (in the light of discussions held with representatives of the Sailing Club)
· That the 2010 payment arrangement should continue for 2011.
· That the annual charge for a permit per non-resident Sailing Club member should be raised for 2012 from £10 to £15, with new (dated) stickers issued to the Sailing Club as a roll before January 2012. These stickers would be blue - differently coloured, and therefore clearly distinguishable from residents’ permits.
· That this arrangement should be reviewed annually (each September), and that the Sailing Club should not assume a continuation of this rate for future years.
The Parish Council approved these recommendations, with – as suggested by the Working Party - the proviso that the terms now on offer to the Sailing Club should be viewed as non-negotiable and were based on purchase of the concession by the full non-resident membership (proposed Cllr Tucker, seconded Cllr Walker). It was also agreed that the Sailing Club should henceforth be asked to present its annual payment by 1 April, rather than in October. If the Sailing Club chose to decline this offer, then its members would be expected to pay normal rates from January 2012. It was agreed that the Clerk would write to the Sailing Club, to advise them of this outcome.
Action: Clerk
Residents/Second Home permits
· That new (red) permits be issued for January 2012 – initially one per property to all residents and second homeowners, with residents eligible for a second permit per property on application. All permits would be for the sole use of the homeowner and his/her immediate family.
· That the Ham Car Park Working Party would organise the acquisition/distribution of new permits (plus accompanying notes/regulations) in the first instance, with later applications for permits reverting as normal to the Ham Car Park Attendant.
The Parish Council approved these recommendations (proposed Cllr Watson, seconded Cllr Walker).
Action: Ham Car Park Working Party
Ticket Machine
· That the ticket machine be amended, when next serviced, so that ‘All Day’ tickets display midnight of that day as their expiry point.
The Parish Council approved this recommendation (proposed Cllr Tucker, seconded Cllr Watson).
Action: Ham Car Park Attendant
Future Works
· That when South West Water negotiates access to the car park to complete their works on the pumping station, a remedy for the current problem with water collecting at the bottom of Ham Lane be included in the contract (e.g. extension of the tarmac, with a small hump built to divert water straight into the culvert
The Parish Council approved this recommendation (proposed Cllr Stevens, seconded Cllr Watson).
Action: Clerk
Possible Extension of the car park
· That this idea be shelved for the time being, on the grounds that the number of spaces gained would be very few and that costs would outweigh benefits
The Parish Council approved this recommendation (proposed Cllr Tucker, seconded Cllr Walker).
Signage
· That, although it is recognised that there is room for improvement, no changes be made at this time, given the existence of more pressing priorities.
The Parish Council approved this recommendation (proposed Cllr Stevens, seconded Cllr Watson).
In addition to these recommendations, the Ham Car Park Working Party advised the Parish Council that the following topics remained to be addressed at future meetings: overnight parking; weekly permits; routine maintenance and contingency plans; warden’s ticket notice wordage and enforcement issues.
The Parish Council thanked the Ham Car Park Working Party for a huge amount of work over a very short period, and looked forward to its next report.
99/11.6 Report from representatives of the Ham Events Management Working Party
The Parish Council had received a written report from representatives of the Ham Events Management Working Party in advance of the meeting, which reviewed the Outdoor Swimming Society 10K event held on The Ham on 3 September 2011. It was noted that Cllrs Faulkner and Harris-Evans had kindly provided a Parish Council presence on the day to assist with traffic management and that this had proved crucial to the success of the event, which had been in other respects extremely well organised and well received by the village as a whole. The Parish Council recorded its thanks to Cllrs Faulkner and Harris-Evans for giving up their time in this way, and interacting so positively with the event organisers. Three points were made in respect of any future such event:
· wet weather, preventing food and drink vendors/paramedics being sited on the Ham, would have created severe pressure on the car park
· people ignoring instructions to park at Cott Farm and instead parking between the field and the Red Lion Inn had caused significant obstruction. In future, this area should be coned off
· for a major event, it would be helpful to check dates with the Football Club, so that there need not be a clash with a home fixture.
The Parish Council was pleased to record the success of the event, which had not only been enjoyable but had brought good publicity to the village. However, it was noted that the experience had been something of a learning curve for the Parish Council. In the light of what had been learned, the Clerk was preparing draft guidelines/application forms to be filled in by organisers of future proposed events, prior to permission to use The Ham being granted, along with formal hire contracts to be issued when permission had been given. These draft materials would be discussed/revised as necessary by the Ham Events Management Working Party, before being brought to full Council for ratification.
Action: Clerk; Ham Events Management Working Party
It was noted that a Parishioner had suggested further village involvement (through stalls or possibly catering input) in any future OSS event. It was agreed that this would be borne in mind for consideration as/when/if a 2012 event was approved.
100/11.1 Income and Expenditure 2011-12
The Clerk tabled an updated statement, showing a balance of £8,605.83. The statement was approved (proposed Cllr Stevens, seconded Cllr Watson).
100/11.2 Consideration of requests for charitable donations
A request for a charitable donation to support Blackawton Play Group had been received, along with a summary of accounts. It was agreed to make a grant of £200 (proposed Cllr Walker, seconded Cllr Stevens).
101/11 Correspondence received since the previous meeting
A parishioner had suggested that the Parish might like to consider organising a village photograph (as Cornworthy Local History Group were doing), with proceeds for prints going to local causes.
· The Parish Council agreed that the Chair would refer this suggestion to the Village Hall Committee
Dartmouth Town Council had requested information regarding any celebrations planned in commemoration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
· It was known that a Saturday event on The Ham on Dittisham Regatta weekend was being organised by Ron Travers. Cllr Unitt undertook to investigate whether any street parties were known to be planned at this point. It was agreed that the Clerk would notify Dartmouth Town Council once she had fuller information .
Erica Lewis, of the Land Society, had offered to make a presentation to the Parish Council explaining the organisation’s approach to supporting local home ownership.
· It was agreed that the Clerk would invite her (or a representative) to the 2 November 2011 meeting of the Parish Council.
Councillors were invited to consider attending Refresher Training events (scheduled for 6, 13 or 19 October)
· No Councillors wished to commit to these particular dates, but the Clerk undertook to keep them informed of any future such events.
A further inspection report relating to the Play Area of The Ham had been received.
· The Council referred this to the Ham Maintenance Working Party, for report back on 2 November 2011.
102/11 Report from Devon County Council / South Hams District Council
County Cllr Hawkins reported that discussions continued about the possible installation of on-street parking meters in Dartmouth.
District Cllr Tucker drew Councillors’ attention to the outcomes from the Super Cluster Meeting held on 13 July 2011 (detailed notes of which had been circulated to all Councillors). There would be further discussions at Cluster level over the autumn.
103/11 Date of the next meeting of Dittisham Parish Council
The next full meeting of the Parish Council would take place on Wednesday 5 October 2011 at 7.30 p.m in the Village Hall. Cllr Unitt’s apologies were noted in advance.