Approved Minutes 2022 October 05

Oct 19, 2022 | Minutes

The approved minutes can be read below or downloaded here: MN_2022 October 05 DPC Approved Minutes

APPROVED Minutes of the Monthly Meeting of Dittisham Parish Council held in Dittisham Village Hall
on Wednesday 5 October 2022 at 7:00 p.m.

Present: Cllrs Anderson (Chair), Nightingale (Vice-Chair), Bond, Lloyd, Neale, and Unitt were present, as were A Thom (Clerk), and Devon County Councillor Hawkins. Two members of the public joined the audioconnection.

  1. Apologies

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Tucker and South Hams District Cllr McKay. Cllr Green was absent.

  1. Approval of Cllr Tucker’s Absence

It was resolved to approve Cllr Tucker’s request for approval of absence for October and November 2022 meetings.

  1. Declaration of Councillors’ Interests

None declared.

  1. Approval of Minutes

It was resolved to approve the Minutes of the Meetings held on 7 September 2022 and 22 June 2022.

  1. Public Issues

    1. Householder Green Waste Collection

DPC is grateful for the offer from an Ashprington resident for volunteers to do a one-of green waste collection in Dittisham in November/December. The last volunteer collection included a cost of £230 to DPC to arrange for a grab lorry to remove green waste from a verge. It was resolved to support the project on the condition that there is no cost to DPC. Some DPC Cllrs will offer to assist.

    1. Enforcement Action – Overnight stays in The Ham Car Park

A resident has reported to DPC that they have observed evidence of overnight stays in campervans in The Ham Car Park. This has been reported to SHDC which is taking action.

    1. Safety of Parking of Vehicles in the Village

A resident has raised with DPC their concerns about parking in some locations in the village being dangerous and not compliant with Highway Code, and Devon County Council’s refusal to repaint road 20 mph road signage. It was resolved to respond that dangerous parking can be reported to the Police. The Parish Council has the option to request DCC paint double yellow lines. There is a process to achieve that outcome. Lines would be implemented in 2024/25 if they were approved. DCC Cllr Hawkins said that double yellow lines are controversial and there would need to be a clear 60-70 percent in support.

  1. Community Reports

    1. South Hams District Council Councillor

Deferred in the absence of SHDC Cllr Mc Kay.

    1. Devon County Council Councillor

DCC Cllr Hawkins said that DCC has financial pressures at moment with a budget shortfall about £50 million this year, mainly due to wages inflation and the cost of adult social care and children’s services, about £30 million of which remains to be found.

Cllr Hawkins has a £750 locality budget which needs to be spent by 31 March. He suggested a project be proposed to the next meeting of DPC. The funding can be requested by the community.

The Dartmouth Food Bank is open every Friday from 11am – 1pm in the Townstal Community Hall.

The Dartmouth youth leisure nights are going from strength to strength. They are twice a month in the Leisure Centre and every night at Ivy Lane. They are looking for a minibus to buy to take young people on trips. The Clerk will provide Cllr Hawkins with the West Dart Bus contact details. The Bus is available for community hire.

There is a meeting of the full DCC council tomorrow.

The Health and Wellbeing Centre will likely open between January and Easter next year.

  1. SHDC Planning Decisions

The following decisions were noted:

    • 1355/22/LBC Dunedin Cottage The Quay Dittisham TQ6 0EZ. Listed building consent for new lean to shed to contain replacement electric boiler. Conditional Approval.

    • 0971/22/HHO Sherwood Cottage Riverside Road Dittisham TQ6 0HS. Householder application for proposed alterations to first floor rear opening in bedroom to create balcony space for maintenance and confirmation of rooflight/rainwater goods and flue/vent details (Retrospective) . Conditional Approval.

    • 2406/22/LBC Mill Creek Cottage Lower Street Dittisham TQ6 0HY . Listed Building consent for repair works to timber roof structure. Conditional Approval.

    • 2517/22/CLP Kebechan House Capton TQ6 0JE . Certificate of lawfulness for proposed single dormer with Juliette balcony & amendments to fenestration (resubmission of 1104/22/CLP). Cert of Lawfulness (Proposed) Certified.

    • 2773/22/TCA Mulberry House, Dittisham, TQ6 0ER. T2: Sycamore – Pollard tree leaving stem 4m from ground level, to maintain as a smaller canopy and less of a presence on the house below; T3: Mulberry – Crown lift to approx 2m from ground level, sympathetic crown reduction by up to 1m on patio/house side to shape and improve form; T4: Oak – Crown reduction on all sides by up to 1-2m to manage re-growth and improve form; T5 Cherry – Crown reduction by up to 2m to improve canopy form; T:10 Leyland Cypress – to be felled to ground, completely overpowering area, more suitable specimen to be re-planted. No Objections Raised.

  1. New planning applications

    1. 2855/22/HHO The Lookout Riverside Road Dittisham TQ6 0HS. Householder application for changing room & gazebo by existing pool.

It was unanimously resolved to Support.

    1. 2539/22/HHO Watermans Cottage Manor Street Dittisham. Householder application for demolition of existing summerhouse & re- built in new style.

It was unanimously resolved to Object. Watermans Cottage is a Listed Building within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a Conservation Area. Many of the surrounding buildings are also Listed. The proposed new building is widely visible including from the River Dart. It is considered incongruous and visually intrusive with a negative impact on the character of the landscape

  1. Consultations

  • South West Water Drainage and Wastewater Management Plan

Dittisham has a particular interest in the Plan and DPC would have liked to be able to comment on it. DPC was not sent the consultation at all, it heard of it from other organisations. The consultation period set by SWW was very short. It was resolved that the Clerk will respond to object that the consultation was too short, parish councils should have been consulted, and to request a new three month consultation period with the inclusion of parish councils as consultees.

If there were a further consultation, DPC would look to collaborate with other affected parishes to form a joint response.

  1. Cost of living support actions available to DPC

DPC will signpost to the range of support that is available, including with a featured website post. It can make grants to community groups and initiatives. The Parish of Dittisham Charity is another potential source of grants.

  1. Clearance of Roadside Vegetation in the Village

This item was deferred.

  1. Registration of Assets of Community Value

It was agreed to have a project to consider assets in the Parish which promote the ‘social wellbeing’ or ‘social interests’ of the community and whether to nominate them to be listed as assets of community value, starting with preparing an application to register the Red Lion Inn.

  1. Reports from Councillors’ Working Groups & External Forums

    1. Manor Street Turning Bay Project

This item was deferred.

  1. Repair of Defibrillators

It was noted that arrangements are being made for the broken plastic handle on the top of both defibrillators to be replaced.

  1. Support for the Clerk to enable completion of the Clerk’s Certificate in Local Council Adminstration

The Clerk requested support to manage the workload over the next six weeks while the course submissions are completed. It was agreed that the Clerk would keep a timesheet for the remaining work which would be used as evidence to consider the Personnel Committee’s suggestion for paid study hours for the course.

  1. Financial Matters

    1. Financial Reports

The reports, which showed a total balance of £90,721.94 and earmarked reserves of £46,569.77, and a bank reconciliation were approved by resolution.

    1. Payments

It was resolved to authorise the following payments:

  • Level Car Park Purchase Loan repayment £5,000

  • Clerk, Office expenses reimbursement £87.62

The following payments made since the September meeting were noted:

  • Pension, August £82.75

  • Clerk Salary September £1,101.62

  • HMRC PAYE/NI/ENI September £116.61

  1. Review of DPC’s Current Projects and Forward Plan

It was agreed that an event will be arranged for 16 November during the day.

  1. To note or consider other correspondence & contact from residents

The following contacts were noted:

  • Totnes Town Council, Invitations to a Civic dinner and to a Civic Service in October

  • 2/9/22, Member of the Public, Request for local history. Referred to a resident and to history group

  • Devon Communities Together, Devon Community Resilience Forum virtual event 14-16 November 2022

  • Resident, Encroachment of Jubilee steps. Landowners contacted.

  • 29/9/22 Stagecoach – Changes to local bus services from Sunday 30th October 2022

  • 14/9/22 Felling Clearance land near Capton. No action taken by DPC, resident aware of the responsible authority.

  1. Next Meeting

It was confirmed that the next meeting of Dittisham Parish Council will be held on 2 November 2022 at 7:00 pm.

The meeting closed at 9:03.