Charleton Parish Council.

Draft Minutes of a Meeting of Charleton Parish Council, held on Thursday 5^th November 2003, at 7.30 pm., in the Village Hall, West Charleton.

Present were:-            Mr. Hoggart (Chairman, presiding), Wg. Cdr. Leigh, Mr. Brown, Mr Conboy, Mr. Faulkner, Mrs Hawkes and Mr. Smith.

 Also present were:-    Mr. Brazil (SHDC) and Mrs Raymond (Clerk).

 1. Apologies for absence were received from Mr. Masters (DCC).

 2. The Minutes of the previous Meeting, held on Thursday 16^th October 2003, were read. They will be formally approved and signed as correct after all Councillors have been able to study a copy.

 3. Matters arising:-

 a) Registrable Interest forms:- The Clerk had been informed that no completed Registrable Interest Forms had been received by the Monitoring Officer from Mr. Hoggart or Mr. Faulkner. Copies for completion were taken by both Councillors, who will complete and return them without delay.

b) The Bank Mandate:- It was decided that due to the necessity for providing identification and personal verification for each new signatory, the mandate should not be changed at present, as there are sufficient Councillors eligible to sign cheques.

c) The Adventure Playground:- Once again the vexed question of ownership of and responsibility for the apparatus in the Playground was discussed, following the report last month of an accident which fortunately was only minor. The land is rented by the school from Mrs Mary Rogers at a peppercorn rent. Some of the apparatus was purchased by the PTA, and some by the Parish Council. Regular safety inspections are undertaken by SHDC. Mr. Hoggart and Mr. Smith will examine the apparatus, list all items, and endeavour to decide definitively who is responsible for each piece.

d) Hedge Trimming:- The hedge opposite the Post Office was trimmed recently by DCC employees, and although not reduced in height very significantly, was taken back off the grass footpath quite sufficiently.

e) Proposed mirror opposite West Charleton Court flats:- Upon enquiring of Mr. Halliday whether a mirror could be fixed to the post holding the 20 mph sign opposite the entrance to the car park at the flats, the Clerk was informed that Devon Highways do not advocate the use of mirrors, since these can be a distraction to drivers, and any which are erected may be removed if a complaint is received. Mr. Hoggart suggested that a mirror could be fixed to the wall at the Village hall with the permission of the Hall Committee. Mr. Smith will study the matter further, and try to find the most suitable position for a mirror.

 4. Public participation:- None.

 5. Correspondence:- 

The Clerk was instructed to advise Helen Buckingham of the County Environment Directorate, in connection with the proposed Modification and Diversion to Footpath No. 2, that she should also consult Wg. Cdr. Leigh as a regular user of the Footpath.

 Mr. Hoggart and Wg. Cdr. Leigh will attend the meeting of the Saltstone Group and the Parish Cluster on Monday 24/11/03, at Quay House, Kingsbridge. Mrs Hawkes will attend the Parish Cluster Meeting on Wednesday 26/11/03 at Dartmouth. The Clerk will confirm this  with Sarah Harris of SHDC.

 The Clerk will attend the AQA Training at Totnes on 13/11/03.

 6. Planning:-

 Notice of Dismissal of Appeal was received in respect of Application No. 09/2455/02/F, for a dwelling on land below Dawnside, West Charleton.

 Notice of Grant of CPP was received in respect of Application No. 09/1719/03F, Removal of condition (3) of planning consent 09/1581/02/F- restriction to holiday use, Barns 1 and 2 adjacent to Charleton Garage.

 Applicant:                     Mr and Mrs Bray

Application No:            09/2118/03/F

Proposal:                      Erection of replacement boundary fence and entrance gates

Location:                      Creekside, Curlew Drive, West Charleton, TQ7 2AA

 The Parish Council had no objections to the granting of this Application.

 7. Reports:-

 a) School:- During the recent half term holiday PTA and staff transformed the playground at the school by painting the grids for many assorted games. In response to Mr. Smith’s request at the recent Recycling Information Roadshow at the Village hall, recycling bags have been provided for paper at the school.

b) Footpaths:- The footpath sign at New Bridge is now visible since shrubs have been cut back, but the sign is rather small and may need to be replaced. Mr. Conboy has received information about the P3 (Parish Paths Partnership) funding which is available for the upkeep and Improvement of footpaths. Mr. Allen of Lynora asked Mr. Brown to enquire if the Parish Council could shed any light on the ownership of the path between Charleton Way and Lower Knowle. Mr. Conboy said that this path was extinguished some years ago, there is no record of ownership with the Land Registry, and part of the route has been blocked off with  the building of a wall, so it would not appear to be practicable to reopen it for use.

c) Village hall:- The repainting of the exterior of the Hall will be done shortly.

d) Coleridge Association:- Nothing to report.

e) Saltstone Group:- The next Meeting will be on Monday 24^th November, and will be attended by Mr. Hoggart and Wg. Cdr. Leigh.

 8. Finance:-

 The following cheques were passed for payment:-

            Cheque no. 100609, £165.48, to F. Raymond for Clerk’s salary for Jul/Aug/Sep.

            Cheque no. 100610, £30.00, to F. Raymond for petty cash.

 9. Traffic matters:-

 Mr. Halliday requested that the Parish Council and the school should consider sending him an update on how the traffic calming measures in the village have been received, and if they have helped to improve safety. Mrs Hawkes stated that traffic speeds in East Charleton are still very much higher that is safe, and would urge the Parish Council to request that warning signs of the absence of a footpath be placed at each end of the settlement, with similar warnings painted on the road surface,  and that the 20 mph signs, one of which has been damaged and unreadable since May, should be repositioned where they would be more easily visible on the approach from West Charleton.

Mr. Smith described the recent speed monitoring by the police opposite the school as useless, since the officers were highly visible to drivers from both directions, and consequently all motorists were able to adjust their speed to conform with the limit.

Mr. Hoggart said that he wondered if a sign like that at Halwell would prove useful, and he would welcome any advice from Mr. Halliday as to what further might be done, since both settlements were still suffering from excess speeds. He would also recommend double white lines in the carriageway from the school to the foot of Lyte Lane, double yellow lines to prevent parking in the lower part of Lyte Lane, and further advice on possible funding for the proposed parking lay-by on the verge opposite the school. The Clerk will therefore invite Mr. Halliday to attend a Meeting, in either December or January, to discuss these matters. Mr. Smith will arrange for a report to be sent from the school

 10. Items for the next Meeting:-

 a) Traffic calming (with Mr. Halliday)

b) Christmas Tree Lights:- Mr. Smith will arrange the refurbishment of the lights before the arrangements for setting up the tree are made next month.

 11. Date of the next Meeting:- Thursday 4^th December 2003.

Signed as a true and accurate record of the Meeting,