Charleton Parish Council.

Minutes of a Meeting of Charleton Parish Council, held on Thursday 2^nd September 2004, at 7.30 pm., at Charleton Village Hall.

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

Also present were:-    Mr. Masters (DCC), Mr. Brazil (SHDC), Sgt. Cameron, Mrs Gross and Mrs Raymond (Clerk). 

1. APOLOGIES for absence were received from Mrs Hawkes. 

2. SERGEANT DUNCAN CAMERON introduced himself to the Parish Council as the newly appointed Neighbourhood Beat Sergeant for Kingsbridge, Dartmouth and Salcombe, from next Monday.   He said that he had served in the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary for 16 years, was an ex-paratrooper, a qualified diver and HGV driver, and had been a motorcycle courier in London before joining the police.  He reported that a new Neighbourhood beat manager is to be appointed shortly, and meanwhile he would deal with any queries  which the Parish Council may have. He gave the Clerk his telephone and fax numbers for future reference. 

3. The MINUTES of the previous Meeting, on Thursday 1^st July 2004, had been circulated prior to the Meeting, were taken as read, approved and signed as correct. 

4. MATTERS ARISING:- 

a) The Community Travel Plan:- Fliers and posters to publicise the Consultation events planned for next Tuesday 7^th September will be distributed appropriately by the Clerk and the Councillors.  Large maps of the village, response forms, paper, pens and post-it notes will be available.  Mrs Hawkes, Mr. Smith and Mr. Brown will be at the early session from 2 to 4 pm., and Mr. Hoggart, Wg.Cdr. Leigh and Mr. Conboy will be at the later session from 6 to 8 pm.  The Clerk will be at each session for at least part of the time.  Mrs. Gross reported that she has heard several residents expressing concern about the problems of parking at the post office., when some motorists park without thought for  pedestrians. 

b) The stile in Church Lane:- In response to the request for his permission to replace the stile with a kissing gate, Mr. Beesly was very adamant that he did not wish the stile to be altered, as he was concerned that dog owners would allow their dogs to run free in the field and disturb the wildlife, especially ground-nesting birds.  Mr. Hoggart asked the Clerk to arrange for him and Mr. Brown to meet Mr. Beesly to discuss the matter further.  The Parish Councillors are very concerned that this path, which is an ancient footpath, should be accessible to walkers. 

c) DAPC Annual General Meeting:- None of the Parish Councillors expressed any interest in attending this Meeting. 

d) Bonfires:- Despite the concern felt by the Councillors about the annoyance caused by the lighting of bonfires on summer evenings, when people would like to enjoy their gardens without suffering smoke and fumes from bonfires, there is no by-law preventing bonfires, except where smoke caused could be a traffic hazard by obscuring motorists’ view of the road.  

e) Sewage smells:- Several Councillors have noted that there have be several occasions recently when unpleasant smells have been coming from the direction of the estuary.  It is hoped that these nuisance is a temporary result of the recent heavy rain and summer temperatures. 

f) Village Flower Beds:-  No working parties have been organised yet, but it is hoped that something will be done by the punishment unit soon to tidy the beds before the winter. 

g) The Telephone kiosk:- The official address of the kiosk is Weymouth Cottages, West Charleton, although it is not actually very near them.  The painting was apparently omitted during the last round of maintenance work to be carried out, but the Clerk has reported the matter, and a note has been taken by the appropriate authorities. 

5. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:- None. 

6. CORRESPONDENCE:- 

 7. PLANNING:-

Notice of the granting of Conditional Planning Permission was received in respect of Application No. 09/0887/04/F, Erection of dwelling, associated landscaping and parking facilities,

at Charleton Court, West Charleton.

Notice of Refusal of planning Permission was received in respect of

Application No. 09/1253/04/F,  Extension to dwelling and erection of garage,

at 3 Petersfield Cottages, West Charleton. 

Applicant:                     MrG Harris

Application No:            09/1383/04/F

Proposal:                      Alteration and extension of existing dwelling to create 2 no. residential

                                    units, providing independent curtilage, garaging and parking facilities.

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

This Application was considered in late July by a Planning Sub-Committee, who recommended that Planning Permission be refused, as the proposed development would not be in keeping with the existing properties.  

Applicant:                     Mr and Mrs Masters

Application No:            09/1660/04/F

Proposal:                      Erection of PVCu conservatory

Location:                      Middle Barn, Charleton Court Barns, West Charleton, TQ7 2AE 

Mr. Hoggart, Wg. Cdr. Leigh and Mr. Faulkner, as close neighbours, declared an interest in this matter, and took no part in the discussion. Mr. Brown pointed out that the presence of a conservatory in the position proposed could make it difficult to carry out maintenance work on the roof and gutters of the adjoining property, but apart from that, he could see no reason for objections.

Mr. Conboy said that he was slightly concerned that such an addition may set a precedent for other, similar applications, but he also had no objections.

Mr. Smith stated that he was against recommending that permission be granted, as he felt that the proposed conservatory would be unsuitable among the barn conversions.

It was decided therefore that the Parish Council would advise the Planning Officer that the majority of the Councillors would have no objections to this Application. 

8. REPORTS:- 

a) School:- Mr. Smith reported that the work has been completed on the mezzanine floor sufficiently to allow it to be used at the beginning of the new term, providing a new upstairs room.  The pipes which were protruding from the ground in the Adventure Playground were cut off by Mr. Smith and Mr. Brown, so that the area is now safe to use. 

b) Footpaths:- Mr. Conboy reported that Steve Malek is still working on obtaining new signs for the footpath at New Bridge. 

c) Village Hall:- Mr. Smith reported that there has been little activity during August in the Hall, but several enquiries have been received from organisations including Scouts and the National Trust about booking the Hall during the forthcoming winter season. 

d) The Coleridge Association:- The next Meeting will be in October. 

e) The Saltstone Group:- The next Meeting will be on 19^th September. 

9. FINANCE:- 

The following cheques were approved for payment:- 

Cheque no. 100628, £28.00 to Ken Abraham for Internal Audit fee

Cheque no. 100631, £15.00 to the Saltstone Group for annual subscription

Cheque no. 100632, £177.67 to F. Raymond, for Clerk’s salary, Jul/Aug/Sep

Cheque no. 100633, £12.19 to F. Raymond, for unpaid increase in salary from April 04. 

10. HIGHWAY AND COMMUNITY:- 

a) Parking lay-by:- A resident was reported to have made enquiries about the cost of the lay-by mentioned as a possible part solution to the lack of parking provision in the village, as he would perhaps be willing to contribute towards such cost. Mr. Masters (DCC) said that when the Community Travel Plan has been compiled it may very well attract funding for measures such as this.  Meanwhile, the Chairman said that the gesture was much appreciated, and indicated real support for efforts to alleviate the problems. 

b) The dog bin in Marsh Lane:- Once more this bin has not been emptied for a considerable length of time, and so the Clerk will report the matter to the District Council.

11. MATTERS OF URGENCY, at the Chairman’s discretion:- 

Wg. Cdr. Leigh stated that he plans to go to France to live, and so he will be resigning from the Parish Council in due course.  He will continue to operate the Web-site if needed.  Mr. Hoggart thanked Wg. Cdr. Leigh for all his work on behalf of the parish Council, for  offering to continue to serve on the Parish Council until he actually leaves the country, and for offering to continue to run the Web-site, and wished him every happiness in his new home.  With this resignation, there will be two Casual Vacancies on the Parish Council. 

12. ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING:- 

1. The Community Travel Plan  ( An impromptu Meeting may be called before the next PC Meeting in October)

2. The Casual Vacancies. 

13. The date of the NEXT MEETING:-  Thursday 7^th October 2004, at 7.30 pm, in the Committee Room at the rear of the Village Hall, West Charleton.