SHALDON PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE MEETING 29 th January 2008 AT 7.15PM
IN THE METHODIST CHURCH HALL

Present: Cllrs Clarance (CC) (Chair), P Williams (Vice-Chair), Steve Shelter, Rick Smith, Ann Storton, Peter Stokes, Kim Sturgess
In attendance: Cllr D Cox (DC), County Councillor , Mrs B Coley (Clerk)
Prayers taken by: Revd G Richardson

1. Apologies : There were none.

2. Co-option of New Councillor: Cllr Clarance welcomed Cllr Peter Stokes to the council. Cllr Stokes signed the declaration of acceptance.

3. To approve and sign the Minutes of the Meeting of 27 th November 2008 : Prop AS Sec RS Carried

4. Matters Arising from the minutes of the meeting of 27 th November 2007:
SS ; Item : Licence for bunting display for summer 2008. Cllr Shelter summarized the meeting with Mr Elliot, Devon County Council (DCC) when he agreed to consider SPC's comments re whether applying for a licence to fly a banner was appropriate. It is not allowed to tie the bunting to lamp-posts and a 6m height is required. In the event of a licence not being granted SPC can appeal to a local magistrate. In order to avoid this SPC has asked DCC to help SPC. The clerk confirmed that SPC has liability insurance up to £5m. PS suggested requesting that DCC carry out a risk assessment relative to these issues.

PW re acquisition of Library for the Council: SS and PW had done their best in line with the Quirk report which states that wherever possible key buildings should be allocated for local use. SPC had asked for more time to prepare a tender but this was not granted. If we do want a community centre then we need to work more proactively to ascertain the village wishes. This is to be considered in the future. He was happy with the support from the local MP, Richard Younger Ross, and from Cllr David Cox. The chairman thanked Cllrs Shelter and Williams for their efforts.

AS : Item 4: Clerk's O/T to be transferred to bonfire account. Action: Clerk
Item 3a: Re keys for gate at KGV playing field: CC said the sign was not yet ready.

5. Chairman's Announcements :
Update on disposal of assets: Negotiations are on hold following the death of one of the officers dealing with this. Therefore this is not moving forward.

6. Devon & Cornwall Constabulary: No report.

7. Correspondence:
PW: A4 : Barbara Smith re white lines in Ringmore Road : DCC have explained that these white lines had been placed there following a request from a resident. AS expressed her concern that DCC had not consulted SPC before proceeding despite previous requests to do so under such circumstances. SS asked AS to provide past correspondence in this respect and he will take this up with Richard Elliot.

RS A9: Letter re fishing from the Bridge: RS said that Mr Posthelwaite had misunderstood SPC's position which is to NOT to allow fishing from the bridge. AS said she had since explained this to him. Clerk to confirm that this is being actioned and we will keep him informed. Action: Clerk to write.

SS: D3: Use of sat nav by HGVs in rural areas: Large vehicles had been using inappropriate routes in back streets of Shaldon. DCC were not in favour of signs but had asked local residents to supply information to parish councils on specific problems encountered and also the details of any hauliers which are causing problems.

AS: A1: Praise to the clerk for an audit without any audit points.

A6: Meeting on 5 th Feb with Teignmouth Town Council: clashes with planning committee which will be brought forward to 6.45 to enable cllrs to attend the meeting. Cllr Cox to acknowledge that to TCC.

A11: Letter from James Ashton re dog fouling: CC said there was a need to encourage people to report dog fouling and this is the only way to address the issue. He suggested that the procedure for reporting to the dog warden be published - ie the confidentiality until it becomes a court case. AS volunteered to put up more ‘reminder signs' by the KGV field and on the beach. Action: Clerk to acknowledge , forward dog warden's number to Mr Ashton and advise that SPC are increasing awareness. Letter to be forwarded to the dog warden at TDC. Release information to local press

T7: Sue Edwards re car park charging: Following SPC's concerns re charging at night leading to problems with on street parking. No over night charges are being introduced. Therefore Shaldon have not been impacted.

KS Barrels in Marine Parade: KS thanked Mr Ivor Watts for agreeing to sort out the barrels in Marine Parade.

8. Devon County Councillor's Report: A generous settlement from government had led to a prediction for county share of council tax to be in region of 4%. Proposal in place to use the £48m from the sale of the airport towards 5 different projects and he is hoping the Homeyards Botanical Gardens may benefit.

Re: The singing bridge: The problem is the vibrating rails of the bridge and the difficulty is in finding the solution. One solution is welding a grid on to the side of the bridge which will make it look ugly. The least offensive is to drill into the struts and fill with sand which is high maintenance. There is a beer named after it and it has been the subject of documentaries. He asked whether the public were in favour of preventing the bridge from singing.

Vehicle activated signs which flash ‘slow down' - Shaldon does not have a big enough accident problem to warrant our own sign on Ringmore Road but possibly a mobile one could be purchased and the expense shared with other local villages. The cost would be £7000 shared between local parish councils and he is prepared to donate £2000. A bid can be made to various funding and he asked whether SPC would be prepared to share the £2000 maintenance. PS questioned whether the mobile unit was vandal proof and DC assured him that it was a hefty piece of kit although probably uninsurable. DC will Email details to SPC for consideration. AS suggested that the speed sign be placed on the next agenda for a proper debate and to prepare a response. Action clerk: Item to be placed on agenda for next meeting. Joy Stoppard and Colin have been out checking speed with the radar gun.

Shaldon Sailing Club: Hopeful of gaining a grant to upgrade their club house - by giving young people the opportunity of learning to sail.

CC asked DC for an update on the role of DCC when parking wardens come over from the jurisdiction of the county. DCC is looking to use its own units to sensibly monitor parking.

9. Teignbridge District Councillor's Report: See Appendix I
PW expressed concern regarding applicants for affordable housing in Shaldon who had no direct links to the parish. AS had read the guide for parishes on affordable housing whereby the parish council is tasked with carrying out local surveys. She asked if SPC were expected to respond. CC confirmed that the parish council would be informed of the suggested exception sites for affordable housing and asked to approve them. The parish council must support any move to use a field for development of affordable housing. AS said that suitable areas within the village should be identified for potential development. CC said that a direct approach to the owner of suitable land could be made but if no one came forward with an exception site then the people would remain on the waiting list.

10. Parish Councillors' Report: .
PW : Ongoing emergency flood defence plan: Issues raised during the trial are being worked upon. Vulnerable people in the village must be highlighted.

Teignmouth & Shaldon Museum : PW brought the council up to date.

Parish Plan: Concerned that we do not have a parish plan and there is a lack of knowledge of what our parishioners want. PW proposed considering after the next AGM that SPC should begin to develop a parish plan in order to identify issues and proposals going forward. He asked SPC to consider taking this on board. CC thought this was an excellent idea. AS also supported this plan as did PS who thought this was a major undertaking. A sub-committee could be formed. Clerk: Item for next Agenda and possible item for AGM.

RS: Sign at the top of the Ness drive has collapsed and is blowing around in the wind - can action be taken. DC will sort out. Action; DC

Shipwright walls: Still no repairs to wall. CC confirmed that this was down on the list of jobs to do by Devon Highways contractor. Action: DC to check.

Pavement by Pedlar's Pack on the Bridge Road . Hoardings have encroached on to the pavement taking pedestrians on to the road. DC said he had checked and the developers do own the land to that level. RS asked whether a notice could be put on warning people to watch the traffic. DC to take on board.

AS : Thanked the Shaldon Water Carnival for the roaring success on Boxing Day. There were no reported incidents on New Year's Eve which was marvellous. The Christmas Tree will be fenced around next year because of damage caused this year by children.

Memorial Bench on the Green: AS summarised the current position whereby TDC will not take responsibility for benches on SPC land. The owner of the memorial bench will not take ownership. She asked whether SPC wanted to take on the maintenance and liability of this bench at a cost of £30-40 per year. SS proposed that the bench stay in situ but that SPC does not agree to the ongoing maintenance. KS seconded. Carried unanimously.

CC Reported that theGreen on Shoreside should be maintained by TDC.

CARP has reimbursed SPC for the cost of the recent Referendum Poll of £589.

11. Budget/Precept 2008/9: A precept of £14,500 was proposed by AS. Sec PW Carried.

12. Approval of spend for:
(I) repairs and renovations for Ferryboat Shelter £2045. Prop AS Sec PW. SS abstained.

(ii) painting and renovations to Sunny Patch benches. CC said that a local resident will donate £200 for maintenance and update of the benches on Sunny Patch. SPC are seeking an alternative handymen to paint the benches - any interested parties please contact the clerk. Sec RS. Carried.

13 Approval of Accounts. SS prop AS Sec Carried.

14. Planning: RS gave an overview. Next meeting 5 th February at 6.45pm. COU of library will be on the agenda.

15. Date of next meeting: Tuesday 26 th February 2008

Tuesday 6 th May: Annual Parish Meeting + AGM

Tuesday 27 th May: Parish Council Meeting

16. Public Comment
Richard Gilpin: Concerned about the Post Office which is once again under review in the next two weeks. He said the Postmaster and his family had provided an excellent service over many years and it would be catastrophic if it became under threat of closure. CC thanked him for alerting SPC to this review. SPC will keep in close contact with the Postmaster in order to monitor the situation.