SHALDON PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE MEETING 25 th September 2007 AT 7.15PM
IN THE METHODIST CHURCH HALL

Present: Cllrs Clarance (CC) (Acting Chair), Cllr Steve Shelter (SS), Cllr Ann Storton (AS) , Cllr Rick Smith (RS) , Cllr Peter Williams (PW)
Prayers taken by: Fr Jonathan Stewart
In attendance: Barbara Coley (Clerk), Ron Evans (SPC rep to Teignmouth Harbour Commission Consultative Committee).

Cllr Clarance held a minute's silence in remembrance of the Chairman Cllr Mike Coley who had passed away on 30 August and, out of respect, kept his seat vacant for the duration of the meeting. The clerk, Barbara Coley, thanked the Council for its thoughtfulness and tolerance over the last few weeks and for the lovely present. The clerk also thanked the people of Shaldon village who had been so kind and offered so much support to her.

1. Apologies : Cllr Kim Sturgess

2. To approve and sign the Minutes of the Meeting of 31 st July 2007 : Prop PW Sec SS Carried

3. Matters Arising from the minutes of the meeting of 31 st July 2007: Item 9:

SS : Sought more information from PW re road sweeping in Ringmore. All agreed Colin Davison doing a good job.

AS : Questioned the value of public consultation re the application for an extended licence at the Royal Standard which had no effect on the outcome. CC suspended S/Os to allow Mr Tony Willan to comment: He said that the large numbers of written objections had led to so many restrictions being in place that he understood the pub was not exercising its licence extension. CC thanked Mr Willan for his hard work in spearheading this campaign around the village. S/Os reinstated.

AS commended PW for his achievements with the flood emergency planning in such a short space of time and for his excellent updates.

Re sundial in an area around the Green. In Cllr Sturgess's absence AS reported that Rita Nebitt, Chair of the WI, had asked for a decision to be made tonight. AS pointed out that the sundial is given to SPC and therefore will become our responsibility to maintain and insure. Councillors expressed some reservations about the project and CC proposed writing to the WI to explain the situation although SPC had not dismissed the idea. He suggested a meeting with the WI and then formally discussing this as an agenda item in October. It was agreed that Cllr Sturgess should be asked to take this forward supported by AS. Action: Clerk to write to WI.

PW: Museum acitivties: Fund raising events have now commenced and an article will appear every month in the parish magazine. Representation had been made from Mrs Joan Lord to acknowledge that Cllr Coley had given great support for the museum's activities.

RS: Asked the clerk to chase up response from TDC re parking on KGV field as no reply had been received. Action: Clerk

4. Chairman's Announcements: Condolences had been received for Cllr Mike Coley from the Royal British Legion, Nicola Bulbeck, Chief Executive of TDC, Anna Klinkenberg, Chairman of the Council and from Teignmouth Town Council.

CC proposed that the Chairman's Board be updated in the light of the passing of the Chairman. Agreed. Clerk to arrange. He praised the Shaldon Regatta, the Water Carnival, 1785 and the Tourism Committee for another successful series of summer activities.

An invitation had been received for 11 th November at 11am and again at 6pm from the Royal British Legion for SPC to attend St Peter's Church Remembrance Service and CC recommended that all should attend this very good service.

5. Devon & Cornwall Constabulary: AS commended the Constabulary for the impressive police presence on the night of the Water Carnival where officers kept order and communicated well with members of the public. Action: Clerk to write letter of thanks to Insp Perry.

6. Correspondence : There were no comments.

7. Devon County Councillor's Report : There was none

8. TDC's Councillors Report : See Appendix I: The following proposals were made:
•  RS proposed that the matter of the disposal of property by TDC should be put in the public domain with a notice on the notice board after the TDC meeting on Monday if the decision is made to proceed. Sec PW and carried (one abstention)

•  AS proposed that when more information was available a special SPC meeting will be convened. Agreed

•  AS proposed writing to Cllr Alan Connett, Chairman of the Council, stating that SPC wished to be consulted on the disposal of any property pertaining to Shaldon and requesting total open-ness and full consultation in these matters. Sec PW Carried. Action: Clerk to write

AS reported that TDC has outsourced their emergency services at the weekend. There have been problems with the toilets on the Strand and the company called Safeguard do not know where Shaldon is and no action had taken place. Mark Wells at TDC has had no records of messages getting through. She said the service had been very good when under TDC. AS was advised that this complaint must be fed back through the District Councillor and asked CC to do so. She agreed to document the events for CC. Action: AS/CC

9. Parish Councillors' Reports
SS : Meeting with Richard Elliott on 10.09.07:
- He was unaware of our reply to the letter re the flag bunting.

•  Upkeep of the roads at Homeyards had been completed but there is an ongoing programme for general patch and repair work.

•  Raised the issue re Mrs Wadie and he promised to help resolve this.

•  Re new road signing from Teignmouth to Torquay: The question raised was whether or not the signage should direct traffic through the village or up the Torquay Road . AS had given him the history of this problem and so he will return to Richard Elliott. SS asked whether SPC were still minded to route the traffic through the village. RS felt that coaches should not go through the village. All agreed that this was the correct stance.

- Re Bollards: One person had responded to the article in the Parish News and was not in favour. Therefore there is no reason to change SPC's previous stance which was that no bollard should be placed there. This to be communicated to Mr Warburton: Action Clerk

AS - She was pleased that there had been very little trouble this summer with no graffiti nor vandalism of which she was aware. She knew of no other place where this is the case. She praised Mr Colin Davison as a wonderful street cleaner and TDC for the extra bins provided for our events.

- Two antique benches had been moved to the Green as planned. . A plainer brown bench had gone to the ‘TDC area' at the corner of the bowling green which she felt was not well co-ordinated and residents had asked for no further benches to be placed there. AS asked fellow councillors to view these locations and feed back their comments to her.

- TALC meeting next Thursday: Police and waste collection. Any cllrs welcome to join her at this meeting.  

PW : - The flood liaison group will meet again on 29 th October to review progress. He was pleased to report that costed proposals for the Horse Lane drainage issue had been promised by the EA for December,

RS : - reported that people with stables in Commons Lane had requested some signs saying ‘horses' to make people aware of the risk by cars travelling at speed up this road which is outside the 30mph limit. Action: SS will take this up with Highways.

- Re lighting fires on the beach: Ashes left on the beach cause a risk to children. Miss Sue Astbury and the beachcomber's gate were stolen on water carnival night to be used as firewood. In the summer nights no fire should be held on the beach.

CC - Had received reports that there was a lot of glass on the beach and this was a concern. RS said that drinking glasses from the Ferryboat Inn were being found on the beach. A letter to be written to the licensee in April to ask him to be more aware. Action: Clerk to place note in the diary.

- Had attended the highways and drainage meeting which contained all the information given to us in the EA letter marked A2. He confirmed that the issue of Horse Lane drainage was being taken very seriously.  

10. SPC Emergency Flood Plan: PW was delighted with the parish response and gave an overview of the meeting (see minutes of 20 th September). Shaldon was the first parish in Devon or Cornwall to have reached this stage of the scheme and he thanked all participants. He outlined details of the trial laying of sandbags on 28 th October using the emergency system to make sure it works.

Following the suggestion that flood boards should be used for the three major slipways PW proposed writing a letter to TDC, Properties Planning, to ask them to set up a flood boarding scheme for the three major slipways and requesting the supply of the boards hopefully for funding next year. Sec SS Carried Action: Clerk

PW highlighted the serious weaknesses in the drainage of roads in three areas

•  the serious undermining of the road at the Shipwrights slipway. RS had highlighted this problem many times. Proposal: to write to Phil Perkins (TDC) re the imminent collapse of the wall on the east side of the Slipway at Shipwrights. Carried Action: clerk to write

•  the camber of the road in Marine Parade which had been altered by various roadworks over a period of time and was carrying the water into the houses. He requested that the camber should be reinstated in the correct way when the road is re-surfaced: Action: SS agreed to carry this forward.

•  The holes which drain water out into the river in times of rain at Riverside will also let water in in times of flood. Suspended S/Os for RE to speak: he said this had been an ongoing situation for sometime and DCC highways had promised many times to fill these holes up (Mr J King). Proposal: Letter to Mr Jerry King at DCC Highways - following his report to CC at the highways and drainage meeting could he please arrange to spend 10 mins filling up the holes in the wall at Riverside from the funds available to him. Prop CC Sec SS Carried. Action: Clerk to write

•  Lastly, it was agreed to write to TDC (Phil Perkins) to request an update on costing of short and long term remedial action against fluvial flooding at Ringmore Brook (copy Graeme Smith) Carried. Action: Clerk to write

11. Harbour Consultative Consultative meeting: The Chairman suspended S/Os to allow Ron Evans (RE) to speak. RE asked SPC if there were any questions on his report of the meeting and any further points to take forward to the next meeting.

•  CC was surprised to read the red buoy was moving and RE confirmed that this was now in a fixed position.

•  RE had asked jet skis to be discouraged from coming up the Shaldon side which he felt was a danger to swimmers. AS declared an interest but stated that she did not agree that the jet skis caused any problems and did not want them stopped from beaching in Shaldon. CC saw no harm providing they were going slowly. RS felt the majority came in very gently and were aware of swimmers but the odd one or two caused problems and needed to be told not to do so. He did not see it as a huge problem. RE confirmed that he would take SPC's views back to the harbour commission.

•  AS asked that we lobby the appropriate person to enforce the ‘no fishing' signs from Shaldon Bridge . RS agreed that this was a hazard when lines were caught up in boats going under the bridge and may eventually lead to a bad accident and suggested the County Council were responsible. It was agreed to contact Cllr Cox to confirm who was responsible. Action: Clerk to write to David Cox cc Richard Elliot, DCC and Graeme Smith, Teign Estuary.

12. Report on Referendum Poll: CC gave an overview of the meeting and confirmed that there would be a parish poll.
IAS proposed that SPC write to the Government Department on behalf of the village in support of a referendum poll on the proposed European Constitution. Sec SS Carried. Action: Clerk

13. Signage: The Chairman suspended S/Os to allow Mr Tony Willan to update SPC on this subject. He reported at a meeting with Tracey Higgs (TH), TDC, on 5 th Sept she had agreed that the signage at the Ness was a mish mash and that the whole area needed review. TH is meeting on 11 th October to discuss this review, in particular, signage on the old toilet block and another sign to encourage people to realise that there is a village to visit. He is hopeful that TH will come up with some ideas and he asked for SPC's support in going ahead with this. CC expressed his gratitude to Mr Willan for his efforts and all agreed that he should carry on and report back.

14. Bonfire sub committee meeting will take place on Weds 3 rd October at 7pm – at the Methodist Church Hall. Action: Clerk to inform Lyn Manester. CC asked that councillors attend this meeting. Bonfire will be on Saturday 3 rd November.

15. Planning : RS gave an overview of the four meetings held since the last SPC meeting. AS raised the subject of request for support on their planning application from the Sailing Club with support from David Cox and expressed regret that neither were present. A discussion ensued in which concern was expressed by all regarding SPC's involvement in this application and concluded that the best course was for the sailing club to seek funds elsewhere and that Cllr Cox should be advised of this decision. Action: Clerk to inform Cllr Cox.

16. Accounts : Taken as read. Prop AS Sec RS Carried

17. Date of next meeting: Tuesday 30 th October 2007

18. Public Comment : Very Revd Richard Gilpin: (i) Disappointed at the lack of communication and information re the mobile library service. On one occasion it did not turn up. Requested SPC write to the library asking for those who have registered with the library to receive information by post of the times and dates at which the library is available in the village and clearer notices to be placed in other places such as the library and the Post Office. Action: Clerk to write to Lyn Osborne to request a more specific timetable for Shaldon and consideration to be given to a system to notify regular library users on a regular basis.

(ii) Beach: Would like to plead for the beach to be cleansed from the Brig quay to beyond the FBS reducing the sand down by 1 or 2 feet. CC said there was no provision in the budget for a large undertaking such as this but he would make some enquiries. Action: CC

Ivor Watts asked that a yellow box junction should be placed at the Beachcomber and at the pinch point at the Rowe's house. SS said the boxes had been refused by DCC.

19. Under Part II of the meeting, with the public excluded, it was proposed to accept the quotation from Mr Bill Mesley to repair and update the Ferryboat Shelter at a cost of £1500. Carried. Action: Clerk to inform Mr Mesley.  

Next Meeting: Tuesday 30th October 2007