Minutes of the Stokenham Annual Parish
meeting held on Wednesday 4th April 2012
in the Stokenham Parish Hall at 7.30p.m.
with Cllr Charles Rogers presiding
The Chair welcomed everyone There were approximately 18 people in attendance.
APOLOGIES RECEIVED
Rosemary U'ren - 1st Stokenham Rainbows – Report provided
Chris Hyson – Chillington Community Association – Report provided
Kathy Burns – Chillington Health Centre
Dist. Cllr. Baverstock – Attending Chillington Community Association meeting.
The Minutes of the meeting dated 16th March 2011 were PROPOSED by Christine Nuttall-Smith and SECONDED by Les Cowley before being duly approved by all present and accordingly signed by the Chair.
2. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
The Chairman made his report as attached. He also advised those present that a Diamond Jubilee Beacon will be built and lit at Start Farm by Richard Foss for parish council and on behalf of the National Farmers Union.
3. SETTING UP A VILLAGE GREEN
The Chairman then introduced Pete Moore a resident from Beeson Village explaining that the presentation to follow was a fine example of Localism in a community getting together and setting up a Village Green. Pete Moore gave a PowerPoint presentation illustrating his talk. He started by explaining that as a teacher he normally spoke to five year olds so joked it was good to see all those present sitting properly. He advised he was invited to talk to the Annual meeting and had agreed as his contribution for the support on this project from the parish council and parish clerk.
When they were initially trying to research village green designation the way the land had come into being and its history was quite unique. Many people drive through Beeson but do not know of the Village Green area, still.
The Orchard dates back to 1840 and he noted he had lived in Orchard Close since when the houses were built in the 1980s. It is however not a Close as suggested as the builder built so far and then went bankrupt and therefore never finished the Close. Therefore the land behind the houses was forgotten about and the Late Drew Watton used to top/cut the land. The development had bulldozed all the trees sadly with apples still on but left one majestically there. So since the 1980s the surrounding local community has cared for and looked after the land. It is an area ideally situated as a village centre. Beeson village developed on an old Saxon development so the land had always been used by the community.
For 20 years they had looked after the open area in an ad hoc basis. People would use it to exercise dogs and children played there. Then someone moved in to the area and approached the Treasury to buy the land. Probably it should have been sold before but the Crown now own it due to its status as bankrupt land and the Crown absorbs anything that happens there but does not maintain or develop. The potential purchaser approached the Treasury/Crown and they in turn had to approach other adjacent property owners to advise of this. At the time the Beeson Community did not feel the land should go into private ownership due to its use and were concerned it could have been fenced off and in time go for further local housing. As the Chestnut Park development had recently been developed and the village is without a church, pub, shop etc and people do not have a focal meeting place the adjacent owners approached parish council. The Parish Clerk helped them advising on a way to go further and they then needed to consider as a group whether to purchase the land or whether there was an alternative. Then later they contacted the Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty Committee and they suggested this could become an Anniversary Orchard.
What followed was they needed to find out what other local village and second home people in Beeson thought by constructing and sending out a questionnaire and generally talking to local people. There was overwhelming support for the land to remain in community ownership. They could not raise the money to purchase it as this would be a huge task so they decided they could register it as Common Land. In time they decided to register it specifically as a Village Green and as Devon was a pilot County that can register such locally this was the avenue they decided on.
There are quite a few second home owners in Beeson who were all also very supportive and showed how much they loved and care for the village and wanted to feel part of it but with not many places to meet this would provide a good vehicle for such in future in the village. The group then had to gather evidence through questionnaires as provided by County showing 20 years of evidence to as to how it had been used as a sort of village green and had free access and was used for social pastimes, picnics etc. Again they went round the whole village knocking on doors, sending emails and providing questionnaires. They asked AONB Roger English and he again felt it would make a good Anniversary Orchard as it had mixed use, vegetable gardens, chickens, a nature area, a pond and with more trees planted and AONB wanted to help. Roger English wrote a letter of support as did parish council and district and this put their application on an official footing and gave the application credibility. Also they had to find photographic evidence alongside questionnaires and the application form. Controlling Japanese Knotwood took 5 years to control locally and the Crown were never going to carry out such works so this was something the community got together to tidy up and was recorded. The Late Drew Watton said that when the houses were built the land was left in a state with ragwort, knotweed and large holes in the ground and historically the community dealt with all this so again well founded evidence.
Back when they started this campaign his two children, Millie and Sam, were the only children in the village but now more have moved in to the Chestnut Park development and around and there is a real sense of a young community. Then sent off the application under Section 15 of the Commons Act 2006. Life continued and the village had their bonfire night, tree planting, Christmas carols and summer BBQs. Twenty years of evidence was provided but now even more local people have come in and used the orchard. These are people they often saw across the field but now with community BBQs and the bonfire plus event they all meet, talk and work together. Pete noted that in Chillington residents can walk to the shop and meet people so this area is there focal point of bringing people together.
Were there any obstacles. Yes, before the application was sent off officers came back with a letter to enquire how the people were going to access the village green? They always just walked down the drive but it was a private driveway. Thereafter finding out who actually owned the driveway showed it was all householders but the builder had right of access to get to Orchard to do more work. Therefore they had to go around again to ask everyone 'have you accessed through the drive', of course they all said Yes. In the future the officers was confirmation of how local people could access the Village Green so then they had to show support from all neighbours and they signed a letter to give permission to have a right of way put through the driveway. All were supportive as it is not often householder adjacent make a public right of way next to their house, but everybody wanted it to be a Village Green. All they have done is registered it and someone could buy the land but it is now protected as a Village Green. All in all it had been an eighteen month process.
In between this time the AONB were thinking of the Anniversary Orchard and so they created a Group called the Beeson Community Organisation Group which is open to all in the village. They planted trees and made some cider and the AONB are still helping and drawing up a management plan for the future with grant funding. They are keeping the orchard mixed use and a natural space. So they also had to consider what would happen if they had a play park and there was concrete put in over the land, but the group Constitution has harnessed this open space, natural space provision. At first it was daunting a daunting project but he and others felt it would be a shame if it was lost. There has been a great community spirit fostered and it did bring together the second home owners who are now closer to local people living there as they feel part of the community decision. The second home owners have really helped out. There is no shop as it closed in the 1980s but they do have a meeting place in the orchard where they will do more events. With more children in the village and probably about 10 or 12 children altogether this is a safe place to play. They are looking for funding from the National Lottery as now the Olympics is being built there is money there for local community projecst. The village have links with Beeson Discovery Centre and when some events like tree planting are held they can provide volunteers to come down to the Orchard. In 100 years time it will still be a Village Green.
The whole project has not cost a penny to create apart from plants and trees and masses of coffee! Pete did caution however that he had heard that the regulations are changing and that now they maybe charging £1000 for the process.
4. VERBAL REPORTS
POLICE
Pc Steve Mutton noted how quickly another year had gone by. There had been quite an increase in crime this year with 26 crimes reported previously and this year from 1st April 2011 to 31st March there had been 46 reported. Of that number 14 had been detected, the burglary rate was the same 5 – burglary or commercial the same 4 – criminal damage went from 3 to 7 and thefts from 5 to 11. He knew why the crime reported had gone up however and could only reassure that the problem had now moved on. It was from this that others gravitated to this area but these no longer come around to this area to increase the figures. When people come on to a patch to commit crime if they are then caught the police could find other crimes such as offensive weapon, drugs, stolen car or such like within this report and so those were dealt with and listed within in the parish when they originated elsewhere.
The series of burglaries were similar to the ones last year but the figure of 5 this year was the same as last. Those carrying out such burglaries seem to be doing the same again and entering through double glazed units and stealing mainly silver. Therefore he urge if anyone saw any strangers to report such.
The police cadets group is increasing and Pc Mutton acknowledged those who had been made High Sheriff this year and last both being from the Kingsbridge Cadets. The Chief Constable has changed from Steve Otter to Shaun Sawyer who is acting until the new Crime Commissioners are elected. When they are in post they will look for a new Chief Constable. Inspector Phil Chivers retired under the new scheme for service limit and is now replaced by Andy Tomlinson. With these changes he also knowledged that the Devon & Cornwall force must lose 700 officers between now and 2015.
PCSO Paul O'Dwyer is still working with the Neighbourhood Watch Schemes and in this year Robins Field have formed a watch group and Cotmore Way is on its way. The issues with regard to the 20% cuts to policing have meant they must re arrange everything they do and they will be under constant review until 2015-16 for efficiencies. On the whole the organisation is not happy but there is little they can do but make the best of the situation and give a local service such as at present that is still one of the top in detection rates.
Eric Heavisides asked whether there was a certain logic in the reduction in number of police and the doubling in the crime rate in the parish. Pc Mutton had explained earlier his reasoning for such increase which he felt was isolated. Mr Heavisides continued do we deserve less police and what the target detection rate was and was told it was between 20-30% across the country. The police achieve this here whereas in other parts of the country they do not. Mr Heavisides asked if there was a target above that? Pc Mutton responded that the police do the best they can, the job is about preventing and detecting crime but it is not a realistic objective to achieve 100%.
DISTRICT COUNCILLOR
Dist. Cllr. Baverstock was attending the Chillington Community Association meeting.
COUNTY COUNCILLOR
Cty. Cllr. Brazil was not in attendance.
5. OPEN FORUM
Eric Heavisides noted the Chairman's report mentioned the new National Planning Policy Guidelines and that the revision had taken this document down to an easier fifty pages. However he understood that the National Trust asserted that if taken literally it meant it could be the concreting over the countryside and considering the Stokenham Action Group fought against the site allocation for planning in this area he had concerns how this will be interpreted. What was the parish view? The Chairman advised that like everyone else parish council are currently grappling with the regulations as they emerge and would try to do the best for people locally and were therefore awaiting the Housing Needs Survey results to inform any development required or requested.
As a District Councillor also in an adjacent area Richard Foss agreed that everybody was worried about this interpretation but as this policy had now come out the indication he had received from District officers was that areas such as AONB, local coastal preservation areas, national Parks and the like would see no obvious change. Maybe there would be some change between the areas of Dartmoor National Park and locally. Within the Localism Act every parish is being extolled to create their own Neighbourhood Plan and South Hams is one of the few District Councils that has policies on everything which puts them ahead on having a structure. They do not have one on wind turbines currently but will create one. Planning officers are still mulling over the details of the planning policy but although only fifty pages there is a lot of ambiguity. Cllr Foss did asserted that local people would have a lot more power.
Peter Sandell felt this did not help him at all. As both the site allocation fields suggested before were in the AONB and the officer at the time said he was too busy to defend these areas. He was hoping that as a result of this new plan he would find that the AONB now had a strengthened designation. Cllr Foss advised he was currently chairman of the AONB Committee and had been making people very aware at District of the sensitivity of the AONB. Hi had annoyed him in the past that the AONB had been used as a reason planning wise to stop things happening and yet other times not considered. He was working hard to change this. The problem with District planning department as he saw it was they had two or three changes recently and can only do the best they can but if the parish disagree they can force a referendum. He will along with District Cllr. Baverstock try to ensure that Stokenham do not have imposed what they are not supposed to. All can only work within the rules that Government put down. Mr Sandell advised that his Member of Pariliament and the National Trust are basically saying that the AONB, SSSI and other areas are now protected.
The Chairman asked those present that if the Stokenham Housing Needs Survey indicated that there was a need for more houses such as 2 bedroom single level houses for people retiring or starter houses for younger people were they saying they did not want any houses? Peter Sandell said no and why were people not pushing for the land adjacent to the school to be built upon? What he was against was the site allocation suggested visual AONB fields being used. With regard to the new suggestion all would be working on speculation not actual on this point, parish council will attempt to work to the best outcome for the community. Cllr Vale noted that as a result of what he had heard this evening what was being said was all must be more vigilant and work as a team. Therefore if people interpreted current policies and the development plan policy document with regard to horticulture and land between Stokenham and Kingsbridge all must ensure that case officers follow those policies as far as they can.
Eric Heavisides are for clarity as to when the Action Group went in front of the Inspector and the site allocation fields were removed were they actually removed from development? Cllr Foss responded that from memory the inspector left it without actually stipulating that there cannot be a planning application put forward again.
Another point raised was that the monthly Parish Council Minutes stated that the Parish Clerk and Chairman attending a meeting in Ivybridge to consider devolving services locally but were not impressed with suggestions. The Chairman explained the basis behind the District's new idea and that it was not felt to work as well as the pilot had in Stokenham and by its menu of option would not be workable across the South Hams.
Peter Sandall was interested by the presention on Beeson Village Green but felt it alarming to learn that The Treasury owned this land. The Clerk explained that land that is registered is noted at the Land Registry but parcels in the ownership of the Crown or as yet unregistered can only be revealed through actual investigation into a parcel of land. Access to knowing which pieces of land were not registered is not available and would be dangerous as this would also be open to all developers too.
Meeting Closed: 8.35p.m.