IPPLEPEN PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of Parish Council Meeting held at Ipplepen Millennium Centre
On Tuesday 6th August 2024 at 7.15pm
In attendance:
Coun.Palethorpe (Chairman) Coun.Smith
Coun.Carnell (Vice Chair) Coun.Burnham
Coun.Farrow Coun.Latter
Coun.Jerwood
Miss Cat Freston – Parish Clerk
Coun.Palethorpe District Councillor
Coun.Dewhirst – County Councillor
No Members of the public present
51) APOLOGIES – Coun.Mrs.Calland, Coun.Rattlidge, Coun.Ranjit (Apologies approved unanimously).
52) DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST – No declarations of Interest.
53) MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING
Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 2nd July 2024, were approved and signed by the Chairman.
54) PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
Coun.Dewhirst spoke about youth provision in the Village. Kingskerswell Parish Council are working with Totnes Rural Area Youth Engagement, they operate on the principal of free provision. They offer food and drink and day trips for young people. They hold games activities, cook etc and work out of Village Halls. It costs around £7,000 each year for each Village. Coun.Dewhirst would be able to offer a grant towards the cost if Ipplepen Parish Council were to consider. Coun.Dewhirst would like to invite someone from TRAYE to come along to the Parish Council meeting in October.
55) CORRESPONDENCE AND OUTSIDE BODIES – Parish Clerk
- An email has been received from the W.I asking if they could decorate the War Memorial for the festival of Remembrance like they did last year. They felt their efforts were well received by the village and would like to repeat the event this year, possibly involving the local children. Action – Clerk to reply that Ipplepen Parish Council would be very happy for the W.I to decorate the War Memorial. The Parish Council will be putting the Christmas tree up on the last weekend in November.
- Ipplepen Carnival Club have emailed to ask if any Parish Councillors would be available to assist in marshalling on Saturday 10th They will be meeting in the village hall for a briefing at 4.30pm. Action – Clerk to reply that four Councillors are able to help with the marshalling and will be at the Village Hall on Saturday for the briefing.
- An email has been received giving feedback on the standard of the field for the Ipplepen Flower Show. They have asked why the grass was so long. Action – Clerk to reply that the Parish Council are very satisfied that the Grounds Maintenance Contractor carried out his duties.
- An email has been received from DCC Public Rights of Way Senior Officer about overgrown trees along the footpath at the rear of Rose Gardens. DCC have noted on their inspection a concrete edge which is sticking out of the stone surface. Action – Clerk to reply that DCC are responsible for the footpath.
Outside Bodies: –
MCMC meeting held on Tuesday 23rd July, where we learnt that Gina Heathman was retiring. They proposed to put two key boxes on the outside of the building, one for the Saplings Pre School staff and one for the Parish Council. Coun.Farrow proposed we purchase and install two key boxes, seconded by Coun.Palethorpe, all unanimous.
An inspection of the building will take place before the Winter
Councillor advocates. No update the next meeting is planned for 11th September 2024.
56) DISTRICT & COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT
District Report – Coun.Palethorpe
Planning continues to be an issue for residents and unfortunately the Teignbridge District Council Planning Committee Approved the Retrospective Planning Application to retain the earthworks on the site in Tremlett Grove against the wishes of residents, the Parish Council and myself.
The votes cast by the Planning Committee were, 3 For, 3 Against and 7 Abstentions which left the Chair with the casting vote and they voted For to Approve the Application.
Teignbridge District Council
With the election to Parliament of Cllr Martin Wrigley MP he has stood down as Leader of Teignbridge District Council with Cllr Richard Keeling having been elected to be the new Leader of the Council. I feel very honoured to have been appointed to the role of Deputy Leader of the Council.
Across the District
Parks
Parks in Shaldon, Teignmouth, and two in Newton Abbot have been awarded the prestigious Green Flag Award after achieving international quality mark for parks and green spaces.
The Green Flag Award is for Teignmouth Den, Courtenay Park and Decoy Country Park and Local Nature Reserve in Newton Abbot, and Homeyards Botanical Gardens in Shaldon.
The news that the four parks have achieved the international standard to receive the award is a real credit to the District Council team who look after the green spaces
Newton Abbot – Market Hall
Plans have been submitted to regenerate the market hall in Newton Abbot, providing up to ten fixed market stalls, several tabletop stalls for day traders and flexible event space. There will also be six street food stalls along with a bar, enabling the market to transition from a daytime market into a destination events venue in the evenings.
The plans show ambitious proposals for a 21st Century market hall, focusing on high quality produce, experiential shopping and local provenance. The food and beverage quarter will provide a ‘street food’ ambience, giving shoppers and visitors the chance to socialise, try locally produced fare and take in the new surroundings.
If planning permission is given the work to transform the market hall will start in October, and the market will remain open until then when the businesses will relocate to the temporary marketplace in the former Post Office building.
The development of a temporary mini market, rather than simply closing the market, will allow current market traders to continue trading whist the work on the Market Hall is carried out is Businesses have already had the chance to view the temporary premises and have welcomed the chance to continue trading while their permanent location is refurbished.
Diane from Newton Phone Repairs business in the market said: “Newton Phone Repairs has exciting changes ahead, as we will be relocating to serve you better and reach new heights together.” Jim from Ashfords Fruit and Veg added: “Thank you Teignbridge for renovating the former Post Office, looking forward to serving all our customers in our temporary home.”
In addition to the Market Hall, the market square will also be renovated, providing wholesale improvements to the public realm, lots of sitting and eating areas, greenery and an attractive market frontage. The costs for the redevelopment work were successfully secured through government funding.
Homes
The council has also requested authority to progress the preparation of the earmarked regeneration site at Bradley Lane, including proposals for the demolition of existing buildings using some of the unallocated Future High Streets Funding.
Most of the buildings on the council-owned regeneration site have been unoccupied for years, and development plans for the site have now lapsed. The site will be more commercially appealing if it is cleared for development, and once the existing buildings have been demolished, options will be discussed to ensure an appropriate solution for the site, the town centre and local communities.
Queen Street
Meanwhile the Queen Street enhancement work is progressing well, with works ahead of schedule and due to be completed by November.
These projects are part of the Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton Garden Community programme which aims to revitalise neighbourhoods and shape significant developments and facilities for local communities
Summer Activities
FREE junior ranger activates this summer
Throughout August, there are lots of FREE junior ranger events to keep kids entertained!
Beautiful Butterflies and Mysterious Moths
Thursday 15 August 2024, 10am-12 noon
Join us and see which moths have been attracted to our light trap, and then go for a walk looking for their day-flying relatives, the butterflies. Make a model to take home.
Minibeast Madness
Thursday 29 August 2024, 1.30pm-3pm
What’s that chirping in the long grass? What is hiding under that log? There are so many minibeasts to find at this time of year! Let’s go looking for them and make a creepy crawly model. Activities are for children aged 7-11 years and take place at Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve Visitors Centre. No dogs, please.
Booking is essential, please call 01626 863980, or email our ranger.
Junior Rangers is generously supported by Dawlish Coasters running club.
Teignbridge Leisure Junior Summer Activities☀️
The Next Olympians
Our facilities at Newton Abbot Leisure Centre, Broadmeadow Sports Centre and Dawlish Leisure Centre are open and ready to offer fun, activities during the Summer Holidays!
All our centres have a variety of family and children’s Activities. From fun swimming activities to bouncy castles, to gym sessions and exercise classes, there’s something for all the family.
In the pool…
Pool based sessions at our Newton Abbot Leisure Centre include fun flume sessions, aqua run (on a giant inflatable) – available for children and adults; and junior pool exercise classes including aquafit, aqua games and raft building.
There are also still have some spaces left for our Intensive Swimming Lessons.
If you fancy outdoor swimming, try our outdoor pool in Teignmouth. Entry to the Lido is included in your membership. Enjoy some fresh air (and maybe even some sunshine) and enjoy a dip at our Lido.
On dry land….
Choose from summer trampolining at Broadmeadow Sports Centre; inflatable bouncy castle sessions at Newton Abbot Leisure Centre and Dawlish Leisure Centre; racket sports – badminton, table tennis, short tennis, pickleball and squash are all available to book at all our sites.
Plus, we’ve got a supervised junior gym (11-13 years) at all our sites. Our friendly and experienced gym instructors will be on hand to induct, guide and develop your child’s programme to ensure they get the most out of their workout.
Find out more on our Teignbridge Leisure website.
How have volunteers helped you?
Maybe it’s the sports coach who gave your child their confidence back; or the kind volunteer who sat with you so patiently when you were anxious about your hospital appointment; or the befriender who comes to see you every week and always makes you smile; or your neighbour who helps keep the street tidy by doing litter picks and weeding.
Whoever has helped brighten your days, you can bet they’ve done the same for others too! We want to show these people our appreciation, because they make Teignbridge such a special place for us all. In November, Teignbridge CVS is organising an awards ceremony to celebrate the people who make Teignbridge such a wonderful place to live.
If there’s a volunteer who’s had a positive impact on your life, please email chloe@teigncvs.org.uk by Sunday 15th September to nominate them for an award.
Environment News
Help reduce energy costs and improve your home
The local Community Energy Groups in Devon offer free Retrofit Advice home visits until the end of March 2025?
You can arrange for one of their qualified Retrofit Advisors to visit your home and advise you on how to make your home healthier to live in and cheaper to run.
The service offers free 1–2-hour long home visits, funded by the South West Net Zero Hub, as well as paid-for services with more technical surveying.
Retrofit isn’t always straightforward and it’s easy to get lost searching the internet, talking to contractors or even potential scammers. Exeter Community Energy’s customer centric, not for profit, service enables homeowners and landlords to prioritise the right actions for their property that make sense for now and the future.
The measures suggested could range from simple things like draught-proofing to more complex measures that have a longer installation process, such as insulation, double glazing or renewable energy systems.
The service ensures high quality retrofit and energy efficiency measures that meet the British Standard (PAS 2035).
Contact Exeter Community Energy for more information.
David Palethorpe
Cllr for Ipplepen – Teignbridge District Council
County Report – Coun.Dewhirst
More families in Devon will be able to access help and support following the launch of a dedicated Family Hub Advice Line and website, run by the charity Action for Children on behalf of our County Council.
Family Hubs are a new way of bringing together all the help a family may need in one place. It’s part of a transition in Devon from children’s centres, which supported families of children aged 0-8 with a referral from a GP or other professional, to family hubs – which are open to all families with children aged up to 19, or 25 for young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) and care leavers.
The free Action for Children-run advice line connects parents and carers to trained family support workers, who can provide a listening ear when things get difficult or can signpost to other support.
It will run alongside a network of Action for Children run Family Hub centres across Devon.
Rob Wyatt, Action for Children’s operational director in the South West, said: ‘We’re thrilled to be able to extend that help to families online and on the phone – meaning they can access support quickly and at a time that suits them.
‘At Action for Children we support hundreds of thousands of children and families across the UK, and we know that early help is a vital lifeline. Our staff support parents to address issues early and can help stop problems escalating. That is not only the best way to ensure positive outcomes for the whole family, but also avoids the need for costlier interventions further down the line.’
You can call the Devon Family Hubs Advice Line on 0800 538 5458.
A group of our care leavers have been working with the University of Exeter to help the University gain a better understanding of life in care.
It follows an independent report last year saying that just 14% of care leavers under the age of 19 progress on to higher education, compared to 47% of all other children.
The overall proportion of care leavers attending Russell Group universities was just 0.4%, the report by the educational charity, Civatas, said.
The University of Exeter wants to be a more accessible place for care experienced young people so that Devon’s care leavers aspire to attend and feel supported in higher education.
Devon and the University invited a group of care leavers to work with the University to highlight the challenges that care experienced people can face, and how best to support them at university.
Over the course of a week, they worked with university staff to develop a better understanding, to identify good practice, and to help bring together a training resource pack for university tutors and recruitment teams.
The resources include guides on trauma-informed tutoring; financial support for care leavers; and a resource to help tutors to better guide their students.
Finding the right childcare for your child is really important and it is Devon’s job to help make sure that there are enough early years and childcare places for families in Devon.
Every year we invite people to take part in our Parents Childcare Survey to find out the kind of child care people use or plan to use, entitlement to government funded childcare, and the number of hours your child will spend in childcare each week. The results will help our early years and childcare team to plan and make sure that there is enough childcare available throughout the county.
Take the survey here https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ParentsSurveySummer2024/
Devon’s determination to reduce carbon emissions are continuing to pay off after the latest figures show that we are ahead of schedule in the goal to reduce our Council’s emissions by 70% by 2030 according to the latest report on our carbon footprint.
The total level of emissions we produced in 2022/23 was 19,400 tonnes (of carbon dioxide equivalent), a 56 per cent fall when compared to the 43,826 tonnes in our baseline year of 2012/13.
The figures take into account emissions created in areas such as our vehicle fleet, school transport and buildings.
Street lighting is one of our main sources of emissions and the latest figures show that these emissions fell by almost a quarter in 2022/23 when compared with 2021/22 (4,576 tonnes falling to 3,465 tonnes).
This is largely due to the project to convert all of Devon’s 79,000 streetlights and highways signals to LED lightbulbs and to put in better controls so that lights can be dimmed. This project is in its final stages and 90% complete.
We have also completed retrofitting nine council buildings, increased the number of electric vehicles in our fleet while staff are travelling less when compared to pre-Covid and moved to agile working and video conferencing.
Other contributory factors that have reduced our carbon footprint include the reduced carbon intensity of the grid electricity we use. More than half of the grid electricity we use in the UK now comes from non-fossil fuel sources.
Alistair Dewhirst – alistair.dewhirst@devon.gov.uk
57) BLACKSTONE CROSS
No Update. Still awaiting contact from 3 west regarding the next meeting with potential public involvement.
58) PLANNING – Coun.Farrow
District Councillor, Coun.Palethorpe is on the Planning Committee for TDC, so will not comment or vote on any Planning Applications discussed below.
The Minutes of the Plans Meeting held on 17th July 2024 were approved and taken as read.
To consider the following planning applications:
To consider the following planning applications:
24/01174/PN – Notification under Part 3 Class R of the GPDO for change of use of agricultural building to Use Class E (commercial, business or service) at Crokers Farm, Conniford Lane
Comment: Coun.Farrow proposed that Ipplepen Parish Council cannot comment on this application due to the lack of information provided. Coun.Smith Seconded, All unanimous.
24/01213/CAN – Overhang from neighbouring garden on the rear boundary to remove all overhang back to the fence line. These are very minimal works and are to remove brances that are encroaching onto the dwelling. Pruning cuts will not exceed 50mm in diameter. All pruning cuts to be made at suitable growth points at Croftside, Croft Road.
Comment: Coun.Farrow proposed that Ipplepen Parish Council cannot comment upon this application as it is not clear who owns the tree in question, Seconded by Coun.Carnell, All unanimous.
TDC Planning Forum – Coun.Farrow will respond with comments.
24/00803/FUL – Change of use of an agricultural field to a secure dog walking field, provision of car parking and security fence at Land South Of Moor Road, NGR 284321 66910.
Comment: Should the Planning Officer recommend approval of the above application, Ipplepen Parish Council requests that it be referred to the Planning Committee for determination for the following reasons.
- Loss of agricultural land
- Highway concerns
- No indication of whether it is commercial or not
- Proposed hours are unsociable
- Loss of ancient natural hedgerow
59) AMENITIES – Coun.Carnell
The Minutes of the Amenities meeting held on 09th July 2024, were approved and taken as read.
- Overflow carpark hay making and grass cutting for Flower Show – This has been done.
- Park inspection (Typhoon repair update)
The typhoon seats have significant wear, they are being rebuilt and will be installed after the Carnival..
- Park toilet, planking and seats – Replacement toilet seats have been replaced. The Recreation Toilet Block outer planking will be repaired/replaced during the autumn.
- Electric sockets on toilet block – External electrical sockets will be installed by the Carnival and Village Show committee.
- Park signage – Replacement signage for the Recreation Ground (No Dogs) are required to replace existing ones.
- Goal posts and net.- The nets will be fitted after the Carnival.
- Clampitt Rd toilet update – Contractor due to start work on the refurbishment in August. Action – Clerk to contact contractor for start date.
- Allotments – rubbish, plot numbers and grass clearance – Rubbish has been cleared; further clearance will take place in the coming weeks. The area around the tree nursery and fruit trees is currently being cleared.
- Solar panels – The installation of solar panels on the Millennium Centre is under investigation, Coun.Burnham has received four quotes and will present at the September Parish Council meeting.
- Village weed spraying – Ground maintenance contractor has been informed that he may now use a spray which is environmentally friendly. The Council agreed the extra cost is justified on environmental grounds and supports the Council policy of protecting the environment.
60) SKATE PARK
Tenders have now been sent out with survey results to potential contractors. The bids are anticipated towards end Aug / Sept.
61) FINANCE & PERSONNEL – Parish Clerk
Balance No. £ 41,939.59
MCMC – Reimbursement for electricity £ 33.00
Mill Centre – Rent £ 110.00
ICC – Rent £ 112.50
Balance £ 42,195.09
Invoices Received and Approved: £ 3,605.22
Balance £ 38,589.87
Reserve Account Balance £ 195,767.54
£ 234,357.41
Items to discuss:
62) KERSWELLA CARE
Volunteer drivers have completed 71 trips in July. Greater awareness of facility seems to be slowly happening. Grief cafe meeting recently at the hub and was well received.
“Silver surfers “. Again good response initially. Evergreens – Now plans to restart around Oct ( under another name) to include social / teas/ speakers/ quiz’s /bingo etc. initially for hour and half and to extend to 2/3 hrs if numbers permit.
63) HIGHWAYS & RIGHTS OF WAY
Highways met and discussed about purchasing a portable VASS. Coun.Smith is awaiting information from two more companies with quotes.
Next meeting will be held on Wednesday 18th September 2024 at 6.45 pm Ipplepen Mill. Centre.
64) PUBLIC QUESTION TIME – No comments
65) To note the date of the next PC meeting: Tuesday 3rd September 2024 at 7.15pm
Meeting Closed at 20.42pm
