A Meeting of Christow Parish Council was held on Tuesday 10th January 2006 at 7.30 pm in
the Bowden Room, of the Teign Valley Community Hall, Christow.
PRESENT: Councillors K Orme (Chairman), S Clark, J Deane, J Edwards, H Green,
R Weaving, S Wylie, Cllr T Archer (TDC), Mrs S Keys (Clerk) and 3 members of the public.
APOLOGIES: Councillor Turner
Richard Weaving signed a ‘Declaration Of Acceptance Of Office’.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
MINUTES of the meeting held on the 13th December 2005 were signed as a true and accurate
record.
MATTERS ARISING:
1) Action plan - a meeting will be arranged to discuss this.
2) News Letter - Tim Deane had put together some first thoughts and questions on the possibility
of producing a parish newsletter. The Council decided to have a separate meeting to discuss
the matter further.
3) Village Design Statement – the reply form Bishopsteignton PC stated that they are waiting to
see if there is any interest elsewhere. They will be in touch again at the end of January.
4) BMX track - a meeting has been arranged with TDC's Sports Development Officer on the 24th
January.
5) Tenders for 2006 - the Council decided who to send tender forms to. The tenders will also be
advertised in Unity.
6) School boundary - Councillor Green will speak to the head teacher to find out what is going to
happen about the tree.
7) Junior play area - Councillor Green reported that the rubber mat safety surfacing had been
badly laid and that the final payment for the work would not be made yet. There will be a site
meeting with a representative of the company on the 17th January. The insurance company
requires an extra premium of £79.52 to be paid to insure the new equipment. The premium for
a whole year would be £235.86. It was noted that the policy excess is now £125 and that the
Council has only made one claim, for a new scramble net, in the last eight years. After some
discussion the Chairman proposed that the play equipment should not be insured for property
damage, seconded by Councillor Deane. Unanimous agreement.
8) Public toilets - work will commence on the 3rd January until approximately the 17th February.
TDC had telephoned the clerk to ask when the old bus shelter would be removed. Councillor
Edwards volunteered to remove it by the end of the week. The Council decided that a new bus
shelter would be erected against the hedge where the recycling banks used to be. The clerk was
asked to write to DNPA to find out if planning permission is needed. Councillor Clark
volunteered to do a drawing and specification for the bus shelter so that tenders for the work
could be obtained.
9) Gritting the road through the village – DCC have acknowledged the Council’s letter.
1
10) Street light near Christow Stores - the reply from DCC stated that the hedge was cut back in
early December and currently Western Power Distribution are waiting for the householder to
return a way-leave form giving them permission to go on to the land to make a connection
between the overhead supply pole and the new column.
11) It was reported that an overgrown hedge was obscuring the light by the school steps. The clerk
was asked to write to the owner of the property to request that they cut their hedge.
12) Allotment gate - an e-mail had been received from an allotment holder that stated that he will
try to reverse the hinges on the gate again, but if he can't succeed in doing this then it seems
unlikely that a burglar would manage to remove the gate.
PLANNING:
13) Amended detailed plans - construction of 15 dwellings with associated site works at land off
Wet Lane, Christow. Councillors Weaving and Orme declared an interest and left the room. A
letter of objection was read out from the owner of a neighbouring property. The Council
wanted an assurance from DNPA that the neighbours' concerns have been addressed in the
new plans. The councillors felt that the properties were still too high at 8.5 metres and that the
fence in between the garage and the entrance splay will reduce visibility and make the exit
more dangerous. The Council was pleased that the grass area was back in a central location
and that concerns about the proximity of new buildings to existing buildings had been
addressed.
14) Application – surface water soakaways constructed within the adjoining paddock fed by filter
drains at Broomhill House, Foxhole Hill, Christow. The Council had no comment to make, but
were surprised that drainage is being considered at this late stage.
15) Application for Listed Building Consent - alterations to terrace levels, entrance hall and
kitchen at Canonteign Barton, Ashton, Christow. No objections.
16) Application for Listed Building Consent - replacement of the slate roof with thatch, render and
limewash chimneys and internal alterations of house, plus new doorway on south elevation of
barn at Hill, Christow. No objections.
17) Naming of a new barn conversion off Dry Lane, Christow to be now known as Seahill Barn,
Dry Lane, Christow, Exeter, EX6 7PH.
18) Grant of Conditional Planning Permission – erection of building to house agricultural
machinery, equipment and livestock housing. Field No 3503, adj Spara Bridge, Lower Ashton.
A revised drawing had been received to include block plans and site levels.
19) Unauthorised solar heating tubes - Bryony Cottage, Christow. The letter from DNPA stated
that the solar heating tubes could not be seen from the highway and there was little or no
detriment caused by the installation. DNPA would like the Council's comments. The Council
had no objections.
ACCOUNTS:
20) Budget and precept for 2006/07 - Councillor Clark proposed that the precept should remain the
same as last year at £6,500, seconded by Councillor Deane. Unanimous agreement.
21) TDC re burial grant. Councillor Green proposed that the Council should authorise the
Chairman to declare that if the application is successful and a grant is passed by the District
2
Council, it will only be applied to the purpose of ground maintenance of the Parish open
cemetery and that any part of the grant that has not been applied in this way within 12 months
of receipt will be returned to the District Council. Seconded by Councillor Deane. Unanimous
agreement.
22) Christow Recreation Field Management Committee - application for rate relief from TDC.
Councillor Deane proposed that an application should be made for rate relief, seconded by
Councillor Clark. Unanimous agreement.
23) Expenditure: S Keys re clerk's salary (October-December) £330.93
S Keys re clerk's expenses (October-December) £33.28
DCC re Parish Plan £1,295 + £226.63 VAT
Viking Direct re photocopier toner and printer toner £136.98 + £23.97 VAT
Currys re scanner £51.06 + £8.93 VAT
A T Weaving re disposal of rubbish in allotments £160
J Edwards re recreation field maintenance £250 + £43.75 VAT
20) Income:
Coombes & Son re burial of Mary Clark £160
The Chairman checked the invoices, the paying-in book, the cheque book, and the bank
statement against the bank reconciliation. Councillor Deane proposed that the Council should
accept the accounts, seconded by Councillor Wylie. Unanimous agreement.
CORRESPONDENCE:
21) Teign Tennis Trust re invitation to a member of the Parish Council to attend their AGM.
Councillor Orme will try to attend this.
OTHER BUSINESS:
22) A Consultation Road Show for the Teignbridge Community Strategy will be held in the Teign
Valley Community Hall on Thursday 2nd March between 12 noon and 7pm. The clerk was
asked to advertise this in Unity and to submit a copy of the Parish Plan in response to the
consultation.
23) ROSPA play area inspection will be in March 2006.
24) New councillor training course - Councillor Weaving is interested in attending this. The
Chairman proposed that the Council should pay the £25 cost. Seconded by Councillor Green.
Unanimous agreement.
25) Best Kept Village Competition 2006 & Map Competition - the Council decided to enter the
competition and to ask the Country Club if they would like to take part in the map
competition.
26) Parish Award - this will be advertised in the February and March editions of Unity.
27) Rural Skip Service on 14th January 2006 in the recreation field car park.
28) Enquiry from an allotment holder in Poole, Dorset, regarding a traditional Devonshire onion.
He is looking for the potato onion. The Council and members of the public were unable to help
with this enquiry.
3
29) Councillor Dean reported that a streetlight, opposite Colly Park, was rusty. The Council
thought that this light was in private ownership.
30) The "to village" sign has disappeared from the junction of Wet Lane and Foxhole Hill. The
clerk was asked to telephone the Dartmoor National Park Ranger about a new sign.
31) The new sign at the Stone Lane junction on Bridford Road is leaning over. The clerk was
asked to contact DCC.
32) Councillor Dean reported that Christow Stores have offered to put a suggestion box in the
shop. The Council thought that this was a good idea and the clerk was asked to place an item
in Unity about it.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION
An allotment holder complained about the condition of a particular section of the roadside hedge.
This section does not belong to the Parish Council. He also reported that branches were being
thrown on to private land. The need to block the gap in between the allotment gatepost and the
hedge was also discussed. The clerk was asked to contact Mr Fidock to ask if he would carry out
this work as soon as possible.
The meeting closed at 9.25pm.
Signed …………………………………………….. Date …………………………………………
4