Milverton Parish Council Report on Meeting September 2014

A somewhat depleted Parish Council met on 1^st September.

Planning

Approval was approved under delegated powers for a garage in Houndsmoor. Councillors voted 7-0.

Councillors raised no objection to works to a tree off Sand Street in the Conservation Area.

Cllr Wren reported that the negotiations over the Pubic Toilets had been delayed because TDBC did not have an Asset Transfer policy. This had now been belatedly written and was out for consultation.

Noting that the closure and disposal of Public Toilets had become a fiasco Councillors discussed the proposed policy. The general conclusion was that it was too restrictive if TDBC expected Parish Councils to take on services associated with these buildings. The Chairman and the Clerk will provide a full response before the deadline.

In respect of Creedwell the Clerk reported that it was not on the Planning committee agenda for 3^rd September and the next available date was the 24^th. Councillors agreed to hold a separate meeting beforehand to discuss how it would approach the meeting if the Creedwell proposal came forward. Accordingly an extra meeting was agreed for Monday 8^th September.

The Chairman reported that there was still a lot of toing and froing regarding drainage and archaeology and this would hinder the writing of the Planning Officers report.

The Crime report had only one Milverton mention – criminal damage to a mobility scooter.

Councillors voiced various concerns about the state of roads and hedges in Butts Way, Houndsmoor and Sand Street. The Clerk has contacted SCC and the issues are being dealt with.

The Chairman reported that he had attended a PCC meeting and discussed the potential closure of the churchyard and what would happen thereafter. He was concerned that the matter now had a degree of urgency because there would be a long and complex legal process to close the existing churchyard and also a similar lengthy process to establish a new burial ground. Consideration also needs to be given to the ongoing management and maintenance of the closed churchyard and who would be responsible for that.

The Clerk confirmed that he has written to Beth French who had been delighted to accept the offer of a ceremony to recognise her achievement of swimming from Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly. The Chairman had liaised with the Victoria Rooms Committee would now be discussing this on the 9th of September.

The Parish Council will be seeking tenders for various works at the Courtfield Allotments, principally a water supply and a notice board.

The Parish Council spent £880 in August on salaries, audit and gardening. A grant of £3875 was received from TDBC for ground maintenance.

Finally Councillors acknowledged what an exceptional event Howard Davies's funeral had been. With over 200 people attending, including King Arthur Uthur Pendragon and 6 druids it had been a fantastic occasion and gave a fitting send off to a true village character. The Council will be writing to the Vicar on behalf of the community to thank her for her contribution to making it happen.