Monday Link Group In Yealmpton

A social group for the over 50s. Everyone welcome.

Chat over a cup of tea and enjoy some card and board games. Keep in touch with other people in the area.

Every Monday 2pm (starting 6th Feb)
Function Room (opposite side of the driveway), The Rose & Crown, Market Street, PL8 2EB

There is no charge, just pay for your drinks.

To find out more or discuss transport contact Ali, Time For Life, 01822 810897, ali@timeforlife.org.uk

Volunteers are wanted to help with this group, can you help?

STOKE ROAD GRITTING

The Parish Council has been advised by Devon County Council that unfortunately Stoke Road, from Bridgend to St Peter's Church, does not fit the policy to be included on the Primary Salting Network but has been added to the Secondary Salting Network. This effectively means that when a forecast of prolonged freezing is received ( ie most or all of the day ) following the Primary Network being salted, the gritters will then return to the depots to refill and then salt all of the Secondary Routes.

Devon County Council has advised that the reduction in funding for the Winter Service is a decision made by County Councillors following results of the Government Spending Review. To comply with this reduction in funding, a complete overhaul of the existing Primary and Secondary salting networks has taken place, part of the outcome being that the existing policy has not changed, but has merely been applied stringently across the county.

As a result roads across the county that were being gritted, such as from Bridgend to St Peter's Church, that did not fit the existing policy criteria (in this case there are less than a 1000 vehicles a day in February ) have been removed from the Primary Network and added to the Secondary Network. At the same time there are now roads which fitted the policy that were not being gritted that have now been included in the Primary Network. There is an overall reduction across the county.

During extended periods of cold weather or snow (defined as most of the day), additional roads are salted providing access to other settlements (this is usually one road linking to the salting network known as the Secondary Network). Roads off the Primary and Secondary Salting Networks and busy cycleways and footways are treated on a reactive basis, within the resources available, once the Primary and Secondary salting network is clear.

Devon County Council has a duty to provide safe passage along the highway in a reasonable and practicable manner in accordance with Section 41(1A) of the Highways Act 1980. This is achieved by a process of pre-salting roads on predefined routes, known as the Primary Salting Network, and this is reviewed annually to reflect developments, improvements and changes in traffic patterns. The criteria below have been developed enabling this salting network to be defined. This ensures a consistent approach across the County and achieves a reasonable balance between cost and level of service.

*NEW PARISH COUNCILLORS*

Following receipt of eight applications, the four vacancies on the Parish Council were filled by Co option at the Meeting on 8 September 2011. The Parish Council welcomes Mrs. Alison Ansell, Mr. Roger Barnett, Mr. Colin Lyndon and Mr. Peter Stitson.

NEW POLICE NON EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER: 101

The Police have introduced a new non emergency telephone number 101
as from 5 September 2011.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing will be able to textphone 18001 101.

Calls from landlines or mobile telephones will cost 15p per call.
The number is available to use 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

The old non emergency telephone number 08452 777444 will be phased out.

The emergency number 999 remains unchanged.

POTENTIAL TRANSFER OF SOUTH HAMS DISTRICT COUNCIL LAND ASSETS TO THE COMMUNITY

* PUBLIC CONSULTATION*
Thursday 22 September 7pm
Newton & Noss Village Hall


South Hams District Council has offered to transfer their land assets to the ownership of the Parish Council for its future preservation and benefit of the Community.

The land includes;

1. The playground and playing field at Butts Park
2. The green area by the Primary School, opposite Dillons (with the exception of the car park) at The Green.
3. The land extending from Noss Green to Noss Play Park incorporating the green area, car park, tennis courts, field and play park.


In light of the potential significant increase on the Precept (and hence Council Tax payments), the Parish Council held a public consultation on Thursday 22 September 2011 at Newton & Noss Village Hall at 7pm to which parishioners were invited.

Download the presentation given at the meeting here...


The Parish Council would be in need of volunteers to form working group/groups to manage the amenity land. If you would be interested in forming a group to manage the areas please contact the clerk.

Education Funding opportunity for
16 to 23 year olds.

If you are a student between the ages of 16 to 23 years in a position of full-time education and you or your parents/guardians are struggling to finance your education, please consider applying for an award from the the Devon and Cornwall Aid for Girls Trust. Education can be academic, or apprenticeship in nature, but must be full-time.

All applications are made directly to the Foundations and are treated in confidence. Average grant per annum for D&C Aid for Girls Trust is £336.00 per student. Awards are given for one off help, or subsequent years of support if further application is made.

The trusts can grant awards to finance books, computers, tools, travel, clothing, special fees etc. In addition The D&C Girls Aid Trust will help with maintenance whilst studying. To find out more please visit the Yealmpton Parish Council, or Brixton Parish Council website and follow the link to further information on the Foundations.

GRASS CUTTING REDUCTION IN SERVICE

Due to funding cuts in services, Devon County Council have advised that the cutting of some grass verges within 30mph speed limit areas will be reduced from 6 to 4 cuts per season. The County Council has committed to arrange for additional cuts at some road junctions only if growth compromises safety. Concerns about safety should be raised directly with Devon County Council. The County Council have also withdrawn the weed spraying service from the area. They will deal with litter and loose organic detritus but not fixed weed growth. In these circumstances, the Parish Council have suggested that Parishioners may wish to consider looking after the areas outside their own properties.

NOSS PLAYPARK UPDATE

Great news from the Playpark Improvement Group committee who have managed to secure all funding needed to completely re-develop Noss Playpark - and bring it well into the 21st century. In consultation with local children and parents, their landscape architect, Caroline Curtis, of Eden Design has planned an exciting array of brand new wooden equipment including a huge pirate ship, pontoons, a nest swing, slide and special toddler area.

In addition they have funding to develop a Community Orchard - using local apple varieties - in the adjoining field where an Orchard once stood.

Work will commenced on 27 September. and it is hoped it will be completed by the beginning of November. An exciting Opening Event for all to attend should follow took place at the end of November.

The play park will be closed whilst the works are ongoing and sign will be put up to this effect.

Part of the design for the improvements involves a sand feature. It is understood that at some point during the project a large amount of sand will be delivered, possibly using a part of the tennis courts car park for storage, subject to South Hams District Council giving permission. The sand will then be transported to the play park by tipper truck.

With thanks to the funders - Community Spaces, Coastal Local Action Group, Awards for All, The Revelstoke Trust, SHDC and MoreWoods.

Detailed plans can be viewed by following this link

STREET LIGHTING: PART -NIGHT LIGHTING POLICY

The Parish Council have been advised by Devon County Council that they have approved a policy of part-night lighting in residential areas across the County to reduce emissions and energy costs.
The policy for the Parish will apply to all residential areas except for the B3186 (from Butts Park, down Parsonage Road, past Holy Cross Church to the junction with Church Park Road).This section will remain lit all night. This will result in the lights being switched off in all other residential areas from about 12.30am for 5 hours.
The County Council has set up a web site - www.devon.gov.uk/partnightlighting to explain its policy.
The Parish Council were consulted and have requested that in addition to the proposals, lights remain on from Church Park Road to the junction with Newton Hill and on both sides of Newton-Noss Voss.

CHANGES TO REFUSE COLLECTION DATES 2011

Please be advised that the Refuse Collection dates will change for the following weeks:

BANK HOLIDAYS

All collections will run one day late on weeks beginning:
Monday 30 May
Monday 29 August

CHRISTMAS

All collections will run one day late on week beginning 26 December.

Week beginning 2 January 2012 will remain unchanged

Village Housing Initiative

Tor Homes held a well attended public consultation meeting on 16 December 2010 regarding the proposal for a Village Housing Initiative Scheme for Parsonage Road.

A summary report of the consultation feedback is available in the Documents link.

Notes of the Design Work shop meeting held on 5 April 2011 together with an information sheet prepared by Tor Homes concerning site constraints can also be found by following the Documents link.

Plans for the project can be viewed on the South Hams District Council website; www.southhams.gov.uk (this link goes directly to the appropriate page)

News Release

New approach to South Hams housing needs

With the demand for affordable homes ever increasing, South Hams District Council is promoting a new approach to provide small-scale affordable housing schemes in sustainable locations across the district for local people.

This is a new way forward – the approach is called the Village Housing Initiative and the aim is to increase the supply of affordable housing sites and reduce the reliance on public funding for affordable housing.
Cllr Michael Saltern, Executive Member for Housing at South Hams District Council said: "The Village Housing Initiative provides a significant prospect of moving forward in meeting the

challenges of affordable housing provision in the South Hams. The initiative fully embraces the philosophy of "localism" and aims to keep our villages very much alive.

"The saddest aspect of the past decade is the decline of our rural communities and we have thought well beyond standard methodology in developing this innovative and caring approach to development giving an opportunity for local people to make a real difference in preserving rural life.

"This really will mean engagement with local people with housing for local people as the main aim".

Designed to help local communities meet their housing needs and maintain the sustainability and vitality of their community, this initiative will prioritise homes for local people in need of affordable housing.
It allows for small scale development of affordable housing in rural communities on sites which might not otherwise be allocated for housing. It also allows for up to, two open market homes to be built to encourage sites to be offered and also provide a source of cross subsidy to enable the affordable homes to be built.
This is a time-limited initiative and it's envisaged that the first scheme will be on site in the Newton and Noss ward by late spring 2011 providing 14 affordable homes for the area.
Details of the village housing initiative can be found on our website southhams.gov.uk or you can contact affordable.housing@southhams.gov.uk from the council's affordable housing team on 01803 861234 for further information.

ALLOTMENTS

For some time Parishioners have been asking for allotments.  The nearest plots are in Yealmpton, but are already heavily over-subscribed.  If there is sufficient demand, the District and Parish Councils have a duty to try to find suitable local provision.  In April Councillors Suzie Cooper and Jeremy Brown met with a group of Parishioners and established there was a demand for at least six allotments.  No known private land owners have offered a suitable site.  The two sites the District Councils owns are the playing field at Butts Park (already used for cricket and football) and the smaller parcel of land between the tennis courts and play-park in Noss.  The Parish Council has asked that the interested residents who will use the allotments form a working group in preparation for the formation of an allotment society. The District Council has offered funds to help establish the site.  The Parish Council will formally consult with local residents on the final choice of sites. To allay fears of unsightliness the Parish Council is likely to insist on:
A) Strict controls regarding design and layout and use.
B) Only allowing fruit, vegetables and flowers to be grown.
C) Small sheds of identical design and colour
D) Suitable modest screening and landscaping, possibly with fruit tress     (e.g. cordoned apples etc)
E) No animal keeping
F) No communal compost heaps
G) No bonfires
H) No tatty plots.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact any member of the Parish Council.  In these straightened economic times it is better that under used amenity land is put to community use, rather than left for others to identify money making schemes, such as car-parking.

   Marine Crime

Devon & Cornwall Constabulary have produced  soft waterproof marine covers for outboard engines, to replace hardcovers, when the engines are left unattended. The covers have the Devon & Cornwall Constabulary logo emblazoned on them and are designed to deter thieves. The covers cost £15 each and are available from the Harbour Master.

DOGS

 About 200 dogs are reported lost or stolen to SHDC each year. The dog warden’s job involves collecting stray dogs and trying to reunite them with their owners. If a dog is found and taken to a kennel because the owner cannot be traced, it will cost a minimum of £49.00 to reclaim your animal.

Please ensure your dog has, at the very least, a dog tag on its collar.
 If your pet has not been tagged or micro chipped you can call the dog wardens for advice on 01803 861234.

POTHOLES

“YOUR county needs you” is the message from Devon County Council as it calls on people to help in dealing with potholes on Devon’s roads.

The County Council wants residents in Devon to play a part in helping its highways teams to identify areas that are in need of emergency repairs.

Potholes and safety defects on the county’s roads can be reported online at www.devon.gov.uk or by calling the My Devon Customer Service Centre on 0845 155 1004.

SDCLAG

The South Devon Coastal Local Action Group - Business Growth and Diversification Fund (BGD) is a small grant scheme which helps businesses grow and diversify by investing in both capital and revenue activities. A grant can be for up to 30% of eligible project costs, in the range £1,000 - £10,000.
To be eligible projects must either involve diversification into non agricultural activities; or create and develop micro-businesses; or encourage tourism activities. Other criteria which must be met include having a business trading address in the South Devon Coastal area; employing less than 10 full-time staff; an annual turnover less than £1.7 million; a current set of accounts with a robust business plan: and, if required, a submitted or approved planning application.
The grant can be used to buy new equipment, install new technology, develop and test a product, introduce new marketing techniques, improve energy efficiency, reduce environment impact, minimize waste or make alterations or improvements to business premises.
For further advice and to apply, contact Cathy Heath, South Devon Coastal Project Officer by email cathy@ruraldevon.org or call 01548 858805.

OPERATION HOME ALONE

Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service has launched a campaign aimed at people who live alone and could be at risk of fire.Members of the public area asked to contact the fire service on 0800 7311 822  and to provide details of people they know who may be at risk from fire.The community safety department should then write to the individual offering fire safety advice through a home fire safety visit

Mobile Library

Please note that the mobile library visiting days and times change on January 4th.

See 'Local Information' for details

HOUSING – PUBLIC CONSULTATION

South Hams District Council has entered into a Community Engagement Programme regarding the allocation of sites for development to be included in their draft Development Plan Documents. These will be included in the formal planning documents known as the Local Development Framework. SHDC has planned for 400 homes, spread around 52 villages. Newton & Noss has been identified as one of 16 “sustainable” villages most likely to be allocated a site due to its local services, school and shops. 11 potential development sites have been identified (9 in Newton and 2 in Noss).   In June the Parish Council arranged an Open Meeting and provided questionnaires to gauge public opinion, the results of which have been sent to SHDC .
 The results are  in the Document Library section of this web site.

BLOOD DONORS URGENTLY REQUIRED
Each time the Blood Donor Service visits Yealmpton, they need to collect at least 85 units of blood to meet the demands of the hospitals. The average collection at Yealmpton is only 51 units of blood.
More donors are needed
Appointments can be made by calling the Donor Helpline on 0845 7 711 711 or visiting www.blood.co.uk.
Perhaps you can support the service by helping to recruit a new donor? Either ask them to attend a session, phone the Donor Helpline on 0845 7 711 711 or visit the website to enrol

Don't be scared, be well prepared

The above named leaflet has been produced to provide emergency planning advice to members of the public in order to help protect them and their homes in an emergency such as a flood, fire, storm, power cut or gas leak...  The subjects included include:- 

• Events that could occur
• What to do in an emergency
• How to prepare for an emergency
• Maintaining your home
• Emergency Bag
• Driving tips
• Looking after pets
• Have you put ICE in your mobile?
• Local radio
• Useful numbers in your mobile phone
• Local Resilience Forum

These leaflets are being circulated throughout Devon, including district/town/parish councils, libraries and the emergency services.

If additional copies are required please contact Peter Dale, Emergency Planning Officer, South Hams District Council, Follaton House, Totnes on 01803 861278 or peter.dale@southhams.gov.uk

An electronic copy can be found here...

Second Home or Holiday Home Owner
Forgot your day of collection or do you need recycling sacks?
Call South Hams District Council,
01803 861234
Is your collection day not suitable?
You can arrange in advance to take a limited amount of
waste to the recycling centre. Call, Devon County Council
to book this in. Tel: 0845 1551010
Is your property let for self catering?
Contact South Hams District Council trade waste collections.
Tel: 01803 861234
& Holiday Homes

You can download a copy of this notice here...

CHELSON MEADOW
Please note that South Hams Residents should no longer be turned away from using Chelson Meadow. Plymouth County Council held a meeting with Devon County Council when they confirmed that the ban on Devon County Council Residents using the Chelson Meadow facility should be withdrawn, with immediate effect. However, commercial vehicles can only gain access to the site with a permit which are only issued to Plymouth residents( policy since 2002). There is a similar agreement with Torbay. Therefore householders of Devon, Torbay and Plymouth should be able to use the Recycling Centre they find most convenient.

OF INTEREST TO KEEN DEVON WALKERS
Visit www.walkingindevon.co.uk to download walk leaflets (free).
Included on the site are local walks plus links to:-
Walking groups
Books on Devon walks and  Devon maps
Accommodation along the way
Walks in other counties
and the all important weather forecast.
NOT FORGETTING…….
The Newton & Noss Footpath Guide – only £1.50 from the
Post Office and Pharmacy.

THE GLASS SKIP, NOSS
If you use the skip, your attention is drawn to the following please:-

FAULTY STREET LIGHTING
             If you know of a lamp which is not working, please report it. Thank you.
www.devon.gov.uk/street_lighting
  or telephone: 0845 155 1004 quoting the lamp number