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.

Emergency Numbers

If you wish to report a Council related incident or require advice, please contact either Devon County Council or South Hams District Council, as follows:-

Emergency Services                         999
NHS Direct                                          0845 4647
Flu Information Line                          0800 1513 513
Environment Agency Floodline       0845 988 1188
Coastguard Infoline                          0870 600 6505
Highways Agency Information line  08457 50 40 30
Ant Terrorism Hotline                       0800 789 321
Crime Stoppers                                 0800 555 111

Devon County Council:                    0845 155 1015      (mainly highway issues)

South Hams District Council:           01803 861234
Out of hours -                                       01803 867034

Emergency Freephone Numbers:-
                
Gas:                                                     0800 111 999
Water:                                                 0800 169 1144
Electricity:                                          0800 365 900

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