South Devon Railway

Just thought I'd share some photos of a trip on the South Devon Railway from Buckfastleigh to Totnes 'Littlehempston' station yesterday. Great steam train experience running along the side the River Dart, and thanks to everyone at SDR for the day. 

Buckfastleigh Neighbourhood Police report - May 2012

Buckfastleigh Policing monthly report May 2012 reproduced below:

Buckfastleigh Police Neighbourhood report – May 2012

Over the last month 38 incidents have been reported to us from Buckfastleigh. 6 related to reports of anti social behaviour, though they all related to incidents where all parties involved were known to each other.  7 related to traffic incidents and 6 to crime issues.

19 crimes were reported to us from the town.  6 related to various incidents of criminal damage including a smashed window to a local retail unit.  Information came to light as to a possible offender and a young local male has been interviewed and reported to attend court.  A couple of vehicles parked in the Plymouth Road / Old Totnes Road area were reported as being damaged and these crimes are being investigated locally.

8 incidents have been reported to us from the Dean Prior area, all of which are traffic related and refer to issues with the A38.  1 crime has been reported which relates to a vehicle that was left parked and unattended that had its paint work damaged.

From West Buckfastleigh we received 2 reports that related to the same incident. No crimes were reported to us from this area.

From Holne we received 1 incident report which related to children playing in a tree.  1 crime was reported to us, from the River Dart County Park.

We are seeing a slight increase in the number of vehicles that are being broken into when parked up at beauty spots on the moor.  We are now starting to share some of our crime information with the Dartmoor National Park Rangers and members of the Dartmoor Rescue Group who hopefully will act as our eyes and ears out and about in the rural community.  We will be advising them to call us if they see anything suspicious and telling them what details we need to follow up such calls e.g vehicle registration numbers, direction of travel, exact location.  All members of our rural community have a part to play so please if you need any further details please give us a ring on 101 and ask for PC Ali Hooper.

We can be contacted via email at Teignbridge@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk, where you will also find details of our next monthly police surgery and our current priorities.

PC Ali Hooper

PCSO Jon Box.

Ashburton Police Neighbourhood report - May 2012

AshburtonPolicing monthly report - May 2012 reproduced below:

ASHBURTON NEIGHBOURHOOD REPORT MAY 2012

Over the last month 72 incidents have been reported to us from Ashburton. 20 of these related to the   A38 and a further 10 were traffic related incidents in the town itself. 2 incidents of anti-social behaviour were reported which is one of our neighbourhood priorities that we deal with.  One of the most interesting incidents was reported to us on the 11^th May by several people and involved those hearing a plane flying low over head followed by a very loud bang.  Police Officers were deployed to the area, expecting to find wreckage but after an exhaustive search by both units on the ground and the Force Helicopter nothing was found (apart from a group of youngsters camping in a field close to Parkers Farm).  Enquiries were made with both civil and military air traffic control who could also shed no light in regards to this incident.  It still remains a mystery.10 crimes have been reported to us from the town which include 3 offences of theft from South Dartmoor Community College where 3 ipods were stolen from the changing rooms. 2 pupils have been interviewed over this issue.  Locally a male was also arrested following a cheque fraud offence in a town centre pub and was later charged with 13 similar offences that he had committed countrywide.

In Bickington 3 incident reports were received. 2 of these related to the A38 include a lorry fire on 30^th May which closed both lanes for about an hour. This occurred during the rush hour period and required traffic to be directed off the Plymouth bound carriageway at Drum Bridges that then had to go through Bickington, rejoining the A38 at Goodstone.  Traffic was very congested for a few hours with a diversion scheme being managed by the Highways Agency.  1 crime of arson was recorded which related to to a caravan in an isolated location.  This is being investigated by our local CID team.

From Widecombe 2 incidents were reported to us which included a report of sheep on the road. No crimes were recorded.

1 incident and 1 crime were reported to us from Buckland in the Moor.  This related to an incident of criminal damage to a dwelling.

Please report any suspicious activity or behaviour at the time on the new non-emergency telephone number of 101 – or use 999 in an emergency situation, ie if a crime is being committed.

Please see our Neighbourhood Webiste with the dates of our next Police surgery which are held Ashburton Information Centre. 

We can be contacted at Ashburton Police Station via the Central no. 101 or via e-mail – Teignbridge@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk

Alternatively the totally confidential Crimestoppers no.0800 555111 can be used to pass information to the Police.

                                                            PC Andy Dudley

DIG TO UNCOVER ROMAN TOWN

EXCAVATIONS to uncover what is believed to be a major Roman town in the heart of South Devon are set to take place this summer.

Link to Herald Express article

http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/DIG-UNCOVER-ROMAN-TOWN/story-16425073-detail/story.html

Sentry Farm Exminster Appeal Decision

Hopefully self-evident:

Dartmoor National Park & Super Fast Broadband

Dartmoor National Park Parishes and residents a letter from the Park about the Super Fast Broadband campaign.

Your ref:

Please Quote:JR/25/10/

Direct Line:1024

19 June 2012

Dear Parish Clerk

Connecting Dartmoor! - Getting Superfast Broadband for Dartmoor

Poor internet connectivity is increasingly being recognised as a real problem in rural areas

where there is limited or no broadband access. Many parts of Dartmoor are struggling

with download speeds of less than 2mb per second, leaving many residents and

businesses frustrated and at considerable disadvantage to other more connected areas.

With dependence on the internet growing both for businesses and domestic users, this

disparity can only increase and if not addressed will adversely affect both our economy

and our quality of life.

Dartmoor National Park Authority is working with Devon County Council on a bid for

Dartmoor to the Rural Community Broadband Fund, administered by Defra. The Fund is

to enable remote ‘hard to reach’ communities to access super-fast broadband (above

24mb per second). However, the fund is limited and it is not realistic to expect to resolve

the problem across the whole of Dartmoor at this stage. It is also possible that the open

market by the ‘Connecting Devon and Somerset’ scheme may deliver superfast broadband

to some larger settlements or those on the fringes of Dartmoor. With this in mind we have

undertaken analysis of the current information available and identified several areas that

would appear to be likely to be able to best benefit from the Rural Community Broadband

Fund. These areas are based around the telephone exchanges of Moretonhampstead

and Chagford (phase 1) and Manaton, Haytor Vale and Poundsgate (phase 2).

The deadline for submission of the initial ‘Expression of Interest’ is the 6th July. To support

the bid we need to show strong evidence of community need and demand for a better

broadband service. The support of the parish council, community organisations, local

businesses and services will be vital to the success of the bid.

I am writing to ask you for a letter of support for the bid. A letter that illustrates the issues

around the current poor internet provision, highlights the communities’ need and desire for

a better service and your organisations willingness to engage with and support the

‘Connecting Dartmoor’ project will be instrumental in securing this additional funding for

Dartmoor and for your community.

It would also be very helpful if you could encourage as many residents and businesses to

register their interest by completing a simple survey from the property that takes only a few

minutes. The registration includes a simple speed checker and this information will used

to help develop the scheme. There is a link to the survey on the front page of our website

at www.dartmoor.gov.uk . Or, if you don’t yet have access to the internet from your

property, you can call the hotline number 0844 4636887 (calls cost 5p min from BT

landline) or contact Jo Rumble, Communities Officer on 01626 830124.

I look forward to hearing from you and if you have any questions or wish to discuss the

project further then please do contact me.

Best wishes

Yours sincerely

Jo Rumble

Jo Rumble

Communities Officer

Email: jrumble@dartmoor.gov.uk

My Solar Powered Water Fountain

An idle couple of thoughts today as the sun finally made it up to 19 degrees. As my flower pot pond solar powered fountain had a busy day spurting away I got to contemplating the vagaries of the universe. If the sun did stop shinning we wouldn't know about until 6 minutes or so after the event - chilling thought.

Then I considered the solar equivalent to the philosophical conundrum regarding a tree that falls in a wood, if no one is present to hear it falling and crashing to the ground, does it still make a noise?

Therefore would a solar powered device directly powered by the sun, continue to operate until the end of time, whenever that might occur?

Hey ho, too much information so here's a picture of my pond:

Building award for Teignbridge housing development

Article in Herald Express regarding the award won by TDC and Partners for 10 affordable house at Tremlett Grove Tedburn St Mary

http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/Building-award-Teignbridge-housing-development/story-16402838-detail/story.html

DBCP Training for Planners

Devon Building Control Partnership the building control element of Teignbridge District Council, South Hams District Council and West Devon Borough held a building control training session for planners today.

As an elected Member I found it a very useful session and my thanks to Anne of LABC (the overarching body) and Andrew (DBCP TDC) for putting it on.

Swans In Wells

Thought I'd share a few pictures of Swan Sculptures in Wells Somerset with readers, together with my enjoyment of the Saturday Market and craft shops in the town- even though the day was a little dismal.

Local success at the LABC South West Building Excellence Awards (Published 13.06.12)

http://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=16153

Local people share their views as new looks for towns and villages are unveiled (Published 12.06.12)

Local people share their views: TDC Press release

http://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=16151

Apple Macs

Thank you Apple Princesshay Exeter for your prompt and excellent service in sorting out the sudden death of my hard drive yesterday.

Followers on Twitter will know the sudden devastation the loss of my hard drive yesterday caused me. Not quite a wailing and bashing of teeth but near enough.

But those nice people at Apple diagnosed the problem, and I decided rather than reformat and back up the old hard drive to invest in a new hard drive, they installed it, all within a 45mins.

Now what is the moral of this tale.

Well thanks to TDC Dave for sage advice to a new Councillor along the lines of ' have you considered a back up device/'

Having obtained one, and used it at every opportunity, I am very grateful for that advice.

Once the hard drive was formatted, I was able to restore all my settings and data - ok it took almost 6 hours with uploads and backups (yes started immediately) and configuring all the peripherals, but it lives master!

So good peoples out there in Blog Land - back up your machines on a regular basis - it really is worth it.

Cheers

Ashburton Rollers Rotary Presentation

Ashburton Buckfastleigh Rotary Club President Graham Smart presented Ashburton Rollers Chair Deborah Stirling with a cheque for £250 towards the new Ashburton Skate Park.

The presentation took place in the Ashburton Bank Youth Project, who have also received a cheque from the Rotary Club.

Scotts Meadow Planning Appeal decision

Regular and indeed non regular readers may wish to read the Planning Inspector's decision granting Cavannah Homes planning permission for 155 houses at Scotts Meadow Torquay.

I found paras 47-58 very informative.

The appeal number is APP/X1165/A/11?2165846 Land at Area 4 South Riveria Way Torquay Devon

Developer raises 'serious concerns' over Bay housing policy

Herald Express article on the Cavannah Scott's Meadow planning appeal for 155 houses. This makes interesting reading.

Acknowledgements to the Herald Express


http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/Developer-raises-concerns-Bay-housing-policy/story-16302130-detail/story.html

Waves at Teignmouth

Waves breaking over the front at teignmouth yesterday. If you are in Teignmouth why not follow the Teignmouth Activity Trail details at:http://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=16054

Paws on Dartmoor

Dartmoor National Park 'Paws on Dartmoor' encouraging responsible dog owners:
http://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/visiting/vi-caringfordartmoor/vi-walkingwithdog

Report uncontrolled dogs to Dartmoor Livestock Protection Officer 07873 587561 or Police 101

Ashburton Jubilee Flower Celebration

The Ashburton Jubilee Flower celebration is amazing - the visual displays coupled with the scents are stunning. Open for the next four days in the Church from 10-4pm with teas and coffees etc.

A great deal of time, effort but above all love has gone into these displays, and just to tantalise the readers of this Blog here are a few photos.

Dawlish Parish Neighbourhood Plan Report

The Dawlish Parish Neighbourhood Plan Report

Super Sixties Home Compost Promotion

TDC press Release regarding the Super Sixties  Home Compost Promotion reproduced below:


Super Sixties Home Compost Promotion

As part of the ‘Let’s hit the sixties’ recycling campaign Teignbridge will be offering a free bag of ‘West Country Compost’ with every home composter collected throughout June and July.  You’ll also receive a bag of woodchip, a DVD and guide to help you get the most out of your home composter.

Composting is natural process that transforms your kitchen and garden waste into a valuable and nutrient rich food for your garden and it's easy to make and use.  All compost bins are made from 100% recycled material in Devon.  There are 3 models available with costs starting as low £12.  Home composting is a fab way to reduce waste and help us hit 60% recycling.  Go on, give it a grow!

More details online at www.teignbridge.gov.uk/homecomposting and www.recyclenow.com/home_composting or call free on 0800 731 323.

Cllr Kevin Lake Teignbridge Executive Spokesperson for Environmental Services said  “Home composting is great for the environment, it saves on waste collection and processing costs, and it’s great for your garden as well.”

Dawlish Parish Neighbourhood Plan TDC Press release

The TDC Dawlish Parish Neighbourhood Plan Press Release is reproduced below:

Benefits From Dawlish Parish Neighbourhood Plan

An informal Neighbourhood Plan has given the Dawlish community a bigger voice and achieved much of what it set out to do, says an independent Examiner, despite a public examination finding it ‘unsound’ on technicalities.

Dawlish in South Devon was one of the first 17 places chosen for the national pilot scheme and has led the way by being the first community to put its plan to the test with a public examination.  Now the examiner, Professor Christopher Balch from Plymouth University, has delivered his verdict on the plan.

He finds it ‘unsound’ on two main technicalities.  Firstly, because there is not yet a district-wide Local Plan in place, this plan could not be judged as having used objectively assessed evidence of housing need.  Secondly, the plan may not be ‘justified’ given there is no clear audit trail for judgements made by the Steering Group responsible for preparing the plan.  The examiner was concerned at the potential unmet housing need and felt there was potential to meet more of Dawlish’s housing need within the town.  However, he considered this was best dealt with through the district-wide Local Plan, known locally as Plan Teignbridge.  The examiner also felt that the requirement for a coastal park, which is needed by law to protect the internationally important wildlife and habitat at Dawlish Warren and on the Exe Estuary, was still not certain and further work was needed to ensure that it was guaranteed.

Despite the verdict, which means the plan in its current form may not proceed to a non-binding public referendum, there were many benefits.  These include more focus being put on the town’s future, a greater say for local people and organisations other than councils, and the inclusion of most of the plan’s ideas in Plan Teignbridge. 

In his letter accompanying his report Professor Balch praises the process, underlining that his conclusions are not a criticism of the council or local Steering Group.  He says that the main aim of the process was to give the community an opportunity to help shape Plan Teignbridge as it relates to Dawlish, and this has been achieved.

The Examiner’s report also praises the wide-reaching involvement of the community in the plan, finding that there have been good efforts to involve local people and reach some agreement over the future direction of the Parish.

Cllr Rosalind Prowse is a District and Town Councillor for Dawlish, and Chaired the Steering Group for the Neighbourhood Plan.  She said:

“The Neighbourhood Planning process has achieved a lot of what it set out to do.  It’s given local people more say about their future, it’s let the town come up with its own goals, and it’s directly influenced Plan Teignbridge. 

“We knew we were pioneering the process, meaning Government guidance was changing as we went through it and there are no examples for anyone to follow. 

“I’m thankful to everyone who has taken time to contribute to the plan and I remain grateful for the big public response to the process.  The examiner has dealt very fairly with the concerns of residents and makes some valid comments which we can learn from.

“The fact remains that although the plan may not be binding it must be taken in to consideration as the formal Local Plan is created.  This means that the Plan Teignbridge draft is much more likely to reflect local wishes than if we hadn’t done this work.”

Cllr Philip Vogel, Teignbridge Executive Spokesperson for Housing and Planning said:

“Dawlish spoke and we listened.  A lot of the things in the draft Neighbourhood Plan are in Plan Teignbridge, and we don’t anticipate that changing.  This has been the first Neighbourhood Plan and Informal Examination for Dawlish, Teignbridge and the entire country.

“We’re considering the Examiner’s report very carefully and are discussing it with the entire Steering Group for Dawlish, which includes members of the public, businesses, local organisations and councillors.  Together we will think about the Examiner’s findings and decide how best to proceed. Officers are now looking more closely at how the coastal park can be achieved.

“A lot of people have put time and effort in to the process, and I’d like to thank them all for their work.  It will not be wasted.  I’d also like to thank Professor Balch, who faced the difficult position of judging something completely unprecedented and delivered a clear and helpful report.  My thanks also go to the Teignbridge planning officers for their commitment and dedication to the people of Dawlish.”

ENDS

Press Release - prestigious awards for building excellence in projects across South and West Devon

TDC Press Release reproduced below regarding : - Prestigious awards for building excellence in projects across South and West Devon:

Devon Building Control Partnership                                                                                                               Local building projects rewarded for excellenceBuilders, architects and their clients have received prestigious awards for building excellence in projects across South and West Devon.The awards were presented at a ceremony held at Old Forde House, Newton Abbot on 28^th May by Councillor Hilary Bastone (South Hams District Council) Chairman of Devon Building Control Partnership Committee.Devon Building Control Partnership (DBCp), representing three local authorities – Teignbridge, South Hams and West Devon, runs the annual local authority awards scheme to reward building designers, builders and developers who achieve high standards of workmanship, project management and sustainability.

The winning entries were nominated by professional surveyors based at three councils, who visited the sites during 2011. Judges considered five categories – and the winners this year came from a wide variety of projects including a new heritage centre, social housing, a barn conversion, a junior school and a new dwelling. 

Cllr Bastone, said:

“Despite a sustained recession in the construction industry, building standards across Devon are continuing to exceeded expectations in terms of quality, attention to detail, low carbon awareness and the use of sustainable construction. In particular sustainable features are becoming commonplace, indicating that sustainability is becoming a priority’’.

“by working closely with the design and construction team from the concept of a building our surveyors can help achieve the ‘Getting it right first time’ principle’’.

“We believe in promoting our local businesses and by presenting these awards we can highlight those making a real contribution to the success of the area covered by the Partnership’’.

Cllr Philip Vogel, Teignbridge Executive Spokesperson for Housing and Planning said:

These awards are a premiere example of partnership working, not only between Teignbridge, South Hams and West Devon Councils, but also between the Councils and the designers, developers and builders within our districts. Good design and quality build, that incorporate the latest sustainable technologies are to be applauded, and these awards promoted by Devon Building Control Partnership celebrates this combination.

Footnote

Devon Building Control Partnership (DBCP), now in its 8th year of operation, delivers building control services to businesses and householders across Teignbridge, South Hams, West Devon and Dartmoor National Park.

Ends

For more information contact Andrew Carpenter, Head of Devon Building Control Partnership, on 01626 215721.  Forde House, Brunel Road, Newton Abbot, TQ12 6XX. Email: andrew.carpenter@teignbridge.gov.uk.www.devonbuildingcontrol.gov.uk

2012 DBCP Awards Winners

Best Commercial Public Building - Teign Heritage Centre, Teignmouth

Owner: Teign Heritage Limited     Contractor: Enelco     

Architect: Harrison Sutton Partnership     Engineer: Nicholls Basker Partners

Best Conversion - Rectory Barn, East Portlemouth 

Owner: Mr. and Mrs. Lawson       Contractor: Enelco     

Architect: Harrison Sutton Partnership     Engineer: Paul Carpenter Associates

Best Individual Dwelling - The Walled Garden, Highweek

Owner: Mr. and Mrs. Fice                        Contractor: Pavilion Construction Limited

Engineer: TWP Consulting Structural and Civil Engineers

Best Multiple Housing Development - Site off Tremletts Close, Tedburn St Mary

Joint Owners: Teign Housing and Hastoe Housing Association

Contractor: Coyde Construction   Architect: Walker Newton Architecture

Client Representative: Randall Simmonds           Engineer: Paul Carpenter Associates

Best Sustainable Project - St Peters CofE Junior School, Tavistock

Owner: The Governing Body of St. Peters CofE Junior School

Contractor: A D Williams Building and Civil Engineering Contractors

Architect: Property Services Department, the Diocese of Exeter