THE March 5 meeting of Newton St Cyres Parish Council was attended by eight councillors, the parish clerk, the Devon County Councillor, Mrs Margaret Squires and five members of the public.

Issues raised by members of the public:

• The Devon Association of Local Councils’ newsletter shared the news that one Parish Council had planted a community orchard. Could the tree-planting that took place last year next to the new school be extended to make a community orchard? It was decided that the Parish Council would talk to the Tree Planting Group about this.

• Many of the back roads have blocked drains. It was suggested by a member of the pubic that the local community could keep an eye on these and prevent some of the simpler blockages or contact highways as appropriate. DCC councillor, Margaret Squires, suggested that before members of the public carry out any work on the roads they should undertake Chapter 8 Road Warden training for their own safety. She also suggested that should they do so, they may be eligible for a partial contribution to the purchase of equipment from the Community Enhancement Fund. The Parish Council will talk further to members of the public about the various options.

• The lack of bicycle stands at the parish hall was commented on. This will be passed on to the Parish Hall committee.

Devon Climate Emergency Project

Margaret Squires shared a recent report from DCC about the Devon Climate Emergency project. At present, this is still very much in the planning stage.

This year should see both a citizens’ assembly and a public consultation on the final plan for action. However some information was released to show the scale of the problem. It is interesting to note that, in Devon, 28 per cent of carbon emissions come from road transport and 19 per cent of emissions come from residential buildings.

These are the two biggest contributors with commercial/institutional buildings following shortly behind.

If you wish to engage more in the project or get advice on personal actions, then these social media contacts could be of help: Twitter @devonclimate , Instagram @devonclimatemergency , Facebook @DevonClimateEmergency .

Planning Applications

Three-storey extension at 8 Newton House and two-storey extension at 3 New Estate. Neither of these applications had attracted any negative comments on the planning website. The parish council decided no comment was required.

Certificate of lawfulness for use of buildings at Winscott Barton as mainly agricultural storage with limited commercial storage. The Parish Council was aware of some objections to this application, but decided no comment was appropriate at this stage as the decision will be made on legal technicalities.

Community Shop

Parish Councillor Roger Cashmore reported on progress with the community shop.

A potential local supplier / manufacture for the provision of a suitably sized modular building for the shop has been located. A budget price has been estimated including delivery to Newton and cranage into position.

A number of meetings have been held with Roger Wilkins, Chairman of the Village Hall Committee, and an agreement in principle has been reached to allow the community shop to be placed behind the village hall with access from the car park (subject of course to planning permission). Finding a suitable site in the centre of the village is potentially great news and we are most grateful to Roger Wilkins and the Village Hall Committee for their support.

It is understood that by working closely together with the village hall committee the community shop project may now also act as an incentive to redesign certain aspects of the hall, not only improving safety and amenity but also helping the Post Office return to a full-time operation and to increase the hall’s use as a community hub, to the benefit of all.

Newton St Cyres Parish Council agreed to fund £240 in order for the project to be registered with the Plunkett Foundation, a charity that specialises in supporting the setting up of rural community shops.

The next meeting of the community shop project is planned for later in March after which they hope to reveal more about the plans, the work that needs to be done and calling for community support.

Annual Parish Meeting

The date of the Annual Parish Meeting has had to be altered, as the hall is unavailable on the original date. The new date will be Thursday, April 2 at 7pm in the Parish Hall. The Parish Council invites all parishioners to attend to hear about the work of the local council over the past year.

The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Thursday, April 2 at 7.30pm. This will be immediately after the Annual Parish Meeting. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

There will also be a Parish Surgery at the Coffee Morning to be held on Saturday, April 4, in the Parish Hall.

Liz Ouldridge