DISAPPOINTMENT, a feeling of having been let down even ignored, prevailed at this month’s meeting of Crediton Hamlets Parish Council. It was principally about 40 new homes.

There was happy relief that Mid Devon District Council had turned down a planning application for 120 homes on land at Chapel Downs Farm, north of Queen Elizabeth Drive in Crediton.

However, even though Hamlets Parish Council and Crediton Town Council had objected to a plan for 40 homes at Chiddenbrook, the district council had approved it, with the parish council’s two district members voting with their council and not the people they represented.

To make it worse for the Hamlets council was the fact that both their district members had written six weeks earlier to say they would no longer attend the parish council’s monthly meetings.

The council had written to the councillors more than a month ago, but had no response so far.

The two district councillors are Cllr Peter Heal, district council chairman, and Cllr Derek Coren, both representing Yeo Ward.

It was said at the parish council meeting that it was becoming increasingly obvious that the views of a parish council do not usually count for much at the district council, although there was delight that the district council’s planning committee had agreed over the Chapel Downs site application.

But when it came to the Chiddenbrook plan, Pitt Hill, or off Brookdale at Landscore, site, it was a different matter.

Hamlets vice chairman, Cllr John Stevens, who had attended the planning committee meeting in Tiverton, said not only had Hamlets Parish Council and Crediton Town Council objected to the application, so had 70-plus people living in Westernlea.

He said Hamlets had concerns about traffic but their two representatives had said there were four roads serving the site and congestion was only for half-an-hour each day (meaning at school times).

Cllr Stevens said there had been a 7-2 vote for the plan with the two voting against being Cllr Frank Letch (Crediton) and a Cullompton member.

It was reported that someone had written to Hamlets council asking why it had been in favour of the plan at the district council meeting. It was explained that it was the district council members who had gone against the wishes of the parish council and Westernlea residents, not the parish council having changed its mind.

Hamlets council chairman, Cllr George Mortimer, said it was not clear why the two district members were no longer going to the Hamlets meeting.

He said: "The problem is that our representatives are no longer representing us. There doesn’t seem to be much we can do about it."

It was felt the best thing would be to put a letter of explanation about the planning application on the parish council’s notice boards.

PLAY AREAS

Looking at allocation of Section 106 funding, it was reported that the council had suggested improvements to the Tuckers Meadow play area, which would be more safely accessible to children on Westernlea than the play area at Queen Elizabeth Drive, and improving the Yeoford play area.

The parish clerk, Mrs Diane Shepherd, reported on the recent GDPR training (General Data Protection Regulation). She said the clerk could not be the Data Protection Officer, and she was waiting for more information as to how smaller parish councils might respond to this new legislation currently going through Parliament.

It would seem that every business or organisation will need initially to carry out a data audit to begin to be compliant with this new data protection legislation.

Hamlets councillors were a bit dumbfounded as to what sort of information the parish council might hold and how relevant this might be for their council work.

They were told it was all personal data held by the council on anyone.

THOSE POTHOLES

A plea was made for everyone who comes across a pothole to report it to Devon County Council in the hopes that a squeaky gate gets mended first.

The council was told there was "a frightful" pothole near Venny Tedburn plus road slippage, flooding on the road near Uton and more near Folly.

Cllr Richard Scrivener reported that potholes in the road between Blackdown Cross and Posbury were being repaired that day with more work scheduled for the next day, then the Crediton Lane road to Cheriton Bishop to be closed for roadworks.

"There is no-one going out with a shovel and rods and clearing drains," was a comment.

It was said that the more people who reported potholes the better because the more a pothole was reported, the more likely it was that something would be done about it.

Potholes can be reported through the Devon County Council website: https://new.devon.gov.uk/roadsandtransport/report-a-problem/ or: www.gov.uk .

NEW MEMBERS

Three applications were reported to fill the vacant seat left by the resignation of Cllr Peregrine Leigh. Because a couple of legal points needed to be cleared up, choosing and co-opting was deferred until the next meeting on the first Monday in May. This will be in Yeoford Community Hall and will include the Annual Meeting starting at 7pm.

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

At the annual parish meeting which preceded this ordinary meeting, Cllr Mortimer gave his report on the past year. He said it was becoming evident that as services were reduced so parish councils will be called upon to provide more.

He explained that the precept had been increased because the parish council had granted funds for five years to Yeoford Community Association for the improved play area beside the Community Hall.

BIG LORRIES

Several minutes were spent in discussion about how to discourage large lorries from using unsuitable roads such as from Fordton to try to get through to the A377 via Hookway.

One member had spent two hours helping a lorry driver reverse his big vehicle near the Downes Crediton Golf Club.

Agreeing lorries must have been using the wrong sat nav programme, there were doubts as to where notices to say the road was not suitable for lorries could be put up.

Sue Read