THE October 4 meeting of Newton St Cyres Parish Council was attended by seven councillors, the parish Clerk, the Mid Devon District Councillor Graeme Barnell and three members of the public.

CIL Grants and Applications

CIL is a levy that local authorities can choose to charge on new developments in their area. The money should be used to support development by funding infrastructure that the council, local community and neighbourhoods want.

To this end, the Recreation Ground committee were able to apply for, and were awarded, a grant from Mid Devon District Council that contributed to the cost of the redevelopment of the children’s play area.

It was noted that our parish had no list of outstanding projects registered with MDDC which were suitable for this type of support. The parish councillors decided that a list should be registered with MDDC and the highest priority for funding would be projects centred on road safety and the A377.

These are particularly relevant as housing development in the Crediton area and beyond had resulted in increased traffic on this road and an increased need for safe crossing points, for example.

The District Councillor offered to check with MDDC the suitability of the list before it was submitted.

The Post Office, the Community Shop and Community Land Trusts

• The new Post Box has yet to be installed, but it was reported that the survey for a suitable site was complete and a location nearer to the Belluno restaurant was identified as suitable. This means that the Post Box should be installed soon.

• The Parish Hall continues to liaise with the Post Office about the installation of a secure telephone to the Hall and some progress has been made. Hopefully, this will enable the part-time Post Office to be set up soon.

• The Community Shop Steering Group has sent out the questionnaire and the deadline for replies is October 21. Should the results of this survey be positive, a Newton St Cyres Community Trust/Charity will be formed to progress the project.

• A public meeting will be held on October 17 to see if there is support for setting up a Community Land Trust to encompass Newton St Cyres, The aim would be to provide some affordable rental housing within the village. It may be possible to run this project together with the Community Shop but this requires further investigation and the support of the Community Shop Committee.

• The Parish Council has submitted a request for the old school to become an asset of community interest.

Road Traffic and Safety Issues

Many issues remain unresolved, but progress has been made on some.

• The hatched area at the entrance to Station Road has been restored.

• The blocked drain at Sand Down Lane has been cleared by Devon County Council and should now function.

• The bank opposite the Parish Hall has now been cut back so that the double yellow lines are visible again.

• Members of the Parish Council, the district councillor and our county councillor continue to meet with DCC to progress other issues, including the installation of crossings and speed cameras.

• The District Councillor reported that local residents have responded positively to the idea of “twenty is plenty” signs along West Town Road and he is now looking to progress this project further.

• The issue of heavy vehicles passing through Langford is still awaiting a decision from MDDC.

• A member of the public contacted the council to complain that hedgerows near the Half Moon Bus Stop prevent the bus drivers from seeing potential passengers. It was decided that a letter to the landowner should be written, asking them to cut the hedge.

• It was decided a letter should be written to both DCC and Stagecoach Ltd concerning the visibility at the Half Moon and Langford Bridge Bus Stops. The issues will also be raised at meetings with Highways.

• The manhole cover on the Station Road Bridge continues to deteriorate. The council has contacted the utility company again but the repair is still some way off. It was decided to write to DCC as there is concern that the actual structure of the bridge is also being damaged.

• The police have contacted the council about Community Speed Watch and we may soon be able to restart monitoring.

Other Council News

The Parish Council meets the requirements for “Quality Council” status and it was agreed that we should apply for registration.

The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Thursday, November 7 at 7pm. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

There will also be a Parish Surgery at the Coffee Morning to be held on November 2, in the Parish Hall.

Liz Ouldridge