ALL nine councillors attended the February meeting of Newton St Cyres Parish Council and were joined by Cllr Peter Hare-Scott (Mid Devon District Council) and Cllr Mrs Margaret Squires (Devon County Council) for parts of the meeting. Four members of the public were also in attendance.

Planning. The Council agreed “No Comment” to the planning consent for replacement rendering at 1 Silks Cottages. The conversion of the barn to two holiday units at Ford Farm had been approved by MDDC.

Grant requests. The Council discussed the request from the Parochial Church Council for payment for the hedge cutting at the Churchyard and agreed that the resolution passed by the Council was for cutting the grass in the churchyard only and this fee is paid directly to the contractor concerned. There is no facility or agreement to pay for hedge cutting etc. A small amount of grant money was still available and it was agreed to donate £50 each to the Mid Devon Mobility service and to the North Devon Search and Rescue Team.

General Maintenance. The Handyman from Thorverton had checked the work required in our parish and agreed to undertake the work required.

Pedestrian Crossing. Draft plans for consideration had been received from Devon County Council Highways for a possible pedestrian crossing in the middle of the village. It was agreed that more discussion was required as the centre of the village would be affected by the proposals. The Council therefore agreed to hold its Annual Parish Meeting in April and invite DCC Highways to attend with the draft plans. The date for this meeting will be published in the April edition of the “Newton Wonder” and on notice boards around the village.

Community Fair. This will be held in the Parish Hall on Saturday, March 16, and everyone is invited to attend this event. Defibrillator training will be given in the Clubroom at 11am on that morning and anyone interested in attending this session should pre-book with the Parish Clerk on 01392 851148 or email: [email protected] . Refreshments to purchase will be provided by the Hall Committee.

A377 Action Group. A letter had been received from the newly formed Action Group and it was agreed to ask the group for more details on their idea for a Parish Road Safety and Traffic Management Plan and to encourage their representatives to stand for election to the Parish Council in May to take their views forward.

Highways issues. The list of outstanding issues is still a long list and updates are urgently required. The Council wished to make it clear to parishioners that it is doing all it can to obtain positive results to the problems and issues and would encourage parishioners to log onto: https://new.devon.gov.uk/ then go to Roads and Transport, then to Report Highways and then go to the area you wish to make a report. These notifications of problems receive a more prompt response, especially if there are several reports on the same problem.

Additional issues were added to the list: the blocked drain at Five Elms Cross where ice was forming on the road due to the overflow and the large pothole in the corner of Woodlands where the vehicles are parked.

It was reported that DDC had undertaken to check the caravans parked in Half Moon lay-by to make sure they complied with regulations regarding length of time they could stay there, health and hygiene issues etc.

The next meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Thursday, March 7, at 7.30pm in the Clubroom of the Parish Hall.

The next Parish Surgery will be held on Saturday, March 2, in conjunction with the Church Coffee Morning. The Councillors are always happy to meet parishioners with their questions and queries so please do come along and enjoy a sociable morning.

Important Date to note: Saturday, March 16 – Community Fair in the Parish Hall starting at 9.30am. Please also watch for the date of the Annual Parish Meeting in April when the proposed layout for a possible pedestrian crossing will be displayed and comments and ideas will be logged.

The Chairman closed the meeting and thanked Cllr Adam Reeves for all the commitment and enthusiasm he had put into his term as a Parish Councillor and wished him luck in his new career.

Cllr Jill Baker

Press Officer.