NOT surprisingly, the state of local roads was an issue for members of Crediton Hamlets Parish Council at its December meeting, held in Yeoford.

County Councillor Nick Way reported that, hopefully, the road through Fordton at Crediton could be repaired before the end of this financial year. He said the work would be “pretty disruptive”.

Councillors wondered what was being stored on land beside the railway line at Fordton because it was looking “a bit untidy”.

For Mid Devon District Council Cllr Derek Coren reported that next Wednesday’s extra-ordinary meeting would be looking at the Local Plan which mostly covered the Sampford Peverell area. A small area at Cheriton Bishop with affordable homes was included.

It was agreed that the precept for the coming financial year should remain unchanged from last year at £9,500.

Reporting on Local Heritage listing, Cllr Ruth Vigers said that it was not about buildings but identifying heritage assets that were valued as distinctive elements of the local historic environment.

She said these would be certain areas deemed to be of local heritage importance and something that could need to be considered with planning applications.

ROADS AND HOLES

Reporting on the state of roads and footpaths, councillors were told that the road surface outside Uton Barton was due for inspection.

Another bad one mentioned was at Colebrooke with the road at Three Gates Cross on the way to Cheriton Bishop being listed again.

Cllr Nick Way said he would be driving a county council roads officer around the area to look at bad patches. It was joked whether one day was long enough.

With the loss of a meeting room at the council offices on Market Street before that building was sold by Mid Devon District Council, Hamlets had always met there.

WHERE TO MEET

Now, covering such a wide parish, it still feels meetings should be held in Crediton due to it being more central, but where. So for the time being, the parish council has booked Yeoford Community Hall as a space that is accessible with parking. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 6 at Yeoford.

There was some disquiet that both Hamlets chairman and the Mayor of Crediton had to leave the proceedings at the Crediton and Crediton Hamlets War Memorial after the Remembrance service before the National Anthem was played so that they were ready to take the salute at the former council offices on Market Street.

PLANNING

Approval was recommended for a planning application to form an outdoor riding area at Great Leigh Farm for Mrs D Hogg.

There were objections to an application to site a caravan for ancillary accommodation in connection with Trobridge Farm for Mr W Wood and to an application to build a dwelling following demolition of a barn and alterations to the existing access on land at Westwood.

Sue Read

Normality returns to Punchbowl Recycling Centre

CONFUSION plus a few customers showing bad temper at the temporary change should have ended by the beginning of December when all the skips at the Punchbowl civic amenity and recycling centre near Crediton went back in their usual places.

They had all been moved with the garden waste having to be hauled up steps to be thrown into a skip while the concrete bases for the skips and steps was relaid.

While most of the skips are as before, there is a slight change in what goes into which containers. If anyone is unsure as to what should go into which, please talk to the staff. Garden waste is back in its usual corner.

All beautifully smooth and tidy now, the final job is to put the signs for each skip up on a pole.

Staff thank those customers who took the temporary move in their stride and worked around any problems at this site near Crediton.