The CLT had its first steering group meeting on Monday 9th September in Georgeham village Hall. There were eight residents present along with Alison Ward from Wessex Community Land Trust Project providing professional support and guidance.
There was positive enthusiasm from all attendees for affordable, sustainable housing for local people. The two main tasks for the steering group are to formally establish the CLT and look at the aims and vision.
At the next meeting we will also begin to consider options for a housing project. If you would like to join the steering group to help with this project you should come along (please be mindful the steering group is not a public meeting so anyone coming along should be willing to get involved and not just to observe).
The next meeting will be held at Georgeham village Hall at 4pm on Thursday 10th October. The group will vote on a chairperson, secretary and treasurer. If you are keen to see affordable housing delivered in our parish please come and get involved in this exciting project happening in your community.
Local residents are being reminded to make sure they get the right planning permission for their development before starting work.
The advice is being given following recent enforcement action which needed to be taken by North Devon Council on the owner of a building in a village within the Authority’s area. The building had planning permission for use as an agricultural plant store and garage but was being used as the owner’s home.
An enforcement notice was issued stating the first floor, internal fixtures and fittings relating to the use as a dwelling and an external staircase needed to be removed. A additional building on the site also had to be removed because the owners didn’t have any planning permission for it.
The Leader of North Devon Council said “The planning process provides the opportunity for applications to discuss their plans with our officers before starting work. This case highlights the financial cost that can be experienced and the loss of a building when someone decides to do something without the correct permissions.
It’s the Council’s job to make sure development is carried out in appropriate locations across the district. Unrestricted residential development outside the development boundary such as this goes against policy strictly controlling development within the open countryside. When unauthorised development is brought to our attention and it is in the public interest we will take appropriate enforcement action”.
North Devon Council offers a pre-application advice service providing anybody considering development within the North Devon district with the opportunity to discuss their plans with a planning officer before submitting a planning application. Information about the service is available on the planning pages of the Council website. Information about planning enforcement including how to report a concern, the enforcement process in North Devon and notices issued, is also available on the website.
Japanese Knotweed Fallopia japonica is perennial and spreads through underground stems (rhizomes) and can regrow from small fragments even though it does not set seed. It is very invasive. Digging out is possible, but as rhizomes grow deeply, regrowth usually occurs which needs destroying. This method also creates problems over disposal as Japanese knotweed is classed as ‘controlled waste’ under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This requires disposal at licensed landfill sites. Alternatively, it can be destroyed on site by cutting or digging it repeatedly and burning it when dry. In this way the energy reserves in the remaining underground parts will be gradually exhausted; a process which may, however, take several seasons. Similarly treatment with herbicides will require several repeated applications. On no account should Japanese knotweed be included with normal household waste or put out in green waste collection schemes.
GO NORTH DEVON runs a Ring & Ride service for people with mobility problems, disabilities or those who are isolated in the community without transport.
The minibus has a tail lift and is wheelchair accessible. It offers a weekly door to door service from your home to Barnstaple Town Centre or one of the Barnstaple supermarkets every Monday for £6.20 return.
They also run:
Out & About Trips
Shopmobility Service
Cancer Care Car to get you to your Cancer related hospital appointments
Go North Devon relies on the generosity of those who value our services either as users, friends and relatives of users or those who just know and value all we do to help those who are disabled, isolated and lonely to have opportunities to have a better quality of life. Please click here should you wish to donate.
Volunteering with Go North Devon is not just driving… although they do need volunteers with D1 on their licence to drive our minibus. There are many skills, which are needed including passenger/wheelchair escorts, sighted guides and friends to join our Friends of Go North Devon Fundraising Group, Shopmobility receptionists and management board members. Please click here should you wish to find out about how to volunteer.
With the life of the Parish Council, and term of office of Councillors, coming to an end 4 days after the Parish Council Elections on 2 May, a new Council will come into force until 2023.
Some people have never been to a Parish Council meeting, some come occasionally, some when there is a Planning Application they wish to make representations on – for or against, and some attend every meeting.
A Parish Council is the third tier of Local Government and a statutory consultee to the Local Authority, and in Georgeham’s case, North Devon Council, on Planning Applications.
Over the last 4 years, Councillors have considered and commented on 364 Planning Applications.
Although some may think a Parish Council is ineffective, it is a known fact that District Councils value the opinion of a Parish Council, especially for its local knowledge.
Far from being a lot of hot air, unmotivated and outdated, Parish Councils play an important role in the life of a community. That is evident from the number of phone calls and emails I and Councillors receive from parishioners. The Parish Council is the first ‘go to’ place when there is a problem or advice needed.
As I have said in past Annual Parish Meeting Reports, Councillors do a tremendous amount of work voluntarily, much of it unseen, but if it wasn’t done, then it certainly would be noticed.
Looking back over the Minutes for the last four years, this is a snapshot of what the Councillors of Georgeham Parish Council have been involved with for the benefit of the Parish and its parishioners:
Current Projects:
New bus shelter at Croyde bridge
Refurbishment of Lodge in Georgeham Playing Field
Newberry Road pedestrian safety
Financial support for Croyde Village Hall’s footpath project
Housing Need Survey we are about to deliver to explore options for local affordable
Housing options for the Parish
Completed / Ongoing Projects:
New play area in Croyde (as well as ‘patching up’ the now removed equipment over the years)
Logistics for a new Lodge at Georgeham Playing Field, disposing of the metal shipping containers Paid for materials to create the Crib on the Green
New volleyball net
New seats in Croyde play park
New fence in Croyde play park
Ladybird springer at Georgeham Play Park
Electric Charging Station in Georgeham car park
Defibrillator at Georgeham
Handrail at Newberry Hill
Speed monitoring system in conjunction with Croyde Area Residents Association
Windbreak fence to volleyball court
Hedge cutting
Provided signage at key locations
Skateboard park mesh netting, surface, groundworks and construction of skatepark when the original was no longer useable
Arranged for tree surgery in St George’s Churchyard, Cemetery and Croyde Play Park
Footpath works
Re-tarmaced paths at the Cemetery
Litter bins
Dog waste bins in new areas, and payment for removal of waste of 14 bins on a weekly basis in the Winter and twice weekly in the Summer
Grass cutting of areas previously attended to by DCC
Contributed to dredging of the Crydda
Security patrols of Croyde Play Park during the Summer months
Additional grave spaces (Plots D and E) at Georgeham Cemetery
Support for the North Devon Record Office to enable items to be kept in North Devon (since 2016 and ongoing)
Annual oiling of benches donated by people to the memory of loved ones
Donation to the Primary School to mark its 150 th anniversary for a specific item to be purchased to present to a child each year for the outstanding work they have done
Fought hard against the live music events at Croyde View Camping and Sky Bar at Down End being concerned for the safety of those attending the events and the comfort of close neighbours
Supported the Neighbourhood Plan and numerous other projects
Georgeham is fortunate to have such a willing, proactive and dedicated group of Councillors who go out of their way to make sure the very best is achieved for the Parish.
Sue Squire Parish Clerk March 2019
Information on the Election Process can be viewed here:
Are there people in Georgeham Parish unable to rent or buy a home? Have people had to move away from the parish to find an affordable home?
The Parish Council needs to update the information on housing need in Georgeham Parish as well as canvassing the opinions of local residents.
The best way to identify the exact requirements is to carry out a Parish Housing Needs Survey.
In Georgeham Parish we will soon be posting a survey form to every home in the parish.
It is really important that as many households as possible complete and return the form so that the Parish Council can be given as comprehensive picture as possible of housing need. The figures obtained will help them to plan for the future and ensure that the correct number and size of homes are built in the parish for local people.
The survey is being administered by the Rural Housing Enabler at Devon Communities Together, which is an independent organisation. They will process the information and all personal details will remain confidential. No individual will be able to be identified from the survey report.
If you know someone who has moved from Georgeham Parish because they cannot afford accommodation then they can also complete the form. Extra forms can be obtained from Janice Alexander at Devon Communities Together on 01392 248919 Ext 7122 or email janice@devoncommunities.org.uk Anyone needing any help with the form should also contact Janice for assistance.
If you believe you are in need of affordable housing, you should register with Devon Home Choice at www.devonhomechoice.com
Drop-in Event
Georgeham Parish Council would like to invite local people who need affordable housing to come and discuss their requirements with the local Rural Housing Enabler. A representative from Devon Home Choice will also be present to explain the registration process for affordable housing.
Date 16th April 2019 Croyde Village Hall: Time 10:00am – 2.00pm Georgeham Village Hall: Time 2:30pm —7:00pm
We hope the attached documents will provide parishioners with sufficient information on Newberry Road Pedestrian Access Improvement Scheme. We have supplied more detailed sketches, photos, and a topographical survey for anybody interested.
Georgeham Parish Council Lead Officer: Verlie Meek
Three members of the Steering Group have continued to meet approximately monthly, drawing on contributions from members of the Group, and the Parish Council (Councillor Tina Luxton concerning Housing, and Councillor Mike Harrison concerning Maps), and on the expertise of Dr Eirene Williams (Landscape). There has been ongoing consultation with Elizabeth Dee from North Devon District Planning Office.
In November 2018, the Draft Plan was distributed for a Pre-Submission Consultation. This is a formal 6-week process during which a wide range of Consultees are invited to comment on the draft plan. The Consultees not only include residents of the Parish, but many other bodies, both local and national, ranging from The National Trust, The Marine Conservation Organisation, Telecom Companies and neighbouring Parish Councils, as well as interested local organisations such as businesses and community groups.
At the time of writing the Georgeham Plan, the North Devon and Torridge Local Plan was not formally adopted; and North Devon District Council had not yet provided detailed guidance on how to approach Neighbourhood Planning in a small rural parish such as ours.
As a result of the Consultation process, we received valuable feedback, and have begun to implement some amendments to the plan. We needed to produce map references to highlight significant views in the parish and reference the text more closely with the Appendices.
As a result of the feedback we received, we have restructured the document to provide greater clarity and vision, without losing the content to which so many people have contributed.
We are required to produce a Consultation Statement detailing how people and organisations have contributed to the Plan, and how issues and concerns have been considered and addressed. Finally, before the formal submission of the document we must produce a ‘Basic
Conditions’ Statement to show how the Plan conforms to National Planning Policy, how it contributes to achieving sustainable development; how it conforms with strategic policies in the Local Development Plan, and how it is compatible with EU obligations, including human rights requirements.
We intend to complete this work before seeking further advice from Elizabeth Dee. Depending on her advice, we hope to be ready to submit the Plan to The inspector at Easter
