YPC Minutes for Meeting 1st November 2021
YARCOMBE PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES
Meeting held in the Jubilee Hall, Monday 1st November 2021 at 8.00 pm
In Attendance:
Cllrs C Stone (Chair), S Horner, T Long, L Pidgeon, C Ford, S Horner, S-J Martin (Clerk & RFO)
Members of the Public present – 1
Cllr Stone welcomed everyone to the meeting.
1. Apologies for Absence:
Cllrs C Brown and D Barnes
2. Declarations of Interest
Cllr Stone asked if anyone had any Declarations of Interest for the meeting and none were declared.
3. Minutes.
The Minutes from October will be signed at the next face to face meeting.
4. Reports
To receive the following Reports
a. County Councillor – Cllr Iain Chubb
No report received.
b. District Councillors – Cllr David Key
Cllr Key reported he had enquired on behalf of the Community Land Trust as to the external Solicitors sending something to EDDC. Cllr Horner thanked Cllr Key for his intervention as their lawyers did receive the required documentation.
c. Police
Following the report received last month, we have been asked “…what they would like from us regarding contact and reports and for our contact to be on a positive note not just a few crime figures. Once I have all the replies I will discuss with Sgt Hutter (Neighbourhood Sgt) and we will work out what and how we can get a report out. Do the Councillors have any feedback on reports we would like?”
Cllr Horner has asked if we may see other areas crime reports and if there have been any convictions
Cllr Long asked if they could come out and see us, provide any current guidance but also add re-assurance to locals that there is a police presence, albeit in Honiton.
d. Yarcombe Community Land Trust
Report as per above discussion with Cllr Key plus they now hope the District lawyer has nothing more to say.
e. Reports from Individual Councillors
Cllr Long raise the issue of the barn conversion at Marsh which has raised a complaint to Cllr Barnes from the owner of an adjoining property. Construction has started on the Linhay in Marsh which has planning permission for conversion to a holiday let (20/1225/FUL) and the complaint concerns the blocking of an existing road gulley which was in the centre of the entrance to the property opposite Yonder Marsh. There was a discussion as to whether it was a planning or Highways matter and it was decided Clerk to write to Highways as there is a requirement for the owner to install a wider splay and the gulley has been blocked.
Cllr Horner reported that thanks to Cllr Chubb, Cllr Horner has been and maintains in daily contact with CD&S. A report has been submitted and a Surveyor is being sent out to establish why N Yarcombe is still excluded from the broadband roll out which comprises of approximately 40 square miles.
5. Parish Council Priorities including Clerk and Correspondence.
• DCC footpath signs – Cllr Stone to ask Phil Holness if he would be able to place the new small footpath signs on the finger markers. This shows the Parish Council is doing everything it can to help protect the landowners land with regards to walkers.
• Potholes on the road between Knapp Farm and Middle Stout Farm near to Williambear Farm EX14 9PB. Works commenced in this area week commencing 11th October and it is estimated there will approximately 10 visits required to complete the works, with good weather.
• We received notification that the culvert and collapsed edge of road near Drakes Meadow has been repaired w/c 25th October.
• Fencing on A30 near Taunton turn one more section leaning over. Cllr Stone suggests we keep the fencing going for as long as possible but it was discussed and decided to write to Highways as it is not for Yarcombe Parish Council to repair as it is Highways land. Clerk has written.
• Are all our grit bins in a good state ready for winter? – Clerk to contact our Snow Warden.
• There was a discussion about Yarcombe being a pilot village for the Doing What Matters pilot, but it was raised there are still an awful lot of road issues in the area. Moorhayne Lane is being repaired in November but Watchford Lane is virtually impassable and there are some huge potholes around. All of which are reported but the weather needs to be dry for a period of time for them to be repaired.
6. Open Session for Public Participation
Cllr Key reported that just after the last meeting, there was a disaster at Blackhayes as a farmer required the vets, but the vets couldn’t get through to the farm due to a field having been ploughed up and down and consequently after some heavy rain, approx. 10 tonne of soil was washed down into the lane. This had to be removed before the vets which were urgently required, could get through. Cllr Key contacted Cllr Chubb and he is dealing with it.
Cllr Vining reported that the roads near him are in a dreadful state – deep potholes, blocked gullies causing flooding which is eroding the sides of the roads and ditches caved in. Cllr Ford enquired after the Council workers who do just what they are tasked to do and nothing more. It was emphasised that they are instructed to do a job and nothing more.
7. Finance
The current financial position was as per the circulated Agenda and the payments approved as follows:
Payment Date Payee Details of Payment Amount
31.10.21 S J Martin Wages £239.20
31.10.21 HMRC PAYE £59.80
31.10.21 Phil Holness Highways/Layby Maintenance £210 & Footpaths £120 £330.00
• It was agreed to ring-fence a further £500 to the Highways budget.
8. Planning
To receive and endorse the Planning Decisions of the Council taken since last meeting under delegated authority.
Cllr Long advised that during this time, site meetings continue to be held with a skeleton of Parish Council members, where he felt it necessary and consequently hasn’t been inviting all the Parish Councillors to all the applications, due the present circumstances.
Cllr Key raised the current issue at Broadley Farm and asked if there was any enforcement for putting in place tree planting at the Farm? Cllr Long responded that the Parish Council had been battling for years for dark grey anthracite on the roof, so it blends in and Cllr Stone added that a building in the Membury Parish had similar cladding on the roof.
Cllr Horner added the AONB planning officer does nothing about encouraging what we have worked towards and often will reply to planning applications with “no comment”
The main planning issue was around 17/1519/MFUL | Proposed freestall barn for cattle housing | Broadley Farm. However, the screening of the whole farm development is being scrutinised: planning 18/1250/FUL, 18/1251/FUL, 18/1252/FUL and 20/1156/FUL.
As an example, Yarcombe Parish Councils comments regarding the application, ref 20/1156/FUL were as follows:
01/07/20 – Yarcombe Parish Council would support the above application on the proviso that the following, taken from ‘Yarcombe and Marsh Neighbourhood Plan’, approved and adopted by EDDC, is adhered to and it has been agreed by the applicant on site with us: a. B. Section 4 Objective 1b) Ensure that ‘ materials used, minimise the visual impact ‘ b. Policy BHE1 ii) Proposals for any development should enhance the visual amenity of the setting and minimise any adverse visual impact’. c) ensuring that it is designed in such a way as to minimise its impact on the visual amenity of the surrounding landscape: Therefore: ‘ Roofing: being an anthracite (dark) grey fibre cement, not just ‘grey’ as said in the application. ‘ Walls/sides: need to be clad using green tin or tanalised board on outside, giving venting if necessary, but from a distance toning the side of the building into its surroundings, not just left open as per the application. Multi species tree screening / earth banking of an appropriate amount. ‘ Lighting needs to be baffled to prevent any unnecessary light pollution. ‘ All of the above to be incorporated whilst the construction is taking place. Yarcombe Parish Council look to EDDC to ensure compliance of the Plan.”
The Delegated Officers Report responded about the above with :
“The site is located in a highly protected landscape (AONB) where there is a requirement (Strategy 46 of the EDLP) for any application to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the landscape. As the site lies in open countryside, in accordance with Strategy 7 of the Local Plan development will only be supported where it is explicitly permitted by another policy of the Local or Neighbourhood Plan. The Yarcombe and Marsh Neighbourhood Plan (YMNP) is ‘made’ and therefore forms part of the development plan for decision making purposes.
Policy D7 of the EDLP offers support for agricultural buildings and development subject to a number of criteria covering: location, scale, design and materials; landscape and biodiversity impact; residential amenity; there being no other buildings on the holding capable of meeting the reasonable need; acceptability in highway and drainage terms.
The proposal seeks to provide a building to cover over the existing open silage clamp. In this regard the location is fixed and whilst the clamp is set apart from the main farm complex, being separated from it by the local road it would still be viewed in association with existing buildings in wider landscape views. The proposal would increase the height and massing of the existing clamp and therefore its visual prominence.
In order to reduce the potential visual/landscape impact of the scheme, in line with policy BHE1 of the YMNP and D1 and D2 of the EDLP and to address the comments of the parish council, the applicant has amended the scheme. The building would be roofed in dark grey (anthracite) roof sheets and the upper elevations (above the existing concrete panelling) clad in green profiled sheeting. This would help to ameliorate the appearance of the building in principle views from the east, where the building would be viewed against the backdrop of rising land. Subject to the use of such materials and the provision of native species planting to the east
side of the building the impact of the development could be minimised and the natural beauty
of the surrounding AONB landscape conserved.
Cllr Stone declared the meeting closed at 8.40pm.
The date of the next meeting is provisionally Monday 4th / 10th January, dependent on Covid case number and will be announced in due course.