Town council look at hearing aids for their meetings

WAYS to improve hearing for those with hearing impairment or using hearing aids are being explored by Crediton Town Council for use in its council chamber at the council offices on Market Street.
At the end of last year the council looked at various options and asked one company that gave flexibility of options for a demonstration.
At its April general purposes committee meeting, Mr Gordon Morris of Gordon Morris Limited of Somerton, Somerset, set up a radio system and a portable loop system. Councillors used the microphones and headphones to test each system
Help from
district council
Hearing impaired for 50 years following an attack of measles when he was two, Mr Morris said he had come “from the university of life for deafness.”
The building is owned by Mid Devon District Council and while the town council might be able to find some funding from its reserves, it was hoped the district council would be able to pay the bulk of the cost of whichever system was agreed upon.
The various systems will be further investigated before a decision is made.
Assistant town clerk, Mr Martin Ashley reported that all the town council’s allotments were let. Another five names had been added to the waiting list last week, totalling 38 names for the allotments at Barnfield, Exhibition Road and Moffats Land.
Bus route no. 50
Hearing that the Stagecoach buses on the number 50 service, the one that had gone through Threshers into Westernlea and Tuckers Meadow but withdrawn last autumn, was still a long way from being satisfactory, it was agreed the council should ask again for at least part of the service to be reintroduced.
Also to stop Stagecoach buses using the crescent outside College House on Western Road as a turning circle.
Pecking problem
The town council has tried to discourage pigeons from roosting and nesting at the War Memorial on Union Road but Mr Ashley reported that they were “determined” birds and had pecked their way through netting to get back into the roof.
Netting at the top had been replaced by wire and Mr Ashley would have liked to report this had fixed the problem, but no. There was a small hole in the wire netting a pigeon might get through.
The town council has spent about £1,000 during the current financial year on deterring pigeons and extra cleaning of the War Memorial because of them.
Footpaths
Mr Ashley reported that three town footpaths had been identified as needing attention this year - St Saviours Way to Landscore, what is known as Dung Lane, running between St Saviours Way and Landscore/Greenway and replacing the stile at Salmonhutch with a kissing gate.
Planning
Members recommended to Mid Devon District Council approval for a planning application from Mr and Mrs D Pope for an extension to 21 Creedy Road to provide wheelchair access and storage.
Also for a Listed Building Consent application to redirect the electrical supply at 49 High Street to two consumer boxes on the side wall.
An application from Mrs L Hernandez for a bungalow and garage and new vehicle access at Normandy, Alexandra Road, was deferred for a site inspection.
Councillors repeated their previous objections to the district council to an application from Mr G R Lineker for a revised scheme to build a house at The Mews, Deep Lane.
Members felt that a total height of about 11 metres was too much. They objected unless the maximum height of the building was no higher than previously approved due to the effect any increase in height would have on neighbouring properties.
There were no objections to the district council for the following:
Listed Building Consent for a replacement gas flue on an outside wall at Winswood Spinney, Park Road.
Change of use from offices and consulting rooms to two flats at 99/100 High Street plus Listed Building Consent for internal and external alterations.
An extension to Ard Choille, Threshers; erection of a dwelling on land at Kenneggy, Broad Close; a two-storey extension to 12 Avranches Avenue; a dormer roof extension to 18 Prince of Wales Road.
Conversion of the loft to make extra living accommodation, putting in windows and roof lights and minor alterations to the ground floor of 5 Murley Close.

 

Standards Board say ‘no action’ on complaint by town councillor
AN ALLEGATION that Crediton Town Council had been “unfair” to an individual councillor and that by giving the councillor a written rebuke, the chairman had been “intimidating” was not upheld by the Standards Board of England.
At the April council meeting, a letter from the Standards Board was read, which said that Cllr Walter Brown had made a complaint concerning the alleged conduct of Cllr Joyce Harris.
It had been assessed by Standards Board for England officers, who decided not to refer the complaint for investigation.
There had been a dispute between the council clerk and Cllr Brown, relating to completion of the register of interests, which Cllr Brown said resulted in an informal grievance being lodged against him, dealt with by a council committee.
Cllr Brown had alleged that the way this had been done was contrary to council procedures. He also contended that it was intimidating to receive a written rebuke from the council chairman.
The Standards Board said it did not generally have jurisdiction over matters relating to council procedures and protocols.
It also felt that the official rebuke could be an appropriate course of action and it was not considered that the alleged conduct disclosed a potential breach of the Code of Conduct.
Cllr Harris said she had been very disappointed that the complaint had been made. She felt it was “totally unacceptable”, adding that a lot of work had gone into ensuring that the matter had been done correctly.
The clerk, Mr Martin Maggs, said he had a separate issue he would deal with.
Earlier that evening, while receiving minutes of the previous meeting, Cllr Liz Brookes-Hocking queried whether Cllr Brown should have left the chamber while the council discussed the administration and personnel sub committee’s recommendation for this item in Part Two, when the press and public are excluded. Cllr Brown had declared a personal interest.
She was told by Cllr Brown that she could make a complaint, but Cllr Brookes-Hocking had felt there were better ways of doing things. She had not been present at the previous meeting.
Post Office
closures
The council will discuss potential post office closures at its May meeting. Mid Devon District Council had written to say that the public consultation in this area was due to begin on May 20.
The district council said that a member of the Postwatch South and West team would be pleased to arrange a talk with the council.
It added that the consultation period was “only six weeks” with comments needing to be with the district council and Post Office Limited by July 1.
Postwatch had pointed out that for every post office that was “saved” from closure, another in the same area would be closed.
Other papers
It was noted that Devon County Council was to hold a “listening meeting” in Crediton on May 27 at 7pm to look at unitary authority plans when, it was understood, the Leader of the county council, Brian Greenslade, would attend.
Three documents were given to councillors on this subject and there were some nods at the idea for a more positive role for Crediton. The town council will make comments after the “listening meeting.”
Two ‘phone
booths to go?
BT Payphones’ plan to remove the public payphones on Exhibition Road and at Fordton. Representations have to be made by July 2.
Going on to look at the Joint Strategic Review of Health and Social Care in Devon, with supporting information from Devon Primary Care Trust and the county council, Cllr David Nation said there was a lot of uncertainty and real worries about this.
He said the authorities should not lose sight of the fact that an increase was predicted in the number of elderly people living in Crediton, but respite care was nothing like adequate in the area now.
The company that might take over St Lawrence from the county council had said it intended to double the number of beds, but this was unlikely to happen for some years. Cllr Nation thought that while it was being redeveloped, there would be no beds at all.
“We are not seeing any substance for what is going on at Crediton Hospital and there is this huge drive for people to stay in their own homes and improving clinics and domiciliary care,” he said.
Cllr Nation said carers were becoming more exhausted and people were being told that staff do not have the time to spend on domiciliary care and supporting people.
He said the review should not lose sight of the growing number of older people and support, so far, was not there. Councillors backed his view.
The town council had been talking with Devon County Council about public transport, the Town Bus, links to train services and the Tesco development supporting another bus service for the town.
Council donations
Seven requests for grants or donations were before the council, some having been deferred since September for further information or the new financial year.
The town clerk, Mr Martin Maggs, reported that the council had allocated £1,000 for donations, plus £1,000 for requests specifically for youth projects. There was also £50 not spent from the general fund last year and £100 not spent from its youth budget.
Of the seven requests, three had already been allocated. They were Crediton Citizens Advice Bureau £1,500; Crediton and District Community Transport £500; CRAMP (Crediton Rural Arts and Music Project) £300.
Crediton Climate Action Group was asking for £250 towards a scheme to provide jute bags as an encouragement for traders to stop issuing plastic bags plus £100 towards six meters to test electricity use.
Cllr Bob Wright said the Climate Action Group hoped to launch this scheme at an event in July or August. It wanted to order 2,000 jute bags as a beginning. Cllr Adams left the meeting because, being a High Street trader, there could be a prejudicial interest.
It was agreed the town council would donate £225 towards the jute bags and £125 towards the meters.
Unite (Carers in Mid Devon) was given £100, Involve (Voluntary Action in Mid Devon), £100 and £100 also to Home-Start Mid Devon. Cllr Nation remarked that many of these voluntary organisations need to show funding support from across the area to be able to access other funds. Each of these supported people in the Crediton area.
New councillor
Since the resignation earlier this year of Cllr David Sansom, the town council has been advertising the vacancy. One application had been received for co-option.
Mill St. space for garden?
Mill Street resident, Mr Michael Ingman, wants to buy a small piece of land on the corner of Mill Street and East Street to increase his garden.
He told the council the land was six or seven square metres, owned by the district council next to his small garden. He had been told he would not be able to develop it.
Although there is a bench there now, Mr Ingman said the land did not have much amenity value, sometimes there was dogs’ mess and litter left there. He would look after shrubs and roses there now and would like to contain it in some way, possibly a hedge.
Although everyone knew the area, it was felt it would be better if councillors had a look before making any comment.
Planning
Three members of the public were present to hear the debate about a planning application from Mrs L Hernandez to build a bungalow and garage in the grounds of Normandy, Alexandra Road.
Mr Charlie Haydon had been asked to speak on behalf of his neighbours, Mr and Mrs Gribble of Del Quay on St Martins Lane.
The town council had copies of two letters of objection and two more had been sent to the district council but not the town council.
Two homes had been built in the 1960s, leaving “an average size garden” for Normandy.
“One of my neighbours says it is putting a quart into a pint pot,” said Mr Haydon. He explained the proposed home was three stories high, with the garage underneath. The ridge line of the roof would be half a metre higher than Normandy, much higher than Del Quay and would “stand out like a sore thumb.”
The other bungalows were built into the hillside, but this one would not be in line with the hillside but “plonked on top of the existing garden” and would “stand out like the proverbial carbuncle” and dominate the area.
Mr Haydon said it would overlook neighbouring properties. There would be no privacy for them or people living in Normandy.
There would be a one and a half metre high retaining wall at the back of Del Quay and a 6.8 metre high gable end above this. Del Quay would lose light and privacy.
Cllr Nation observed that, yet again, the town council was suffering from lack of advice from the district council (the planning authority). He was interested to know whether the proposed dwelling was a bungalow or not because of the recent planning concerns over two houses to be built at Barnfield when the town council was told they were not three stories but two with rooms in the roof.
The town council is objecting to the district council on this application because it represents overdevelopment of a restricted site, affecting the privacy and amenity of adjacent properties. The three-storey development, with an excessively high roof line, was considered to be out of character with the existing street scene.
Other plans
Approval was recommended to the district council for the following:
Mrs Sheila Tucker to fell a hawthorn tree in a conservation area at White Cottage; handrails at the HSBC at 138 High Street for access for disabled people; Mrs L Bundey for change of use from retail to bakery and shop at 5 High Street. Councillors welcomed commercial initiative in the town centre.
An application from Mr P Stelling for a two-storey extension to Far End, Western Road, was deferred. There was no objection to a Listed Building application to relocate a gas meter at 49 High Street.
It was noted that approval had been granted to Mr John Rochester for change of use of a warehouse at Spinnakers at 107 High Street to a coffee shop and art gallery.

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