Newton Abbot Town Council

PRESENT Councillors Mrs C Bunday (Mayor) Presiding

Mrs J Avery (Deputy Mayor)

Councillors H L J Cole 

Mrs L Cooke

D J Corney-Walker

C Davieson

Mrs A Fry

D Howe

Mrs G Leeper

M Hocking

K C Lewis

Mrs L J Lowes

C Parker

K Purchase

M E Ryan

K Smith

A D Vizor

Mrs D Watts

Representative of the Press: Lindsey Sill – Mid Devon Advertiser

By invitation: Bronwen Hewitt – Chief Executive, Dame Hannah Rogers Trust

Jane Hawke – Personal Assistant

Councillor Gordon Hook – Devon County Council

In attendance: Philip Rowe – Town Clerk

The meeting opened with Prayers by the Reverend Michael Thayer

None.

The minutes of the Special Meeting of the Council held on 10th March, the Council Meeting held on 17th March and the Annual Meeting held on 5th May 2010 were received and signed as correct records. 

Further to minute 14/05/10, the Mayor welcomed to the meeting Ms Bronwen Hewitt, Chief Executive of the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust, Seale Hayne, Newton Abbot, together with her Personal Assistant, Jane Hawke.  

The representatives had been invited to make a presentation to the Council on behalf of the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust regarding the background to establishing a facility at Seale Hayne and their intentions for the future of the site. Ms Hewitt explained, with the aid of slides, the background to the Trust which started with a facility in Ivybridge some 220 years ago caring for orphaned children from Devon and Cornwall. The first school in the UK for children with Cerebral Palsy was established by the Trust from its premises in Ivybridge, the children being classified as uneducable. The facilities provided young people with medical, nursing and therapy care as a respite or full-time. The Trust consequently established a need to provide facilities for young people once they reached 18 years as, previously, they were lost to the system often being cared for with the elderly rather than with their peers. The three years transition service provided by Ivybridge became oversubscribed and Seale Hayne was identified in 2009 as an ideal site into which the Trust could expand.

Ms Hewitt explained that the Trust wished to engage with the community for mutual benefit. In addition to the core educational uses Ms Hewitt detailed facilities for crafts, arts, music, country walks, performance, a gallery, coffee shop, allotments and theatre. Members noted that the Trust was committed to the site for the next 100 years and that the disabled young people would be incidental to the operations, the commercial activities providing income for the educational aspects. The Trust was adamant that Seale Hayne would not be a gated community and would be open to all the community and would become a tourist attraction. It was hoped that the first young people would start arriving at the site in June/July 2010.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Members were invited to put questions to the representatives and make comments including the following:-

Members applauded the Trust’s activities and in particular the continued core use of the facility for educational purposes which at one time were thought might have been lost to the town. 

The Mayor thanks Ms Hewitt and Ms Hawke for their attendance and presentation whereupon they left the meeting.

None.

A. Devon County Councillor Gordon Hook reported on the following:

 

B. Councillor, District and County Councillor Mrs Anne Fry reported on the following:-

Arising from Councillor Fry’s final point above, it was agreed to discuss the matter at the next meeting of the Amenities Committee.

The Council received the list of engagements (previously circulated) which the Mayor and Deputy Mayor had carried out since 17th March. 

Particular reference was made to the 150th Anniversary of Devon Army Cadet Force Parade and Drumhead Service on Sunday 16th May and the opening of the Newton Abbot Festival on 21st May. 

In the latter context, the Mayor wished to record particular recognition of the commitment shown by Jane Ballantyne, Sally Henley and Felicity Cole in staging the Festival. Additionally, the Council applauded the roles played by Councillors Mike Hocking and Colin Parker in providing the MC’s for the three full days of the event.   

None declared.

1) The Minutes of the Meeting of the Planning Committee held on 6nd April 2010 as presented by the Vice-Chairman, Councillor D Howe, were received and approved;

2) The Minutes of the Meeting of the Planning Committee held on 27th April 2010 as presented by the Chairman, Councillor K Smith, were received and approved;

3) The Minutes of the Meeting of the Amenities Committee held on 28th April 2010 as presented by the Chairman, Councillor M Hocking, were received and approved. The Chairman drew attention to the images circulated by email of the works being carried out on the upper areas of the Bradley Mill Leat;

4) The Minutes of the Meeting of the Finance & Resources Committee held on 3rd March 2010 as presented by the Chairman, Councillor D Corney-Walker, were received and approved;

5) The Minutes of the Meeting of the Planning Committee held on 18th May 2010 as presented by the Chairman, Councillor K Smith, were received and approved.

The Council received and approved the notes of the Annual Town Meeting held on 7th April 2010 (previously circulated).

Consideration was given to the draft Annual Report for the year 2009/10 (previously circulated).

Members referred to the recent omissions from the Annual Report of a record of Members’ attendances. The Clerk informed the meeting that he had instructed their omission based on the outcome not warranting the administrative work required. It was agreed that the matter be reviewed later in the year.

The Council was requested to give consideration to endorsing TTNA’s Garden Share Project (previously circulated).

RESOLVED that Newton Abbot Town Council hereby supports the principle of Transition Town Newton Abbot’s Garden Share Project.

The Town Clerk reported on details of estimated costs to carry out repairs and maintenance to the St Leonard’s Clocktower clock dial following damage caused by a football.

It was noted that the estimate for the costs to repair the broken dial would be £693.00. However, an insurance claim had been submitted relating to the repairs which will be subject to an excess payment of £250.00. The Council’s clock repair contractors had reported on inspection of the damage to the clock dial that dust from the ancient walls within the Tower, together with rain ingress was mixing with the lubricant on the clock mechanism that would cause problems with corrosion. The contractor had recommended the clock mechanism be stripped and cleaned so it was left in good working order following the dial repair.

RESOLVED that the Town Clerk be authorised to effect the necessary repairs and maintenance to the St Leonard’s Clocktower clock dial and mechanism at a total cost of £958.00 and to submit a claim to the Council’s  insurers in that respect

None.

7.00 p.m. Wednesday 28th July 2010

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Chairman