Trull Parish Council Newsletter

Trull Parish Council Newsletter
April 2009
Website Address: www.trullvillage.org.uk
Volume 8, Issue 7
Bowing Out
Camera, Action!
Retainer
Steve Watts, our retiring Parish
Council clerk, was officially
thanked and applauded for his
effective commitment to the parish
over his six-year tenure of the post.
Mr. Steele of Bradbeers is very
concerned about the speed of
vehicles passing through Staplehay
and Trull. He and CPSO Debra
Perry sought the support of the
Parish Council for a Community
Speed Watch scheme, which Mr.
Steele volunteered to organise.
With the use of a speed camera,
the group could record the speeds
and car details so that NIPs (Notice
of Intention to Prosecute) could be
sent to offending drivers. The PC
did not support the scheme, as
experience elsewhere has caused
local ill feeling, and enforcement
was a Police role. However, traffic
speed is to be monitored to see if
there really is a problem, which
will be reported at the PC AGM on
18th May.
Mr. Nicholl requested that the
Parish Council consider requesting
a reduction in the speed limit for
all of Amberd Lane, and cited
numerous incidents. The PC
agreed to raise the matter with
Somerset Highways.
The PC is considering building a
retaining wall in Poke Lane, from
the playing field to the school side
entrance, to keep the path clear of
encroaching soil. Costs for
boarding to retain soil from the
banks are approximately £840 plus
labour, this does not include
resurfacing work. It was suggested
that a mini-digger would be
needed, which could also be used
to clean back the edges to the
whole footpath. The PC is to
investigate the costs of plant hire,
materials and labour. To reduce
disruption, footpath closure should
coincide with school holidays, and
use of the Jubilee Gate would be
sought.
Not Happy
According to Simon Mitchell there
are only two Trulls in the country,
our village and his estate. Trull
House, surrounded by Beech trees
(hence, the name Trull), was built
in 1843 and sits on a 550 acre
Cotswolds estate. It has been
running since at least 1650 and the
garden is open to the public during
summer. Old farm buildings have
been converted into offices
/workshops and the organic farm is
run by the Duchy of Cornwall.
Simon will halve the entry cost to
anyone with a ‘Trull’ address, so if
you’re interested see his website:
www.trullhouse.co.uk The House
is 75 miles away, sited off the
A433. Address: Trull House, Near
Tetbury,Gloucestershire,GL8 8SQ.
Lakeland
TDBC’s
Forward
Planning
Manager has reported that the
proposed water storage facility in
Trull Meadows is unlikely to be
built within the next three years.
The facility is an option to reduce
the flood risk in Taunton and will
remain so for the foreseeable
future. The site will help maintain
Trull’s separate identity and is
compatible with the long-term
future of the Vivary green wedge.
Trull Parish
Two councillors recently attended
two ‘spatial visioning workshops’
for the Local Development
Framework (LDF) Core Strategy,
and reported the following back to
the PC. A diagrammatic map was
produced by the participants which
indicated priorities should new
housing
developments
be
designated in the Comeytrowe /
Trull area when the Regional
Spatial
Strategy
is
finally
published by central government
later this year. These included
improved public transport; a new
green wedge between Comeytrowe
and Trull; new community and
leisure facilities; measures to
reduce traffic congestion and an
area of expansion for new
dwellings. A potential new ‘relief
road’ would link Rumwell to J25
of the M5, by-passing the new
development and the existing builtup area. The map shown on p.4 is
subject to change.
Local residents still consider the
condition of Gatchell Green’s
pavements and grassed areas to be
unsatisfactory,
and
Somerset
Highways is being asked to
reconsider its decision that the
work had been completed to an
acceptable level. They will also be
asked to look into an area of
Honiton Road near Canonsgrove
that is prone to flooding.
Next Trull PC Meeting
Mon. 20th April 2009 @ 7.15 pm
Pearce Suite, Memorial Hall
All Welcome
Night Marauder
A volunteer group, who planted
numerous bulbs in the playing
field, were dismayed to find that
some of the bulbs had been dug up
– by a badger!
Twinning
Affordable Housing
Decision
th
On 25 March, Taunton Deane
Borough
Council
Planning
Committee decided by nine votes
to five to grant planning
permission for the affordable
housing development on the old
orchard site along Dipford Road.
Planning permission had been
refused on two previous occasions.
This time, planning permission
was recommended for approval by
the planning officers.
Although acknowledging that this
would
contravene
TDBC’s
planning policies, they and the
Committee members felt that this
was more than offset by the proven
need for affordable housing, as
demonstrated in the 2007 Trull
Parish Housing Needs Report. The
provision of such housing is a
priority aim for both TDBC and
central government.
A condition of approval is that the
developer restores and improves
the footway between the site and
the village to a minimum one
metre width. On this basis, the
highway authority withdrew its
objection on sustainability grounds
(i.e. increase in road traffic),
describing the development as
“accessible and in reasonable
proximity to the village by means
of a public footway.” These
improvements must be made
before building works commence.
Another condition is that the
developer makes a contribution (of
some £14,000) to “active outdoor
recreation and children’s play
provision in locations accessible to
the occupants of the dwellings.”
The application was opposed at the
Committee Meeting by a dozen or
so Dipford Road residents and
their supporters. They referred to a
public petition against the scheme,
and the opposition of Taunton
Civic Society was reported.
Support for the development was
given verbally or reported from the
Parish Council; the Ward Member
(Mark Edwards); and the TDBC
Housing
Enabling
Manager,
Lesley Webb, who had attended
the Parish Council meeting. The
full report on how the decision was
reached is available to read online
or at Deane House.
The scheme consists of two twobedroom flats, one two-bedroom
house and one three-bedroom
house for renting through Falcon
Rural Housing; and two twobedroom and three three-bedroom
houses for sale at a discounted rate
of 70% market value, now and in
the future. Tenants and purchasers
must meet affordable housing
criteria – essentially low-income
with a local connection.
Falcon Rural Housing and West of
England
Developments
have
already carried out several
schemes on the same kind of scale.
These have been recognised as
being to a high standard and
harmonising well with their
existing settings. If you would like
to see examples of their work, visit
North Curry or Staple Fitzpaine.
Route 97
The 97 bus service Taunton to
Trull, Staplehay and Cannonsgrove
changes to a modern, easy access
bus from Mon. 11th May and raised
kerbs will be installed at some
stops during the summer. The large
bus cannot access Eastbrook /
Amberd Lane, so the bus will turn
in Brookside where passengers can
board or alight. The bus stop at
Amberd Lodge will no longer
exist; the Crown Inn stop is the
closest
alternative.
Anyone
wanting a bus at Amberd Lodge
should
use
the
Demand
Responsive
Taunton
and
Wellington Slinky service.
Peeler’s Pledge
Theresa Hart of Somerset and
Avon Police has asked us to share
the following with you: “Recently,
you may have heard about the
launch of the Policing Pledge. I
would like to explain what we are
doing locally to meet our
commitments to the pledge.
We will always treat you fairly.
We have made it easier for you
to contact your Safer Stronger
Neighbourhood Team. I am your
local point of contact and you can
contact me on the number below.
Your SSN Team is dedicated to
your area and the team endeavour
to maximise the time they spend
on patrol targeting crime and antisocial behaviour hotspots.
If you report an incident
relating to a neighbourhood
priority (listed on our website.
www.avonandsomerset.police.uk),
we aim to be there to deal with it
within an hour. If it’s better for
you, we’ll make an appointment
within 48 hours of your call, or
we’ll gladly give advice, answer
questions or put you in touch with
someone who can help.
We want to meet with people in
your neighbourhood at least once a
month – either in formal PACT
(Partners
and
Communities
together) meetings, which are
advertised, or you can invite us to
your own group’s meetings. We
will come to groups like mother
and toddlers, pensioners or clubs.
We will provide updates every
month on local issues either at
meetings or on our website.
If you’ve been a victim of crime
and you would like us to visit, we
will. We’ll agree how often you
want information on how the case
is progressing – it could be as
much as every month.
We are keen to tailor the policing
pledge to meet your needs and I
would welcome feedback. If you
are not happy with our service I
will work with you to resolve
things”. Usual numbers 0845 456
7000 for all requests for assistance.
You can reach us on Voicemail
01823 363287 and 70108 at the
prompt.
Police
Community
Support Officers 9273 Susan
Thompson, 8413 Tony Wearmouth
and 8123 Debra Perry.
Nibbles
Off His Rocker
A rabbit infestation at the
allotments is being resolved by a
tenant trapping and removing the
rabbits. The water supply will be
turned on in April.
Repairs to the elephant springer in
the playing field have been made
and installation of a replacement
basketball hoop is in hand. An
additional marker line for tennis
will be painted on the east-facing
wall of the changing room.
Progress on the proposed purchase
of picnic tables and a barbeque
was discussed as part of the TAP
review and funding was in place.
An extension to the safety area
around the climbing frame using
the salvaged safety tiles from Trull
Preschool is also in hand.
Storey Telling
The PC decided to support:
• Erection of a two-storey
extension to side and single-storey
extension to rear of King’s
Gatchell Cottage, Gatchell Green,
Trull.
• Erection
of
agricultural
buildings (A&B) on land at Middle
Sweethay Farm, Sweethay, Trull.
• Erection
of
two-storey
extension to rear Kibbear Barton,
Kibbear, Trull.
• Application to thin out (fell) 28
Sycamore trees from woodland
included in TDBC (Trull No.1)
TPO 1997 at Gatchell House,
Honiton Road, Trull.
Due to a misunderstanding of the
intentions
for the
building
application at 12, Killams Green,
Trull, to provide assisted living,
the applicant is the subject of
tension
within
the
local
community. They had withdrawn
the
application
and
were
contemplating moving. The PC
expressed their sympathy, but
resolution of the confusion lies
with either TDBC planning or the
Police.
Washout
It is unlikely that the repairs to the
waterfall will commence until June
because of SCC commitments, so
the footpath will remain closed for
longer than expected. The PC
considered this delay unacceptable
and is writing to SCC.
Water ponding on Poke Lane to
the south of the Bell House will
hopefully be resolved when the
footpath is resurfaced and a hole
cut through the existing hedge to
allow water to drain into a field.
Local Diary
TDBC’s Wild Play Day on Weds.
8th Apr. 2-4pm in King George V
Playing Field – Free, lots of games
and wild play activities for ages 816, but they may get messy!
Trull Film Club’s Quantum of
Solace (James Bond) on Good Fri.
10th Apr. at 7:30pm in Memorial
Hall.
Memorial Hall Jumble Sale on
Sat. 25th Apr. at 2pm.
Taunton Morris Men near Trull
Church on Tues. 28th Apr. at 8pm.
Footpaths
John White (Non-councillor)
Tel: 365991 (Evenings only).
Email: [email protected]
Councillors
Geoff Hewett (Chairman)
Trull Green Farm, Dipford Rd.
Trull Tel: 333630
Sid French (Deputy Chairman /
Trull Development Group)
Spearcey Farm, Staplehay
Tel: 275868
Email: [email protected]
Don Archer (Housing &
Development / School)
5 Church Road, Trull
Tel: 333394
Email: [email protected]
Fiona Drew (Website / Trees)
1 Kibbear Cottages, Trull
Tel: 253416
Email: [email protected]
Nick Hancock (Highways)
Heatherdene, Comeytrowe Road.
Tel: 337100
Email:
[email protected]
Ann Hudson (Planning / SALC
/ Relief in Sickness)
Amberd Farm, Amberd Lane,
Staplehay
Tel: 252627
Email: [email protected]
Dee Luke (Trull Community
Centre Development Group)
Rose Arbour, Wild Oak Lane
Tel: 07930 377108
Peter Parris (Trees / Playing
Field)
Lower Kibbear Farm
Tel: 284873
Email: [email protected]
Colin Ralph (Party in the Park /
Planning)
Canonsgrove Farm, Trull
Tel: 279720
Email: [email protected]
Jo Wooldridge (Playing Field /
Memorial Halls / Newsletter)
21 Church Road, Trull
Tel: 253057
Email: [email protected]
Alison Harding
(Parish Clerk/Allotments)
19 Castlemans Road, Taunton
Tel: 01823 331309
Email: [email protected]