Tom Holway, Chairman, Ugborough Parish Council
Annual Report 2009/10
The main focus for attention over the last year has been the preparation of the Ugborough Parish Plan; the community use and levelling of the Moorhaven Playing Field; a new base for the Bittaford and Ugborough Preschool; and the Local Development Plan Site Allocation DPD.
A wide-ranging survey throughout the parish was carried out last summer and its findings formed the basis of the Ugborough Parish Plan. The Plan has now been completed and a flyer outlining its main provisions is being distributed to every household in the parish. A separate Housing Needs Survey was undertaken by the Community Council of Devon and the findings of that survey were included in the Parish Plan. Thank you to the Parish Council and the Parish Plan Steering Group for their hard work in producing the plan, and to the Dartmoor National Park Authority, South Hams District Council and the National Lottery Awards for All for funding the Plan.
Progress on the Moorhaven Playing Field continues, and the license between the Parish Council and Moorhaven Management has been signed, which will enable our young footballers from across the parish to play there. The next step is to obtain planning permission for the levelling works, and discussions with the Dartmoor National Park Authority are progressing. The cost of the levelling works will be in the order of £10,000 and the outcome of a grant application to the Greater Dartmoor Leaf Community Facilities Fund is awaited. Thank you to Billy McKenna, Jim Abraham and Stafford Williams for driving this project forward.
The Parish Council wishes the Bittaford & Ugborough Preschool every success with its plans for a new building. The proposals will benefit the community by promoting the development and education of pre-school children in a secure and stimulating environment, and the location of the proposed building within the school grounds will enhance its strong links with the school and facilitate access to the school playground and other facilities. The proposed design of the preschool building, which is innovative and sustainable, will provide a flagship development of which the village will be justifiably proud.
The preparation of the South Hams District Council Local Development Plan Site Allocation DPD started with a consultation by the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment in May 2009, which identified five possible sites in Ugborough. The outcome of that initial consultation was published in December; two sites were selected adjacent to the school, which were enlarged to accommodate 20 dwellings by 2016, followed by a further 45 dwellings beyond 2016. Sixty percent of the dwellings would be ‘affordable’. The Parish Council expressed concern at the brief time allowed for this further consultation, the high density of the development, the possible loss of part of the school playing field and the additional traffic generated along the narrow access lanes. It also requested that additional car parking be provided on the site to alleviate congestion in Undertown. The outcome of this further consultation, together with the official consultation prior to submission to the Government Inspector, is now awaited.
Over the next year, it is hoped to complete the levelling of the Moorhaven Playing Field, which will provide an additional pitch for the Ugborough Football teams and an invaluable facility for the whole community. Renovation work to the conduit has also become a pressing issue, and the Parish Council has received approval from the SHDC Conservation Officer and applied for grant funding to undertake the work.
The last year has been busy and gratifying, with progress on a number of large projects which will benefit the whole community. In addition, the Parish Council has helped in more minor ways, for example: through the provision of grants to local groups; raising highways issues, especially following the icy winter weather; representing the community in planning consultations; and providing a new noticeboard for Bittaford. None of this would have been possible without the hard work and support of the Parish Councillors and Clerk, and I extend my thanks to them.
