Uplyme Parish Council

A Personal View

Very and possibly just a bit biased

Of the Meeting Held on 10th.December 2003

All parish councillors were present

I must apologise for the brevity of this report and that possible inaccuracies have crept in. This was mainly due to the general hubbub during the evening. Although the public were encouraged to bring their chairs closer to the councillors there were almost continual conversations and remarks coming from members of the audience particularly from a certain Lyme Regis Town Councillor. At one time whilst a parish councillor was speaking I observed at least four other conversations going on amongst the public as well as the councillors.

In the absence of either of the police constables, Beryl Denham read out a police report. Apparently crime was non-existent during the month in the parish. Parking in Venlake is raising more concern. Particularly regarding access for emergency vehicles. Fire engines require at least a 9 foot gap to enable them to pass safely. If their passage is block it could result in an instant fine of £30 for the offending motorist . The official meeting not yet having began comments were welcomed from the public. Jean Cook said that a similar problem with obstructive parking exists a the top of Whalley Lane. Because of the lack in communications between the police and the Neighbourhood Watch Schemes some people inevitably missed some messages, Tony Cook told us to be aware of a telephone scam. It involves receiving a recorded telephone message telling that you may have won a prize. To find out the facts you have to press '9'. You are then eventually told that you were unlucky. This little procedure will cost you £260. Matters Arising Brian Mason read out a reply from Oliver Letwin regarding his "conversion on the road to Damascus". This letter appeared word for word as one I had also received from the MP and no doubt others had. Chris Sellers suggested that as the Lyme Regis Society had now lodged a letter of objection with the WDDC concerning the Strawberry Field planning application could we now expect another change of tack. For more on the parish council's reaction to the Letwin bomshell please go to Strawberry Field website. Planning Applications Considered by the Planning Sub-Committee An application to rebuild at Knighthayes, Woodhouse Hill was not recommended for the new building would not be within the footprint of the existing building and the design would not fit in with the surrounding properties. A renewal of the planning application for the Lime Kiln Lane "fudge factory" (Aug 2002) had been considered. There having been no complaints from neighbours to the enterprise the application was recommended. Applications Considered at the meeting An application to rebuild a bungalow at Harcombe was not recommended for its inappropriate design, as pointed out in a letter objecting to the application, and that the plans were poor with no vital measurements given. Brian Mason said that the only thing that could be build there would be the same as that already existing. Yet another application for the Devon Hotel (see also September and July), this time for a parking terrace behind the hotel. Remarks supporting their not recommended stance were "create urban landscape", "sufficient parking elsewhere" and "change character of a country house". Brian Mason suggested that Ken George should ask the planners not to decide on this application until the other application, that involves three additional houses and car parking, had been decided. Windfall. Planning officer Mrs Little has given the owners "a stay of execution" to remain on the site until after Christmas. It was the general feeling amongst the councillors that the owners have been treated with kid gloves over this matter. The fine recently imposed on them meant that they had very cheap tenure for the time they have occupied the site. Chris Sellers said "Mrs Little has kicked our legs from under us" Barnes Meadow. A bit of a dilemma faced the council over the millennium copse. There may be some justifiable fear of land movement bearing in mind that soil has been piled up in the area and that waiting for a geotechnical survey may be advisable. On the other hand the possibility of the site being sold off could mean that the area would be lost to the parish completely. Whatever happened to the agreement outlined in June 2002 (Barnes Meadow website) and the bringing forward of the hand-over date? In the end it was decided to press on as fast as possible with the hand-over. The parish council having objected to the proposed use of pre-cast flint blocks for the construction of the long awaited roadside wall probably gave the developer an excuse for more delay. There is still no sign of a start being made on it. You may remember "That wall will be finished" (Barnes Meadow website) when work was due to commence on 26th May this year.(whilst on the BM website you may like to search on that page for "wall" and follow this saga back over the years). Litigation has raised its ugly head once again on the site for the entrance road was not built at the right level. This like the wall will probably run and run. Correspondence BT have given a reprieve to the call box in Whalley Lane after the parish council complained about its threatened removal. PC Turners kind offer of a block of land outside the development envelope for use as starter homes is a non-starter says John Duffin. The site has a vast amount of problems and one being that the highways department would be very unlikely to give the go-ahead. A village wide survey would have to be carried out to establish the need for such provision and that the whole process is very protracted and two years was mention of the sort of time scale that could be expected before anything could be started. Open Forum Many parishioners had braved the winter's night to confront John Steven on Barnes Meadow. Evidently this was a long standing arrangement. But Mr Steven had forgotten the promised and/or forgotten to inform the parish council about the change of plans, all the same it seemed that the chairman had not been aware of the appointment.

Topics on this Page: Police Report Matters Arising, Letwin's Road to Damascus Planning Fudge Factory Devon Hotel Windfall Barns Meadow Correspondence Stater Homes Open Forum: John Steven Other UPC Meetings: 8th January 2003 12th February 2003 12th March 2003 9th April 2003 14th May 2003 11th June 2003 9th July 2003 13th August 2003 10th September 2003 8th October 2003 12th November 2003 14th January 2004 With Links to Pre-2003 Meetings 2004 Meetings Other Relevant Pages Strawberry Field Sports Complex Barnes Meadow Development Rhode Hill Gardens Home Page Introduction Page

The Next Parish Council meeting will be on 14th January 2004. Starting at 7:30

Disclaimer: This page cannot be guaranteed to be void of mistakes. It is sometimes, in the hall, difficult to hear some of the councillors, for a number are determined not to use the amplification system available. An example of what can happen was at the September 2002 meeting when I heard the word "included" as "include" when a letter from John Steven was being read out. This threw an entirely different meaning to the sentence. The interpretation that I came to was so important that I put the news on the website as soon as I could. It was not until I read the Lyme Regis News that I realised how wrong I was. I even more speedily removed the offending story. If you were one of those that read the original then I apologise. If you have any doubts concerning the validity of anything you read please check with the parish clerk. Can I also suggest that you contact the Parish Council and request that the minutes of the meetings are posted on an official Uplyme Parish Council website and that the subject is accordingly added to the agenda of the next meeting.