Uplyme Parish Council

A Personal View

Very and possibly just a bit biased

Of the Meeting Held on 14th January 2004

A good turn-out with only Brian Mason of the councillors unable to attend because of illness. The parishioners were also in good attendance, evidently with several from Barnes Meadow. Beryl Denham after welcoming the newcomers suggested that the numbers were due to the expected appearance of John Steven. Unfortunately even though Mrs Denham did invited him he again failed to turn up.

A theme that Peter Burton repeatedly visited throughout the evening was the one of Council Tax. He brought to our attention many of the changes in work methods and the increase in bureaucracy which added to the ever increasing tax bill.

Before the meeting proper got underway Uplyme's special constable Andrew Turner addressed the gathering. Still concerned about the parking in Venlake Andrew has been delivering leaflets to houses in Venlake informing the owners of the parking problem in relationship to access of emergency vehicles. It has been suggested that double yellow lines should be painted on the road at the corner of the junction with Gore Lane. There has been a post-Christmas increase in garage and shed break-ins. Apparently this is a usual seasonal thing, the poor old burglars being a bit short after over spending at Christmas. The Official Meeting then Began Planning Wellhayes, Harcombe An appeal to retain the mobile home on this site was unsuccessful.The owners have 6 months from 5th December in which to remove the home or be liable to costs up to £20,000. Windfall As the Christmas stay of execusion expires on 16th January we can expect the mobile home to disappear anytime now. The owner says that the wheels of the home having now sunk into the ground, will make moving it extremely difficult. Barnes Meadow. Will the retaining wall at the front of the site be finished before John Steven leaves the site? We now hear that it would be desirable to finish the wall in precast flint blocks as this would tie in with the wall on the other side of the road. The developer is now appealing against the order to build the wall with chert stone. Several chickens are now coming home to roost with problems with site levels and the handing over of the millennium copse. A very interesting letter appeared in the Lyme Regis News of 16th January by Nigel Marsh. His concerns over Barnes Meadow cover the safety of the footpath, residents liability, property prices and more. Highways Some confusion arose regarding the possible use of the speed visor for which Michael Willison is collecting donations. It seems that no matter how the purchase of one of these signs is derived the police are at liberty to use the sign as they think fit. Meaning that it could be moved around to any location in the "area" District Councillor's Report Ken George made another unsuccessful attempt to become chair of the Trinity Hill Nature Reserve. He considers himself well qualified for the position taking into account his environmental credentials. The EDDC decided not to evict the Shapwick traveller's camp before Christmas. Speaking about planning meetings Mr George said that as these meetings went on from 5:30 to 9:30pm and that the Trinity Ward application were right at the end of the session the decisions were tired ones. This had both advantages and disadvantages. Briefly... Yew trees have been ordered for the cemetery hedge and Jonathan Clarke-Irons awaits a beak in the weather for the planting, as children of Mrs Ethelston's School will be getting involved in the operation. On the theme of bureaucracy and its burden on the Council Tax the AONB team that made a presentation in the village hall last September on the Management Strategy Consultation Draft, came under fire. The councillors are interested in knowing if any progress has been made since September and they would like to invite the team back to discuss progress. It was heard from on councillor, who shall remain nameless, that they should bring along their payslips! The February meeting will be held on the 11th.

Topics on this Page: Andrew Turner - Uplyme's Special Constable. Planning Wellhayes Windfall Barnes Meadow Highways District Councillor's Report Briefly..... 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 10th December 2003 11th February 2004 With Links to Pre-2003 Meetings Other Relevant Pages Strawberry Field Sports Complex Barnes Meadow Development Rhode Hill Gardens Home Page Introduction Page

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 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 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.