Latest News
PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING
There will be a meeting of the planning committee on Thursday 25th November 2021 at 7:30 pm.
That meeting will be held in person at the Methodist's Hall.
NEXT PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
MINUTES FROM THE MOST RECENT PARISH COUNCIL MEETING - 20th October 2021
  |
TORRINGTON MOBILE LIBRARY SERVICE 2022 DATES FOR CHITTLEHAMPTON
The mobile library service will be visiting The Square in Chittlehampton between 2:05 pm and 2:30 pm on the following Tuesdays during 2022:
18th January 2022, 15th February 2022, 15th March 2022, 12th April 2022, 10th May 2022,
7th June 2022, 5th July 2022, 2nd August 2022, 27th September 2022, 25th October 2022 and 22nd November 2022. No visit will be made during December 2022.
| |
LATEST TEMPORARY PROHIBITIONS OF THROUGH TRAFFIC UNDER SECTION 14 OF THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984
TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF THROUGH TRAFFIC & PARKING
| |
DOGS NO LONGER ALLOWED ON CHITTLEHAMPTON PLAYING FIELD/FOOTBALL PITCH
North Devon Council has issued a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which came into effect on 1st October 2021. Issued under Section 59 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime & Policing Act 2014, the order bans dogs on the football pitch/playing field behind Chittlehampton village hall.
From the same date, dogs will have to be kept on a lead when on the land immediately adjoining the village hall.
Clear signage is in place at those locations explaining the new rules so that visitors are aware of the change. Anyone ignoring the new rules will be liable to a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice.
An exception has been made which will enable the annual dog show to continue to be held on the playing field.
North Devon Council has taken this action in order to address the ongoing problems caused by irresponsible dog owners who do not pick up after their dogs and those who do not keep their dogs under appropriate control.
| |
WHEELIE BINS ON PAVEMENTS
There have been instances lately in the parish where wheelie bins have been kept on pavements outside of the time necessary for them to be emptied.
There is in fact a legal requirement for wheelie bins to be removed from the pavement once they have been emptied as bins kept on pavements unnecessarily can cause an obstruction to neighbours and force people using wheelchairs or buggies to walk on the road. They particularly form a hazard to blind or partially-sighted pedestrians, especially if bins are left out where a pavement or road narrows.
Non-compliance with the requirement to keep wheelie bins off of the pavement except when it is necessary to allow them to be emptied, together with any enforcement action necessary are matters for North Devon Council. NDC have the power to remove bins found to be on a public highway on non-collection days and to charge a fee for re-delivery. They also have the authority under section 46A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice to someone who does not respect the rules.
Any parishioners who have concerns about wheelie bins near them being kept on pavements unnecessarily can contact NDC’s Customer Services Team by calling them on 01271 327711 or by visiting one of NDC’s local offices.
| |
RECENT POP-UP STREET SURGERY IN CHITTLEHAMPTON WITH NORTH DEVON'S MP
On Wednesday 18th August North Devon's MP Selaine Saxby held a pop-up street surgery outside The Bell Inn at Chittlehampton. This provided parishioners with an opportunity to speak to her in person about matters of concern to them.
Selaine says: "It was great to be in Chittlehampton recently to speak to some residents about planning, highways and broadband issues. There has been some good news on one of these fronts, where I have liaised with Openreach to get Umberleigh Academy’s broadband upgraded and I know the community is now also working on a Community Fibre Partnership. Cllr Jenkins was able to join me and discussed some of the work he had been doing with the village. Separately, we also had some good news from County Councillor, Paul Henderson, that the A377 is finally receiving some of the long overdue treatment it so desperately needs. Next time I am doing a surgery in Chittlehampton I will make sure that it is when The Bell Inn is open, the one thing missing from my most enjoyable visit was coffee!"
| |
Play Area
As much as the Parish Council would love to renew the whole of the play equipment and the surfacing of the play area the costs are so great that we feel even with grants the chances of managing to achieve this are more or less impossible. However we are endeavouring to resolve the difficulties with the existing equipment. One of the main problems is complying with the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act 1995) part of the Equality Act 2010 which raises many issues with the whole area within the fencing and the access from the village hall car park. We are seeking advice on how to resolve these as much as we need to so that the area can re-open and then replace items as the finance becomes available. Again we apologise for any inconvenience caused but our main priority is the safety of the children.
| |
Pesky Potholes!
Did you realise that you can also report potholes that you find yourself? This can be done via the following Devon County Council website:
https://www.devon.gov.uk/roadsandtransport/report-a-problem/report-a-pothole.
Alternatively you can just Google "Devon potholes" and follow the first suggested link.
You can then report the pothole by clicking on its location on an interactive map. There is even an opportunity to upload a photograph of the pothole to show how bad it is and help identify the one you are reporting.
However, not all potholes qualify for a repair. In order to be repaired a pothole must:
1. be over 40mm deep
and
2. be wider than 300mm
and
3. have a vertical rather than a shallow edge.
Once you have registered your pothole, DCC aim to have it investigated within 3 days. If the investigation confirms that it qualifies for repair, it will be added to their list of repair work to be undertaken.
| |
Air Ambulance Landing Lights.
The Parish Council jointly with Devon Air Ambulance have installed lighting on the playing field behind the village hall to enable the air ambulance to land during the hours of darkness. They are now flying until 2 O'Clock in the morning and this is likely to be extended even further. The lights are turned on by mobile telephone signal should a landing be required. Due to the remoteness of the village this could be life saving or in case of a serious incident could be used to take patients to a distant specialist hospital. The funding for this project has come from money given to the air ambulance by the UK Treasury from the LIBOR Bank Fines, council grants from Councillor Richard Edgell, Councillor Walter White and a very kind donation from Grenville Buckingham. Just to prove it was money well spent, the site was used in earnest less than two months after being completed and commissioned on the evening of Sunday 17th. March to take a patient to a specialist burns unit.
See pictures below.
| |