DEVIOCK PARISH PLAN June 2007 This plan will be kept updated on the Parish website www.deviockparish.org.uk DESCRIPTION OF THE PARISH Deviock is a relatively new Parish having been formed in 1996 (most Local Government Parishes were formed from Vestry Councils in 1894). Deviock Parish was constructed from the coastal zone of the old St. Germans Parish to which were added small parts of St. Martins and Morval Parishes to enable each of the settlements to be within a single Parish. Before the change the community of Hessenford was in three Parishes and the community of Seaton in two. Map of Deviock Parish Deviock Parish 2 Currently the Deviock Parish has three villages, Downderry, Seaton and Hessenford, and two hamlets, Narkurs and St. Winnols, with isolated dwellings (mostly farmsteads) in the adjoining lands. The name Deviock was chosen after the small group of houses and the 19th century school situated almost at the centre of the Parish and yet not part of any of the population centres. The name probably follows the family name Devyock held by former occupants of Trerieve. Historically the majority of the small population lived in the farms and villages away from the coast so that Hessenford and Narkurs were the major settlements. There is a strong probability that this distribution was related to the insecurity of living close to the sea where attack by marauders was possible. (There is direct evidence that Looe was periodically subject to attack). Downderry is not recorded until noted in the 1699 maps of Joel Gascoyne, while Seaton, Hessenford and most of the farms are noted much earlier: Hessenford 1286; Seaton 1302 (ref. Cornish Place Names, O. Padel 1988). In early times there was a number of east/west tracks, the most important passing through Hessenford with a minor coastal track much admired by Celia Fiennes in 1678 (ref. The Journeys of Celia Fiennes, ed. C. Morris 1947). Other east/west tracks linked the hilltop farms with the watermills in the valleys especially to the many mills alongside the River Seaton but also Tregunnis Mill and Eglaroose. Hessenford Mill The structure of the buildings in this landscape was determined by the geology of the area and by the need to be economical with the resources. The fundamental underlying rocks are Devonian shales known locally as shillet, a very friable form of slate partially metamorphosed from layered mudstone. In places the shales are much harder and these outcrops were often the bases of small quarries from which the rubble walls of farm buildings and cottages were built. For the few finer houses worked granite was imported 3 from afar with, one supposes, great difficulty. Tregunnick Farmhouse (see photograph on page 4) is the best existing example. Recent research seems to confirm that Tregunnick Farmhouse is also the oldest existing building in Deviock Parish. The Devonian shales form the basis of the rolling hills, a plateau transected by a number of river valleys cut out as the water ran south to the sea. The Seaton is the largest of the rivers which could have been navigable by very small rafts. Deviock Pool at the mouth of this river is reported as a haven for small fishing boats. At Seaton and at Downderry the coastal plain of solufluction material results in quite low cliffs and the consequent easy access to the sea. Also potential invasion of enemy forces limited the development of coastal villages so the oldest villages Hessenford and Narkurs are situated away from the coast. Tregunnick Farmouse There appears to be a number of events which periodically triggered expansion of the population from the small fishing and farming communities. The first of these was the post Napoleonic boom in smuggling where redundant sailors became either smugglers or preventative men. Because Downderry beach was accessible, a coastguard station was built and officers and their families moved in around 1830 much swelling the farming and fishing population and requiring additional service provision such as stores and blacksmiths. Some thirty years later Brunel’s Railway came to St. Germans and the wealthier Victorians discovered the delights of the seaside. This caused another expansion and a parallel move to import some building materials, so the form of buildings changed. Development after this time was more steady although there were major changes between the wars and immediately after World War II when ready access by automobiles brought a wider range of social classes to the villages. At the same time the larger conurbations of Torpoint, Liskeard and especially Plymouth had an effect upon immigration and occupation of the residences. It is interesting to note that while the coastal villages expanded out of the coastal plain up into the hills, Hessenford and particularly Narkurs 4 became smaller as the economy moved away from agriculture towards tourism. These social factors are reflected by the various vernacular styles now appreciated by the current population and which inform the architectural section of this plan. Hessenford Village: largely a conservation area with desirable vernacular features 5 LAYOUT OF THIS DOCUMENT The content of this plan is divided into 10 sections as outlined below: A. Employment/Work p. 7 B. Housing, Affordable Housing and Main Services p. 10 C. Transport, Roads, Public Transport, Parking p. 13 D. Countryside and Landscape p. 16 E. Parish environment and Village design p. 19 F. Tourism p. 23 G. Recreation and Leisure p. 26 H. Community Services and Community p. 29 I. Environmental Changes p. 32 J. Renewable Energy p. 34 Appendices p. 37- 48 There is some overlap as each section was prepared by a different team but in no case is there conflict between suggestions. Each presentation contains three elements: 1. Current Situation: an analysis of what we have at present, i.e. where we are now; 2. Statement of Need: a statement of what we require in the future based on the ratified appraisal i.e. where we would like to be; 3. Action: an action plan to enable the move from 1 to 2, i.e. our journey. The report/plan resulting from this activity will need very regular updates. Some changes are already incorporated in this version having become necessary since the original draft. The plan presented here is one of concepts. No attempt has been made to produce a spatial strategy which could be achieved by a “Planning for Real” exercise1. A “Planning for Real” exercise with the children of St. Nicolas School could inform the future updates. Perhaps older folk would also like to “play” at Planning for Real! 1 Planning for Real is a modelling scheme where the target audience is invited to select features which they feel are necessary and then to position these features on a large but simplified map. It provides a practical rather than a conceptual approach to Parish design. 6 A. EMPLOYMENT A1. CURRENT SITUATION i) Deviock is a rural Parish with most employment in the following sectors:- • Farming, horticulture, fishing; • Leisure/tourism – pubs, cafés, restaurants, leisure fishing e.g. Bake Lakes and seashore; underwater diving influenced by nearby wreck reef (Scylla); • Public sector – health, education; • Retail – shops, POs, Bake Sawmill, Narkurs nursery; • Self employed – plumbers, hairdressers, childcare and adult care; • Commuters – daily, weekly or longer. ii) Local vacancies are usually unskilled and involve low pay and/or unsocial hours. iii) Some of the larger local businesses allow staff to take NVQs and apprenticeships etc. iv) There is very limited infrastructure to support businesses, few purpose built premises, narrow roads with poor unloading and parking, limited broadband and mobile telephone coverage and no training facilities. Although Caradon has been very successful in providing business units in the District there are none within the Parish. A2. STATEMENT OF NEED i) Unemployment level appears higher than the national average. ii) Reward level is often lower than the national average – low wages mean long hours. iii) Impact of commuting, other travel and unsocial hours on individuals, families, community and environment. iv) Young people often leave the area to train but cannot find suitable local employment thus preventing their return (enforced migration). v) Impact of existing businesses / limitations of current facilities (e.g. unloading, parking). vi) Loss of facilities in Parish (e.g. garages, shops, Post Offices). vii) No local training means travel time / expense / pollution incurred. 7 viii) All businesses surveyed stated the advantages of working locally or at home for themselves, their families, the environment and their customers. ix) Farm incomes are now subject to external, political and bureaucratic pressures – farmers are no longer big employers. A3. ACTION Roads/Parking i) The public consultation unanimously supported a requirement for off-street parking where business use of domestic premises encouraged visitors (41-0). ii) Nearly all businesses surveyed mentioned off-street parking as vital, as well as some form of control for parking generally, with concerns that some businesses take up spaces intended for casual use, adversely affecting others. Issues of obstruction caused by lorries and the need for short term (10-20 minutes) parking were also mentioned, as was speeding both in the villages and the lanes. iii) Most businesses were concerned about extra traffic, with several suggesting (new) businesses should be grouped to give easy access for drivers and pedestrians. Planning/Premises iv) Public consultation unanimously supported conversion of existing individual redundant farm buildings if suitable for light industry (50-0), and redevelopment of existing sites (38-0), but opposed new development (12-35). This was echoed by the survey of local businesses. v) Farm diversification initiatives were also unanimously supported (43-0) by the public consultation. vi) The public consultation gave support to the use of one room as an office to allow residents to work from home (39-2), and to the limiting of business use restrictions on new developments (27-13).