Conversation: Devon Boudary Review

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Conversation: Devon Boudary Review Conversation: Devon Boudary Review Subject: Devon Boudary Review For the attention of: Mr Sam Hartley, Review Manager for the Devon Boundary Review Dear Mr Hartley, I have been reading your leaflet on the Boundary Committee Review of Devon and I note your words “In England there are too many two tier areas such as Devon where local government services are provided by two different types of councils” and you cite county councils and district councils. I note that you do not cite the third tier, GOSW (The Government Office for the South West). I wholeheartedly agree with your premise that there are too many local government tiers for the already overburdened tax payer to continue to fund and I live in hope (but with a low expectation) that your deliberations and any resultant unitary structure subsequently set up in Devon will lighten that load. You should be aware that I lived in Berkshire when unitary authorities were established only to see the local taxation burden increased! Having said that I wish to bring to your attention a problem that the current boundary structure has created for my village in Devon: - Smeatharpe is geographically in centre of the Blackdown Hills AONB. However within 300 yards of my house is the Mid Devon/East Devon Boundary and a quarter of a mile from me is the Devon County Council / Somerset County Council (Taunton Deane District Council) Boundary. My neighbours and I in the village sit in one of three different parishes dependant upon where in the village they live. My doctor is in Somerset, my school is in East Devon and my dentist is in Mid Devon, my Post Office was in East Devon until it was closed two years ago and the one I currently have access to in Somerset will close later this year. I understand that since none of the councils in Somerset were interested in Unitary Authorities so no review is taking place in Somerset and whatever happens in Devon, the Blackdown Hills AONB will for ever be split between Somerset County Council (Taunton Deane District Council) and whatever structure emerges in Devon, following Exeter’s desire to become a Unitary Authority. Please consider seriously the need to have that part of the Blackdown Hills AONB that is in Devon placed under the control of one Unitary Authority – not two (or more) Authorities as at present. Being split between two county councils and three district councils as the area is at the moment is bad enough but if all that the boundary review does is replace EDDC and MDDC with two new Unitary authorities, you will have many people in Devon wondering why the expense of a review was justified if nothing changes. Having raised the issue of cost, can you let me know how much the boundary review of Devon will cost, from the start, this January, to final implementation of whatever structure is agreed? You may feel that I have a bee in my bonnet about these issues simply because I live close to a number of boundaries, but let me give you an example of how things “fall down the gaps between local government boundaries” resulting in almost total anarchy for local residents. Smeatharpe like many other villages in the southwest was effectively requisitioned by the MOD in the Second World War so that an airfield could be built nearby to support D-day and beyond (before my time I hasten to say). The result is that just on the outskirts of the village (as is the case for many Devon villages) sits an old WW2 airfield, abandoned in the 1950’s and returned to agriculture, with decaying concrete runways. The boundary between EDDC and MDDC runs through the middle of the old airfield. In 2006 the single owner of the airfield sold it in 5 lots to 5 separate owners. Local residents have since discovered that these separate owners bought bits of the concrete with the intention of using their individual General Permitted Development Rights to each run 14 days of motor sports on the decaying concrete and knew that the two District Councils take little interest in their peripheries and do not talk to each other. General Permitted Development Rights require no planning applications and no notification of such activities to local authorities. As a result, the residents of the Blackdown Hills AONB are now faced with motor sports noise and pollution almost every weekend of the year and until residents informed the district councils what was going on, they knew nothing about it. Although EDDC and MDDC both state in their Local and Strategic plans that they do not want motor sports activities within the Blackdown Hills AONB, they have both ignored what has been happening at the periphery of their respective bailiwicks. (Residents of Smeatharpe wonder if AONB stands for Area for Oily Noisy Boyracers?) Wherever possible it is, I submit, it is essential for the Blackdown Hills AONB to be placed within the boundary of one local authority. I fear that until that happens the Blackdown Hills AONB will not get the care and attention it needs and deserves, irrespective of all the aspirations and fine words expressed in East Devon District Councils, Mid Devon District Councils, Devon County Councils, Somerset County Councils and Taunton Deane District Councils, Local and Strategic Plans Graham Long .
Recommended publications
  • Download Annex A
    Landscape Character Assessment in the Blackdown Hills AONB Landscape character describes the qualities and features that make a place distinctive. It can represent an area larger than the AONB or focus on a very specific location. The Blackdown Hills AONB displays a variety of landscape character within a relatively small, distinct area. These local variations in character within the AONB’s landscape are articulated through the Devon-wide Landscape Character Assessment (LCA), which describes the variations in character between different areas and types of landscape in the county and covers the entire AONB. www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devons-landscape-character- assessment What information does the Devon LCA contain? Devon has been divided into unique geographical areas sharing similar character and recognisable at different scales: 7 National Character Areas, broadly similar areas of landscape defined at a national scale by Natural England and named to an area recognisable on a national scale, for example, ‘Blackdowns’ and ‘Dartmoor’. There are 159 National Character Areas (NCA) in England; except for a very small area in the far west which falls into the Devon Redlands NCA, the Blackdown Hills AONB is within Blackdowns NCA. Further details: www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-character-area-profiles-data-for-local- decision-making/national-character-area-profiles#ncas-in-south-west-england 68 Devon Character Areas, unique, geographically-specific areas of landscape. Each Devon Character Area has an individual identity, but most comprise several different Landscape Character Types. Devon Character Areas are called by a specific place name, for example, ‘Blackdown Hills Scarp’ and ‘Axe Valley’.
    [Show full text]
  • Quantock and Blackdown Hills
    Spring 2018 Quantock and Blackdown hills Looking after Fyne Court and Wellington Monument as well as over 600 hectares of designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Together, we can look after this special place for ever, for everyone . Our work Wildlife spotting What’s on? Looking after places Cadbury Easter egg hunt Friday 30 March to Monday 2 April, 10am-2pm, Fyne people live Court Head to Fyne Court’s wild garden in search for spring- time clues to earn your reward Somerset Festival of Nature Saturday 5 May, Fyne Court, Quantock Hills Kick off a month of celebration of nature across all of Somerset Top of the Gorge festival Friday 22 June to Sunday 24 June, Cheddar Gorge Enjoy a weekend of adventure sports Stay a little longer… Where next? A former gardener’s cottage bursting with character, Coleridge Cottage Fyne Court Cottage, sleeps 6. Home of romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the start of the Coleridge Way walk Search availability at nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays Knightshayes A country estate on a grand gothic scale, surrounded by acres of glorious gardens and parkland Barrington Court An empty Tudor house beautifully restored in the 1920s Fyne Court waymarked wander Fyne Court was home to the Crosse family for generations, until the house was destroyed by fire in 1894. The estate’s garden is now a haven for wildlife. Explore this wild garden, now hidden away in the Quantock Hills. Whether you’re looking for wildlife, natural play or peace and tranquillity, Fyne Court’s waymarked trails offer a lot to discover.
    [Show full text]
  • Display PDF in Separate
    Stuart Bcckhurst x 2 Senior Scientist (Quality Planning) ) £e> JTH vJsrr U T W J Vcxg locafenvironment agency plan EXE ACTION PLAN PLAN from JULY 2000 to JULY 2005 Further copies of this Action Plan can be obtained from: LEAPs (Devon Area) The Environment Agency Exminster House Miller Way Exminster Devon EX6 8AS Telephone: (01392) 444000 E-mail: [email protected] Environment Agency Copyright Waiver This report is intended to be used widely and the text may be quoted, copied or reproduced in any way, provided that the extracts are not quoted out of context and that due acknowledgement is given to the Environment Agency. However, maps are reproduced from the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 scale map by the Environment Agency with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office, © Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Licence Number GD 03177G. Note: This is not a legally or scientifically binding document. Introduction 1 . Introduction The Environment Agency We have a wide range of duties and powers relating to different aspects of environmental management. These duties are described in more detail in Section Six. We are required and guided by Government to use these duties and powers in order to help achieve the objective of sustainable development. The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development 'os development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' At the heart of sustainable development is the integration of human needs and the environment within which we live.
    [Show full text]
  • Frewins, Budleigh Salterton
    Summer Picture Gallery The Holy Grail – the source of the Exe (left) and subsequent celebrations! 22nd August Peaking on High Willhayes – 26th July Stunning Purple Hairstreak – 15th July near Otterton A magnificent turnout for the ‘Magnificent Seven’ (or eight!) – 29th July Local schoolchildren dipping in the brook – see page 7 Cover photo courtesy of Mo Sandford 2 From the Editor Phew! I made it to issue No 2 despite the errors in my first attempt. You will be delighted to hear that days/dates have been triple checked and, hopefully, no- one should turn up for a walk on the wrong day! The annual summary of OVA walks, published in full on the website, highlights that members are walking more regularly and further. The total number of walks which took place from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015 rose to 63 (from 56 in 2013/14) with 412 miles covered. The number of walkers increased from 498 to 643 in the same period. According to the statistics OVA members walked a staggering total of 4,154 miles during the year! So put your feet up and have a cup of tea while you enjoy the latest issue of the newsletter and contemplate the programme of Walks and Talks for the next few months. Jacqui Baldwin Facebook Yes, we have joined the modern(ish) world and set up a Facebook page. The page can be found at www.facebook.com/OtterValleyAssoc (or click on the Facebook logo at the bottom of the homepage on our website). The page lists upcoming walks and talks.
    [Show full text]
  • Blackdown Hills Case Study
    Cumulus Consultants Ltd High Nature Value farmland in Rural Development policy Blackdown Hills Case Study Report for European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism Issue: 6.0 Report No: CC-P-504.1 Date of Issue: 25 February 2011 . Commercial in Confidence High Nature Value farmland in Rural Development policy Blackdown Hills Case Study Report Prepared for European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism Report prepared by: Paul Silcock Gavin Saunders Martin Turner Report reviewed by: Paul Silcock Cumulus Consultants Ltd, The Palmers, Wormington Grange, Wormington, Broadway, Worcestershire. WR12 7NJ Telephone: +44 (0)1386 584950 Email: [email protected] Internet: http://www.cumulus-consultants.co.uk HNV Farmland in Rural Development Policy – Blackdown Hills Case Study Reference: CC-P-504.1 Issue 6.0 Date: 25 February 2011 Commercial in Confidence Acknowledgements We would like to thank all those who have contributed to this case study in particular Guy Beaufoy (EFNCP), Linda Bennett (Blackdown Hills AONB), Sarah Jennings (Devon County Council) and Matt Low (Natural England). We would also like to thank all those farmers who kindly agreed to be interviewed and provided valuable insight into the management of High Nature Value farmland on farms across the Blackdown Hills. Thanks are also due to those who contributed to the research through telephone interviews. Glossary AES Agri-Environment Scheme AONB Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty BAP Biodiversity Action Plan CAP Common Agricultural Policy CSS Countryside Stewardship
    [Show full text]
  • Annual-Review-2009-2010.Pdf
    Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Annual Review 2009/2010 Introduction Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Chairmanʼs report TO COME Welcome to the 2008-09 Annual Review for the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding The Blackdown Hills was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership. Once again it has been a very busy year, with in 1991 and is one of a family of protected landscapes in England and Wales, which the review of the AONB's Management Plan being the key focus of the team's work. includes both AONBs and National Parks. This plan guides the decision-making process of all our partners and stakeholders in The area straddles the Devon and Somerset border and lies within the boundaries of the Blackdown Hills, as well as the work of AONB team, and it is a statutory six local authorities: the two counties of Devon and Somerset; the three districts of requirement that it is reviewed every five years. This time it had to have an East Devon, Mid Devon and South Somerset and the borough of Taunton Deane. accompanying Strategic Environmental Appraisal and Habitat Regulations Assessment to ensure that none of its future policies and objectives would have a The AONB has a number of special and distinctive qualities that are the reason for damaging effect on the AONB's important environment. The plan was adopted by its national designation. These include its sense of remoteness and the tranquil, our six local authority partners and approved by Natural England by the end of the unspoilt rural character of the area, the diversity of the landscape, its unique year.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of the Rivers of East Devon and South Somerset, UK
    R.W. Gallois THE EVOLUTION OF THE RIVERS OF EAST DEVON AND SOUTH SOMERSET , UK R.W.G ALLOIS Gallois, R.W. 2006. The evolution of the rivers of east Devon and south Somerset, UK. Geoscience in south-west England, 11 , 205-213. With the exception of the River Tone, which appears to have been separated at an early stage from its neighbours to the south by a major fault, the rivers of south Somerset and east Devon were initiated on a southward dipping Tertiary planation surface. The evolutionary histories of the present-day catchments of the rivers Exe and Otter are complex and inter-related. Those of the adjacent Axe and Teign appear to be less complex and may have evolved relatively independently from the Exe-Otter system. The differences in the histories of the catchments are most clearly demonstrated by their terrace systems. The Exe-Otter catchment has 10 or more terrace levels at heights of up to 140 m above the modern floodplain. In contrast, the Axe, Teign and Tone catchments contain only one or two terrace levels all of which are less than 20 m above the present-day valley floor. The explanation suggested here for the difference involves a sequence of river captures that changed the forerunner of the present-day Otter from a major river capable of producing a 3-km wide gravelly braidplain into a minor stream. 92 Stoke Valley Road, Exeter, EX4 5ER, U.K. (E-mail: [email protected]). INTRODUCTION The middle and lower reaches of the River Exe and the There are too few age data to determine the period of time adjacent catchments of the Axe, Otter, Teign and Tone drain an during which the terrace sequences in south-west England area with a complex topographical relief that ranges from over evolved, but comparison with the denudation chronology of 300 m above Ordnance Datum (O.D.) in the Blackdown Hills southern England as a whole suggests that all the terraces to a few metres above O.D.
    [Show full text]
  • FROM: the South West AONB Family: Blackdown Hills, Cornwall
    FROM: The South West AONB Family: Blackdown Hills, Cornwall, Cotswolds, Cranborne Chase, Dorset, East Devon, Mendip Hills, North Devon, North Wessex Downs, Quantock Hills, South Devon, Tamar Valley Dear Colleague The Colchester Declaration : A commitment to nature’s recovery by the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) Launched in 2019, the Colchester Declaration is an ambitious plan, led by the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), to recover nature in and beyond protected landscapes, build climate resilience and enhance engagement with people. The Colchester Declaration frames our urgent initial response to the climate and ecological emergency recognised by authorities throughout the UK. While clearly requiring some planning, it is focussed on delivering action for habitats and biodiversity at a significant scale in the shortest possible time. Realising this ambition will require additional resources, forging new partnerships and cementing strong alliances with partners: a task we have been focussing on over the past few months. This builds on successful nature recovery solutions delivered through AONB partnerships 70@70 and will help deliver the goals in the Landscapes Review and the 25 Year Environment Plan (YEP). In the south west, we are plugging into county Nature Recovery Network processes and engaging though Local Nature Partnerships to both embed the approaches outlined in the Colchester Declaration and secure buy-in, but also to ensure alignment and added value. There are two key areas of progress we would like to share with you. Firstly, we have produced a framework for Nature Recovery Plans (NRPs), a key commitment in the Colchester Declaration and each of the 38 AONBs in England and Wales will be co- creating an iterative plan.
    [Show full text]
  • Brown Hairstreak in Blackdown Hills Leaflet
    Could you have Brown Hairstreak on your land? also financial incentives to manage hedges and The Brown Hairstreak was once widespread in woodland edges in ways that meet the needs of the England and Wales but has declined severely due Brown Hairstreak and other hedgerow wildlife. Visit to the loss of suitable habitats. www.naturalengland.org.uk for more details of these hedge management options: Its remaining strongholds are in mid Devon, west Somerset, the western Weald in Surrey and Sussex Entry Level Stewardship options (scheme open to and south-west Wales. Elsewhere colonies are all and non-competitive): scattered and uncommon. Most colonies occur on • heavy clay soils where Blackthorn is abundant in EB1 Hedgerow management on both sides of a hedge the hedgerows. • EB3 Enhanced hedgerow management • EC4 Management of woodland edges. Colonies are normally based around a wood, but females go egg laying over several square Higher Level Stewardship options (scheme with kilometres of the surrounding countryside. A selective application process): complex of woodlands and hedgerows with abundant, suitably managed Blackthorn is therefore • HB11 Management of hedgerows of very high required at that scale. Successful conservation environmental value • measures involve groups of farms, each providing HC15 Maintenance of successional areas and patches of suitable habitat across their holding. scrub. See the Blackdown Hills Hedge Association Reducing the amount of annual hedgerow trimming website www.bhha.info for further information Hedgerow management for the can save time and money. Under Natural England’s about traditional hedge management, Environmental Stewardship Scheme, there are contracting services, training courses and Brown Hairstreak in the Blackdown Hills hedging events.
    [Show full text]
  • Taunton Deane Landscape Character Assessment – Report 1 Taunton Deane Landscape Character Assessment
    Taunton Deane Landscape Character Assessment – Report 1 Taunton Deane Landscape Character Assessment Introduction....................................................................................................................................... 3 Background and Context ...................................................................................................3 Landscape Character Assessment ................................................................................................. 8 Landscape Type 1: Farmed and Settled Low Vale....................................................................... 25 Character Area 1A: Vale of Taunton Deane ....................................................................25 Landscape Type 2: River Floodplain ............................................................................................ 37 Character Area 2A: The Tone..........................................................................................37 Landscape Type 3: Farmed and Settled High Vale...................................................................... 45 Character Area 3A: Quantock Fringes and West Vale.....................................................46 Character Area 3B: Blackdown Fringes ...........................................................................47 Landscape Type 4: Farmed and Wooded Lias Vale .................................................................... 55 Character Area 4A: Fivehead Vale ..................................................................................55
    [Show full text]
  • Heritage, Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services: Case Studies
    Heritage, natural capital and ecosystem services: case studies Project No: 7740 The Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Case Study: An integrated approach to valuing environmental capital and services (boundaries and linear landscape features) Final report and Case study Project name: Heritage, natural capital and ecosystem services: case studies (Blackdown Hills) Historic 7740 England reference number: Authors: Tim Youngs, Blackdown Hills AONB Manager St Ivel House Station Road Hemyock Devon EX13 3SJ 01823 680681 [email protected] http://www.blackdownhillsaonb.org.uk/ Bill Horner, Historic Environment Manager Devon County Council County Hall Topsham Road Exeter Devon EX2 4QD 01392 382494 [email protected] https://new.devon.gov.uk/historicenvironment/ Origin date 23 October 2018 Tim Youngs & Bill Horner Reviser(s) 10 March 2019 Date of Last Revision Change the exec summary and conclusion section Summary of Re-number Changes Make monetarisation values clearer Make changes as outlined by Historic England Blackdown Hills AONB field boundaries: project 7740 2 Executive summary This is one of a number of initiatives through which Historic England aim to support the heritage sector in engaging with natural capital and ecosystem services methodologies in order to protect the historic environment within future environmental policy. This case study, focussing on the field boundaries and linear features in the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) will primarily address how the historic environment might be better included, but will also inform the development of the guidance for the heritage sector on how to engage with natural capital and ecosystem services approaches. The hypotheses for the project are: 1.
    [Show full text]
  • (Public Pack)Agenda Document for East Devon Locality (County) Committee, 12/07/2018 10:30
    Phil Norrey Chief Executive To: The Chair and Members of the County Hall East Devon Locality (County) Topsham Road Committee Exeter Devon EX2 4QD (See below) Your ref : Date : 4 July 2018 Email: [email protected] Our ref : Please ask for : Stephanie Lewis 01392 382486 EAST DEVON LOCALITY (COUNTY) COMMITTEE Thursday, 12th July, 2018 A meeting of the East Devon Locality (County) Committee is to be held on the above date at 10.30 am at East Devon DIstrict Council, The Knowle, Sidmouth to consider the following matters. P NORREY Chief Executive A G E N D A PART I - OPEN COMMITTEE 1 Apologies 2 Election of Chair and Vice Chair (N.B. In accordance with the County Council’s Constitution, the Chair and Vice-Chair must be County Councillors) 3 Minutes (Pages 1 - 2) Minutes of the meeting held on 30 November 2017, attached. 4 Items requiring urgent attention Items which in the opinion of the Chair should be considered at the meeting as matters of urgency. MATTERS FOR DECISION 5 Blackdown Hills and East Devon Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan Reviews (Pages 3 - 8) Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment (PTE/18/27), attached. Electoral Divisions: Axminster, Cullompton & Bradninch, Exmouth, Exmouth & Budleigh Salterton Coastal, Feniton & Honiton, Otter Valley, Seaton & Colyton, Sidmouth, Whimple & Blackdown, Willand & Uffculme 6 Networking Opportunities, Informed Decision-Making (In accordance with Standing Order 23(2) Councillor Scott has asked that the Committee considers this item) The Committee to have a discussion on future networking events. 7 Dates of future meetings 29 November 2018 and 14 March 2019.
    [Show full text]