Land In Mary Tavy For A New Parish Cemetery

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The current Mary Tavy parish cemetery is nearly full.

While the Parish Council has no legal obligation to provide a cemetery, the results of a survey of parishioners carried out in November 2021 showed the majority of respondents (67%) would like burials to continue in the parish. To try to fulfil this need the Parish Council has been searching for land suitable for a new cemetery.

In recent months a land owner has approached the Parish Council with an offer of a piece of land and we are pleased to announce that a purchase price has now been agreed, subject to survey results, planning permission, etc. The plot of land is approximately 0.5 of an acre in area and is located close to St Mary’s Church.

With a lot of work still to do to prove the viability of the new cemetery land, the Parish Council has formed a working group comprising councillors and non-councillors to progress the project. If anyone is interested in being considered for membership of the working group and feel they can contribute to the development of the cemetery, please contact the Parish Clerk, Katherine Anness ()

How To Report A Pothole On Roads In Devon

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With winter not too far away it’s a good time to report any potholes that meet Devon County Council Highways Dept intervention criteria.

If a pothole is on a road maintained by Highways and is over 40mm deep, over 300mm wide and has a steep side then Highways should put it on their list for action. A full description of potholes that meet their criteria can be found at: https://www.devon.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/report-a-problem/report-a-pothole/

If you think a pothole meets these criteria you can report it at: https://www.devon.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/report-a-problem/map/map_src/poth/ . Once on this website, you can drag the map to centre over the area with the pothole and then zoom in until the map is expanded sufficiently to drop a “pin” at the location of the pothole. You will then be asked to provide details, including photos if available. By entering your contact details on the report, you will be kept up to date on the assessment and any action that is scheduled. Should you find the pothole has already been reported by someone else, you can still add your contact details & so be kept up to date on any actions.

SAFETY NOTE: PLEASE do not endanger yourself or other road users when gathering details of any pothole. It is better to estimate the size of a pothole from a safe location and report it without photos than to risk an accident, injury, or worse by being on an active highway.

 

 

Energy Efficiency Improvements To Your Home

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Here is a useful link to energy saving advice, available grants, etc for your home:

Energy Saving Devon

Available funding and grants change from time to time. The people at Energy Saving Devon are happy to give advice and will know which grants are available at any given time.

Hedges and Ditches in the Parish

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Now that the bird nesting season is over, August is a good time to tidy and cut back hedges where needed and to clear ditches ahead of autumn and winter rains.

Parishioners are reminded that it is generally the landowner’s responsibility to keep hedges cut back and ditches clear of debris and blockages. Guidance issued by Devon County Council can be found here (ditches) and here (hedges) and in the attachments below

40 mph Speed Limit On The A386 Around The Mary Tavy Inn/Lane Head Junction: Progress!

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We are pleased to report that Devon County Council have officially approved the Parish Council’s request for a 40mph speed limit on the A386 around the Mary Tavy Inn junction. The decision was taken at the DCC Cabinet Meeting held on 14th June. The 40mph limit will replace the current National Speed Limit (60mph) on this stretch of highway.

A site visit was made in May by the DCC Cabinet Member for Highway Management along with County Councillor Philip Sanders and Highways Officers (including the Road Safety team). They all supported the proposed speed limit of 40mph, overturning the initial Highways recommendation that no reduction in the speed limit was necessary.

The scheme will be delivered pending suitable funding being identified and once identified, the works will be added to the Traffic Order programme with delivery likely in 2024/25.

In plain language this means that we should get the speed limit reduced to 40mph in 2024/25! The Parish Council will maintain a dialogue with DCC Highways to ensure the change is made as soon as is practicable.

The current Parish Council would like to thank the previous Parish Council for pursuing this issue, the people of Mary Tavy for supporting it and completing the petition and the owners of the Mary Tavy Inn for providing CCTV images that highlighted the dangerous nature of this stretch of road.  Thanks also go to Terry Pearce (the then West Devon Borough Councillor) for his support as well as to Devon County Councillor Philip Sanders and the West Devon Highways and Traffic Orders Committee (HATOC).

 

Mending Potholes On Roads In Mary Tavy Parish

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Mary Tavy Parish Council has joined Devon Highways’ Road Warden Scheme. 2 councillors have been trained (at Highways’ expense) as Road Wardens by completing the Chapter 8 (Signing, Lighting and Guarding) course.

You can see a description of the Road Warden Scheme and the activities Wardens can undertake here: https://www.devon.gov.uk/communities/opportunities/road-warden-scheme

One of the tasks Road Wardens can perform in the parish is to fill small potholes that are not big enough to meet Highways’ intervention criteria. Highways personnel will only fill potholes that are larger than 300mm in length/width, are more than 40mm deep and have a vertical edge. More details of “Highways-actionable” potholes can be found on their website at: https://www.devon.gov.uk/roadsandtransport/report-a-problem/report-a-pothole/

This website should also be used to report potholes that you believe meet Highways’ intervention criteria.

In order for the Road Wardens to deal with minor potholes, Mary Tavy Parish Council has acquired a quantity of cold fill tarmac that is recommended to give a lasting repair. This material has been obtained free of charge by means of a grant from Devon Highways.

In the coming weeks the Road Wardens will make a start on repairing potholes that, in their judgement, will not be fixed by Highways but can be improved using cold fill tarmac. The first defects to be treated will be a series of potholes in Chapel Lane, Mary Tavy.

The Road Wardens have 2 requests:

  • If people would like to volunteer to help with the work, please contact one of the Wardens using the details below. Highways allow a maximum of 2 volunteers to work alongside each Road Warden. High visibility jackets and work gloves can be supplied as required. No experience is necessary.
  • We would like to compile a list of potholes in Mary Tavy Parish that may fall within the scope of the Road Warden activities. While there is no guarantee that the Wardens will get to every pothole reported to them, they will at least be aware of the defects, can inspect them and prioritise those holes that need filling.

 

The Road Wardens:

Paul Reid

Email:

Martyn Griffiths

Email:

 

 

Mary Tavy Parish Cemetery: Headstone Inspection Programme May 2023

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Notice is hereby given that all headstones in Mary Tavy Parish Cemetery will be inspected for stability during May 2023.

This will involve a basic hand test to determine if there is movement in the headstone and to what extent. The test will be carried out by a trained staff member who has completed the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management’s (ICCM) course in memorial inspection.

Grave owners will be notified if a problem is found.

The staff member undertaking the assessment will make a decision on the memorial’s overall safety based on a dynamic risk assessment for which they have been trained. Once inspected, each memorial will fall into one of three categories- 1, 2 or 3. For more detail on the category system that will be used, please download the Memorial Management Policy below.

 

 

Notice of Poll and Situation of Polling Station- Mary Tavy Ward

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There will be an election for the West Devon Borough Council Mary Tavy Ward on Thursday 4th May 2023. Four persons have been nominated. Details of candidates can be found in the attachment below along with the locations of polling stations.

Vacancies for Parish Councillors x2

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Following the recent uncontested election, there are still two seats available on the parish council. The next set of parish councillors that will take office in early May are therefore permitted to co-opt two new councillors to join them.

If you’d like a seat on the parish council please contact the parish clerk for further information and an application form.

Closing date for applications: Tuesday 9th May 2023