Parish Council Drop-in Meeting, Saturday 20th November
Mary Tavy Parish Council Drop-in Meeting
Coronation Hall, Mary Tavy
2.00 – 6.00pm, Saturday 20th November
Mary Tavy Parish Council will hold an informal drop-in meeting during the afternoon of Saturday 20th November. We want to provide an opportunity for people to meet some of the parish councillors, and to listen to any comments or concerns you may have that relate to the parish and the council.
As well as an opportunity to have a chat about what’s on your mind, we would like your views on some specific topics:
- Should we look at wilding some areas in the parish? This involves identifying areas small and large where introducing native wild flower mixes would enhance the appearance of the parish as well as increasing biodiversity.
- Should we look at planting native tree species in some areas of the parish? As well as providing habitats for wildlife and increasing biodiversity, this would be a contribution, however small, to reducing atmospheric CO2
- Do parishioners wish the council to expand the cemetery? We estimate we have enough land in the current cemetery to allow burials and interment of ashes for the next 7-10 years however, since the process of providing new consecrated ground is a long one, this is the time to decide whether we will pursue this, or accept that once the current cemetery is full, we will no longer be able to have interments in the parish. If we were to go ahead, we would like your views on what the make-up of the new cemetery should be: should we increase space for ashes interment relative to burials? Should we have a garden of remembrance?
We decided to hold a drop-in meeting rather than a more formal public meeting for a number of reasons:
- We appreciate how busy people are, and that they may not be able to spare 2 to 3 hours to sit in a meeting and listen to presentations on the various topics. However, we hope that people can spare a few minutes sometime on a Saturday afternoon to drop in, find out more and give their opinions.
- With case rates of Covid-19 remaining high and the ‘flu season beginning, we feel that a drop-in style of meeting that avoids people spending a few hours in a crowded room is a more responsible way to talk to people and hear their views.
- We like informality!
We hope to have material on display from some of the organisations involved in promoting wilding and tree planting; for example, Moor Meadows, Plantlife, Moor Trees, Woodland Trust and Dartmoor National Park. We are also exploring the possibility of getting some representatives of these organisations to attend so that they can offer advice first hand.
You will see posters going up around the village advertising the meeting and councillors will be popping a flyer through parishioner’s letter boxes in late October/early November. There will be a short survey form attached to the flyer so that you can give your views on wilding, tree planting and the cemetery even if you are unable to get to the meeting. Completed surveys can be dropped into a box in the Post Office between the 15th and 26th November. Alternatively, you can leave completed surveys at the meeting on the 20th.
