CHARDSTOCK parish council
The Old House, Chardstock, Devon, EX13 7BT
PROGRESS ON ALL FRONTS IN CHARDSTOCK
This year's Annual Parish Meeting in Chardstock which took place
in the Community Hall on 25th May was the occasion for progress
reports on several aspects of the parish's life.
Village Shop
First of all, Mr Philip Leonard gave a presentation on how he
envisages the future of the village shop and Post Office the
purchase of which he and his wife Teresa are hoping to complete in
the next few weeks. The couple who have two small children are
moving to Chardstock from Gloucestershire to take over the
business which has been for sale since early in 2004.
They plan to hold a 'grand opening' of the shop in early July when
it will have a basic range of goods although more than at present.
The shop's hours will depend on demand but the plan is to open all
day Monday to Friday plus Sunday morning.
The meeting warmly welcomed Mr Leonard and his plans. Cllr John
Leach, the Chairman of the Meeting, explained that the future of
the community enterprise which had been envisaged had the shop
remained unsold was now under review. It could be wound up or it
might be possible to use it as a vehicle for other purposes in the
future.
St Andrew's School
It had been hoped that a detailed presentation of plans for the
new school adjacent to the Community Hall would be made at the
Meeting but this proved not to be possible. Mrs Dorothy Williamson
(Chair of the Governing Body) did, however, make a statement on
behalf of the Governors in which she assured parishioners that
work on the internal layout of the school was progressing while
negotiations to secure the land were ongoing. Everyone involved
was doing their utmost to ensure the success of the project. Mrs
Williamson hoped that a presentation would be made to the parish
as soon as circumstances permitted. It was probable that the
school would not now open as planned in September 2006 although no
new date could be given at this stage.
Recreation Field
Giving the Annual Report of the parish council, Cllr John Leach,
its Chairman, noted that the parish council had surrendered its
lease on the Recreation Field as agreed at the Annual Parish
Meeting in 2004. The Bowling and Cricket Clubs who occupy the land
are negotiating long-term arrangements directly with the
landlords, Chardstock Manor Estates.
District Council
Cllr Paul Diviani, the District Councillor for the Yarty Ward
which includes Chardstock, outlined developments at the District
Council during the year which included more input on priorities
from both Councillors and the public. He reported that the
District's financial constraints were such that they were only
able to do those things which they were obliged to do by law.
Discretionary activities were no longer possible. He concluded
nonetheless that the future is bright – we just have to do things
differently…
Finance
The Parish Clerk, Mr Iain McDonald, reported that the parish council's finances were sound and savings in several areas had
enabled the Council to reduce the Parish Tax by 6% to £11.24 for a
Band D property.
Chardstock Website
Mrs Jenny Simpson had responded to an appeal for a volunteer to
run a parish website and she presented her initial designs and
plans to the Meeting. She asked all local businesses and voluntary
groups to supply her with content for the site so that it could
truly represent all aspects of parish life.
After the excitement of new developments on several fronts last
year, Chardstock is facing up to the future while recognising that
progress can sometimes be slow. Despite this, the changes in
prospect should ensure that the parish remains a dynamic – as well
as a beautiful – place to live and work,
NOTE FOR EDITORS:
For further information about the meeting or other aspects of the
Council's work,
please
contact the Parish Clerk, Jan Morse, Tel: 01460 220591
e-mail:
councilclerk@chardstock.org.uk
