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July 2026 Draft

UPLOWMAN PARISH COUNCIL: DRAFT MINUTES OF MEETING

Held on Tuesday 21st July 2026 in Uplowman Village Hall, starting at 7.55pm.

Cllr J Lock (MDDC) present. Minutes by Mr R Hodgson, Clerk. Action points in bold.

Subject to approval on 17 September

 

  1. MEMBERS PRESENT and PROCEDURAL MATTERS

1.1 Present: Cllrs D Westerman, M Moore, E Egan, R Adcock, J Mayne and A McCombe.

 

  1. APOLOGIES AND REPORTS FROM MDDC & DCC

2.1 Cllr Thomas had tendered apologies for absence due to work commitments. Cllr Westcott (MDDC) had a conflicting meeting.

2.2 MDDC report: Cllr Lock said that the recently announced decision on Local Government Reform, in which all rural Devon areas would form Devon ‘Coast and Rural’ Council, was not what the Districts had wanted but must now be made to work. She also noted that upcoming changes in planning regulations, in which developments of less than 9 units would be considered only by officers under delegated powers, could mean an increase in applications in rural areas.

 

  1. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING (21st May 2026)

3.1 Draft Minutes of the annual meeting held on Thursday 21st May 2026had been circulated. No changes were requested and they were signed by the Chair as a true record of that meeting.

 

  1. FINANCES and PROCEDURES

4.1 Current Balance: £8863.52

Income since last meeting (Precept and VAT reclaim): £ 0.00

 

4.2 The following payments were approved and cheques signed to effect the disbursements:

Mrs S Lewis (paint for book swap/phone box): £23.99

AP Hayman (grass cutting and road works): £201.50

The Clerk reported that he had received two replacement cheque books ordered by Cllr Moore and expressed thanks to her. Despite NatWest stating that replacement books would not be sent automatically, he had received a third book and it seemed unlikely that UPC would ever need to order another!

4.3 The Clerk noted that the Certificate of Exemption from audit had been submitted to the auditor and that the period for Exercise of Public Right to examine the books had been completed.

4.4 The Clerk reminded councillors that, fllowing a change in privacy rules, all would need to complete new Register of Interest forms and submit them via the Clerk.

  1. PLANNING APPLICATIONS

5.1 24/01033/FULL: Hill Farm, revised catle shed layout. UPC had not objected and decision awaited.

5.2 25/01266/FULL: 3 Crossways, Erection of social dwelling. UPC had objected to 2nd revision and decision awaited.

5.3 25/01366/FULL: Land at Stonebridge, replace barn with two self-build houses. UPC had objected to revised proposals. Decision awaited.

5.4 26/00894 and 26/00895PNCOU: Class Q notifications for conversions at Whitnage Farm. These appeared to be resubmissions of previous applications.

5.5 26/00874/PNAG: Land at Stagg Mill, erect shed, for information

5.6 Planning enforcement: A parishioner had complained to Cllr Adcock that a property that had been granted as a commercial unit was in use as an AirBnB letting. The Enforcement Officer had replied, stating that the matter was under investigation and no comment could be made at this time.

 

  1. VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

6.1 Parish Council website: MDDC had informed UPC that they would be unable to continue hosting UPC’s website after April 2028. The Clerk had enquired of Parish Online. The cost of adding web hosting to the email package would be £90+VAT p.a. On a show of hands, all agreed that the Clerk should explore this option further.

6.2 Parish Priority Statement: The Housing Needs Assessment had shown a need for about 2 affordable homes per year in Uplowman. Devon Communities Together were thanked for their work in undertaking this assessment, the data from which would help to inform a priority statement. The next step in developing the statement should be a public consultation in the parish. Cllrs Moore and Westerman, plus the Clerk, would form a sub-group to plan such a consultation.

6.3 Community orchard at the Crossways. Cllr Westerman had submitted an expression of Interest in acquiring this Mid Devon asset. He thought the acquisition cost might be prohibitive. Cllr Lock said that it was a housing asset and, therefore, not available anyway.

6.4 Cllr Adcock agreed to investigate options for replacing the ageing noticeboard at the Green. No other village project was proposed.

 

  1. SUSTAINABILITY AND HEALTHY LIVING

7.1 UHRA was about to order solar panels and heat pump installations for the Hall.

 

  1. CORRESPONDENCE

A list of correspondence received and sent had been circulated. Attention was drawn to the following items of interest that were not covered elsewhere:

8.1It was noted that, although OpenReach had not given any dates for installing Fibre to Uplowman, there was now fibre to premises at Pitt Cross.

 

  1. HALL AND RECREATION ASSOCIATION

9.1 Cllr Adcock said that improved blinds in the Hall had been discussed as many badminton groups had complained.

9.2 The footbridge was due to be demolished the following day. Replacement would occur after fabrication of a new bridge.

 

  1. STATE OF ROADS IN PARISH

10.1 Whitnage Lane signage: Cllrs Moore and Westerman had not yet inspected the lane for suitable locations for signs.

 

  1. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting was confirmed for Thursday 17th September 2026, in the Hall at 7.30pm.

 

The meeting closed at 8.45pm

 

DRAFT MINUTES OF 21st July 2026

 

Public discussion:

Anna Wyllie and her colleague Mandy from Devon Communities Together (DCT) presented their draft report on Housing Needs in Uplowman and three surrounding parishes (Sampford Peverell, Burlescombe and Halberton). The response rate of 2.7% was considered typical for this type of survey, in which only people thinking of moving were asked to respond.

Ananlysis of the responses suggested that just over half of the reponders from all four parishes would be eligible for social housing or affordable homes. It was noted that most properties in Uplowman are large and detached and therefore not accessible to first time buyers.

The report was not yet finalised but suggested that there would be a need for 2 affordable homes per year in Uplowman. UPC thanked DCT and said that the report would provide useful evidence in drafting a Priority Statement.

 

Minutes of meetings held in 2026