Posts in category Other
A379 Modbury roadworks postponed until 2024!
Owing to ‘operational problems’, the roadworks scheduled for Jan-April 2023 have been postponed until 2024 according to Modbury’s Parish Clerk.
Council Awarded £1m to Support Community Net Zero Targets
South Hams District Council has been granted funding of over £1m to help reduce carbon emissions in the District. The money will allow the Council to deliver targeted business and community support programmes.
The award comes from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
The Council is using the money to achieve the most sustainable outcomes possible to support its Climate Change and Biodiversity promise to become net-zero by 2050.
By working closely with specialist organisations, businesses and community groups, the Council can improve sustainable travel infrastructure, begin to decarbonise our marine sector, and help our farming community to adopt innovative approaches to farming that are better for our climate and ecology.
The first step towards improvements is Active and Inclusive Travel through:
programmes of activities to encourage people to use sustainable travel for their work and leisure activities, particularly making our tourism sites accessible through low carbon transport
the development of a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, setting out and prioritising interventions to improve the local cycling and walking networks
Agriculture and Regenerative Farming improvements will support the rural economy by:
bringing research and development to our agricultural communities, turning them into a test bed for new technologies and processes so that they can lead the way in improving the national agricultural sector.
supporting farms to transition to regenerative farming processes. Focusing focus on improving soil quality, moving away from pesticides and fertilisers, and improving biodiversity on their sites.
supporting farms and food producers to get their products into local market places.
As a coastal district it is important also important to consider the Decarbonisation of the Marine Economy. Therefore , the District Council will be using their funds to:
decarbonise the Lower Dart Ferry and Salcombe water taxis.
establish the carbon footprint of Salcombe Harbour and develop a strategy to decarbonise the site.
deliver innovative pilot projects to bring new technologies and processes to the marine sector.
Across the District, the Council’s specialist officers will be offering Wider Business Decarbonisation Support and Consultancy with:
support for Community Energy Groups to help them bring projects forward and access funds to support their goals.
support for village halls to strengthen the role they play in our most rural communities.
delivery of decarbonisation plans for businesses, which will then be used to help them access grant support.
work with the local construction sector and its supply chain to strengthen its ability to deliver decarbonised building projects.
Councillor Hilary Bastone, Deputy Leader of South Hams District Council, said: “This is fantastic news for the Council and the District’s communities and businesses. It’s vital that we protect our environment through clean growth but still continue to deliver the economic advantages so that our District continues to thrive and grow.
“We all know how important it is to our wellbeing to live a healthy lifestyle and this funding will help us to work towards improving that goal on travel, food and lifestyle for our residents.”
These are only some of the range of projects currently planned with some activities set to begin in January, and others scheduled to run from April 2023 until the end of March 2025.
ENDS
Council Tax to double on on Second Homes in South Hams
Issued: 20 December 2022
South Hams’ Full Council has unanimously agreed proposals for second homeowners to pay a fair share of Council Tax. The proposals agreed would see second homeowners paying double the Council Tax amount for an area.
Proposals for the Council to adopt a 100% Council Tax Second Homes Premium as soon as legislation allows were passed yesterday, Thursday 15 December, at Full Council.
South Hams District Council declared a housing crisis in September 2021 and backed their declaration by a 12-point action plan. One of those actions included lobbying Government to allow local councils to be able to charge 200% Council Tax on second or holiday homes to ensure they contribute fairly towards the services they receive.
The Bill proposes that councils will be allowed to introduce a Council Tax premium of up to 100% in respect of second homes, meaning second homes would pay double the amount of Council Tax for an area.
The Bill is likely to become law from 1 April 2024 at the earliest.
Cllr Judy Pearce, Leader of South Hams District Council, said: “I’m really pleased to bring this motion to Council with Cllr Brazil. It’s yet another tick in the box of our Housing Crisis’s list of things that we are trying to resolve.
“We’re not declaring war on second homes; we’re simply levelling the field to make it easier for our local residents to find somewhere to live, let alone somewhere to buy. We know that the majority of p
Council Tax is charged to households to help fund the services that the area’s local Town, District, County Council, Police, Fire service and Crime Commissioner provide. These services are essential for a community to function and are designed to improve the quality of life for the people who live in their communities.
The proposals to charge a 100% Council Tax premium on second homes were agreed with a unanimous vote.
THE PICKWICK INN GAINS ACV STATUS!
Three cheers!
Bigbury Parish Council has just learnt that the Pickwick Inn has been awarded Asset of Community Value status following our application to SHDC, which was helped by around 200 expressions of support from parishioners and visitors alike.
The new status does not affect Ashley’s plans to turn the pub into a focus of community life but does guarantee that there can be no change of use from a pub to, say, a new housing development for at least 5 years.
Our thanks go out to all those who supported our application and even bigger thanks go to those 63 people who contributed towards the crowd-funding initiative which, to date, has raised £4320 to enable Ashley to knock the pub into shape. The pub and the food being served certainly looked in brilliant form at the crowded opening last Saturday (3rd Dec.).
Please remember that we all need to continue to use the pub or risk losing it! It’s also not too late to make a donation to the crowd-funding effort – see details of the procedure in older posts on this site, as below.
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