We’re getting ready for spring! Jon Freeman from Clyst Great Trees introduced our project to map new walking and cycling routes across Pinhoe. We also announced a series of Spring workshops with silk painting, knitting, embroidery and quilting for our new Parish Map AND news of tree planting in the new woodland at Monkerton Ridge.
Thank you to everyone who came to the meeting. And special thanks to Cllr Hilary Ackland for assisting with our rights of way enquiries, and to Cllr David Harvey for investigating the fate of the beautiful oaks on Church Hill. We’ll keep you posted…
Thanks to everyone who supported our Memories of Pinhoe exhibition – with raffle sales, delicious mince pies and our special Pinhoe 2020 Calendar, we are delighted to have raised funds to support our activities this coming year.
At the end of last year, we promised a discussion of TRAFFIC CONCERNS across Pinhoe, following on from meetings with Will Pratt from Devon County Council Highways. Problems on Park Lane and Church Hill remain at crisis point and several new planning proposals are coming through, including proposals for the new Lidl which raises great concern about traffic levels for residents in Summerway.
Following the establishment of the PINHOE FORUM group, it was decided that they would host the Traffic Meeting and produce a report documenting their community consultation. They will collect all your opinions and present the report to Devon County Council Highways. This meeting is WEDNESDAY 12TH FEBRUARY in Alicia’s at 7pm and we encourage as many people as possible to document their concerns.
The PINHOE FORUM group has applied to Exeter City Council to develop a Neighbourhood Plan for Pinhoe – it’s a really exciting opportunity to shape the future of Pinhoe and we are pleased to support their vision. Everyone who lives and/or works in Pinhoe is encouraged to join the group: www.pinhoe.org as it’s really important that members from across all ages and all parts of the Pinhoe ward join the consultation.
Pinhoe Councillors have issued the following plea for ideas:
“Decisions need to be made about how CIL money from new developments are spent. Specifically how some of the funding can be used locally. “Community Infrastructure Levy” is money which the developer pays so that facilities can be put in place in the area of development. This is to off-set the the increased need for infrastructure, services and facilities created by new development.
The CIL money from developments in Pinhoe can be spent to meet this need anywhere in Exeter. Some improvements are provided on a city wide basis and can’t replicated in every ward in the city. An example would be a swimming, skateparks or other sporting facilities (although Pinhoe is lucky to have some of these already). There are ways in which we can use this funding at a more local, Pinhoe level.
We have talked to many residents and have many different suggestions to take forward. We have been asked particularly to consider what might be needed in Pinhoe, and specifically in the new developments; we will also be bearing in mind the needs of “old” Pinhoe and Summerway which is in Pinhoe ward.
We welcome any ideas from residents who may not have spoken to us already, and reminders from those that have.”
Response: “Thanks for all the suggestions for how we might use some of the CIL money in Pinhoe. We will be discussing with senior council officers and putting your views forward this week.
As City Councillors we thought people would be interested in Section 106 money, which developers pay, and the CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) money which is is now the main way developers pay. We will of course continue to work hard to keeping drawing investment into Pinhoe and developing great facilities and opportunities for the community.
Negotiating, securing and spending S106 and CIL monies is complex. S106 is negotiated when developments are at planning application stage, with monies typically being secured for defined ‘strategic’ infrastructure projects at that stage. These are agreements which are specific and the money cannot be used for other purposes. The County Council as Highway Authority secures the funds for transport infrastructure and this is to improve traffic flow and roads.
CIL is a different matter in that the monies come to Exeter City Council, and can be spent on anything that constitutes ‘infrastructure’ which can meet the needs fo the new residents. There are a lot of ways it can be invested in our communities. City wide facilities and services can be quite significant and serve the whole city. Local infrastrure investment is often smaller, although the investment in the skatepark and the new play area in Station Road show that these can still represent quite an investment.
With so many worthy calls on this funding there is a political process to go through to ensure that the public get value for money and investment is backed by proven demand from residents. This process is appropriately thorough and can often take quite some time to identify how the CIL money is invested in our communities.”
With trees disappearing across Monkerton, we noted with some alarm the precarious position of major mature trees in the Linden Homes’ Tithebarn development.
UPDATE FROM EXETER CITY COUNCIL: “Mark Waddams has been out to visit the Tithebarn (Linden Homes) site and is satisfied that the tree protection is up to standard (BS5837) and that the retained trees are not under threat. ECC are currently updating the Tree and Woodland Strategy and are hoping to have it ready early this year.”
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Meanwhile, we are pleased to be supporting a project to plant 800 trees on the Monkerton ridge, proposed by Exeter’s Tree Manager, Joe Morshead. It’s positive news and we hope the funding is successful. These trees will take decades to establish and our existing mature trees remain very precious indeed.
It’s hard to believe these grand old oaks are under such pressure – they are well known as major contributors to biodiversity and shelter a huge variety of birds and insects.
As our local resident notes, the loss of wildlife habitats across this site is devastating, opening the whole estate to the railway. Once these old hedgerows are gone, any replanting will take 30 years to recover what has been lost.
We will keep highlighting problems to local councillors and Exeter City Council, so please continue to send your pictures: mail@portfoliofive.co.uk
A beautiful morning in Pinhoe and I’ve been taking some photos for our 2020 calendar – let me know if you have any you’d like to bring to our meeting on Friday, when we’ll be making final decisions for each month’s view.
Pinhoe Library and the stunning old oak sheltering butterflies, sparrows and wrens this morning
Lovely to see everyone at the Clyst Caring Coffee Morning, and special thanks to Jean for the Middle School programme from their Opening Ceremony in 1975. All the original documents donated to our project will be saved for the Pinhoe Village archive and they have such value – here’s a pic, including the reverse with some key dates and the original badge, the history and their forward view – just wait until you see the school pics we have for the 2020 Pinhoe calendar!
