Teignbridge District Council advice & support for town and village councils

05 June 2020

Working together to benefit our communities

You may be aware that the Government announced last month a £50m Reopening High Streets Safely Fund, financed by the European Regional Development Fund, which can be used to support a range of extra measures on high streets and other retail areas Four areas where the money might be used are listed in the guidance:

Support to develop an action plan for how the local authority may begin to safely reopen their local economies.
Communications and public information activity to ensure that reopening of local economies can be managed successfully and safely
Business-facing awareness raising activities to ensure that reopening of local economies can be managed successfully and safely.
Temporary public realm changes to ensure that reopening of local economies can be managed successfully and safely.

Our share of this fund will be £119,835 and the government hopes a funding agreement can be finalised with local authorities by the end of June, with expenditure from 1 June being eligible for support.

This money cannot be used for activity that brings no additional benefits, for capital expenditure or to make grants to businesses.

It is important that we work together to support communities and businesses to get back to some level of normality and to use this money in a way which will bring most benefit. Involving your local ward member in any discussions about how this fund might help your high street would be helpful.

We would like to work with Town and Parish Councils to understand what ideas or plans you are developing for your local community. It would be helpful for example to know what timescale you are working to, who you are working with, who you are sharing ideas with and who is leading on this work.

We can then make sure that our district wide plans capture these ideas and help us to channel Government funding to where it will have most impact and flag to government the type of support that we collectively think is needed.

To make sure that your Town or Parish Council is involved in these discussions and as time is not on our side, in the first instance please email with any ideas. If you need a brief discussion about your idea please call Community projects Officer Gary Powell on 01626 215895.

Views wanted on transformation proposals

Residents, traders and other local stakeholders are invited to have their say on the proposals to transform Newton Abbot town centre, as part of a major redevelopment plan set to boost the economy and increase the profile of the town.

The multi-million-pound Future High Streets Fund will inject a much-needed cash boost into the local economy and transform the town for residents and visitors.

Our plans feature a major redevelopment of Market Hall, Market Square and the old Alexandra cinema, to include a new eating quarter, a state of the art cinema, a remodelled entertainment and events venue and a high quality market space. They also include pedestrian improvements and the addition of greenery in the Queen Street area, cycling improvements for better links to shopping facilities and increased parking at Cricketfield car park.

The engagement will close on 26 June and more information is available on our website.

Know a small business that needs help?

We are launching new funding designed to help small and micro businesses in Teignbridge affected by Covid-19. We have joined councils across Devon in launching this financial initiative to support economic activity as the county comes out of lockdown. Grants will range from £1,000 to £25,000 with all businesses required to meet the same evidence-based needs test.

More info

Test, Track and Contain

Devon is one of the Beacon authorities across the UK to deliver the new Test, Track and Contain phase of the response to the COVID outbreak.

This will involve a three-tiered approach to prevention, identification and control of local outbreaks, communicating and advising our local communities.

We will be working with our colleagues across Devon to develop the Devon-wide local outbreak control plan, and agree the governance and structures.

Guidance is continually being updated and we will update you as plans are developed.

Inspector allows Wolborough planning appeal

The original planning application for mixed use development, including 1,210 homes, at land at Wolborough Barton, Coach Road, Newton Abbot was not determined by Teignbridge District Council within the statutory time frame and the applicant appealed to the Planning Inspectorate.

An inquiry ran for five days in March and June 2019, at which members of the public attended and expressed their views. The Inspector’s Report was passed to the Secretary of State in January and the outcome of the appeal was announced on Wednesday .

We note the decision of the planning inspector to allow the appeal and so grant planning permission. As an authority, we will now work with the developers to ensure that all conditions and obligations associated with the planning permission are fulfilled.

Local plan consultation extended

The government recently suggested that councils should update their ‘Statement of Community Involvement” to expressly set out the different ways in which people are included in consultations, given that face to face meetings during the pandemic are not possible. We’ve updated our Statement of Community Involvement and although this will not affect the content of the consultation, we have extended the consultation to give people the statutory six weeks to comment after this change was made on 1 June.Instead of closing therefore on 15 June, the consultation, which launched on 23 March, will now run for a total of 16 weeks, closing on 13 July.

Take a look at the Need to Know guide and complete the consultation feedback form to give us your views on policies and principles which will help shape Teignbridge’s development over the coming decades.

Rural skip services cancelled

Rural Skip services have been cancelled until at least the end of July. Many of the sites have limited space and so the contractor who delivers the service for us cannot ensure social distancing is safely maintained without incurring significant additional service costs. We are constantly reviewing the situation and will keep parishes and residents fully up to date.

As the household recycling centres are now open, residents have this option for any waste they cannot hold onto in the mean time.

Pressure on recycling collections

Due to large volumes of recycling, we are running behind on some collection rounds. If areas are missed customers are advised to leave their containers out and we will collect them as soon as possible. As a result of lockdown and many more people being at home, there has understandably been a rise in online shopping. The amount of cardboard we are collecting has consequently risen by approximately 50 per cent, meaning that our recycling vehicles have to return to the bulking station to empty more frequently.

Planning Committee

The agenda for next week’s planning committee on Tuesday, 9 June, starting at 10am has been published. The meeting is being held virtually and residents can follow the proceedings via YouTube.

Annual council meeting date

Our Annual Council meting will be held virtually on Tuesday 28 July, starting at 2.15pm. It will be streamed live on YouTube and details of how to watch it will be published nearer the date.

Latest government guidance

Work from home if you can
Limit contact with other people
Keep your distance if you go out (2 metres apart where possible)
Wash your hands regularly
Do not leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms