The Parish Plan Group has been taking initiatives to fulfil its Action Plan as highlighted by Stoke Gabriel parish residents in 2008. Over the years, may actions have been achieved both directly by the group, or indirectly, sometimes as a spin-off from the awareness raised by highlighted issues. Whilst the group does not wish to take any credit for achievements it has not been involved in, we think it is relevant and helpful to see just how much of the Action Plan has been completed over the years.
Orchard play area
One of the first projects to be completed after the Parish Plan was published was Orchard play area. This area is owned by the Parish Council who supported was Rebecca Gilmore in creating a beautiful play area complete with a pirate ship, swings and a fairy house. It is also used by the Preschool every day. It's absolutely stunning and the children love it!
Local artists and sculptors
The orchard has sculptures especially commissioned for Stoke Gabriel.
Business and Tourism
Business Directory. Stoke Gabriel News, our parish magazine, is adding a Directory of Services to go out monthly with 2 line entries for each business at £15 pa. Contact the Editor Georgina Foss at [email protected], tel:782018.
Stoke Gabriel Website. As well as providing information for the Parish Council, local residents and visitors, the website provides links to clubs, societies, village events, local business - as well as providing maps and directories. See the Parish Noticeboard. A new website was launched in July 2020.
Parish Plan Group
The PPG has produced a Village Design Guide and presented this to the Parish Council. Please contact us for a copy.
PPG members network with other groups and have attended various forums and workshops.
Grants, Funding and Enquiries: the Parish Plan has been consulted and used in evidence at planning enquiries, and to obtain grants and funding for parish projects such as the Orchard Play Area (above).
Negotiations with developers have been successful in new builds not featuring street lighting in line with the rest of the village and light pollution objectives. Following representations, Devon County Council is implementing measures to switch off existing streetlights in the early hours to save energy.
The PPG responds to consultations and planning applications and has helped individuals and community groups with their responses. See the Planning section for further information.
Parish Environment
The Parish has a Tree Warden (Phil Bolt) and a Stone Warden (Neil Millward).
Tree Planting: trees donated by the Woodland Trust have been planted by pupils in the School playing field with the help of the National Trust.
Forest School: Both the Primary School and Preschool have fully trained Forest School leaders. They both have created areas for a fire and outdoor skills with a team of volunteers. Contact SG School 01803 782469
and Stoke Gabriel Preschool 01803 782155
Renewable Energy: The low-e group has been very successful in both raising the awareness of renewable energy, and effecting changes within the parish. 19 homes now have solar PV panels with more planned. Energy audits have been carried out for a number of community buildings, some grants have been secured, various possibilities are being explored. Village car/lift share schemes are being considered. Contact Caroline and Chris Snow on 01803 782213.
Amenities
SG Cycle Path Group is exploring the possibility of creating a cycle path from Stoke Gabriel to Totnes.Contact Peter Dingley-Brown at [email protected]
Allotments: New allotments were created as a result of the need identified in the Parish Plan. These were extensively used and enjoyed for 4 years but are sadly no longer available. However, the need remains and will increase with new housing developments in the parish.
Footpaths: email to support the PC to join DCC's Public Paths Partnership Scheme 12.2.2019
At our Stoke Gabriel Parish Plan Group meeting yesterday we discussed the proposal at the recent PC meeting to join the DCC P3 scheme.
Stoke Gabriel Parish Plan Group urges the PC to join.
Our Parish Plan includes a number of references to how greatly parishioners value our local footpaths and their wish, as shown in Action Plans (Recreation & Leisure, and Transport & Parking), to see the network extended. Visitors to the area, too, are increasingly using footpaths. Since the Parish Plan was completed our population has increased with further housing developments being built and to come. The huge increase in use of our footpaths has maintenance implications.
Extensive work has been done by Stoke Gabriel Cycle Path Group, with the help of others including DCC, Sustrans, Totnes and Berry Pomeroy PCs, to explore the options for a path along the Dart from Totnes to Stoke Gabriel and beyond. While this is a major project, less ambitious additions to the network could be identified and benefit from membership of the P3 scheme.
Even should grants from the P3 scheme not be available, information sharing and support would be extremely useful, especially as we continue to work on our Neighbourhood Plan.
Kind regards,
Helen Kummer
on behalf of Stoke Gabriel Parish Plan Group.
Community Artwork: Rebecca Gilmore secured grants to allow the Orchard to be enhanced with 3 sculptures by local artists
Affordable Housing: Following a huge amount of work some years ago and renewed efforts during 2017 to set up a Community Land Trust - a non profit community organisation set up to further social, economic and environmental interests of a local community with long term benefits such as the provision of low cost housing for local people, we have one!
Chair, Tom Morris, writes :-
Welcome to the Stoke Gabriel Community Land Trust. We’re a group of people living in the village, with jobs and families here, who have come together to find a solution to the lack of affordable housing in the village.
Affordable housing keeps villages like ours alive. It ensures young people can stay in their community, it provides homes for people in key jobs and addresses the impact of empty holiday homes on the vitality of the whole community.
We formed the Stoke Gabriel CLT in 2017, a legally recognised and regulated Community Benefit Society to protect a modern, community led method of building affordable rural homes. This approach is being encouraged by the UK Government and successfully applied to rural areas like ours across the UK.
Our vision is to provide much needed homes, for people on a low to middle income who live, work and have family connections in Stoke Gabriel. To achieve this, we have formed close links with South Hams District Council, Stoke Gabriel Parish Council and Neighbourhood Plan Group. We also have a specialist Technical Advise funded by the UK’s leading charity for Community Land Trusts.
We aim to have a small number of homes built in the village (Probably 12 – 15). Each house is part owned by the individual/family and part owned by the CLT. The houses are legally protected for future generations of villages and cannot be sold on the open market, but remain affordable in perpetuity as a village resource.