Parish Environment Issue: Caring for the Parish Environment Vision: Flourishing natural grass verges, hedges and wild flowers A healthy habitat with increased biodiversity Prevent loss of specimen and historically important trees More community woodland in the parish Colourful beds and planters which are pollinator friendly Suitably sited benches Proposed Action: Undertake an environmental assessment to appreciate what needs preserving and what could be enhanced, e.g. hedges, verges, wildlife habitats, biodiversity. Set up a Parish Ecology Group to oversee the care of the natural environment Tree Preservation Orders Continuing care of flowerbeds Fewer concrete planters Provision of more benches Actions to date: The Parish Council continues to maintain grass verges and encourages hedge owners to take good care of their hedges. Concerns have been raised regarding the use of herbicides to control weeds, with some parishioners opting to manually weed the roadside/verges around their own homes. This discussion is ongoing. Meanwhile SHDC banned the use of glyphosate in public spaces in May 2016. Devon County Council adopted a wildflower verge policy in May 2019. Below is an email to Parish Councillors summarising concerns about spraying. To date there has been no response, and the Parish Council arranged for spraying to be carried out in July. Both the School and the owners of the orchard in the centre of the village, where elderflowers are harvested for a local drinks company, have written to the PC stating no spraying should be carried out near them. Please make your views known to the PC. 25 October 2015 I understand that the Parish Council will be considering further spraying of the village to control roadside weeds at the forthcoming Parish Council meeting. I would like to ask you to please consider manual weed control methods as this will have significantly less impact on the environment and carry no health risks to people or animals. There were many villagers last time who were concerned by the spraying and did not give permission for the use of herbicides along the boundaries of their properties, including the school and the owners of the orchard in the middle of the village, who grow elders along the roadway to make juices for commercial use. Spraying was also understandably unpopular with dog owners and parents of young families. I am forwarding below an estimate of the cost being £600-£700 for hoeing provided by Plandscape in 2013. While manual control was more expensive than spraying with herbicide, it would have a longer lasting effect. Herbicide only destroys the growing plants, and leaves the substrate or organic matter for weeds to quickly reestablish. Hoeing, combined with scooping or sweeping up the loose soil and vegetation makes it more difficult for plants to regrow. Robin Kimmerling who used to organise the Village in Bloom efforts in Stoke Gabriel reported that they tried all methods including herbicides over the years, and found that the only effective method that would last the whole season was to manually hoe and sweep the roadside. As you will see from the attachments provided by Plandscape the active ingredient in the herbicide will be glyphosate. This herbicide has been on the market for many years, but has now been withdrawn from public use by many countries such as the Netherlands in recent years, following a 2015 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that glyphosate probably causes cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) – WHO’s cancer agency – said that glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide made by agriculture company Monsanto, was “classified as probably carcinogenic to humans”. It also said there was “limited evidence” that glyphosate was carcinogenic in humans for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.The weedkiller has been detected in food, water and in the air after it has been sprayed, according to the report from WHO. However, glyphosate use is generally low in and near homes where the general public would face the greatest risk of exposure, the report said. The conclusion I and many others have drawn from the above, is that we should avoid using this product around our homes and immediate environment, where we would increase our exposure to the chemical. I would therefore like to ask that the Parish Council opts for manual weed control that would effectively remove weeds but protect our health and the environment. The Parish Plan Group's application for wildflower seed kits from Grow Wild has been successful with a number of kits now available. https://www.growwilduk.com/ Please contact us if you know of public places suitable for sowing, and if you would like to help. Seed has been sown in some village flowerbeds. The Parish Environment Group takes an interest in the care of the natural environment within our parish, and elsewhere where environmental issues affect our parish. It has responded to a range of consultations, including planning applications for development which may impact on our village, the surrounding countryside and the Dart. In 2018 the Group raised the issue of plastic confetti with our Church, followed in 2019 by wider environmental issues with Devon Green Churches Action, Exeter Diocese and A Rocha. In May 2019 we made the following 2 applications for funding with the PPG. Scoble Legacy application. On behalf of Stoke Gabriel Parish Plan Group and the Stoke Gabriel Parish Plan Environment Group we would like to apply for funding from the Scoble legacy. The Parish Plan Group only discussed an application this morning, so this is in some haste as I'm aware the Scoble family would like the legacy to be promptly spent. We have two projects in mind, both relating to Hoyle Copse. As you will know, a new management plan is needed. Lynne Kenderdine, Devon Wildlife Trust's County Wildlife Site Officer, who has been unable to complete the programme of work she started some years ago, to carry out surveys and community engagement in a management plan, has recommended the Trust's Consultancy service. I have not been able to ascertain the cost of this work yet, but know that any sum granted towards this would be hugely appreciated by parishioners. As you have gathered, Hoyle Copse is highly valued by all. The 2nd. project is a more practical one, for which the required 3 quotes would need to be obtained. The Hoyle Copse Gang have built a number of steps in the Copse, both stone (from the community meadow), and wooden ones secured by metal spikes. Both types are hazardous, not meeting health and safety requirements. I am aware there have been several falls, though thankfully no serious injuries, for which the Parish Council would be liable. All steps need to be examined and, where necessary, rebuilt to ensure public safety. Blue Cedar Homes Project Community Fund Names Rebecca Garner (Stoke Gabriel Parish Plan Group) Helen Kummer ( Parish Plan Environment Group Email Address [email protected] Phone Number Location Stoke Gabriel Can you describe your cause? Stoke Gabriel Parish Plan Group and the Parish Plan Environment Group formed to take and support initiatives to fulfil the Action Plan in our 2008 Parish Plan which can be downloaded here:- http://www.stokegabriel.co.uk/Clubs-Societies/Parish-Plan-Group We have a website under construction at https://sgparishplan.weebly.comand hold informal monthly meetings where residents are welcome to drop in and raise issues concerning the Parish Plan. We also undertake work to support our Neighbourhood Plan. Community engagement work for the Parish Plan included many comments on Hoyle Copse, an area of woodland and meadow bequeathed to the people of the Parish for ‘their quiet enjoyment’ by Miss Sheila Birch in 1999. It is a much loved public asset. If successful, how will the funds be used? Miss Birch only allowed a handful of local wildlife lovers into her wood. Volunteers have done much to improve access and create a network of paths. However, hugely increased visitors to the Copse, particularly since new housing development has attracted many families to the village, has meant the delicate balance between the needs of wildlife and public access has shifted too far in the wrong direction. Devon Wildlife Trust’s plans for detailed surveys, a management plan, and community engagement have not been able to progress due to a lack of resources so they have recommended its consultancy service are commissioned to complete the work. A grant towards this would enable so many more village residents and their many visitors to become more involved and enable more informed appreciation of local biodiversity. Survey work would provide further details of, for instance, the protected species such as bats and dormice we know are there, and help protect and promote wildlife. The cost of this work is likely to exceed the grant offered, so we have an alternative suggestion for a one off project should this be preferable. Steps installed to access various parts of the area by volunteers are, unfortunately, not safe, with a number of visitors to the Copse having suffered falls. This has put off less able residents from visiting the Copse. A grant would enable new steps to be built which would meet Health and Safety regulations. The Village Wildlife Group promotes the enjoyment and protection of nature and wildlife in our locality. It organises walks and informal meetings. We are looking into creating a Wildlife Map of the village, using Devon Communities Together's Wildlife Toolkit. Contact Caroline Snow for more information on current events. Caroline Snow<[email protected]> Cleaner Graphics |
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