A meeting of the West Devon Highways and Traffic Orders Committee will be held on the above date at 11.00am at Okehampton Town Council Offices, Okehampton to consider the following matters.

P. NORREY

Chief Executive

A G E N D A

PART I - OPEN COMMITTEE

1. Apologies for Absence

2. Minutes of the meetings held on 2 April and 31 July 2009 (Page 4).

3. Items Requiring Urgent Attention

Items which in the opinion of the Chairman should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.

4. Members Induction

Presentation by the Area Engineers (North) and (South).

Electoral Divisions: All

5. Chagford Cattle Grids Current Position

In 2004, four Cattle Grids were proposed by the local Commoners Association to be funded by DEFRA grant. 3 were on public highways near Chagford and one near Postbridge. DCC agreed to fund the design costs. The proposal to install the grids was advertised in 2004. There were 17 or more objections from the Chagford community to the 3 grids in Chagford. The grid near Postbridge was installed. Chagford Town Council and North Bovey and Moretonhampstead parishes confirmed their support for the 3 grids near Chagford. DCC facilitated a public meeting in February 2005 to see if the objections could be overcome. All those who objected and the commoners and parishes were invited to attend. The NFU was represented by Antony Gibson. Following the meeting DCC wrote and requested whether those who had objected were now willing to withdraw their objections, but there was little change. The County Solicitor advised that to progress there would need to be a public enquiry. It was decided that this would need to be funded by the Commoners if they wished to progress the matter further. They eventually agreed to do so. An inquiry was held in December 2007.

The Government appointed inspector published his report in the spring of 2008. The County Solicitor advised that DCC cannot proceed without the consent of the Secretary of State (SoS). The Inspector has recommended that consent should be withheld. It is possible that the SoS might give consent subject to DCC carrying out further work on matters like grid positioning, and environmental assessments to consider the impact. The report is however with the Government Office North East (GONE) who should make the final decision on behalf of SoS. The County Solicitor has followed this matter up on several occasions seeking an answer and still awaits an answer from GONE on behalf of the SoS.

It is RECOMMENDED that HATOC note the current position, and consider whether DCC should contribute further funding to amend the design of the grids and environmental assessments if the Secretary of State confirms in due course DCC can determine whether the grids are installed and the Commoners are still able to fund the costs of installation.

Electoral Division : Hatherleigh and Chagford

6. Cost of Small Works Item requested by Councillor Marsh

Area Engineer (North) to report

7. Highways in Residential and Commercial Estates Design Guide

In accordance with Standing Orders Councillors Marsh has requested that the Committee consider this issue.

Councillor Marsh to report.

8. Various Issues

In accordance with Standing Orders Councillor Pearce has requested that the Committee consider the following issues:-

1. Horndon / Petertavy Clam. lane.

2. Grendon Farm, Mary Tavy. lanes.

3. Willesley Farm, Milton Abbot. lanes.

4. Royal Standard, Mary Tavy. A386 road drains.

Councillor Pearce to report.

9. Dates of Future Meetings

The following dates have been put in County Council s calendar and diary:-

3 December 2009 at 11am

4 March 2010 at 11am

PART II - ITEMS WHICH MAY BE TAKEN IN THE ABSENCE OF THE PUBLIC AND

PRESS ON THE GROUNDS THAT EXEMPT INFORMATION MAY BE DISCLOSED

Nil.

Members are reminded that Part II reports contain confidential information and should therefore be treated accordingly. They should not be disclosed or passed on to any other person(s).

Members are also reminded of the need to dispose of such reports carefully and are therefore urged to return them to the Committee Secretary at the conclusion of the meeting for disposal.

MEMBERS ARE REQUESTED TO SIGN THE ATTENDANCE REGISTER

Membership
Devon County Council Councillors Marsh (Chairman), McInnes, Sanders and Sellis West Devon Borough Council Councillors Bater and Pearce
Declaration of Interests
Members are reminded that they must declare any interest they may have in any item to be considered at this meeting, prior to any discussion taking place on that item.
Access to Information
Any person wishing to inspect any minutes, reports or lists of background papers relating to any item on this agenda should contact Brian Wilkinson on 01392 382255
Internet
Agendas and minutes of this Committee together with officers reports considered by the Committee are published online on the Council s Website at: http://www.devon-cc.gov.uk/dcc/committee/mingifs.html

Copies of this Agenda and/or Reports may be made available in other formats (e.g. large print, audio tape, Braille or other languages). Please contact the Information Centre on 01392 380101 for more information.