Tipton School
I’m continuing to work closely with a multi-disciplinary team of officers at Devon County Council to help secure the future of Tipton School. We’re meeting weekly, and I’m also regularly in touch with the school’s Governors on this really important project. I’m doing everything I can to try to secure the school within the village.
U-turn by Devon County Council sees it abandon cuts to library opening hours
Ottery St Mary Library was one of dozens of libraries across Devon facing significant reductions in opening hours under proposals brought forward by Devon County Council. The Friends of Ottery Library led an excellent campaign to stop the cuts and I was pleased to work with them on this. They presented a petition of more than 1,800 signatures to the Leader of the County Council and held a protest outside Ottery Library. I also formally challenged the proposals through the council’s scrutiny process.
The response to the public consultation on the cuts to the opening hours was overwhelming, with more than 25,000 responses submitted across Devon. It was clear that residents strongly rejected the idea that people would simply travel elsewhere if their local library reduced hours or closed – 93% opposed this. I’m really pleased that the County Council listened and has now dropped the proposed cuts. This is a genuine victory for local communities and campaigners who made it clear how important libraries are.
20mph for Tipton and Wiggaton?
The rollout of 20mph zones across Devon has unfortunately been very slow. However, town and parish councils do have the option to introduce 20mph limits themselves if they are able to cover the costs – which are considerably higher than many people expect because of the legal and traffic order requirements involved. Ottery St Mary is one of only a small number of places where Devon County Council has funded and implemented a 20mph scheme. I’m very supportive of extending 20mph zones more widely across my division, including Tipton and Wiggaton. A preliminary consultation will be carried out by Ottery St Mary Town Council to gauge public opinion.
Tipton – Bowd Road reopening
I’m really pleased that the Tipton-Bowd road has now reopened. I know how difficult the closure has been for residents, businesses and families, with long diversions causing ongoing disruption since Storm Chandra. I pushed for every possible option to be explored, including reopening the road under temporary traffic lights while longer-term stabilisation work continues.
There will likely need to be a short additional road closure to allow the repaired section of road to be resurfaced. I’m hopeful this closure will only be for a day or two, but I don’t yet have confirmed dates.
Footpath 24
This is a well-used and valued footpath and I appreciate how frustrating its closure has been. I’m in contact with the Public Rights of Way team at Devon County Council, who are working with landowners and tenants to put a formal diversion in place. DCC is also liaising with the Environment Agency about options to stabilise the riverbanks. I know this is a priority for the community and I’ll continue to press for this to be resolved as quickly as possible.
Gerway Farm, Sidmouth Road, Ottery – 140 houses refused
I’m very pleased that this application for 140 houses was refused by the EDDC planning committee in May. I spoke at the meeting to object, alongside Cllrs Vicky Johns and Peter Faithfull, as well as five local residents. There was a strong turnout, with around 60 people attending to oppose the application. It was a nail-biting meeting and it took around two and a half hours for the committee to reach its decision. In the end, the application was refused due to its impact on the rural character of the area, the loss of best and most versatile agricultural land – and the fact the site was outside the built-up area of Ottery St Mary.
This was a really significant outcome for the town and reflected the strength of local feeling about the scale and impact of the proposal.
Cllr Jess Bailey 01404 814056 email jessica.bailey@devon.gov.uk
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