Newton Abbot Town Council urges good causes to apply for grants

CHARITIES and community groups in Newton Abbot have been urged to take advantage of a financial support scheme operated by the Town Council.

Each year the authority sets aside a modest pot of cash to help organisations with their work in the town.

For 2020/2021 a total of £9,000 has been earmarked with some of that already having been claimed and put to good use.

Now with little more than four months to go until the end of the financial year, a call has gone out for the rest of the cash to be pumped into community projects.

Chair of the council’s Finance and Audit Committee, Cllr Colin Parker, said: ‘This money has been put aside with the express intention of supporting our town’s good causes.

‘While it may not be a huge sum we know what a difference even a grant of a few hundred pounds can make.

‘Groups don’t have to be registered charities to apply, provided you are genuine in your desire to help the people of Newton Abbot and can demonstrate how you go about that, then we’ll happily consider your case.

‘It’s easy to apply, we usually limit grants to £250, but as long as it’s within our remaining budget which currently sits at approximately £4,000, we will consider it.

‘There are so many residents trying to make a difference in Newton Abbot and as your Town Council we want to ensure that we help whenever we can.

‘It won’t be a case of first come, first served, but I’d urge people to get in touch sooner rather than later as we’re all having to work remotely at the moment and decision-making can take a little longer than normal.

‘We’re very proud of our town and delighted to be in a position to offer a little financial support, we look forward to hearing from anyone who thinks we might be able to assist.’

To apply call 01626 201120 or email [email protected].

Museum wows first visitors

NEWTON Abbot’s new museum has wowed its first visitors.

The doors were thrown open to the public at 10am on Saturday October 3, pandemic restrictions meaning however that only booked visits are possible for the time being.

The history hunters’ heaven is located within the £2.2 million Newton’s Place project which has been led by Newton Abbot Town Council and taken shape at the former St Leonard’s Church, Wolborough Street.

The reimagining from unloved and crumbling Victorian eyesore to 21st century community facility made a more than favourable impression on those lucky enough to be there for the opening.

‘It’s absolutely amazing, for me the biggest observation is I can’t believe the level of transformation,’ said resident Andy Waites who was one of those invited to cut the ribbon rainbow with Mayor Cllr Richard Jenks.

‘It’s quite spectacular and showing the history of Newton Abbot, its also really interactive and family-friendly.

‘And what with wi-fi and usb sockets in the community rooms upstairs which will all be for free to local groups when they open, it’s great for the town.’

Shane Morris, another ribbon-cutter, said after taking part in the ceremony: ‘It’s great, I’m very proud actually. It’s the first time I’ve chopped a ribbon!’

Other first-day visitors were Ogwell residents Lindsay Cooper and her fiancé Darren Bevan who has volunteered at the museum since summer 2019.

‘It’s superb, excellent, so good for the town,’ said Lindsay who teaches at Newton Abbot College and is looking forward to the day when student trips can be arranged.

Darren added: ‘The old museum was basically two rooms in a house, a ten-minute walk away from the town centre where I don’t think many people knew about it.

‘Now it’s close to the library, close to the Tower and hopefully will get a lot of interest.’

All the visitors were impressed with the fact that despite a £2.2 million price tag, not one penny has been added to council tax bills.

Instead, the cost has been covered by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £950,000, donations from individuals and businesses, the sale of the old town hall and cash from house builders via the Community Infrastructure Levy.

It was a proud day for Cllr Mike Ryan, Chairman of the Newton’s Place Project Board.

‘It feels fantastic, it’s been a long time coming but they’ve made a fantastic job of it,’ he said.

‘Hopefully next year we can formally open the whole building which isn’t possible yet because of the Covid-19 situation.

‘I believe the big room can seat up to 200 people and it’s there to use free if you’re a charity or for a small charge if not. I’ll say it again it’s a fantastic building.

‘I’m very proud of all the people involved, particularly the Town Clerk Phil Rowe who had the initiative in the first place to come to us as a council and say, look, the building’s for sale.’

Curator Felicity Cole, whose involvement with the museum dates back more than 30 years, said: ‘It’s a dream come true. Once everything becomes normalised again I’m excited about the opportunities the building affords us.

‘To be able to have school party downstairs and at the same time perhaps an event in one of the community rooms upstairs is wonderful.

‘One of our local arts teacher came in and said, wow, we’ll be able to do so much here, and we’ve got no end of groups clamouring to do things here.

‘It’s just fantastic.’

Visits can be booked at www.museum-newtonabbot.org.uk or by calling 01626 201121.

Date: 05/08/2020

Town Council still seeking details of extra homes plan

NEWTON Abbot Town Council has called for further information about proposed additional housing for the town.

The Teignbridge Local Plan, adopted in 2014 and already in action, demands that 621 new homes are built across the district each year until 2033.

More than 4,200 of the properties are going up in Newton Abbot.

But the Government has increased the district’s annual build figure to 760 with the plan likely to be extended to 2040.

Where the extra properties could be accommodated is being considered under a scheme called the Greater Exeter Strategic Plan (GESP).

One of the areas earmarked is Houghton Barton West along the A383 Ashburton Road.

The GESP states: ‘The wider Newton Abbot, Kingsteignton and Kingskerswell area is a significant employment and housing location… and there is potential to continue to develop its role with additional homes and employment.’

On July 7 Teignbridge District Council’s Executive agreed to proceed with GESP public consultation starting in September.

Two weeks later, Newton Abbot Town Council voted in favour of creating a task force to consider the draft plan when published.

One Newton Abbot member, Cllr Mike Hocking, told colleagues that he feared Newton Abbot becoming ‘a suburb of Exeter’.

Days afterwards one of the GESP partners, East Devon District Council (EDDC), announced it was withdrawing from the scheme.

Then on July 29 Teignbridge Council declared that its GESP involvement was on ‘pause’ while it considered the implications of EDDC’s action.

But Teignbridge warned that the higher annual build figure of 760 would still have to be met.

The two other GESP partners, Mid-Devon District Council and Exeter City Council, have yet to announce their positions.

Now Newton Abbot Town Council has confirmed its intention to scrutinise any further expansion of the town.

Mayor Cllr Richard Jenks said: ‘We acknowledge Teignbridge’s decision to put GESP on pause but Newton Abbot remains a contender for more homes.

‘We will look at the details when available and work to ensure the best outcome for the town.

‘Our powers are limited but we will be the voice of Newton Abbot, loud and clear.’

Newton’s Place – the doors are opening!

THE phased opening of Newton’s Place, the £2.2 million museum and community hub project in Newton Abbot, is set to begin on Saturday October 3 – subject to any additional Covid-19 restrictions.

Initially only the museum will welcome visitors and advanced booking will be essential.

Ongoing uncertainties about the pandemic and the need to restrict numbers of people in the building mean the community space won’t be available to hire until further notice.

Additionally, residents wanting contact with Town Council staff, whose offices are also located in the former Wolborough Street church, will have to email or phone.

Although the opening has come later and in a different format to that hoped for, Project Board Chairman Cllr Mike Ryan is delighted to be on the verge of welcoming visitors.

‘We have waited for so long to announce the opening of Newton’s Place and it’s fantastic that we are now able to do that,’ he said.

’As everyone knows, there were disappointing construction delays and then of course we were all hit by the corona virus situation.

‘This is definitely not the way we had things planned but we’ll take what we’ve got and be grateful.

‘Our Town Clerk Phil Rowe, and Museum Curator Felicity Cole, will monitor the situation very closely and update us regularly.

‘As soon as they’re able to take bookings for the community space and open the Town Council front desk we’ll let everyone know.

‘Likewise, we hope to be able to do away with booked museum visits as soon as possible but for now we must make every visit safe and enjoyable.

‘To deliver Newton Abbot’s number one priority project has been a heck of a challenge these past three years and we’ve not been helped by recent events.

‘But nothing can take away from what has been achieved, and that is to conserve a landmark building, deliver fantastic community resources and all without adding a single penny to council tax payers’ bills.

’That’s a pretty decent legacy I reckon’.

Museum opening hours and booking details will be published later this summer at www.newtonsplace.org.