Capital Projects

Grit Bin – Greenspire Estate

A grit bin has been installed for the use of Greenspire Estate residents.

Sowton WW1 Memorial

The WW1 Memorial in the centre of Sowton Village is quite unique in that it lists the names of all the men from the Parish who served in WW1 rather than just those that lost their lives.

Details of its unusual construction can be found in the Parish Council’s WW1 commemorative booklet “Not Forgotten” copies of which are available from the Parish Council Office. Over the years some of the names have become eroded and these were re-painted in April 2020.

Greenspire Steps Safety Gate and Fence

In December 2019 the Parish Council arranged the installation of the safety gate and fencing at the bottom of the steps from Greenspire on to the footpath next to the main A3052 Sidmouth Road.

The open steps were clearly a safety hazard for pedestrians and especially children joining the footpath, not only because of the amount of traffic but also because the footpath doubles up as a cycleway.

Because of the cycleway it was essential for cyclists that the gate could not be opened outwards in to their path. The gate is therefore of an inwardly opening self-closing design coloured yellow to assist those with impaired sight with railings on either side which extend in to the hedgerow to prevent pedestrians from walking around the gate directly on to the footpath.

Allotment Gardens Car Park and Gateway

From the inception of the Allotment Gardens access for vehicles had been extremely difficult due to the narrowness of both Church Lane and the previous entrance gate. In December 2019 the Parish Council arranged for the entrance to be widened and a new double gate system to be installed which allows for the entrance to be opened completely or for only a part, for pedestrians. At the same time the opportunity was taken to increase the size of the car parking area within the gardens and to install a new water standpipe to support the increased number of tenants.

Renovation of the Lower and Upper Car Parks

During 2018 the Parish Council recognised that the condition of both of the car parks in Clyst St Mary left much to be desired and provided a very poor initial impression of the village to visitors, most of whom use the car parks.

In August 2019 the Parish Council arranged for the complete replacement of the islands in the lower car park to incorporate a number of trees as shown in the attached picture. In the same month the Parish Council arranged for the trees surrounding the upper car park to be lowered to an acceptable height and in February 2020 new parking lane markings were painted in both car parks.

Devon Air Ambulance Emergency Landing Site

In 2019 the Parish Council received a request from Devon Air Ambulance (DAA) to help them source an emergency landing site in the Parish and after much consideration the Village Hall field was selected.

This work was completed in June 2020 and the only obvious sign of this is the tall lighting mast in the field and the sign on the entrance gate both of which are shown in the attached pictures.

Much of the work and cost however relates to the electronics most of which are underground and which are remotely controlled from the helicopter itself. Funding for this project was provided by the Parish Council, DAA, Devon County Council and East Devon District Council.

Play Area and Village Hall Field Improvements

2021 saw the culmination of many years work by the Parish Council in improving facilities in Clyst St Mary in the Village Hall Field and Play Area for the benefit of all age groups of the community.

In 2015 the Council arranged for the installation of the external gym facilities in the top corner of the field and in 2016 they also arranged for the levelling of much of the field for use as a future sports pitch area.

In the spring of 2021 following extensive consultation with the children of our local primary school the play area was completely revamped with much new equipment and in the early summer football goalposts and ball stop safety fencing was installed on the levelled area of the field.

Funds for these works which exceeded £65,000 were obtained from the S106 grant monies allocated to the Parish Council over a number of years by East Devon District Council.

A376 / Winslade Park Avenue Junction

The opening up of Winslade Manor for offices in the spring of 2021 saw an increased use of this junction which proved to be quite hazardous due to the extensive undergrowth in the copse between the A376 and Winslade Park Avenue.

In an effort to improve visibility for all traffic entering and exiting this junction the Parish Council in August 2021 arranged for the undergrowth to be cleared for nearly 30 metres back from the junction and may include this work within its annual maintenance contract.

Cat & Fiddle Residents Park Notice Board

Notice boards have been installed at the Cat and Fiddle Residents Park to ensure residents have access to Parish Council notices.

Emergency Materials Store

The Parish Council has installed a storage bin and filled sandbags for emergency use. These are located in the yard of The Half Moon Inn with the kind permission of the landlord.