To provide additional communication and interaction with residents, this page contains the Parish Council notes from the parish clerk published in the “Eagle” village magazine each month. (The December issue also covers January of the following year.) This page will contain the latest notes together with those for the previous two issues of the “Eagle”.

MARCH 2026

By the time, you read this article it will be March and spring will hopefully be here. It is lovely to see snowdrops and the early daffodils at the side of roads, but the constant rain is getting everyone down and it has a detrimental effect on the condition of our roads. Please report potholes, as soon as you see them (information at the bottom of this page). We will also raise this issue regularly with the County Councillor.

 

The beginning of the year presented other weather challenges. It started very cold and frosty, following on from this we received some negative feedback regarding the perceived lack of gritting. There are some things to consider, firstly, the attachment used by the council is not as efficient as Devon County Council gritters. Secondly, gritting is only from the centre of the village to Clogshill Cross. Any other roads or private driveways are not gritted. Parishioners have access to salt/grit bins dotted around the parish. Should they be empty or damaged in the first instance please contact clerk@yarnscombe.org.uk.  Finally the role of Snow Warden and the gritting of roads is voluntary. Although every attempt is made to grit roads when necessary, no legal obligation exists.

 

Cllr. Elliott (Torridge District Council) informed the Council that there are now two (one male/one female) newly qualified Police Community Support Officers for the Torrington Rural area. He has asked them to make every effort to attend parish council meetings,  we are looking forward to meeting them.

 

Planning:

1/0607/2025/FUL Demolition of existing storage sheds and erection of commercial building(B8)

Agricultural Building at grid reference 255977 123750, Yarnscombe,  Devon - Application permitted

 

 

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FEBRUARY 2026

Happy New Year to all parishioners!

 

The ice and hail in the first week of January certainly came as a bit of a shock, but compared with the rest of the country we got off lightly. There are salt grit bins situated around the parish; should you ever see a damaged bin or a bin that needs refilling , please contact clerk@yarnscombe.org.uk.

 

New Year, new you is a saying we are all familiar with. In our case, we have to look ahead and make  the council future proof. Presently, we have the full complement of councillors for the size of the parish. The majority of these councillors have been serving, voluntarily, for a number of years.

 

There are several new families that have moved into the village over recent years and fresh ideas, fresh input would be very much appreciated. We are grateful for all the present councillors have done and are doing, but realistically speaking, none of us (me included!) will want to or can go on forever. Priorities change and as a council we can’t rely on always having a quorum (in our case at least three) at every meeting. So, if you are interested in what happens in your parish, if you like to be involved in decision making or just generally curious about what a parish council does, please contact us or come along to a meeting (4th Wednesday every month). In the future, we may well need your services and support!

 

Planning:

1/0984/2025/AGMB. Proposal: Prior notification for the change of use of agricultural building to 2no. dwellings and associated building operations under Class Q. Location: Barn At Grid Reference 256449 121983, Yarnscombe, Devon,

1/0607/2025/FUL  amended application. Proposal: Demolition of existing storage sheds and erection of commercial building (B8). Location: Agricultural Building At Grid Reference 255977 123750, Yarnscombe, Devon. O.S. Map Reference: (E)255977 (N)123750

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DECEMBER 2025/JANUARY 2026

Firstly, a reminder of an issue that I raised in the last issue of the “Eagle”. Now is the best time for years to resurrect the Youth Club with a realistic chance of getting a grant towards running it.

 

The Youth Club was a part of growing up for children in Yarnscombe over many decades, a meeting point and also a chance for parents to get to know other residents. Please register your interest by emailing clerk@yarnscombe.org.uk or approaching any councillor.

 

In the past, we have always received a monthly crime report for the local area. Actual attendance at our meetings by the then PSCO Brown was infrequent, but at least we had a point of contact.  Since the retirement of PCSO Brown, we can only get information from the Devon and Cornwall Police website regarding the whole of Torrington Rural. District Councillor Elliott found out that a new cohort of PCSO’s have just finished their training, so we are hopeful that we will have some face-to-face contact with our local police in the near future.

 

At our last meeting of the year in November, we will concentrate on setting the budget and precept for 2026/27.  Our next council meeting will be on 28th January 2026 (NO MEETING IN DECEMBER)

 

Finally, may we take this opportunity to wish all our parishioners “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”.

 

Planning:

Change of use and conversion of former agricultural building to provide additional living space to existing dwelling - Little Greylake West Greylake Yarnscombe Barnstaple Devon EX31 3NF.  Ref. No: 1/0645/2025/FUL   -  Application permitted