Dartmouth and Kingswear Society
Annual Report 2024/25 – for the AGM on 18 March 2025
The D and K Society has had a busy year with our usual events and social activities. Your committee has also been busy with issues affecting both the Society and its wider interests seeking to act “for the public benefit” in Dartmouth, Kingswear and surrounding areas.
We have a wide brief under our Constitution including the promotion of high standards of planning and architecture, the preservation and protection, development and improvement of features of historic or public interest as well as considering the need for progress and prosperity in our area.
One of our tasks is to co-operate with the local authorities, planning committees and other statutory bodies and voluntary bodies having similar aims to our own as well as to “educate public opinion and to give advice and information”.
Our brief is therefore a wide one if we carry it out conscientiously. Our Executive Committee this past year has sought to do this to the best of our ability. Our team deserve thanks for all their efforts throughout the year.
Particular thanks should be given to those who, after many years, are seeking to step back namely Jill Rowe who is passing on her Hon. Treasurer role to Alan Makepeace and to Andrew Jarrold who is stepping down as a Trustee having given up his role during the year as Vice Chairman and a member of our Executive. Our grateful thanks to them both is well deserved. Fortunately Jill is continuing as a Trustee. We are delighted with this and with the agreement from John Light to become our new Trustee. John is well known in Dartmouth and has lived here for many years. His wisdom and local knowledge will serve us well for the future.
Communications
We have sought to provide regular briefings to members through letters and emails as well as briefings at several of our events. Hopefully members are generally satisfied that we have done so adequately. We have also taken steps to update our website more frequently and to explore sharing details through facebook.
Planning matters
Our regular process via the Executive Committee is to watch out for any planning issues and planning applications which might require our comment to the local planning authorities or recommendations from us to object to them where it is felt this is needed. Sometimes we seek to note situations where compliance with local and district requirements seem necessary so as to meet compliance with aspects of planning, green spaces, heritage and housing requirements and the Dartmouth Neighbourhood Plan.
We see this area of our involvement locally as a vital part of our remit.
One major item hanging over us all is the proposed sale of the old hospital site and the Dartmouth Clinic, both of which remain empty and unsold.
It is understood that the clinic has been agreed as an asset of community value and therefore it could be used as such without seeking planning permission for change of use. By retaining community use Dartmouth would receive ongoing benefit for the town which would not apply if the clinic was sold for other commercial purposes.
Under earlier arrangements regarding the proposed sale of the hospital it was morally agreed that a portion of the net proceeds, thought to be some 16%, would become available to the Town for social value uses. We are watching this development with interest to see that this arrangement is honoured once a sale is agreed.
Update re main matters noted in last year’s Annual report
Reference was made last year to two themes namely Accountability and Renewal. Both aspects continue to concern us currently.
Suitable action on Renewal is within our control and has been achieved. Renewal related to ensuring we have the necessary internal appointments for our Officers and Committees. I am pleased to note that, once approvals are obtained from members – as tabled for decision this year – all the necessary appointments of Trustees and Executive Committee will be achieved.
Accountability is a more difficult and an ongoing matter so far as our attempts to hold others to account. Mention was made last year to discussions and consultations re extending our Conservation Areas, Parking and Transportation matters locally, potential visits to the Dart by larger cruise liners and Devon Devolution. Updates follow later in this report.
Our D and K purpose is to ensure that policies and practices affecting Dartmouth should aim to benefit us all. This must be for the longer term good of our whole town and neighbourhoods be they for our residents, our businesses or our visitors bearing in mind that we are seriously dependent on having a thriving town dependent on both local inputs and successful tourist and seasonal trade for our survival and development as a town.
Cooperation for us on these various topics involves interaction with our own Dartmouth Town Council (DTC), South Hams District Council (SHDC) and Devon County Council (DCC). It must be noted that our Society is a charity and therefore is definitely not political.
We have worked closely with DTC on all these matters and have been directly involved in helping their debates and in shaping their policies for our area. As an example, our earlier recommendation to them on Parking and Transportation was for them to encourage the 3 parties to get together to “Cooperate, Compromise and Commit” so that real progress might be achieved.
This is still work in progress particularly on the issue of having a properly viable Park and Ride facility which would allow longer term parking to be set up in Townstal rather than in downtown and therefore freeing up the Mayors Avenue car park for visitors and shoppers. Improvement to the “Ride” element would allow greater frequency of buses and increased usability throughout the year, more compatible working hours for local employees and later evening usage.
Unfortunately our efforts with others to get SHDC to reconsider the use of Mayors Avenue car park permits and usage as part of the parking charge consultation referred to below has been denied. They wish to carry out another review of this later in 2025.
Regarding DTC we believe that Council value our involvement as an independent and trusted local voice. We are pleased to provide this worthwhile dialogue. We seek a continuation of this approach for our mutual advantage.
We cannot say the same with any comfort about our involvement with SHDC who, because of their own 2025/26 budgetary concerns in particular, seemed unwilling to accept any alternative views and input to their consultation on parking charges. Our experience has been that this was never to be a two-way discussion. Our involvement on this topic was at the request of DTC who asked for our input with approval from SHDC. Our suggestions together with those of other local bodies, residents and business interests were well received. The result of these discussions were reported to SHDC. SHDC, when we met with them privately and at their Executive meeting, appeared to be dismissive. They had lost sight of their earlier request to us to provide alternative solutions to help fill their deficit.
Our opinion is that the SHDC decisions were more of a directive for their financial purposes rather than a genuine consultation.
Our belief, and that of DTC, is that the Dartmouth parking charges about to be introduced by SHDC with effect from April 2025 result in an unfair solution for Dartmouth. Many of the parking increases are around 25% for residents whereas the increases for business users with permits in Mayors Avenue are only some 17%. These examples show that residents and short-term users are subsidising businesses which does not seem acceptable.
Some financial data should help a better understanding. The original request from SHDC to Dartmouth, before any alternatives were considered, was to provide an additional £107,000 towards their estimated deficit. The final SHDC decision resulted in a further additional sum of between £70,000 to £90,000 i.e approximately some £170.000 / £190,000 in all.
Conservation Area extensions
The follow through from last year regarding the consultation on extending the Conservation Areas in Dartmouth has hardly moved forward at all despite both our Society and DTC seeking to make real progress. Early in 2024 both D and K and DTC were advised that SHDC staffing for this was insufficient and resources were required. An individual was allocated to the task across the South Hams. We pursued this again more recently and were advised again that resources were still needed before the works and the consultation with DTC, and ourselves, could continue. This remains the current position.
From our perspective this does not bode well and we fear that SHDC do not seem to favour proper and timely consultation on this vital matter affecting Dartmouth now and in the future. Time will tell but the apparent lack of senior leadership direction on this matter is unfortunate and concerning.
Cruise Liners
Fortunately, in our view, the decision has been taken to defer for two years or so any further discussions re the larger cruise ships mooring in the River Dart. We understand that environmental and financial concerns and their financial impact still need further exploration before any scheduling of visits by larger liners can even be reconsidered.
Devon Devolution
The matter of Devon Devolution is now caught up with new Government policies coming down from central Government regarding Governance at a local level and national planning for further new house building across the country. How these topics will be resolved over the coming months and whether the results are suitable for rural areas such as ours, and for South Hams as a whole, needs therefore to remain open at present.
Our finances
Our finances remain strong for the size of our Society and for the level of activities we undertake.
The result for 2024 shows a small surplus for the year. This was as expected and planned, as mentioned at last year’s Annual General Meeting.
No increase in subscriptions is proposed this year.
Our Events
We believe our events this year have been well received. Our three talks for Autumn 2025 have all been agreed and offer a variety of interest for our membership. We hope they will be well supported.
The D and K Committee February 2025
Annual report 2024-2025(Edit)