A SOLAR panel array, a new pre-school, eco-friendly houses and an improved play area were some of the suggestions made for adapting Crapstone’s playing field at a public meeting on May 18.

Dozens of parishioners turned out for the meeting at Buckland Monachorum Village Hall, which saw parish councillors present their ideas for changing the use of the playing field and seek ideas from the community about what to do with the site.

Sue Britton from Buckland Monachorum Parish Council said: ‘The first suggestion for the site is a pre-school. Within the parish the

re is a need for more pre-school places. Attached to it there would be a community facility for the people of Crapstone to use. With a new pre-school there, we could enhance the play area that’s there and make it more attractive to get more children to use it.

‘We could set aside a small area for grazing, for sheep and ponies. Again, this could be good for children using the field.

‘The proposed solar site would be placed so that it can receive the most sun and also not be overlooked by houses. In addition we could plant an orchard to mask the panels. There’s been an idea for it to be a grandchild orchard, where grandparents are invited to plant a tree in the name of their grandchildren, who can then come and pick the fruit.

‘There is also potential for a small number of plots to self-build eco-friendly houses, with four or five plots for this. There could also be a project area, with maybe a communal greenhouse there. These thoughts are very much scattered thoughts from a number of ideas put together.’

During the meeting, residents raised concerns over the parish council submitting plans for 307 solar panels on the site to West Devon Borough Council without any public consultation. Councillors explained this was done so that should the community want the solar scheme to go ahead, it would qualify for the Feed In Tariff ahead of the Government’s deadline of September 30.

The general consensus amongst parishion- ers was that the panels would not generate enough income, limit future options and not be in keeping with the original concept of what the field was to be used. A show of hands clearly confirmed this opinion.

Cllr Martin Fowler, incoming chairman of Buckland Monachorum Parish Council, said: ‘I’d like to thank everyone who attended the meeting. It’s good to have so much interest and it’s good for the public to have a voice. We are looking at ideas at what we can do with this field. We want to really understand what parishioners want from the field.

‘There is always emotion at these sort of things for something new, for change and we respect that. We want people to come along and express their views, and with 70 people turning out we’ve had a good response.

‘Our next step is to put together some working parties and see what can be achieved. The parish council is conscious of thinking who would deliver it and where funding would come from. We’d all love to be able to say that we want a running track or a bowling green or whatever else for the site but life doesn’t work like that. So we will put these working groups together, chaired by stakeholders and see how it develops and see if the proposals are secure in funding or support. ‘

Cllr Fowler then explained how he attempted to use the field for a youth football team back some 12 years ago, the effort required to turn a meadow into a football pitch and the frustration which occurred when the ground becomes waterlogged and all matches were postponed to the early spring. The cause of this water problem was the residue of foundations left by the MOD which did not allow the water to drain away effectively. He explained that any future playing surface in the area now occupied by the horses would need significant drainage works.

The council took ownership of the playing field, which used to be part of the former MOD depot at Crapstone, in 1999 and installed a play park and pitch for either rugby or football. However, the rugby club folded just a few years after it was formed, and the pitch proved unsuitable for football team Tavistock Thistles, who rented the ground for two seasons.

The land was sold to the parish council subject to a ‘clawback’ clause. Under this, if the value of the land increased due to something like the council getting planning permission for the land to be allocated for housing, then during the clawback period, the council had to pay the MOD 75% of the increase in value, either when the land was sold or in some circumstances, immediately.

The clawback period ended in 2014, prompting the council to think anew about how it might use the land for the benefit of the community.

What are your thoughts on the proposals? What do you think the parish council should do with the field? Contact us on [email protected]