PHOTO – Dennington Hill, Swimbridge
The Asphalt Industry Alliance’s (AIA) Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey has found that £16.81bn is required by councils to bring the network up to their ‘ideal’ conditions.
The annual survey, which was completed by 78% of councils responsible for roads in England, London and Wales, also found that over half (52%) of the local road network has less than 15 years’ structural life remaining, while almost a third may only have up to five years remaining.
One of our local roads, Dennington Hill in Swimbridge, has become notorious: it is horrible to drive on but did not meet the strict criteria for potholes for it to be repaired by Devon County Council Highways. The problem had been reported on the Highways website and after reading the comments on our village Facebook forum I decided to add my name – as cllr – to the comments on the map.
First, I got a response from Highways saying that the sites did not match their criteria. Two days later I had another email saying the repairs had been done or would be very soon. When I went to check on Friday morning the Highways team were busy tarmacing. I’ve now added my cllr name to a dozen potholes on the Highways map near Hannaford in my ward.
Photo: Devon Local Nature Partnership Spring Conference
Since my election as a district councillor in May 2023 I have become aware of many valuable layers of civic society. The latest is the Devon Local Nature Partnership, which anyone can follow on Facebook or by signing up for its Newsletters HERE>
Its Spring conference was held at Sandy Park, Exeter, on Tuesday. The keynote speech was given by Marian Spain, the chief exec of Natural England (NE). NE wants to see more nature for everyone, especially ‘everyday nature’ – trees, hedges and meadows made integral to all new housing developments. (Ponds too, I would hope). The Planning Bill will bring in one environmental regulator for developers to deal with (instead of NE and the Environment Agency etc) and one fund for mitigation payments – the Nature Recovery Fund.
Photo: A Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Devon
The slide shows what will be included in the strategy – sorely needed given our status as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world – which is nearing completion. I was particularly interested in the plan to prioritise natural areas within 500 metres of schools and village halls. The website that will go live in the autumn will include pop-ups explaining what w can all do for wildlife in specific areas.
Photo: Outstanding Individual Award – Jerry Horn
Another highlight of the conference was the awards given by Wild About Devon. Among the winners was someone I know and admire. The carpenter and naturalist Jerry Horn works with Devon Birds and the Diocese of Exeter to install nesting chambers for Swifts in church towers. He has installed 1,628 across Devon so far – including in our church in Swimbridge. He was a very worthy winner of the Outstanding Individual Award but rightly said that ‘in conservation there’s no such thing as an individual’.
I was also particularly interested in the Community Group Award to Exminster Green Spaces, whose volunteers have made a Wildflowers’ Demonstration Bed. Another award went to Moor Trees, whose volunteers process huge numbers of seeds and will soon start restoring the marvellous Wistman’s Wood on Dartmoor. As one of the organisers said on receiving the award, ‘It’s amazing what goes on in Devon’.
Unfortunately, South West Water received another kind of award in the shape of a record £2.15m fine in 2023 for sewage and other offences. The latest Surfers Against Sewage survey is HERE>
Photo by Nicole Morrish: Me giving the eulogy to the late Peter Christie at the first Flourishing Culture Awards
Other, very heartening awards have been given for the first time this Spring. I helped with the Northern Devon Flouring Culture Awards 2025, which were given to the winners and runners-up on Friday evening at the Park Hotel, Barnstaple.
Picking winners is always rather invidious but the attention given to all creative practitioners in the area is helpful I think and some individuals really do stand out. The Special Award went to the late and much-loved Peter Christie, who was both a very active and progressive Green councillor and the tireless historian of Northern Devon.
His younger daughter Maeve was there to receive the beautiful Dartington Crystal vase engraved with Peter’s name.
Photo: Parracombe Festival
While we are on the subject of culture, my next reading is with the multi-award wining Jane Lovell and other poets at the Parracombe Arts and Literary Festival on Exmoor: 7.30 pm on Sunday 25 May at the Fox and Goose – poems on nature and landscape. More info HERE>
Thanks for reading
Mark