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The Kingston Parish Plan was published in November 2007, with the overall aim of maintaining Kingston as a sustainable community. The Plan is the result of an extensive village consultation, during which 80% of households from occupied homes completed a detailed questionnaire. As part of the planning process the Kingston Parish Council commissioned an independent Housing Needs Survey from the Rural Housing Enabler, at the Community Council of Devon.
Both the Parish Plan and the Housing Needs Survey are available here.
Kingston Housing Needs Survey 2007
Work is now under way to implement the Parish Plan. An Advisory Group and special interest groups have been set up. The Terms of Reference are available here and any volunteers for interest groups would be most welcome. Contact Cllr Judy Alloway on 01548 810692 for more information.
The Parish Plan Progress Report is available here. It is updated at regular intervals. (Please note that this is a big document and will take a minute or so to download).
Latest Progress Report August 2010
Key achievements:
March 16th, 2009, the Kingston Local Lettings Plan ( updated August 2010) finally went live. This Plan, which has been agreed by the Guinness Trust and Tor Homes Housing Associations and the South Hams District Council, now ensures that local Kingston people have priority when housing association properties becoming available for rent in the village. The definition of 'local' includes those living, or who have recently lived, in the village, those with close family connections to the village and serving members of the Kingston branch of the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. Please note that only those who are are on the Housing Register will be eligible. The Plan operates alongside Devon Home Choice, the new approach to allocating homes across Devon. If you think you have a local connection and want to apply for a house in Kingston when one becomes available, contact any Kingston Parish Councillor and/or Paul Eeles of the SHDC Housing Advice Team based at Follaton House. This link will take you into the SHDC Housing Allocations policy website, http://www.southhams.gov.uk/index/residents_index/ksp_housing.htm or go directly into Devon Home Choice at http://www.southhams.gov.uk/index/residents_index/ksp_housing/housing-devonhomechoice.htm
The purpose of the Local Lettings Plan is to contribute to the parish aim of maintaining a sustainable village community. The success of the Plan will be monitored by the organisations mentioned above and by Kingston Parish Council.
May 2009, Kingston Parish Council was successful in obtaining a small grant from the Big Lottery, Awards for All, to stimulate employment in the village through development of information to support and increase tourism. Free leaflets with maps and advice on a range of walks in the parish are now available through Kingsbridge and ModburyTourist Information Points, the Dolphin Inn and St James the Less Parish Church in Kingston. Large print versions are available on request from all distribution points where staff are available. A short braille statement on the walks can be obtained from the parish clerk on kingstonclerk@tiscali.co.uk An Orientation Board is now available in the village centre. It is on the Reading Room wall opposite the church. Leaflets are downloadable from this site and the National Trust presents information on their work and other items of interest in the local countryside, see under 'Walking in Kingston'. The project was completed in July 2010.
June 2009, check out the new tab entitled 'Energy Saving Tips' on this site, to see a summary of the energy and water saving tips which have been published in the parish Newsletter. This is regularly updated and will help you save money and reduce Kingston's carbon footprint. This tab also provides information on new legislation about batteries and light bulbs.
June 2010, the village Tree Wardens are leading on a plan for planting trees and improving the hedgrows on the playing field. This will improve the environment and stimulate the diversity of wildlife on the field. Children and young people in the village can, with their families, get involved in planting a group of trees, which they will then look after for next few years. These trees will then be associated with their family name for as long as they survive. The Advisory Group together with KYPA has been successful in obtaining funding from the Tree Council to plant these trees in National Tree Week, 24 Nov- 5 Dec. 2010
Implementing the Parish Plan August 2010