Unfortunately the Great Hele digester appeal has been allowed – the decision notice can be downloaded here.

I dread to think what this will do to traffic levels and the price of feed for local farmers. The inspector seemed not to be greatly concerned about traffic levels – but she doesn’t have to live with, or pay for, the consequences!

So much for local democracy!

I’d like to say a big Thank You to the paramedics based at the South Molton Community Hospital and to the A&E staff at North Devon District Hospital.

My mother was staying with us over Christmas and the New Year. Last Thursday night she slipped outside our house and fell and bashed her head, which bled extensively.

My wife called 999 and the ambulance arrived within about ten minutes. The paramedics looked after her with a great deal of expertise and compassion and took her to the Barnstaple hospital.

She was seen immediately on arrival and over the course of the next few hours had blood tests, an ECG and CT scans of her head.

All the staff at the hospital were superb, especially Nurse Jonny who made my mother a very welcome cup of tea – served in china rather than plastic.

The only downside was the ambulance ride. Nothing at all to do with the driving skills of the paramedics – no complaints there – but everything to do with the crappy suspension and the not so great roads!

South Molton Rugby Club are looking to create a new pitch just south of the cemetery and to the east of the community college . This will form part of the mooted sports hub.

It appears that this one pitch will cost almost £300,000 – largely for the purchase of the land.

The club have promises of £110,000 in so-called Section 106 money from North Devon District Council,  £65,000 from the Lottery via Sports England and a further sum from the Rugby Football Union. They are also looking to South Molton Town Council for help.

In the current financial climate is this the best use of public money?

I have to say that I’d rather the money were spent to ensure that the swimming pool can continue to operate. I base this on the grounds that the swimming pool is an amenity for a very much wider group of people. Unlike rugby, it truly caters for all ages and abilities, and is particularly useful for those with disabilities.

It appears that a new Swimming Pool manager has been appointed.  She will take up her post on 26 January.

I haven’t had this confirmed by the trustees, and it’s not on their website, but a member of staff told me.

This can only be good news as it means that the staffing levels have increased.  This should mean fewer unexpected closures.

You may remember that the Highways Department re-laid the pavement outside the George Hotel round about the time of the August Bank holiday. (See posts here, here, here, and here.)

This work, from the George Hotel to the Museum, cost just under £3,500. The rationale for doing it was “The footways were at safety defect level in that pedestrians were tripping on the uneven surface. Also water was splashing up under the loose slabs.”

Well, surprise, surprise, several of the re-laid paving slabs are already loose with water splashing up under the loose slabs!

I’ve written to Mr  Whitton, Devon County Council’s Head of Highways, Capital Development & Waste. I await his response with interest.

You may think that I’m being extremely petty, but I get very irritated when work is done without any good reason. I get more irritated when the work hasn’t been done properly and doesn’t solve the initial problem.

Just over a year ago NDDC gave planning approval to convert The Tiverton Inn (affectionately known as the Tivvy) into office accommodation, with the outbuildings at the back being converted into three dwellings.

Whilst not itself listed, the Tivvy is in the South Molton conservation area  and any works need to be done ins a specified manner. Whilst the new roof and rendering look very good, as do the new windows, the old big doorway (circled in photo) which would originally have led to the rear has turned into an absolute disaster which completely spoils the look of the building.

The large expanse of glass looks absolutely horrendous and is totally out of keeping with the rest of the building. It should not have been shortened so that the bottom aligns with the window on the left and such a large expanse of glass should not have been used. By doing this the developer has contravened the conditions attached to the planning approval.

In addition, the parking area at the rear of the building was supposed to have been lowered to prevent the bedrooms in the adjacent houses in Touts Court being overlooked. This has not been done.

I really do feel that the NDDC planning department should take somewhat more care to ensure that planning conditions are adhered to.

Am I the only person who has had more problems with anti-virus software than they’ve ever had from viruses? Yesterday I couldn’t get to various Microsoft sites. After a few hours I discovered that my anti-virus software’s (Bitdefender) anti-phishing filter was blocking access. Why?

The NDDC website is now back up.

A Happy New Year to all my readers!

I wonder what proportion of South Molton’s adult population  greeted 2015 with a hangover?