The Brentor Playing Field rejuvenation project is moving forward. Planning permission has been granted for a wooden shelter on the Playing Field. It is hoped that this can be built before the end of 2019.
Several grant applications are in progress to help with the cost of the shelter, the toilet and seating/picnic benches. Updates on the progress of these applications will be posted in the Village Hall and on this website.
If you want more information, or can help in any way, please contact Clare Percival on 810322
Playing Field News
The Brentor 2020 calendar needs your photos!
Ash Dieback disease is spreading
Comment on the new Dartmoor Local Plan
A Brentor Inn memory
In response to this website’s request for memories of the Brentor Inn during its heyday, (scroll down the page to see this), Francesca Bell has sent this photo.
She writes: “Just having a lovely read of your Brentor Village page and thought you may like this photo. It’s at the then Brentor Inn the day of my younger brother’s christening about 1968. My dad in the background, Eric Doidge, farmer at Cross Trees Farm South Brentor, my Mum Celia (a Brentorian, I’ve memorabilia from then – original programmes and photographs), then there is my sister Beverley, my brother Ashley, myself Francesca and my grandmother Ethel May Scott (formerly of the Fox and Hounds).
Many a cherryade had on that day by the look of it!
Regards Francesca Bell (nee Doidge) “
If you also have any memories of the Brentor Inn we would be pleased to hear from you.
Surprise Party for Anne
The Brentor tea party held at the Village Hall on Saturday 20th June was more than just a tea party. It was also a surprise birthday party for Anne Clarke, who is about to celebrate her 85th birthday. Anne is a staunch supporter of the Village Hall, helping with just about all the village events held there, so the Village Hall and Playing Field Committee decided to thank her with a surprise party. And what a party, complete with a sumptuous high tea, birthday cake and bouquet of flowers (kindly donated by Tesco PLC).
Congratulations, and thank you, Anne!
Community Housing Latest
Brentor Parish Council released the following statement on 18th July 2019:
PROPOSED HOUSING
Figures have now been collated from the Housing Needs Survey conducted in July 2018 and the 2 public presentation days.
The presentations were very well attended and figures show that the development is oversubscribed by local people who will be eligible to live there.
The latest data indicates a need for 11 affordable homes and 6 open market homes, which meet the criteria for an affordable development as required by WDBC and DNPA. The planned development remains fixed at 12 properties.
Further progress has been slightly delayed due to the recent elections, but it is understood that the plans will be submitted to DNPA shortly with a planning decision expected in September. Construction should then commence late Autumn or early next year.
Further information will be published as and when it is received.
Brenstock 2019 success
Brenstock, Brentor’s very own music festival, returned after a year’s break on Saturday 29th June.
The musical lineup was headed by the Kingstons and Fireblockers, ably backed up by local bands such as Dad Dancing, Rufus Stoned, The Strange & the Beautiful, Hannah & Trefoil , FoXXy & The Sinners, All Bar One, Morzim and The Briars.
Tickets sold out and the day was warm, mainly dry and occasionally sunny. Over 500 people visited the site during the festival, which ran from noon to 11.30pm. As well as great music there was an array of food from vegan to a hog roast! The bar, ran by the Village Hall, managed to empty 10 barrels of beer as well as sundry other drinks.
What a wonderful day!
Click here to see more photos and what happened at previous festivals
Beautiful Bowden Down
The old Drovers route on Bowden Down was cleared by The Tavistock Taskforce back in November 2018. It is looking great now and being used regularly by walkers.
The work was completed using some of the Co-op Good Causes Grant won by the Brentor Commons Association.
Traffic speeding in Brentor
The Parish Council is trying to organise a meeting with the County Council Highways department about local concerns regarding the speeding of traffic through our village.
The current speed limit throughout the village is 60mph, which is clearly too fast for many of our roads. If you have witnessed traffic obviously travelling too fast through Brentor please contact Caroline Oxenham, Parish Clerk, by emailing her at brentorpc@yahoo.co.uk .
Do you have memories of the Brentor Inn?
There are many people in Brentor who remember happy times in the Brentor Inn when it was open – a real meeting place for the community. Do you have any photographs that could be made into a gallery about the pub on this website? Here’s a good one as a starter…….
Did you know that the Brentor Inn used to be called The Herrings Arms – no doubt because for many years the Herring family owned Langstone and local land, including some alongside Burn Lane.
What a shame that Brentor no longer has a pub that is open. Back in May 2005 Brentor News carried the following article:-
‘ Brentor Inn Update
The new owners of the Brentor Inn – Cynthia and Dudley Smith, daughter Emma Harcourt- Smith and partner Andy Stone – are hoping to open by Christmas. Since buying The Brentor Inn last June, they have needed several re-thinks on structure, design and layout but now feel they have an achievable scheme and “will be applying for planning permission for the changes within the next two weeks”.
Changes will include a new kitchen, toilets and a cellar. The intention is to open initially as a pub with a range of beers and simple but goodbar food. The function room will open later – hopefully with restaurant facilities.
Sharp-eyed passers-by will have noticed the recent appearance in the car park of a JCB, which has been purchased for the construction. The family has engineering experience in varying forms – which should help.
We are happy to report that they all categorically deny any rumours about applying for change of use! ‘
Where next for Brentor broadband?
NEWS
The Government is introducing a Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband provision and is aiming for this to be in place by 2020 at the latest. This should apply to Brentor residents who cannot receive an Airband signal and who currently have less than 10mbs broadband download speed. Below is the House of Commons Library Briefing that details the Government’s plans to introduce a Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband. It was published on June 5, 2018.
What is the broadband USO?
The UK Government is introducing a Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband. The new USO is a UK-wide measure to deliver broadband connections to the hardest to reach premises in the UK. It is intended to fill the gap left by the UK Government’s existing broadband roll-out programs.
The USO will provide a legal right to request a broadband connection of at least 10 megabits per second (Mbps) download speed. Eligible consumers and businesses will be able to request a connection under the USO and a Universal Service Provider(s) will be required to fulfil all requests up to a cost threshold of £3,400. The USO will be funded by industry through a cost-sharing fund.
The USO is underpinned by secondary legislation made under the Digital Economy Act 2017, and will be implemented by Ofcom. The Digital Economy Act allows for the Government to review the USO and to increase the minimum speed. There was broad cross-party and consumer support for the introduction of a statutory USO for broadband in general, but there were mixed views from industry stakeholders as to how universal access to broadband should be delivered.
Technical specifications
The minimum technical standards for connections made under the USO will be:
- Minimum download speed of 10 Mbps.
- Minimum upload speed of 1 Mbps.
- Additional quality parameters: medium response times, a minimum data cap of 100 GBs and a contention rate of 50:1 (which means a maximum of 50 users to share one bandwidth).
A mix of technologies that meet the minimum specifications will be used to deliver the service. In 2016 Ofcom advised that satellite connections will probably be the only option for some consumers (approx. 0.2%) but may not be able to fulfil the additional quality parameters.
When will the USO be implemented?
The Government is aiming for the USO to be in place by 2020 at the latest. Secondary legislation was laid in Parliament in March 2018, and came into force on 23 April 2018. Ofcom has responsibility to implement the USO and that process is expected to take up to two years. Several factors need to be finalised, such as the designation of a universal service provider, and the design of an industry cost-sharing fund. Ofcom’s first document on the USO implementation is expected in summer 2018.
How many premises will be eligible?
Ofcom reported that as of January 2018, 925,000 premises in the UK (3%) would qualify for the USO based on the proposed technical specifications.
The USO will be available only to those consumers that do not have access to broadband connections that fulfil the minimum standards, not those who have such a connection available but choose not to subscribe to it. The number of premises covered by the USO will ultimately depend on the number of consumers that register.
So that is where those of us without Airband access are at the moment. If anyone in Brentor has further information please do contact the website Editor, Colin Dawes, at colinvdawes@btinternet.com. It might well be worth lobbying Geoffrey Cox MP to ensure that the Government’s commitment to the USO (Universal Service Obligation)is actually implemented by 2020 as promised!
For more information about how this issue has evolved click here
You can still check your broadband speed by clicking here. (Just click the button marked ‘Start Speed Test’ below the two dials).
Colin Dawes, Editor
We need your contributions!
Do you have an interesting photo, an informative item about the village or an event that you need to promote?
We want to keep this website topical, local and up-to-date, so please send your potential contributions to the Editor at brentorvillage@btinternet.com .
Ongoing community issues
This section of the website sets out to provide a source of information about issues which are of ongoing concern to our village. Often these issues first appear on this home page, but require additional space to do them justice.
Click here for information about Broadband provision for Brentor
Click here for information about Local Needs Housing provision in Brentor
We want your recipes!
This website now has a recipes page, but there’s only a few recipes on it!
As we all know, lot of Brentor’s social life revolves around cooking and eating with family and friends. The recipes on the new page have been provided by Brentor residents past and present. No doubt some have been adapted and improved as the years pass – and they are reminders of residents past and present and of many good times around the table, as well as being household favourites.
WE NEED LOTS MORE RECIPES! So please email your contributions – a recipe with a small introductory text – to the editor, Colin Dawes, at brentorvillage@btinternet.com .
Book our Village Hall!
Our new Village Hall is there to be used! Why not use it for a party or other event? Very reasonable charges!
You can find out when it is available by using the Events Calendar on this website.
Sign up to receive Brentor event reminders by email!
How often do you think ‘I wish I had remembered to go to that!’?If you sign up for the free village event reminder service that won’t happen again.
For many special village events or activities you will receive an email reminder during the week before the event. Occasionally events are put on at short notice and may only be advertised by this service.
So why not join over 80 households who have already signed up!
To take advantage of this free service just send your email to brentorinfo@btinternet.com.
Colin Dawes
