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BURRATOR PARISH AND ITS COMMUNITY
The Parish of Burrator is in the south west corner of the county of Devon, wholly within the Dartmoor National Park. Our lands straddle the upper reaches of the Meavy, and are framed by the Walkham and Plym rivers. The ancient stannary town of Tavistock, the port of Plymouth and the Napoleonic settlement at Princetown on Dartmoor are within easy reach.
Our terrain is of moorland, dry stone enclosed farmland and wooded river valleys. The eastern and northern skylines are broken by the granite hill top tors for which Dartmoor is famous. The granite quarries, tin mines and railways that once employed our people now exist as relics and landscape features softened by time. In the west is the dip of the Tamar valley and swell of Bodmin Moor while to the south lies the gap that forms Plymouth Sound.
Burrator is a place of both natural beauty and artifice. The parish is home to the reservoir at Burrator after which the parish takes its name. The lake formed by flooding the Meavy valley at the end of the 19th century with its many surrounding granite tors, moorland and woodlands provide a famous beauty spot attracting walkers, cyclists, horse riders and those who just come to look in all seasons of the year.
In all Burrator is one of the largest and the most sparsely populated parishes in England, our 5,945 hectares is home to just 1,545 inhabitants. We have farmsteads dotted around our hillsides and river valleys. Ancient manors and hamlets are found at Hoo Meavy, Meavy Barton, Goodameavy, Lovaton and Welltown. There are three larger settlements within the parish comprising the ancient villages of Meavy, Sheepstor and Walkhampton with their fine churches dating back to Saxon times. The largest settlement is at Dousland built following the arrival of rail travel.
In recent years it has been Dousland and Walkhampton that have seen the increase in new building so that these two communities now form the largest populations. Many families new to the area have joined us in recent times.
It is against this background and the varied needs of Burrator’s inhabitants that a questionnaire style of appraisal was generated in the autumn of 1998 to collect and collate opinion upon issues affecting the needs and environment of our people.
INTRODUCTION
The Burrator Community Appraisal Questionnaire was delivered to all households on the electoral roll. 224 questionnaires were returned.
This report summarises the results and some relevant comments from respondents. All other comments provided by you have been listed separately and will be used either in connection with the recommendations in this document or considered separately by the Parish Council or other appropriate bodies. The recommendations listed throughout this report are made by the Appraisal Steering Group.
Most of the issues identified in the Appraisal have attracted high levels of favour. The population of the Parish is ageing with only low levels of young people being added.
Throughout this document percentages shown refer to respondents who express an opinion. The full list of results is available from Burrator Parish Council to those wishing to see them.
Whilst little support for major change has been identified the report forms the basis of an agenda for the Parish for the next few years. To this end, a Public Meeting will be held, where all residents can have the opportunity to form local action groups to take the recommendations forward (particularly some of the environmental issues).
Regular review by the Parish Council of the changes in circumstances will be needed as time proceeds. This is particularly important given the increasing average age of the existing population and that population’s need for appropriate levels of service.
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Page Created: January 2000
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