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Sydenham Damerel Parish Appraisal 1998
INDEX
| 1. Index | 11. Environment |
| 2. Background | 12. Pollution |
| 3. Introduction | 13. Getting About |
| 4. Parish Households | 14. Traffic |
| 5. Housing | 19. Religion |
| 6. Education & Training | 20. Communications |
| 7. Health & Social Services | 21. Security |
| 8. Voluntary Work | 22. General Comments |
| 9. Parish Council | 23. Millennium |
| 10. Employment |
Background
The Parish of Sydenham Damerel is a small area of about 2½ square miles located on the banks of the Tamar almost entirely included in the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Despite its small size, it has a long history being the location of one of the few bridges across the Tamar linking Comwall with Devon - Horse Bridge which was built in 1437. The village of Sydenham Damerel was listed in the Doomsday Book. At the time of the Norman Conquest the land was held by four English or Anglo-Scandinavian ‘thegns’ paying half a hide (or 6s) to the King as geld.
Today the parish contains 96 households and is completely rural with no industrial installations. There is a church, a chapel and a pub but no facilities such as a shop, post office, school etc., for which residents have to rely on neighbouring towns and villages.
The area has historically been one of small family farms, but due to developments in the agricultural industry the parish now contains only 9 working farms, very few of which provide a full time living for the farmer, and has increasingly become a community of retired and commuting people.
The nature of the environment and tight control on building (further restricted by the rules governing an AONB) has made the parish a very ‘desirable’ area in which to live, with the inevitable effect on house prices. This, plus the absence of daily public transport and employment opportunities, makes it unattractive to the young, first-time buyer.
Introduction
The Sydenham Damerel Parish Appraisal questionnaire was delivered to every. Household in the Parish. The 78 questionnaires returned represented a response of 81% which was extremely good relative to the average achieved in the County. The 78 households comprised 198 people of whom 178 were 11 years old or over and therefore eligible to reply to the questions.
This report provides a summary of the results together with recommendations for action made by the Appraisal Team where appropriate. It should be emphasised that the team are all volunteers, and apart from one, are not members of the Parish Council. Also given are some relevant comments by respondents. All comments made in the responses have been listed separately and will be used in the recommendations passed to the Parish Council and appropriate bodies.
The extent of replies to the questionnaire was very gratifying, particularly to members of the Appraisal Team who have put a great deal of time and effort into this exercise. The 37 households who have indicated their willingness to assist in various positive ways to improve the environment of the Parish has been particularly encouraging and they will all be contacted in due course to explore specific opportunities.
Most of the issues identified in the Appraisal have attracted comment and much work will be needed to bring them to successful conclusion. The practical limitations in such a small community will have to be kept in mind and the likelihood that quite a lot of self-help/community spirit will be required to achieve success. This document does form a basis for action by the Parish Council for some time to come and regular reports will be made on progress in the Parish News. (Those who do not at present subscribe to this publication but would like to at least see a copy of a current issue to decide whether they would wish to subscribe should contact John or Mary Holland on 870327).
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