Ash Priors
| Ash Priors | |
 Holy Trinity Church |
|
 Village road |
|
  Ash Priors |
|
| Population | 155 (2011)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | ST152294 |
| District | Taunton Deane |
| Shire county | Somerset |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | TAUNTON |
| Postcode district | TA4 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
Coordinates: 51°03′29″N 3°12′40″W / 51.058°N 3.211°W
Ash Priors is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated 5 miles (8.0 km) north west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 155.[1]
History
The parish of Ash Priors was part of the Kilmersdon Hundred,[2]
The current house known as The Priory was probably built in the 17th century. It was owned by the Priory in Taunton before the Reformation, hence the name of the village.[3]
Governance
The Parish meeting of all residents has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.
The village falls within the Non-metropolitan district of Taunton Deane, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Taunton Rural District.[4] The district council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. The Village is preserved by planning regulations as an "area of restraint", meaning that no major redevelopment should take place in Ash Priors itself.
Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning.
It is also part of a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election, and part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament which elects seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.
Geography
Ash Priors Common, south of the village is a 21 hectares (52 acres) local nature reserve of unimproved neutral grassland, semi-natural deciduous woodland, wet heath, scrub, carr, stream, ponds and hedgerows. The plants to be found at the site include early marsh-orchid and twayblade orchid while the animals include the Eurasian harvest mouse, viviparous lizard and tree pipit.[5] It was the first and is the largest local nature reserve run by Taunton Deane Council.[6]
Notable residents
Science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke was once resident at Ballifants Farm, on the outskirts of the village.
References
- 1 2 "Statistics for Wards, LSOAs and Parishes — SUMMARY Profiles" (Excel). Somerset Intelligence. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ↑ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
- ↑ "The Priory". Images of England. English Heritage. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
- ↑ "Tainton RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ↑ "Ash Priors Common". Wild About Britain. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
- ↑ "Ash Common LNR". Taunton Deane Council. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ash Priors. |
- Ash [Priors] in the Domesday Book
