New development proposals near your town – join the debate

In preparation for East Devon District Council’s new Local Plan, proposals for residential and employment development site allocations across East Devon will be considered at a series of public meetings throughout September.

East Devon District Council’s (EDDC) Strategic Planning Committee will consider every potential development site allocation with dedicated time for residents, and town and parish councils, to make their views heard. EDDC has previously consulted on all sites under consideration either at the end of 2022 into early 2023 or in spring of this year and views expressed through these consultations are being considered as part of this process.

Each meeting will focus on certain areas:

• 3^rd September: Exmouth, Lympstone, Woodbury, Exton (morning); Budleigh Salterton, East Budleigh, Otterton (afternoon)
• 11^th September: Sidmouth, Newton Poppleford (morning); Seaton, Colyton, Beer, Branscombe, Uplyme (afternoon)
• 20^th September: Honiton (inc. edge-of-town sites in Gittisham), Dunkeswell, Upottery (morning); Axminster, Hawkchurch, Musbury, Kilmington (afternoon)
• 23^rd September: Strategic West End Sites, Broadclyst, Clyst St Mary, West Clyst, Whimple (morning); Ottery St Mary, Tipton St John, West Hill, Payhembury, Plymtree, Broadhembury (afternoon)

Details of how to participate in these meetings will be available on EDDC’s website. Meetings will also be streamed online via EDDC’s YouTube channel.

Cllr Todd Olive, EDDC Portfolio Holder for Strategic Planning, said:

“After three public consultations and years of technical work, we are now approaching the stage where we must make decisions about what sites should be developed under the new Local Plan.

“Deciding where to build in our part of the world is one of the hardest decisions we have to make. In many cases, as residents ourselves, we share your concerns, and your frustrations, about the process we are going through.

“However, we have little choice but to push on. If we don’t, the government have made clear that they will not hesitate to step in and make a Local Plan for us – with 28% higher housing numbers. To avoid this, we not only need to make tough decisions – we need to make them quickly. If we don’t publish a final draft plan in the next few months then we will have to restart the Local Plan process under the new, higher housing targets.

“Going forwards, we will be making a clear case to government about the constraints of our area and our desperate need for more funding for infrastructure. We are also working with South West Water to understand the issues with existing sewage infrastructure, and to make sure  that improvements align with the increase in demand from new homes and come forwards before new development is occupied.

“The new Local Plan has a target of 946 new homes per year. Through this new Plan, we will also be striving to provide more affordable homes for our residents, protect green spaces and biodiversity, and drive decarbonisation and job creation.”