Save Our Sidmouth

Sidmouth’s economy: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” , today’s EiP hearing told.

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The Examination in Public(EiP) of EDDC’s new Local Plan, continued today, with the Sidmouth hearing. Having begun at 9.30 a.m, it was clear by mid-afternoon that the scheduled questions would not be covered in one day. Consequently,Inspector, Anthony Thickett, closed the meeting at 6.p.m. and declared that the Sidmouth hearing will resume on Wednesday, 12th March.

These questions were examined today:
1.Strategy 26 seeks to allocate sites for 100 new houses and makes provision for 50 more on windfall sites.
Strategy 1 and Policy E1 propose the allocation of 5.5ha of employment land. Is this level of development justified by robust evidence?

2. Are the proposed allocations suitable for the development for which they are proposed?
2a. Sidford Employment Allocation
Traffic
Landscape/Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Flooding
2b. Alexandra Industrial Estate

Questions still to be examined:

2c. The Knowle,Port Royal, Manstone Depot Residential Allocations
Loss of employment
Traffic
Impact on the character and appearance of the area
3.
Does Sidmouth have the infrastructure to support the level of new
development envisaged in the Local Plan?

Some ‘best quotes’ from today’s hearing:

– ‘B1’is “any office space which will not annoy the neighbours.” (Inspector, Anthony Thickett)

-“Sidmouth’s economic formula is successful with a broadly thriving strategy… Whilst diversification is desirable, it should not be at the expense of what is already there. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” (Richard Eley)

-“We can achieve some ecological improvement “ on the business park site . (Joseph Marchant, for Fords of Sidmouth)

-“We can’t say, ‘Here is a sequential study that we undertook, and here is a critique of them’ . We took the Jubb report as a steer.” (Matt Dickens, EDDC)

-“The Local Plan should supply a sequential flood risk assessment …it is not an option.” (Charlie Hopkins, for Save our Sidmouth)

Report on the hearing will be posted shortly on this website. For EiP programme, please see SIN blog Home page: http://sidmouthindependentnews.wordpress.com/

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