Save Our Sidmouth

Author Archives: monstershark

Sidford fields, AONB or Business Park?

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Approximately 12 acres of farmland (5 hectares) on the outskirts of Sidmouth, are earmarked for employment land. The site is in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Objectors say:
  • the need for such employment land is exaggerated and could harm, not boost the local economy
  • the site is unsuitable: It’s alongside a country road to Sidbury, with no suitable infrastructure, and is prone to flooding
  • the planned development is already causing a downturn in nearby property values
  • the Outline Plan shows parking for over 400 vehicles. Could an eventual change to retail use be envisaged, threatening the small individual town centre shops ( the so-called ‘donut effect’)
  • the businesses said to be interested do not seem to fit EDDC’s stated aims to provide well-paid, sustainable locally-based jobs. (a sweet distribution factory; a clothing distribution warehouse; a French pharmaceutical company , have been mentioned in the press)
  • alternatives have not been considered…e.g a Community Orchard (90 % of Devon’s orchards have been lost since the 1960s), or similar options to benefit future generations.

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