SOS Committee: Richard Thurlow, (Sid Vale Association),Chair; Steven Kendall-Torry; (Chamber of Commerce); Richard Eley, (CoC); Barry Curwen, (CoC), Robert Crick, (Futures Forum); Jeremy Woodward, (FF); James Sharp, (Sidmouth Hospitality Association) , Kelvin Dent, (Knowle Residents’Association), Matt Booth, (Drill Hall), Marianne Rixson, (Sidford Womens’ Institute), and Jackie Green (Publicity), meet at irregular but frequent intervals to discuss issues affecting the Sid Vale.
Our two main concerns are the Knowle and the Local Plan.
The Knowle.
Following the rejection of the OPA for the Knowle at the DMC, an open letter from SOS to East Devon District Council was published in the Herald. This contained many questions to EDDC on the Knowle situation. It was sent also to each EDDC councillor.
EDDC replied to the members of SOS committee, and EDDC also published a letter supposedly answering SOS questions in the Herald, The response was typically spin, neither directly answering nor explaining their intentions in any detail..
EDDC are now in a quandary of their own making. The Knowle allocation of 50 houses is also contained in the draft Local Plan (LP). What do they do? Leave the Knowle in the LP and wait for the Inspector to decide? Resubmit a revised OPA at considerable extra cost? Relinquish any attempt to redevelop the Knowle?
If only EDDC had, at the beginning of this sorry and expensive saga, made clear the problems they say they are experiencing at their HQ, and invited groups of interested organisations to discuss options with them to seek a mutually satisfactory way forward, then much cost, anguish, and embarrassment might have been saved.
But EDDC in their usual, “we know what is best”, secretive, arrogant way, decided to go ahead without any public involvement.
The Local Plan
Following the end of the Consultation/Representation period on the 14th January, we understand that EDDC are compiling the Representations and expect to submit these and the (possibly), revised Local Plan to the Development Management Committee. This presumably will explain any changes to the Draft LP that the Planning Policy Team have made
EDDC Chief Executive,Mark Williams, has said (Scrutiny Committee Meeting on the 28th March) that he expects only minor, (ie grammatical), changes. We have asked him to clarify this statement.
The Local Plan is then sent to the Secretary of State, for him to appoint an Inspector to examine the LP publicly. The original intention was for this to happen in mid summer, with the LP, (amended or as drafted), made in early 2014. However the current progress clearly prevents this, and we believe that the Public Examination will not occur until early next year (2014).
This clearly has implications for East Devon since the current LP expired on March 27th and the National Planning Policy Framework now has precedence. This NPPF has been called a “Developer’s Charter” and we expect Housing Applications over the next few months for Sidmouth.
We have written to EDDC asking them to revise the LP before it is sent, to change the Knowle and to omit the Sidford Employment land for the following reasons. There has been no response.
We believe that since EDDC itself has rejected the Outline Planning Application for the Knowle, that it should be changed or removed.
We consider that there is absolutely no justification for including Sidford Employment land. Extensive flooding is prevalent and traffic congestion will be severe. Moreover the size has been determined by erroneous calculations. We believe that we have a very strong case against it.
Meanwhile we continue to hound EDDC asking pertinent questions wherever we feel that there is obfuscation.
If anybody needs any further explanation then please leave a message for Richard Thurlow at this website’s gmail (see CONTACT US) .
Save Our Sidmouth 