At today’s special DMC meeting, to discuss ‘minor amendments’ to the Local Plan, several Councillors expressed the view that some of the changes were in fact major. One was Sidmouth Councillor, Peter Sullivan, who is quoted in the title of this report, speaking about the planned new employment land at Sidford. He said the amendment to include ‘ancillary retail’ ,  “opens up a new wound”,  when “Locally, there are major misgivings about the Sidford Fields site.”  He reminded colleagues that,”This same council has in the past promoted town centre wellbeing, (but) this will have an impact on the town centre.”

Councillor Mike Allen also  insisted that “We must have a reference to the Vitality of Town Centres in this document.” ” Where is it?”, he asked Chair, Helen Parr? He strongly argued that Strategy 26 “does not represent the National Planning Policy Framework”, with which the Local Plan must comply.

For a summary of the consequences for Sidmouth of this week’s Cabinet and DMC decisions, click on SOS blogroll link to Sidmouth Independent News (SIN ), for  Bye Bye , Sidmouth , posted 18th July

By an almost unanimous vote, with only Councillor Halse objecting, EDDC Cabinet voted tonight to move their offices out of Knowle, Sidmouth.

No mention was made of the ‘change of use’ this entails for the Knowle , from ’employment site’, to ‘ residential’. A need is therefore created to find new employment land elsewhere the Sid Valley.

More on this topic on this website tomorrow.