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Category Archives: EDDC


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Knowle Plans: Strong objections based on planning considerations raised in Public Speaking Time at Town Council.

As reported in the Sidmouth Herald (18 November 2016), Sidmouth Town Council (STC) Planning Committee have again slammed Pegasus Life’s plans for Knowle.

Minutes of the STC Planning Committee meeting can be viewed on the STC website. As they do not record speeches from the public, these will be posted here, for your information. One was from District Councillor Marianne Rixson  (East Devon Alliance), whose objections were based on the following  planning considerations:

1.Strategy 4 – Balanced Communities

The District Public Health Summary 2015 -16 (Devon County Council) for East Devon reveals that Sidmouth has a far higher over 85 population than the rest of the country, let alone Devon.

Assisted living accommodation on this site will do nothing to redress the existing imbalance.

https://devonhealthandwellbeing.org.uk/jsna/himp/

2.Strategy 36 – Accessible and Adaptable Homes and Care/Extra care homes

The figure quoted in the local plan for Sidmouth is 50 care/extra care home spaces up to 2031 and Green Close will provide 36 sheltered apartments. The Knowle will add another 113 apartments, which will bring the total to 3 x the numbers in the Local Plan in just one year.

Where are the Affordable Homes for local families which are needed to redress the balance in the existing housing mix?
3. Strategy EN22 Flood Mitigation

I believe Pegasus Life are trying to avoid the responsibility of installing adequate flood mitigation tanks to cope with flooding on the site. More stringent guidelines came into effect this year from The Environment Agency and these guidelines should be enforced for all developments after March 2016. Previously an uplift of 20% was advised in terms of surface water following heavy rainfall. This has been changed in the south west to 40%, so Pegasus should be required to provide double the flood attenuation tank storage. These tanks should also meet the design approved by South West Water.

 


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TONIGHT! Town Council considers latest amendments to Knowle plans. 6.30pm, Sidford Social Hall.

Public are welcome to the Sidmouth Town Council meeting at 6.30pm, Sidford Social Hall this evening, (Weds 16 November), where a strong debate about Knowle plans, and penetrating comments at Public Speaking time, are predicted.
The Town Council planning committee will be considering revised drainage and bat mitigation reports together with amendments to the design and footprint of building E and the associated landscaping at the Knowle.

As consultees,the Town Council will send its conclusions to EDDC (the planning authority) for consideration on December 6th, when the Development Management Committee (DMC) will make the final decision.

Public comments are overwhelmingly against the Pegasus Life Planning Application, ref. 16/0872/MFUL.
Objections are based on a long list of planning considerations. A sample is given here:

‘There are several reasons for rejecting the above application:
1 Local Needs – Assisted living homes fail to address balanced community as per Local Plan.
2 Overdevelopment – The Pegasus proposal far exceeds the 50 homes in the Local Plan.
3 Imposing Bulk – excessive volumes and heights tower over parkland and neighbouring houses.
4 Impact on Knowle Park – the outstanding vistas and terraced landscape will be eradicated.
5 English Heritage (EH) Listed Building – the setting and space around the monument will be totally destroyed.’

See also our recent posts; the Knowle archives here and on the futuresforumvgs blogspot; and of course the planning portal on the eddc website.


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Overdevelopment of Knowle could cause problems for town’s drains

Pegasus Life’s latest batch of amendments to their planning application, has provoked the following letter, sent to the local press:

‘Sir
Residents and businesses downhill from the Knowle should be alerted to one of the 28 documents that PegasusLife has added to their planning application for the Knowle site. The letter that heads their 215 page ‘On Site Attenuation Report’ (document 2464318 on the EDDC Planning pages) discusses arrangements to deal with potential flash floods in episodes of heavy rain. With heavy rain incidents likely to increase in number and intensity in the coming years, it becomes more likely that the lower parts of town are at risk of flash floods as the town centre drains are overwhelmed. This could be made worse by the over-development of the Knowle. In their original application PegasusLife planned to reduce the amount of rainwater going into the town’s drains by diverting excess water into soakaways. However, their latest ground survey has shown that the types of soil and their distribution means this is ‘not technically feasible’. An alternative solution was to install attenuation tanks (basically large holding tanks that drain slowly) near the existing car park and under the EDDC depot at the SW corner of the site. It turns out that these tanks would have to be so large to cope with predicted flows they would be difficult and expensive to build. PegasusLife make it clear in their letter they do not want to deal with this problem, partly because “it is not viable in terms of cost for the project”. Bearing in mind the huge profit the company stands to make by trying to cram more than one hundred apartments onto the site and trying to avoid contributing anything to affordable housing in the town by claiming their apartment blocks are care homes, this does not wash. Let us hope that EDDC is not so desperate to complete the sale that they let PegasusLife get away with this.
Ed Dolphin, Sidmouth ‘

REMINDER: Deadline for your comments on the 28 latest documents, is this FRIDAY 11th NOVEMBER. See our previous post for details.