Save Our Sidmouth

Category Archives: Knowle Watch


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Sidmouth/ Sidford/ getting younger

There are some surprises in the following statistics, researched by a local resident. They compare the 2001 and 2011 census results for 4 areas of Sidmouth and for Sidford.
In that time the percentage of over 65s has decreased in Sidmouth/Sidford – although it is a smaller percentage of an increased population . So there has been an increase of 445 people overall and only 90 of them are over 65. At the same time the percentages of under 15s and 16-64s have increased.
As the researcher says, “This somewhat contradicts EDDC planners assertion that an ageing population means we need another care home in Sidmouth at The Knowle!”
His summary of the figures is given below:
                                                                                           2001                                                               2011
Population                                                                 7895                                                           8340
% 0-15 yrs old                                                                 12.06                                                              12.74
%16-64 yrs old                                                                48.16                                                              48.62
% over 65                                                                         39.38                                                             38.36
 Useful link to government census site  at .http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/interactive/census-map-1-4/index.html 


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Decision on Knowle postponed for SECOND time.

East Devon District Council, (EDDC),  have once again deferred the decision to be made by their Development Management Committee, on their own application to build on the Knowle Parkland in Sidmouth, Devon. It will therefore NOT be discussed, as had been expected, at next Tuesday’s DMC meeting(2pm, 4th December at Knowle). 

The original application  to  demolish the existing HQ for EDDC and build 50 houses and a 60 bed Care home was made in August 2012, with a date of 9th September for objections to the proposals to be submitted.

This Outline Planning Application was amended and re published on October 16th, with a date of 16th November for objections to the proposals. This was a very unusual event: Outline Planning Applications are amended only rarely. The cause was errors and deficiencies in the information supplied by the Applicant, (EDDC).. A new set of application documents was issued. 

The EDDC Officer’s Report recommended that the proposal be approved.

The Save Our Sidmouth Campaign, comprising the Sid Vale Association, the Sidmouth Chamber of Commerce  and the Futures Forum, examined these documents and again found numerous errors relating to the legal need for  additional environmental surveys and in the calculation of job losses. (As an example, EDDC stated that 33 jobs would be lost, but this used erroneous data and the figure is much higher). 

Because of these errors, once again the Application is to be re-advertised, a new Report is to be prepared and the Development Management Committee is to meet on the 8th January  2013 to review the Application.

From Tuesday 4th December, the revised report will be available at the Council’s website at www.eastdevon.gov.uk/publicaccess/ and at the Council Offices, Knowle, Sidmouth or Sidmouth Town Council Offices between 8.30am and 5.00pm. Comments on the revised report can be made through the website or in writing to the Council Offices (see address mentioned above). Deadline for comments:  Monday 17th December. Mention the reference: HN3/12/1847/MOUT.

SOS has always opposed the application and said that additionally the support documentation and evidence base is flawed.

The fact that the OPA has now been advertised three times reinforces our views.


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‘SAVE Britain’s Heritage’ add their support to SOS

We were delighted to welcome Rhiannon Wicks, deputy director of SAVE Britains’ Heritage in London, who battled through floods and collapsed tunnels last Weds, to come and take a look at Knowle. Thanks to Councillors Sheila Kerridge and Peter Sullivan who happened to be at EDDC HQ, we were given access to the building and Rhiannon was suitably impressed.  SAVE’s letter of objection to the Revised Application has been added to DOCUMENTS on this website.  And look out for Knowle on http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/index.php  very soon.