Save Our Sidmouth


by Leave a comment

New Planning Application for Sidford AONB

A new revised application has been submitted for an out-of-town veterinary centre at Sidford, on land next to the garden centre (Ref. OAP 13/0715/OUT). 

The  Sid Vale Association, has sent a formal objection, as follows:    SVA objection re garden_centre on Sidford AONB__17.5.13

SOS,  too,  are concerned about the precedent this would set for further developments on Sidford’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, if the plans are accepted.  Out of town centres inevitably mean increased car use and  associated traffic flow problems. In this particular case, public transport is not an easy option, as the approach to the  site proposed for the vets’ practice is near a bend in the road with no pavement, and with a steep slope up to the garden centre car park which it would share.

What possible alternative sites are there within the town boundary, which would be more convenient for sick animals and their owners (particularly pet-owners without cars)?   See http://sidmouthindependentnews.wordpress.com today, for suggestions.


by Leave a comment

‘Sustainable development’ at Sidford Fields?

FordsPA2

Councillor Stuart Hughes, currently side-lined by EDDC, has vociferously argued against development of a 12 acre business park on a Sidford floodplain in a designated  Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (See SOS post yesterday, and Booted Off , front page headline in Sidmouth Herald 17 May).  An SOS sleuth has also recently established that EDDC has erroneously described the site as  Flood zone 2, in its Local Plan documents. when in fact the Environment Agency rates much of it as Flood zone 3b (entirely unsuitable for building on). EAFloodmapSidford

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

A proposal for the business park is illustrated here (from the Local Plan Representation Library, no. 1969 (Fords) at  http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/lpreplibrary2.pdf. )
Oddly, no cars are shown on the diagrams, so we have added a photograph of vehicles navigating alongside the site, in July 2012. More to follow.

FordsPA1


by 2 Comments

Stuart Hughes removed as Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Councillor Stuart Hughes is understandably furious, after being told that he will no longer be O&S Chair (See Booted Off  front page headline in today’s Sidmouth Herald, 17 th May) ). 

The reason given by East Devon District Council for replacing him, is that he wears ‘two hats ‘, being both a County and and a District Councillor.

Leader Paul Diviani, and Councillor Andrew Moulding, are of course in the same position, so will presumably be  treated similarly. Should the  individual Devon County Council election results for these particular public servants be reflected in any decision on choice of East Devon Committee Chairs?

Stuart Hughes (Sidmouth) 1,923 votes

Andrew Moulding (Axminster) 1,800 votes (fewer than he had previously)

Paul Diviani (Honiton St Paul’s) 1,130 votes

Interested observers will no doubt be monitoring developments at next week’s Full Council Meeting (Weds 22nd May, 6.30pm at Knowle) . Details on our May 14th post

Please note:  SOS readers will remember that Cllrs Hughes and Diviani do not see eye to eye – here is a reminder from the SIN blog:

http://sidmouthindependentnews.wordpress.com/?s=Misleading+Leader&submit=Search