Do you want 100+ houses built in Newton Poppleford in the next year or two? Until recently, measures were in place to prevent excessive or inappropriate development within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The guidance was that development should be discouraged in greenfield sites, on agricultural land and outside of the existing built up area boundary lines. This is no longer the case, and our countryside is under threat from developers. The Government requires local councils to have a Local Plan (LP) in place, including allocation of sufficient land for housing. East Devon’s draft plan stipulates that 40 houses should be built in our parish between now and 2026, roughly in line with the wishes of parishioners who wished to see only 0- 5% development over that period. Due to delays in adoption of the LP, there is now a scramble to submit potentially inappropriate development applications before the constraints imposed by the plan come into place. During this time, planning applications are much more likely to be accepted, even within AONB land, as housing supply is being prioritised over any other consideration. Newton Poppleford is currently the target for a housing development of 40 houses (see below), which would fulfil all development requirements until 2026 in one go. Other applications on a similar scale are known to be imminent. Acceptance of one substantial housing development threatens to open the floodgates in this AONB. This issue will adversely impact all residents due to * Reduced pedestrian safety * Road congestion * Noise * Increased flood risk * Reduced visual appeal * Pollution Is this acceptable to you? Do you feel you have been consulted over local planning issues? The Parish Council has identified its ‘preferred site’ for housing development in the parish. Under the Government’s Localism policy, communities should have greater say in matters that affect them. You should have been consulted over proposed sites, with your views fed into the decisionmaking process at District level. One poorly advertised, poorly-attended meeting, at which only one site was promoted with advanced plans, was the sum total of this ‘public consultation’ that influences planning in the parish for the next 13 years. Is this acceptable to you? Do you think misleading statements should be made in planning applications? One current planning application, submitted by Clinton Devon Estates is for 40 houses plus doctors’ surgery at King Alfred Way. Clinton claim that they have the explicit support of the Parish Council. This is not true: a previous version of this application was recently voted against by the council following much heated debate. Indeed, the council have voted to submit a complaint about this falsehood. Clinton also claim to speak on your behalf by brazenly stating that they have held lengthy discussions with the public and that their application is in line with what the public wants. Is this acceptable to you? Do you think development will be restricted to just 40 new houses? The parish questionnaire clearly indicated a public desire for ‘organic’ growth and development of the parish, with a strong preference for a number of smaller developments rather than larger estates. Approval of the Clinton application would fulfil the parish’s housing obligations within just a few years and would set a precedent that may allow further developments to be built by 2026. It is almost inevitable in that case that the final number of new houses would vastly exceed the designated number for the parish and lead to significant ‘sprawl’. Is this acceptable to you? Is a doctors’ surgery the right solution in the right location? Of course, everybody would like new facilities at no cost. However, Coleridge Medical Centre has stated that they have no budget to furnish, equip and staff the surgery. There is a risk of any new building becoming a white elephant. The proposed Clinton development sits at the top of a hill. Currently, Coleridge Medical Centre operates an underused branch surgery in the village, principally intended to benefit those with mobility and transport issues. A new surgery located up a hill would be detrimental to those most in need of it. To make the surgery worthwhile, it would be required to serve many surrounding communities, not just Newton Poppleford & Harpford. This would have a severe detrimental effect on the volume of traffic in the village Is this acceptable to you? Do you want more traffic on the A3052? The top priority in the published and adopted Parish Plan is to address traffic volume, speed and congestion and improve pedestrian safety. This reflects parishioners’ genuine concerns, based on the findings of the most recent parish questionnaire (65.6 % response rate). There are several danger spots in the village and a severe bottleneck outside Southern Cross tea rooms. The Clinton development would increase traffic on this stretch of the A3052, with over 50 residents’ cars based on recent statistics of 1.3 cars/household in East Devon. Traffic would also rise from visits to the surgery, which would also serve surrounding villages (e.g. Colaton Raleigh & Aylesbeare), and potentially Sidmouth. Congestion and pedestrian safety would be further compromised by this development, plus any others that arise if this precedent is set. Is this acceptable to you? If you have answered ‘no’ to any of these questions, please think about what you can do to prevent our AONB becoming overdeveloped. • Write a letter/email of representation to EDDC about inappropriate planning applications e.g. the Clinton application (reference number 13/0316/MOUT. Deadline for comments is 27th June) Visit planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/ and type in the reference number. Write a letter addressed to the Central Team at: East Devon District Council, Planning Department, Knowle, Sidmouth EX10 8HL. Email the Central Planning team on [email protected]. • Attend planning meetings of the Parish Council to have your say as a parishioner. The next meeting is Monday 24th June, 8pm, Newton Poppleford Village Hall. • Contact us for more information on npra@outlook
Posted on: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 19:58:50 +0000
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