EDDC launches ‘final’ planning consulation

Tuesday, 20 November 2012

by Lucie Simic

RESIDENTS in East Devon are set to get another say on the local plan for the future as East Devon District Council (EDDC) launches a final consultation on its proposals.
It marks the seventh district-wide consultation exercise since the project began in 2007. In the past these have included mailouts to over 60,000 households and workshops at towns and villages around the district.
The consultation is the next stage of a process which EDDC says it hopes will provide the district with a comprehensive planning blueprint for the next 15 years.
The plan will be presented to an independent planning inspector alongside responses to the final consultation.
The Inspector will then consider the plan, the evidence behind it and the views put forward through the consultation. This is intended to take place at a public inquiry in August 2013 and if successful means the council could vote to adopt the plan in 2014.
A Local Plan is a legal requirement for councils and planning authorities, and those who fail to produce sound plans can have targets and land allocations forced on them by the Government.
Because Local Plans set out clear, evidenced expectations for what can go where, they also help prevent ‘planning by appeal’, where developers can lodge appeals against planning refusals because of lack of local plan policy and identification of a sufficient supply of land for development.
A recent example of this is the permission given for 50 homes in Feniton, which was refused by EDDC but the decision was overturned on appeal.
EDDC is now inviting local people and any other organsiations to have their say as part of the new consultation.
In a statement EDDC said:?“The council is keen to encourage all supporters and objectors to make their voice heard and, if opposition is raised, put forward constructive, realistic alternatives to specific proposals.
“While any views put forward will be carefully considered by EDDC, importantly they will also be presented in full to the Inspector, providing reassurance that the process is fully transparent, independent and considered by an outside body.”
The draft plan itself is available now, including maps showing where policies apply and detailed development proposals in Honiton, and can be viewed online or downloaded at www.eastdevon.gov.uk/localplan.
Paper copies of the plan are also available for public inspection at:
• East Devon District Council Offices, Knowle, Sidmouth, EX10 8HL. ?Mondays to Fridays 8.30am to 5pm
• Libraries in Honiton, Axminster, Ottery St Mary, Seaton and Sidmouth, during normal opening hours.
• Town Council Offices in Axminster, Honiton, Ottery St Mary, Seaton and Sidmouth.
Submit representations, to: Planning Policy Section, East Devon District Council Offices, Knowle, Sidmouth, EX10 8HL, alternatively it can be sent via email to localplan@eastdevon.gov by 12 noon on Monday, January 14th.

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