Here is where our CEO said in July 2013 that you can’t change the Local Plan – and then did just that by adding Knowle redevelopment and then in Februart 2015 allowing 5 new business parks to be listed in the most recent draft Local Plan:
“It would be straightforward to remove the Sidford allocation from the Local Plan: failure to do so would risk the rejection of the whole plan by the Inspector. He seconded Cllr Troman’s motion that it should be deleted.
Chief Executive Mark Williams then advised that this would not be possible legally as it was not a minor amendment.
This provoked an extraordinary attack on Mr Williams by Cllr Allen. His advice was a “biased” view which showed ignorance of the NPPF. He did not have a “grip” on the legal situation, and had not taken account of all the legal considerations.
Tory Whip, Phil Twiss, jumped up to defend the CEO who must be right “because he is a solicitor” and Cllr Allen wasn’t!
Allen, who, in his day job is the Officer Responsible for Regeneration at South Somerset District Council, calmly replied that he had a considerable legal authority on his side – the NPPF.
A rather shell-shocked Council then proceeded to vote on the motion to delete Sidford. It was rejected.”
The Tory majority – immune to argument- went on to approve all the “minor amendments” to the Local Plan which approves the Knowle and Sidford proposals.
East Devon Watch 