More East Devon farmland to be lost to development? No joking matter, as DMC decides tomorrow, April 1st.

Please note that the Weeks Farm application is up before EDDC’s Development Management Committee tomorrow morning ,Tuesday 1st April, from 9.30 am, at Knowle.
EDDC officers have recommended this application be refused on the grounds that the development will not be sustainable, given the lack of employment opportunities, access to schools, lack of adequate sewerage capacity, etc. But one local Councillor and DMC member has already declared his support for the application, despite a public consultation which shows the majority of his constituents do not.
The Talaton group would be most grateful if you can spare the time to attend in support of their objections, in their efforts to prevent yet another bad planning decision going ahead in the face of local opposition.

Agenda here: http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/combined_dmc_agenda_010414.pdf

 

Local Plan Inspector’s letter has been received by EDDC but will not be published by them before Thursday 3 April (after the next Development Management Committee on 1 April where 10 planning applications will be discussed

How fortuitous that the Local Plan Inspector’s letter (which EDDC has now received) will not be released until at least Thursday 3 April 2014, after yet another Development Control Committee meeting on 1 April 2014 where 629 more houses will be discussed, including a further 590 at Cranbrook.

Pots and kettles

If only EDDC could learn from its own criticism of Ottery St Mary Council!

 

http://www.devon24.co.uk/news/report_calls_for_better_behaviour_at_ottery_council_1_3511938….. ground rules for behaviour during meetings

…..  ‘misjudgements’ had been made by both officers and councillors, and that it would be appropriate for the council to ‘reflect on events and their behaviour’ to ‘consider what they might learn for the future’

….. respectful relationships and a focus on well-managed debate

Oh, if only EDDC had insight!

 

 

And it is only going to get worse says climate change report

The climate change report prepared for the United Nations makes grim reading.  For those of us in this area the particular issues are the loss of Grade 1 agricultural land, because much less land is going to be available for us to grow the crops we have been used to, particularly wheat, and flooding – more of it more often.

See a summary of the report here:

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/31/climate-change-report-ipcc-governments-unprepared-live-coverage

“Mafia- style behaviour in the planning system,” says National Trust

A furious Sir Simon Jenkins believes ” the housing problems of Britain will not be solved in the countryside” . This Daily Telegraph report explains his good reasons  : http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CC4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fearth%2Fhands-off-our-land%2F10730643%2FMafia-style-behaviour-in-the-planning-system-is-traumatising-villages-suggests-Sir-Simon-Jenkins.html&ei=60A5U77NF8ix0AWMyYGoAw&usg=AFQjCNF1FHvnBVNjFNNxgUjVmJimEkMOug&bvm=bv.63808443,d.d2k