The Full Council at Knowle tomorrow evening, from 6.30pm, will generate much interest. A proposal has been made, to require public questions to be submitted in advance, and to have restricted numbers of speakers on either side of a debate. Some councillors have been asked to request a recorded vote on this particular agenda item. Full agenda here: http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/09042014_council_agenda.pdf

Here’s a copy of an EDA  press release sent out today:
East Devon Alliance (EDA), active supporters of the successful Fight for Feniton’s Future, are delighted by the sound of champagne corks popping, as the village celebrates its reprieve from mass development, after a full scale public inquiry held at the beginning of the year, and masses of hard work. Inspector Jessica Graham has ruled that Feniton needs only one development, of 32 new homes, and not the more than 200 houses proposed. So campaigners for only appropriate development, CAN successfully engage in democratic dialogue, which is what the non-party-political network, East Devon Alliance, is all about.
But EDA warns that Super Inquiries like that held at Feniton, are not the norm. It predicts that glasses will be chinking more ominously elsewhere in East Devon, as developers celebrate their biggest boost in years, thanks to East Devon District Council’s incompetence. As Planning Inspector Anthony Thickett has found the East Devon District Council’s Local Plan is fatally flawed (even at the second attempt). And without a Local Plan in place, according to National Planning guidelines, there must be a presumption in favour of development.
Consequently, as EDA Vice Chair, Dr John Withrington says, “We should not be surprised if the Local Plan has to recommend many more houses than it does at present, to recommend substantially more growth in villages in East Devon, and for developers to be even more aggressive in their proposals as a result. And all this could have been avoided had EDDC got its act together.”
Given the seriousness of the situation, the starkly complacent comment by Council Leader Paul Diviani that he is “very relaxed” about starting work again on the Local Plan, is incomprehensible. The question is, on its past record, can EDDC be trusted to produce a Local Plan that meets the Inspector’s required standard? The signs are unlikely, unless the proposal to make restrictions on public speaking is rejected by this week’s Full Council (Weds 9th April, 6.30pm, Knowle) . As the events at Feniton have shown, sound plans come from more democratic dialogue, not less.