Of interest is that, if we had Community Infrastructure Levy, parishes would receive 15% of it directly (25% if a neighbourhood plan is in force). Our CIL was thrown out bt the Planning Inspector as having a poor evidence base so our developers are absolved from paying this charge.
East Devon: The Developers’ Dream! No wonder it is Development Wild West here!
Click to access Plain_English_guide_to_the_planning_system.pdf
Do you:
(a) put more resources into delivering your local plan as quickly as possible?
or
(b) spend it all on the pre-planning of an abortive HQ move to Skypark (then hurriedly change your mind, needing even more money for your vanity project)?
Had it been (a) the district would have been safeguarded from inappropriate development such as the 900 houses planned for Clyst St Mary (see below).
It is coming up for a year since the Local Plan was inspected. At that time the Inspector envisaged a re-hearing in October 2014. The last time EDDC communicated with him was in that month when they told him they had no idea how long their re- working would take.
In meetings since then we have had the same message: now that EDDC has decided to join forces with Exeter and Teignbridge (which was not a requirement from the Inspector) it will all take so much longer. Until at least after local elections in May 2015. Convenient for developers.
MASSIVE TURNOUT FOR EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF PARISH COUNCIL IN CLYST ST MARY
On 7 January well over 150 people packed into Clyst St Mary school hall for a public meeting to discuss the impact of massive development proposed for the village. Not just standing room only – villagers were waiting outside to hear what was going on. The meeting was told that Clyst St Mary could more than double in size if all development went ahead. A representative from local action group Save Clyst St Mary reported that the Express & Echo was likely to follow up this week’s article with another next week, and that Radio Devon should be covering the story this Friday morning: several thousands of pounds had already been pledged/promised in the form of voluntary donations to help towards a fighting fund.
The Parish Council is opposing inappropriate development, particularly on greenfield sites, and was to hold a meeting later that evening to discuss the implications of obtaining formal legal advice. But one of the first comments from the floor said it all: had a Local Plan been in place, the village would be in a very different position.
There’s a growing mood across the district that rural communities are paying the price for Council inertia: EDDC supplies the wind, East Devon villages reap the whirlwind
The above graph (click to enlarge)has been provided by Chris Wakefield, who left a detailed related comment (number 9) at http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/site/comments/40000_leaflets_ready_to_go_as_hugo_swire_says_game_on
You may have heard Eddie Mair on a recent PM programme (Radio 4), asking guests what they would like him to quiz the various party representatives about, in the run-up to the General Election.
A written suggestion has subsequently been sent by one of EDA’s fellow -members of the national network of campaign Groups, Community Voice on Planning (www.covop.org), as follows:
Dear Eddie Mair,
SUBJECTS TO QUIZ PARTY REPRESENTATIVES
I would like the respective parties to be quizzed on their understanding of how much the rural population feels aggrieved at the exploitation of the current Planning policy by developers and how powerless local councils are in the process of controlling their respective districts. Realistically affordable housing is required for first-time buyers, smaller single/couple only occupied properties are needed and in many areas the ever expanding older population requires bungalow properties. Yet current government policy is blatantly allowing developers unchallenged consumption of green spaces for house construction of the wrong type, in the wrong places and with insufficient infrastructure to support them. Instead, all over the country, open-market ‘executive’ style homes are the predominant design being applied for on agricultural and open greenspace land because its easier and cheaper to develop then brownfield sites. Yet, no constraints are then placed on the developers to proceed with actual construction so the land and its benefit to the community in its original form is lost nevertheless and cannot be challenged.
Paul Adams
DefeND North Devon
Barnstaple
And we get around 300 for the same price!
http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/politics_2_480/ipswich_first_staff_move_into_new_11m_council_hq_1_1495978
“A spokesperson for Wigan Council said: “Councillors are elected by the people of the borough who expect them to be honest, respectful and live up to the trust placed in them by the electorate. Thankfully these are qualities most of our councillors possess, but this is not true of former councillor Emma McGurrin – sadly she chose to abuse her position of power and responsibility.
“The council hopes this sentence helps to restore people’s faith in local democracy and underlines Wigan Council’s determination to stamp out this bad behaviour no matter what political party a councillor is a member of. Unfortunately, Wigan Council does not have the power to remove badly behaved councillors – only voters can do that through the ballot box.”</em>
If it costs £10 m to improve the entrance of Exeter St David’s railway station, how can it cost EDDC the same amount to build a new HQ in Honiton and refurbish Exmouth Town Hall?
One needs a sense of irony when reading this Express and Echo reader’s letter. One suspects it may pass over the heads of many in our majority party!
Yet another East Devon Village could be swallowed up by massive development, which would more than double Clyst St Mary’s size in just a few years. The Express and Echo have taken up the story.
Understandably, local residents want to have their say in the matter. Hence the extraordinary meeting organised for this evening. All welcome. Details on the campaign group’s excellent website http://saveclyststmary.org.uk/2015/01/05/save-clyst-st-mary-story-now-on-express-echo-webiste/
05 January 2015
Paul Diviani sends New Year message to East Devon residents
In the darkest, nay, dampest, days of winter, I always feel driven to think
positively of the future. It seems so long since 2008 when the financial
world changed and with it the world of local Government.
Over the years, we have always been a cautious Council and that has largely
paid off when the going got rough. We have protected our frontline services
and cut and trimmed our back office requirements. Our satisfaction ratings
are the highest they have ever been with the exception of planning – but the
latter is replicated right across the country as we all try to come to terms
with the new planning guidelines and the need for growth.
As a country, we are still living beyond our means but the Chancellor is
tackling the deficit and the Coalition’s predictions are coming true. Whilst
the belt tightening continues the economy continues to improve and the
future is looking very bright. We are fortunate to live in a beautiful
place, which others want to share. Not only do we need more housing but the
massive unmet demand puts enormous upward pressure on house prices and, at
over 11 times average earnings, distorts the supply of local houses for
local people.
I welcome the Government’s stance on localism as outlined by Secretary of
State Eric Pickles’ in a message shortly before Christmas when he asserted
that: “Patterns of local government should reflect England’s local
identities and traditions. We will champion England’s long-standing towns,
boroughs, cities and counties, and will continue to oppose the imposition of
artificial regional structures”.
As a rural designated area – even though we include Exmouth, Devon’s largest
town – we are part of the District Councils’ Network and have been fighting
hard for fairer funding. Whilst the Government appears to acknowledge our
entitlement, they have still a long way to go to redress the imbalance with
our big urban colleagues. We have nevertheless got the funding we predicted
when we started our budget-setting process, so yet again we will be able to
balance our books for the coming fiscal year. Members and Officers have
worked diligently on your behalf and will continue so to do.
May I take this opportunity to wish everyone Good Health, Happiness, Peace
and Prosperity for 2015.
Councillor Paul Diviani, Leader, East Devon District Council
… I would be asking why no minutes of meetings have been published online since October 2014.
http://www.newtonpopplefordpc.co.uk/NP-Parish-Council/meetings_agendas_and_minutes-17199.aspx
Below is a direct quotation from two pages of (free publicity) for Hugo Swire in this week’s Exmouth Journal. Hard to know why the newspaper published his long and rambling article as it had nothing to say about Exmouth or East Devon but had LOTS and LOTS to say about his globetrotting!
Compare the two glowing pages on Swire’s international profile to the succinct and straightforward letter from Independent Parliamentary candidate Claire Wright in the same newspaper on Knowle relocation:
We know which we prefer!
Andrew Chapman says:
“I have enormous sympathy with HRH Prince Andrew in his need to prove himself innocent of the accusation being made against him. In the UK we have a legal structure and tradition of evidence being required, and, until that evidence is produced, being “presumed innocent until proven guilty” in a proper court of law. That principle dates back to Magna Carta, and was further defined and confirmed by Garrow three hundred years ago. It has been a watchword in this country ever since – until, that is, we joined the European Union, where the maxim is “guilty until you prove yourself innocent”, a Napoleonic principle that is unfair to the innocent and a cause of so much injustice.
Think about it for a moment. How do you start guarding your back against any spurious charge that anyone who stands to make a fast buck with a newspaper can persuade them to publish, or you’re imprisoned on holiday by some EU village magistrate who has the power to arrest you as a foreigner without producing a shred of evidence in order to placate the anger of the locals over something that has gone on in his patch.
The dangers inherent in continuing our membership of the European Union make it absolutely fundamental to change our way of thinking, life and thought processes, to guard ourselves against such charges as Prince Andrew now faces – if we stay in the EU. No wonder the poor man is bewildered and stony faced. Personally, I wouldn’t have a clue where to start – other than drawing everyone’s attention to the need to leave the EU before it happens routinely to everyone in the UK.”
Source: East Devon UKIP Facebook page
EDA note: The British justice system “innocent until proved guilty” has not changed nor has the jury system and the scandal originated in, and was reported from, the United States.
Question sent in to EDA:
‘The most recent entry on the ‘Moving and Improving’ page of East Devon District Council’s website was in February last year.
Should someone suggest that they remove it?’
Put that into available employment land and you wouldn’t need any more!
So why does East Devon District Council airbrush it out of their targets?
Soon, with our concreted countryside we will have nothing for tourists to visit us for.
But we will have plenty of industrial sheds and (non-affordable) houses made of ticky-tacky.
And can anyone track down anything meaningful (or indeed anything meaningful at all on any subject) by our “tourism champion” Mrs Kerridge?
The election poster, featuring a road through the British countryside, is just like George Osborne’s economic boasts – a fraud.
Party officials yesterday admitted the picture was Photoshopped together from THREE different images.
To add to their embarrassment, one advertising expert said: “The irony is, when you look a bit closer, the scene looks a bit French.
“It’s very unusual to have a road that wide with no lines down the middle and stretching so far with no lampposts.”
And Labour MP Chris Bryant said it was a “bit troubling when the first Tory campaign poster has a fib”.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tories-new-election-ad-featuring-4914897
Councillor Claire Wright was invited to explain why she is standing as an Independent in the May 2015 election. Her response makes very interesting reading, and includes her excellent Parliamentary Campaign Launch speech (June 2014). Here’s the link:
http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/why_would_anyone_run_for_parliament_as_an_independent
EDA has been sent this spoof version of the new Conservative Party poster (rumoured to be a photo taken in Germany), with added accompanying features of the Government’s vision for growth. 
Let your friends know the important choice facing Britain this year…More green fields cut through by tarmac and disappearing under sprawling cloned housing estates? Or new voices at Parliament and around the country, who will bring changes to the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework…the so-called ‘developers’ charter’)? More info at Community Voice on Planning at http://covop.org/
Could there be another, very different, route to long-term prosperity more suited to Britain’s natural assets, particularly in East Devon…..?
East Devon Watch 