We all know (or do we?) that “Greater Exeter” is now becoming more and more the vehicle of change in East Devon – more than East Devon District Council itself.
What – you DIDN’T KNOW?
Well, hardly surprising as the details (and, as we do know to our cost in East Devon, the devil is in the detail) are being discussed in secret.
Where? “The Greater Exeter Visioning Board”. The usual thing these days – no agendas, no minutes, no records, yet somehow its decisions get rubber-stamped by the EDDC Cabinet – which releases details on a “need to know” basis in which it is deemed that the public and most of East Devon’s District Councillors do not need to know.
This is what is happening in Devon and East Devon these days, folks. Faceless, paperless and secret societies (sorry, working parties, forums, partnerships, whatever) are now where the deals are done – large and small.
You (or they) might say – but we aren’t discussing anything of any great importance. Well, they would say that wouldn’t they. But when everything is secret, there is, of course, only one question to be asked: why?
Just in case you don’t believe Owl, here is a direct quote from the latest papers on the EDDC Scrutiny Committee agenda.
“Undertake a Review of the process for writing the Local Plan in future
There has not been an opportunity due to other workload commitments to consider how a review of this process may be taken forward and with proposals for a joint strategic plan going to members shortly the processes for future plan making may look very different anyway. It is considered that any review should follow decisions about how plan making will be taken forward in future so that any review can consider what can be learnt in the context of informing new processes moving forward whether this be through a Local Plan Review or a Joint Strategic Plan with a more local level plan beneath.”
Click to access 061016-scrutiny-agenda-combined.pdf
Local Plan beneath, Joint Strategic Plan on top – hhhm!
East Devon Watch 
Let’s not forget that Diviani signed up EDDC to becoming part of Greater Exeter without even Councillors knowing – no debate, no consultation, no democracy.
Since the detail is kept secret we can only assume that Greater Exeter will be like Greater London or Greater Manchester i.e. East Devon will become a suburb of Central Exeter.
We are already seeing this with green wedges between Exeter and Exmouth being built upon. And the East Devon local plan commits to increasing homes in East Devon by c. 30%. Yes – imagine all the existing homes in East Devon lumped together, now divide that lump into three, and imagine just how many green fields will be built upon to build another of the three lumps.
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“taken forward”. “moving forward”… what’s wrong with “in future?
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EDDC-speak – a minority language spoken only by a select group of senior officers and cabinet members.
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