In Douglas Adams’ comic novel “The hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy”, the permanently bewildered Arthur Dent lies down in front of a bulldozer to prevent it destroying his house. He’s told by a jobsworth council worker that permission to demolish his home for a bypass had been available to view in the planning office for the past nine months.

[From “Computer Active” 27 Jan – 9 Feb]

“Yes.” Arthur replies “it was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet, stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying “Beware of the Leopard”.

Shortly after this Earth itself is demolished, which rather puts Arthur’s inconvenience into perspective. But his frustration has been shared by thousands of UK residents over the years, albeit without the threat of being mauled by one of the world’s big cats.

The traditional way to read a planning notice require visiting a library, scouring adverts in your local newspaper, or squinting at the microscopic text on signs strapped to lamp posts. The Government wants to make life easier by bringing notices online as part of its push to modernise the planning process. In doing so, it will tell local authorities they won’t have to print statutory notices in local newspapers. 

The past year has made this change more urgent, the Government said. Its “Planning for the Future” White Paper, published last August said that the Covid-19 pandemic “has highlighted the need for modern digital planning services that can be accessed from home”, rather than stored in dusty cabinets guarded by leopards.

Inevitably the scheme involves Google. It has given £1m to a project to build a single website on which all councils nationwide can publish planning notices, as well as about 800 local news websites.

You’ll be able to search the information for planning notices near you, and sign up for alerts realted to a particular area. Google will provide technical advice to the newspapers to help ensure the information reaches as many people as possible.

Google’s money comes from its Google News Initiative which funds projects that “work with the news industry to help journalism thrive in the digital age”.

It launched the scheme in 2018, following pressure from regulators and media over how much money it makes from adverts placed alongside news stories written by newspapers and websites.

Local newspapers say Goggle’s involvement will help compensate for money they’ll lose if councils stop advertising planning notices in print. They claim this is worth £10m a year to the UK newspaper industry, further wounding a sector already hit by falling advertising revenues caused by the pandemic. Publishers say that losing this money could put the jobs of 400 journalists at risk.

While welcoming the online scheme, publishers the Government to keep the local requirement for councils to place planning notices in newspapers. They point out rightly that many people don’t use the internet – around 1.3per cent (roughly 6.5 million) of the UK’s adult population – not to mention the many other millions who do go online but nevertheless prefer reading newspapers and magazines to websites.

For Goggle’s part, it hopes  such measures will prove it can coexist with traditional forms of media such as local newspapers, and therefore prevent or more likely delay Government regulation.

We don’t see any reason why notices shouldn’t appear online and in print. With such wide coverage, even Arthur Dent would probably have found the info he was looking for.

From today’s Western Morning News we can see which projects get funding to “create jobs and contribute to a green recovery”. Interesting timing – Owl

A dozen ‘shovel-ready’ South West development projects are ready to ‘go live’, after receiving £21 million of funding.

The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (HotSW LEP) has allocated the cash from the Government’s Getting Building Fund (GBF) to projects in Devon, Somerset, Plymouth and Torbay.

The projects have all been contacted and another 12, that have secured £14 million from the fund between them, are expected to be contracted and go live in the spring.

The HotSW LEP secured a total allocation of £35.4 million in the summer of 2020, the highest allocation in the South West, from the Government’s GBF campaign, designed to restart the economy after the Covid-19 pandemic.

So-called shovel-ready projects were chosen to receive funding, having proven a solid business case, and shown that they would create jobs and contribute to a green recovery.

Karl Tucker, chair of the HotSW LEP, said: “This is great news for our area, and we can’t wait to see the work getting underway in the coming weeks. Each of these projects has a role to play in contributing to the economic recovery and longer-term growth in our area.

“The funding we have been able to award to these projects through our allocation of the Getting Building Fund will help to get projects underway or accelerate their progress, ­creating jobs and economic stimulus. We also recognise there are other important projects that still need funding and we will continue to work closely with Government to secure further funding in the future so that we can continue to provide support where it is most needed in our area’s recovery.”

The selection process for the projects considered areas hardest hit by Covid-19.

The 24 projects that will receive a share of the Government’s Getting Building Fund funding include:

• Torquay Gateway (£2m GBF)
• Concourse Phase Two, Brunel Plaza, Plymouth (£4.17m GBF)
• Ilfracombe Watersports Centre (£1.5m GBF)
• Burrows Centre, Torridge (£400k GBF)
• Exeter Bus Station (£800k GBF)
• Enhancement of Future Skills Centre, Exeter Airport (£1m GBF)
• Exeter Science Park Grow-Out Building (£5m GBF)
• Zebcat 2 (£2.4m GBF)
• EPIC (£1m GBF)
• Torbay Business Centre (£2m GBF)
• Devon Work Hubs (£640k GBF)
• Plymouth City Business Park (£1.9m GBF)
• Centre for Clean Mobility (£2m GBF)
• Health Tech Innovation Hub, Plymouth (£1m GBF)
• Plymouth Sound National Marine Park (£600k GBF)

See this and other reports from William Telford on our sister website BusinessLive here… and for more details of our Back the Great SW campaign, click here…

Cllr Paul Arnott, leader of East Devon District Council, said: “I’d like to congratulate all the parties involved in securing the funding for this vital project.

“Only last week, Seaton seafront took a major battering, and there is no doubt that we must take action for this precious section of our coastline. From an EDDC perspective, the council is very proud of our lead officer’s work in bringing this all together.”

Daniel Clark, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk 

41 homes will have better protection

Seaton is one step closer to getting the vital flood defences it needs, after final funding was pledged.

East Devon District Council now has the money needed to complete the Seaton Hole Beach Management Plan (BMP) as long as the Environment Agency gives the final go-ahead.

It follows a successful bid for funds from the South West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, as well as extra funding from both the district council and Seaton Town Council. Subject to planning permission, construction could start next year and once complete, would leave 41 homes better protected.

Seaton Hole has been prone to coastal erosion and landslips, leaving homes and infrastructure of at risk of damage and the project sets to upgrade and enhance the existing aging defences at the base of the cliff, to slow the rate of erosion.

And following the recent overtopping and flooding of the Esplanade, East Devon District Council is also investigating if the Seaton Hole BMP can be extended to cover the town or if a separate project is required to look at minimising flood risk.

But in the short term, using excavators, the council have re-profiled the beach to better resist wave overtopping.

Cllr Marcus Hartnell, Seaton ward member and the chair of the Seaton BMP, said: “In 2020, the rules regarding funding eligibility were changed by central government and reduced the BMP funding gap but did not close it.

“However, with a smaller funding hole to plug, EDDC and Seaton Town Council were able to help contribute funds. This allowed the final funding gap to be plugged by the South West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee which approved a motion to back the scheme.

“This is a significant milestone for the Beach Management Plan and a step closer to ensuring that the risk of flood and coastal erosion between Seaton Hole and Axmouth harbour are reduced, protecting property and infrastructure.”

Cllr Paul Arnott, leader of East Devon District Council, added: “I’d like to congratulate all the parties involved in securing the funding for this vital project.

“Only last week, Seaton seafront took a major battering, and there is no doubt that we must take action for this precious section of our coastline. From an EDDC perspective, the council is very proud of our lead officer’s work in bringing this all together.”

The amount of funding has not been disclosed by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Why was this exit made so small when Liverton Park was first planned? It’s not as if there isn’t enough room. It should have been a condition each time the business park has been expanded. – Owl

Plans to upgrade an Exmouth road junction that is a ‘source of frustration’ have been agreed.

Daniel Clark, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

Councillors on East Devon Highways and Traffic Orders Committee supported proposals on Salterton Road at the Liverton Business Park where The Range, Home Bargains, Exmouth’s fire and ambulance station, among others, are based. 

On average 800 vehicles come in or out of the industrial estate every hour, but it is often a bottleneck. Queues sometimes extend to 300 metres.

Jamie Hulland, transportation strategy and road safety manager for Devon County Council which is responsible for roads, said: “This can cause delays to vehicles and is a source of frustration for customers of the park and traders seeking to conduct their daily business. The blue light services, although closest to the access junction, have also expressed concerns about the delays caused by the current junction arrangement and issues with cars parked in the yellow box.

“This minor widening scheme will extend the two lane approach and extend the stacking to enable more traffic to turn left to reduce queues, allows more traffic out, and will reduce the emissions associated with that.

“This arrangement will enable a greater number of left-turning vehicles, which account for approximately one in four vehicles throughout the day, to clear the junction more quickly and reduce the overall queueing and delay. This proposal represents a proportional and cost-effective solution to improve traffic conditions when exiting Liverton Business Park.”

Cllr Richard Scott said that the work would future-proof the site and put the infrastructure in place to allow for future development.

Councillors unanimously voted in favour to improve the junction at an estimated cost of £200,000.

From the blog of County Councillor Martin Shaw

seatonmatters.org 

The Government has decided to go ahead with local elections in May, but proposes to ban leafletting and canvassing by candidates. The Electoral Reform Society, an independent body, says: ‘One row likely to grow is this: in-person leafletting by volunteers remains banned under England’s lockdown. That means smaller parties – who rely on door-to-door campaigning more than paid leafletting services (which is still legal) will lose out. This is an issue of fairness we must all be aware of in the coming month or two.‘

It’s even more unfair to Independents. The Conservatives will draw on their huge funds donated by hedge fund bosses and Russian oligarchs’ wives to send leaflets out by post which they would struggle to find supporters to deliver themselves. Independents who have the commitment to deliver their own leaflets will struggle to find the funds to have them commercially delivered. It’s just not acceptable for the Government to skew the electoral process towards their own party.

REGISTER TO VOTE AND TO GET A POSTAL VOTE, NOW!

The Government has also failed to make postal voting easier, which is essential to enable people to vote safely and take the pressure off polling station workers. They could have created a fully online application system. At present you can download a form which you print off and return by post. But some people don’t have printers or even computers – the only way then is to phone East Devon Electoral Services on 01395 517402.

You must of course be on the electoral register before you can apply for a postal vote! If you’re not on at your current address, you can apply online here.

Get on the register now, and get a postal vote now – you don’t have to wait until the election!