Sewage treatment chemicals have been added to the growing list of products in short supply because of the UK’s chronic lorry driver shortage, it has emerged.

Lisa O’Carroll www.theguardian.com 

The government has told wastewater plants in England and Wales they may be able to discharge effluent that had not been fully treated because of disruption caused by “supply chain failure”.

In a regulatory position statement issued on Tuesday, the Environment Agency introduced a waiver that would mean some companies would not have to go through the third stage in the treatment of sewage if they did not have the right chemicals.

The waiver relates to a feared shortage of availability of ferric sulphate, an acidic solution used to suppress the growth of algae, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

It said the temporary relaxation of the rules would last until the end of the year to allow “discharges from water treatment works that cannot comply with permit conditions because of an unavoidable shortages of chemicals to treat effluent”.

A government spokesperson said the water supply to consumers would not be affected and any waste company that wished to avail of the waiver needed prior approval from Defra.

It also said that no water company had yet notified it of a shortage of ferric sulphate but it was introducing the regulatory position as a precautionary measure.

The chemicals industry is the latest in a series of sectors hit by the chronic shortage of lorry drivers caused by Brexit and the pandemic.

In recent weeks Nando’s has been hit by shortages of chicken, McDonald’s ran out of milkshakes and Ikea is struggling with supply of about 1,000 products including mattresses.

The Chemical Business Association said it had been warning Boris Johnson, transport secretary Grant Shapps and business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng since June this year about the potential disruption in the supply of critical chemicals for the water and agriculture industry.

A recent survey of its members showed that 93% were experiencing haulage shortages, up from 61% in the first quarter of the year.

One of its concerns is that the driver shortage will be worse in the chemical industry because of the requirement for additional qualifications for anyone carrying hazardous substances.

“We are seeing a real crunch on the driver front,” said Tim Doggett, CEO of the CBA.

“My concern and what I have said to the Department for Transport this morning is the game of musical chairs we will see. If you have a driver faced with a job which means he doesn’t have to get out of his cab to deal with dangerous substances and one that gets paid the same and has to handle hazards and be specially qualified to do so, you know which job the driver will go for,” he added.

A government spokesperson said: “This action is strictly time-limited and there are robust conditions in place to mitigate risks to the environment.

“The most sensitive and high-risk watercourses will not be affected and any company planning to make use of this short-term measure must first agree its use with the Environment Agency, which will be checking compliance.”

The South Western Ambulance Service has declared a major incident due to “extreme levels of pressure”.

Chloe Parkman www.devonlive.com

In a letter sent to staff, the ambulance service is urging any staff members, who are able to provide additional service either day or night, to come forward immediately.

In a statement within the letter, a spokesperson for South Western Ambulance Service said: “South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust have declared a Major Incident. This is due to extreme levels of pressure.

“Any SWAST staff member who is able to provide additional support for both days and nights, please contact the ROC directly.

“Thank you.

“South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.”

And, it is not the first time the ambulance service has made an announcement of the kind.

Back in May, South Western Ambulance Service declared a critical incident due to “extreme pressures” on paramedics in the region.

The NHS Foundation Trust tweeted that some patients may need to wait longer for an ambulance while others might need to seek help elsewhere.

In a statement on Twitter, a spokesperson for the ambulance said: “We have declared a critical incident due to extreme pressures on our service.

“As a result, some patients may wait longer for an ambulance while others could be advised to access alternative services if their call is not life-threatening.

“We need you to only call 999 in a genuine, life-threatening emergency so we can help those most in need.”

As expected, John Humphreys has been stripped of his honorary title of Alderman at an extraordinary general council meeting of EDDC. This follows his conviction of sexual offences and subsequent 21 year jail sentence.

Cllr Ian Thomas, in putting the motion, repeated his expression of sympathy to the victims on behalf of the full council.

The motion to withdraw the honour was proposed from the chair which requires no seconder although a number of councillors volunteered.

By a vote of 45 to 1 it was agreed that a recorded vote should be taken and the motion was passed unanimously.

At an extraordinary meeting only one issue can be debated, but a number of speakers raised the need for a review of the procedures for the awarding honorary titles. The Chairman confirmed that this would be dealt during the year.

Cllr David Key (Conservative) also raised the question of DBS checks and the Chairman said he expected the issue to be raised in the future.

The question was also raised by Cllr Eileen Wragg (Lib Dem) as to whether or not the police investigation into Humhreys was known to the Conservative Group at the time his honour was being considered.

(For technically reasons, virtual meetings provide “recommendations” for action by senior officers) ,

The government has spun out this legal challenge for an unusually long time, and it all costs money. – Owl

An update from Cathy Gardner.

r.mail.crowdjustice.co.uk 

Dear Supporter,

Thank you so much for backing my case, I would not be here without you all. Every donation counts, small or large and it’s humbling to be supported by so many people I don’t even know. Many of you were directly affected by the issues underlying this case and we will not stop fighting for the truth.

Of course, the defendants have not made this an easy process. Right from the start they tried to dismiss me on technicalities. Rather than answering the questions we posed they have dissembled and fudged. They claim to be transparent whilst being opaque. A couple of weeks ago we had to go to the High Court to ask for the evidence we need from the government and NHS but sadly and frustratingly, the Judge did not support our request. Now we are asking the Court of Appeal to overturn some of the ruling so we can get the information. 

This case is not a public inquiry, this is about adherence to law. The government must justify the decisions that were made. They should ‘show their working’, providing us with the advice that was considered and why it was (or was not) ignored or changed. It’s not enough to claim that the pandemic was ‘unprecedented’ or even unexpected, because it wasn’t. The role of government is to plan and to protect the population from threats such as COVID. A particular duty is to protect the right to life of the most vulnerable.

What shocked me most after my father died was realising that the government had apparently done nothing to protect him and other residents.  All I found was the flawed hospital discharge policy. That’s despite the infamous statement by Hancock about the ‘protective ring’. That protection appears to be around all of them now.

It is vital in a democracy to be able to hold the government to account. They are bound by law just like the rest of us, although they seem to breach it with impunity. If they are so confident that they acted appropriately last year, why won’t they provide the information we seek? What are they hiding?

It’s very important to keep this case in the public eye because the costs are rising with every new challenge we have to make. If you have a Twitter account or any other social media presence, please share the link and tell people what is happening. 

Thank you, Cathy

The Government has reportedly drawn up a plan for a lockdown over half-term in October if hospitalisations with Covid-19 continue to rise.

Neil Shaw www.devonlive.com

According to a report in The i, the Government has drawn up plans amid fears of increasing pressure on the NHS.

A member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) told the newspaper the UK is about to enter “an extended peak” of infections and hospitalisations.

They said concern is growing that the health service faces being overwhelmed.

The Government has denied the reports, with a spokesman telling the Mirror: “It is not true that the Government is planning a lockdown or firebreak around the October half term.

“As set out in July, the Government retains contingency plans as part of responsible planning for a range of scenarios, but such measures would only be re-introduced as a last resort to prevent unsustainable pressure on the NHS.”

Boris Johnson is said to be ready to re-introduce mask wearing and social distancing curbs in public spaces and on transport. There is also a possibility that travel restrictions could return.

As well as plans for a ‘firebreak’ lockdown there could be longer restrictions lasting into November if case numbers become more serious. Half-term could be extended to become two weeks, according to the report.

“This is essentially the precautionary break that Sage suggested last year,” the Sage source told the paper.

“It would be sensible to have contingency plans, and if a lockdown is required, to time it so that it has minimal economic and societal impact.”

Hospitalisations have remained consistently above 900-a-day in recent days.

The Government is now considering spreading the vaccine to children as young as 12 and delivering a booster third jab to the most vulnerable people.

Winter flu season starts in October – which will add to the pressures on the NHS.

The vaccine has successfully reduced the number of deaths in the UK, but the number of people in hospital is putting excess pressure on the NHS

The number of hospitalisations was last week at its highest level since March.

Cases in Scotland have begun to surge with some experts pointing to the earlier return of schools north of the border.

They added: “Hospitals might be overflowing before deaths reach the same level. Acting early will prevent this level.”

The Government scientist added: “If it is a proper contingency plan, then you do need to plan for it. And to have some threshold or trigger for enacting or calling it off.”

When the Prime Minister backed a second lockdown in England on October 31 last year, there were 16,479 Covid infections and 1,461 hospitalisations. The latest figures show infections are almost double at 42,192, while there were 988 hospitalisations on 31 August.

“If you look at the current trends, hospitalisations are on a path to match the levels seen at the end of October last year,” another Government source said.

“While deaths are high compared to last year and are unlikely to hit the levels as seen last autumn because the vaccines are doing their job, it is the admissions that will push the NHS to the brink of collapse if they do not fall soon.

“On top of that we have an expected resurgence in hospitalisations for other respiratory illnesses like flu. If the current high levels of admissions for Covid continue the NHS will not be able to cope, so a firebreak lockdown is by no means out of the question.”

Final sign off from the Devon Wildlife Trust management team. Another problem for EDDC – Owl

mailchi.mp

Hello,

My name is Richard and I have been managing Seaton Jurassic over the last three years.

You may be aware that earlier this year, Devon Wildlife Trust made the difficult decision to end its tenure as operator of the centre and has ceased management of the centre from today 6^th of September. The unique and unprecedented challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic combined with the need to undertake significant upgrades to the attraction’s exhibitions whilst concentrating resources on our 58 reserves, are at the heart of this decision. East Devon District Council, who own the building, will be undertaking maintenance of the building and also dealing with queries about the future operation of the centre in due course.

I wanted to contact you to thank you for visiting the centre and for joining us in being transported to a marine world very different to our own. The staff and volunteers at the centre have thoroughly enjoyed meeting our enthusiastic visitors, from the coach groups which delighted in the ‘Seaton Jurassic Tour & Cream Tea’ combo, to the many children who have seemingly absorbed a dinosaur encyclopaedia!

One of the main aims of the centre was to educate and inspire people in the wonders of the Jurassic Coast, and demonstrate how our world has changed and what the future holds for Devon’s wildlife. Although we have welcomed our last visitors to Seaton Jurassic, Devon Wildlife Trust has 58 nature reserves open to visitors all year round, and our Wembury Marine Centre has been engaging visitors for over 25 years. Take a look at our website to find out more.

Seaton Jurassic was certainly one of a kind and we wouldn’t have been able to welcome so many visitors without the support of our staff, volunteers and partners who supported the centre. Take a look at some of our achievements since we opened in 2016 below.

We do hope you will continue to engage your curiosity in the wonders of wildlife, past and present. Thank you once again for your support.

Richard and all the team at Seaton Jurassic 

East Devon District Council, the building owners of Seaton Jurassic, will be carrying out maintenance work and will announce plans for the site in due course. For any enquiries please contact communications@eastdevon.gov.uk

Our new report investigates the huge environmental and economic benefits of hedgerows and shows that boosting them by 40% would create 25,000 jobs over the next 30 years and yield almost £4 for every £1 invested.

6th September 20216 www.cpre.org.uk

The new research, undertaken independently by the Organic Research Centre, is laid out in a report published today: ‘Hedge fund: investing in hedgerows for climate, nature and the economy‘.

We’re launching the report in parliament to urge the government to set a target to increase the hedgerow network by 40% by 2050, as recommended by the climate change committee – a win-win-win for climate, nature and the economy.

Hedgerows for nature, the climate and people

CPRE has long argued that hedgerows could be champions of climate action and nature recovery. But our new analysis has laid out how expanding hedgerow cover can contribute tens of thousands of jobs to hard-hit local communities.

Investing in 40% more hedgerows would support around 25,000 full-time equivalent jobs in hedgerow planting and management over the next 30 years across both rural and urban areas.

Hedgerows like this one, in North Somerset, make up the stitching in the tapestry of the countryside | Charles Stirling / Alamy

For every £1 invested in hedgerows, as much as £3.92 is generated in the wider economy due to key environmental and economic benefits provided by hedgerows. We want to see these benefits recognised by the government and clear targets and plans, of the sort already announced for tree-planting, set. Local authorities can support community groups to plant more hedgerows while farmers can help by letting hedgerows grow taller and bushier.

Now’s the time: the UK hosts COP26, the international climate summit, in Glasgow in less than two months. CPRE is calling on the government for a firm commitment: set a target to increase the hedgerow network by 40% by 2050.

Crispin Truman, CPRE’s chief executive, said:

‘Half of our precious hedgerows have been ripped from the landscape since the second world war and we’ve seen a huge decline in nature and soaring carbon emissions. There’s a lot of work to do.

‘We’re calling on ministers to set a target to increase the hedgerow network by 40% by 2050 with improved protection for existing hedgerows. This would be seen as a bold step by the UK government in the lead up to hosting the international climate summit to support nature’s recovery, help grow us out of the economic downturn and tackle the climate emergency head-on.’

The carbon-capturing nature superheroes

Many of the government’s nature-based solutions to the climate emergency to date have focused on trees, but hedgerows are also crucial in soaking up carbon, protecting against flooding and aiding nature’s recovery.

‘Hedgerows are also crucial in soaking up carbon, protecting against flooding and aiding nature’s recovery.’

They capture carbon and store it in their woody plants above ground and their roots in the soil below. This huge carbon lock-up potential can be increased by allowing our hedgerows to become wider and taller.

These innocuous, familiar features of our landscapes also teem with life. They’re essential for biodiversity, with one in nine of the UK’s most vulnerable species significantly associated with hedgerows

Emma Marrington, our expert in landscape enhancement, shared some of these species:

‘These include the charismatic hazel dormouse, the much-loved hedgehog (whose decline has been closely associated with hedgerow loss) and the brown hairstreak butterfly, which lays its eggs on blackthorn and is particularly common in hedgerows.’

Increasing the hedgerow network by 40% could see earthworms increase by 17% – improving soil quality – and pipistrelle bats, the UK’s smallest, increase by 17% as they’re more able to navigate using hedgerow lines.

In its expanse, the hedgerow network is our largest, most connected ‘nature reserve’.

Bats, hedgehogs… and people

And let’s not forget; hedgerows are also important to people. They give the landscape beauty and character and provide tangible signs of seasons changing, as any of us who have picked blackberries can attest.

They also help keep us healthy by capturing the tiny particles that create air pollution. In fact, increasing urban hedgerows by 40% could see reductions in air pollution and associated health costs of £5 million a year – another economic boost.

As Lord Deben, chair of the Climate Change Committee, said:

‘Reintroduction and proper maintenance of hedgerows transform all-too sterile prairie land into the countryside, which we have long loved. But, as this report shows, this is not about romance – the hard facts are that hedges contribute to profit as well as to wellbeing.’

‘The hard facts are that hedges contribute to profit as well as to wellbeing.’

Support hedgerows with us

Want to add your voice to ours as we call for more 40% more hedgerow cover by 2050? Sign up now to receive our monthly campaign emails so you can hear how you can do your bit and be kept updated on our campaign wins. Members will also get hedgerow news in our dedicated and award-winning member magazine, Countryside Voices: join us now.

Yesterday, Radio Exe carried a much longer report into the Tory calls for DBS checks. Owl highlights three extracts of particular significance.

[Owl would also add that MPs do not routinely have to have a DBS check. Like councillors, they are debarred by a prison sentence, though in their case of more than one year.]

Joe Ives, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk 

…Whatever the governing EDDC coalition decides, the Tory’s own policy [that their councillors, and presumably candidates, should undergo a basic DBS check] won’t be formally ratified by their group until their next AGM in May next year. But they say all Conservatives on the council will eventually undergo enhanced DBS checks regardless…

….“The law already requires people elected as councillors to sign a declaration regarding criminal convictions or conditional cautions. The DBS check is an added layer of protection that those elected are giving electors the complete picture and that the signed declaration is accurate.”

Under the law, people cannnot become a councillor if they have been given a prison sentence of three months or more in the last five years. The five-year rule applies even if the conviction is ‘spent’ (meaning it doesn’t have to be revealed) under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974……

….Employment lawyer Terry Falcao, a partner at south west legal firm Stephens Scown, says councils that “enforce DBS checks may be acting unlawfully. The point of DBS checks in most cases is to protect children and vulnerable people, and requirements for such checks would usually be because the individual would have unsupervised access to such people. 

“If a councillor did not routinely have such access it is difficult to see how such an obligation can be justified other than to restrict the pool of whom might consider a political career or involvement in politics or alternatively for some political spin.”…

• Replacement rear extension.24 Chapel Street Budleigh Salterton EX9 6LXRef. No: 21/2321/CPL | Validated: Fri 27 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1 – Ash – fell tree as recommended during a meeting Terry Lewis had with EDDC Tree Officer due to ash die back Sunningdale House Residential Care Home 31 Kings Road Honiton EX14 1HWRef. No: 21/2314/TRE | Validated: Fri 27 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Oak – shorten back second and third order branches by 1 – 2m to leave a height of approximately 12m and a radial spread of 4m. Silver Howe Boughmore Road Sidmouth EX10 8SHRef. No: 21/2322/TCA | Validated: Fri 27 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey side/rear extension. 38 Raleigh Road Ottery St Mary EX11 1TGRef. No: 21/2323/FUL | Validated: Fri 27 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension and side extension 5 Primley Road Sidmouth EX10 9LBRef. No: 21/2307/FUL | Validated: Thu 26 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Front porch, two storey side extension and single storey rear extension 10 Nap View Awliscombe Honiton EX14 3PLRef. No: 21/2311/FUL | Validated: Thu 26 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Ash : Lowest limb on eastern side reduce by up to 3 meters back to suitable secondary branches to leave a balanced shape; thin crown by 20% removing secondary growth up to a diameter of 60mm; crown raise up to 5 metres Reason: Continuation of on-going management. 16 Brixington Drive Exmouth EX8 4HJRef. No: 21/2309/TRE | Validated: Thu 26 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two storey side extension and single storey rear extension 8 Pine Park Road Honiton EX14 2HZRef. No: 21/2302/FUL | Validated: Thu 26 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• G1 – Two Birch – reduce in height by 1- 2m and re-shape to leave a natural form. Reason to allow more light into the house and garden. 20 Moorlands West Hill Ottery St Mary EX11 1ULRef. No: 21/2304/TRE | Validated: Fri 27 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement of thatch roof, conversion of roofs pace to habitable use to include three front dormers, extension of existing outbuilding and installation of PV panels on barn Sellerswood Farm Musbury Axminster EX13 8SRRef. No: 21/2297/FUL | Validated: Wed 25 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Proposed kitchen extension and utility room and porch 8 Springfield Membury Axminster EX13 7ABRef. No: 21/2291/FUL | Validated: Wed 25 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Beech : Pruning of branches as indicated in photographs and as discussed with the tree officer on 23rd May 2021; clearance of branches within 2m of buildings; avoid making cuts of more than 50mm; removal of holly and dense growth around the base of the tree Bundels Ridgeway Sidbury Sidmouth EX10 0SFRef. No: 21/2294/TCA | Validated: Wed 25 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey rear extension. 31 Pine Park Road Honiton EX14 2HRRef. No: 21/2292/FUL | Validated: Wed 25 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a car port including integrated solar panels on roof. Erica Seafield Road Sidmouth EX10 8HERef. No: 21/2277/FUL | Validated: Tue 24 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension and rear dormer. 22 Danby Terrace Exmouth EX8 1QSRef. No: 21/2278/FUL | Validated: Tue 24 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a steel portal framed agricultural building Tidwell Barton Budleigh Salterton EX9 7AGRef. No: 21/2282/FUL | Validated: Fri 27 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of soakaway The Granary Ware Farm Ottery St Mary EX11 1PJRef. No: 21/2275/FUL | Validated: Fri 27 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a steel portal framed agricultural building Tidwell Barton Budleigh Salterton EX9 7AGRef. No: 21/2283/FUL | Validated: Fri 27 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of existing barn to dwelling, change of building materials, and demolition of existing lean to Little Ash Farm Bungalow Fenny Bridges Honiton EX14 3BLRef. No: 21/2285/PDQ | Validated: Fri 27 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of holiday chalet with parking and associated works. Combewater Lodge Wilmington Honiton EX14 9SQRef. No: 21/2276/FUL | Validated: Tue 24 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Demolition of existing garage and erection of workshop/garage and indoor swimming pool building 7 Merrion Avenue Exmouth EX8 2HXRef. No: 21/2269/FUL | Validated: Wed 25 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension and extension to existing roofspace to include a rear dormer 16 Lawn Vista Sidmouth EX10 9BYRef. No: 21/2261/FUL | Validated: Tue 24 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Reduction in size of lean to, repositioning of entrance gates, alterations to barn shutters, structural fixes to barn upper floor, jamb walls, and formation of new opening in barn Osmonds Clyst Hydon Cullompton EX15 2NBRef. No: 21/2264/FUL | Validated: Mon 23 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing buildings and erection of a 4 X bed residential dwelling and detached garage, and installation of solar photovoltaic array, landscaping and associated works Pitmans Farm Dulford Cullompton EX15 2EDRef. No: 21/2258/FUL | Validated: Mon 23 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Silver Birch 1 – Reduce the size of the tree by a third Lauriston Church Street Colyton EX24 6JYRef. No: 21/2266/TCA | Validated: Mon 23 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing conservatory and garage, installation of new garden wall & fence, replacement windows and change of roof material Rosemount Cottage Station Road Sidmouth EX10 8NZRef. No: 21/2272/FUL | Validated: Mon 23 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• ingle storey outbuilding for use as a garden office 3 Foxglove Road Seaton EX12 2UZRef. No: 21/2262/FUL | Validated: Fri 27 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed use of existing mobile home as independent holiday let unit and adjacent bell tent for associated amenity facilities The Firs Kilmington Axminster EX13 7SSRef. No: 21/2268/FUL | Validated: Mon 23 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of existing lawfulness of part of building for part office, workshop and storage use. Building North Of Harbour Close CombpyneRef. No: 21/2259/CPE | Validated: Fri 27 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of conditions 2 (approved plans) and 10 (development carried out in accordance with bat mitigation strategy) of application 16/0872/FUL Former Council Offices Knowle Sidmouth EX10 8HLRef. No: 21/2273/VAR | Validated: Fri 27 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Certificate of lawfulness for proposed single storey rear extensionYeo House 26A Littleham Road Exmouth EX8 2QHRef. No: 21/2270/CPL | Validated: Fri 27 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of condition No. 2 (approved plans) of planning permission ref: 18/1758/FUL Livermore Farm Aylesbeare Exeter EX5 2DHRef. No: 21/2251/VAR | Validated: Mon 23 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Internal alteration to create 6no x self catering hotel rooms Sidholme Annexe Sidholme Hotel Elysian Fields Sidmouth EX10 8UJRef. No: 21/2241/FUL | Validated: Fri 27 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension and demolition of sheds Greenways Hillhead Colyton EX24 6NJRef. No: 21/2231/FUL | Validated: Mon 23 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension 29 Byron Way Exmouth EX8 5SERef. No: 21/2213/FUL | Validated: Tue 24 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a shed Orchard Barn Sowden Lane Lympstone Exmouth EX8 5ADRef. No: 21/2211/FUL | Validated: Tue 24 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolish existing shed and replace with larger shed, installation of paving in garden Summerleaze Cottage 2 Rewe Barton Rewe Exeter EX5 4EHRef. No: 21/2186/FUL | Validated: Tue 24 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• New roof over garage and hall plus conservatory refurbishment and atrium rooflight 15 Elwyn Road Exmouth EX8 2ELRef. No: 21/2183/FUL | Validated: Mon 23 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Internal alterations to include the part removal of two ground floor walls, blocking internal doorway by installing internal window, and the removal of a second floor partition wall and install a pair of timber glazed doors Town House Station Road Sidmouth EX10 8NZRef. No: 21/2184/LBC | Validated: Wed 25 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Ground floor: convert store into utility & W/C with the construction of partition walls; convert bathroom into kitchen with the removal of partition wall and remove cupboard wall at ground floor. First floor: construct partition wall to create bathroom on landing; convert dressing room into bathroom and install partition walls in bedroom no.2 to create lobby 1 – 2 Pynes Hill Cottage Upton Pyne Exeter EX5 5EERef. No: 21/2182/LBC | Validated: Wed 25 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Silver Birch – Crown lift by removing the lowest branch growing over summer house to give approximate 2m clearance. 85 Byron Way Exmouth EX8 5SERef. No: 21/2168/TRE | Validated: Thu 26 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of greenhouse Old Park Hall Lyme Road Axminster EX13 5SWRef. No: 21/2125/FUL | Validated: Mon 23 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Siting of a new package sewage treatment plant to replace the existing and failing cess pit. Little Hayne Wilmington Honiton EX14 9LARef. No: 21/1886/FUL | Validated: Wed 25 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Retrospective permission for slurry store Farwood Barton Colyton EX24 6DZRef. No: 21/1831/FUL | Validated: Tue 24 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• External works: to repair or replace sections of the roof to include slate roofs; Repair or replace any windows; Repair or replace all other timber joinery; repair or replace any rainwater goods; repair external finishes and render. Internal works: to repair or replace water damaged areas of ceilings, walls and floors. Sidholme Hotel Elysian Fields Sidmouth EX10 8UJRef. No: 21/1299/LBC | Validated: Tue 24 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

[And also has views on Boris Johnson’s suitability for public life].

Aamna Mohdin www.theguardian.com

Dame Hilary Mantel has said Dominic Cummings “created a picture of himself as an outsider” that was intrinsic to his rise, while Thomas Cromwell had been able to truly “conquer the hierarchy”.

The novelist, 69, who has published a trilogy of books about Cromwell, concluding with The Mirror and the Light in 2020, compared the two political figures during an appearance on BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show.

In reference to Cummings’ rise to become the prime minister’s top adviser, Mantel said: “Dominic Cummings created a picture of himself as an outsider, which was intrinsic to his self-created function.

“But what Cromwell did was he conquered the hierarchy. He understood where real power lay as opposed to status and he worked his own way through the system, in a way that shouldn’t have been possible in that very hierarchical world.”

Mantel was the first woman to win the Booker prize twice: first in 2009 for Wolf Hall, the first book in the trilogy, and then for the sequel Bring Up the Bodies in 2012.

The actor Ben Miles, who plays Cromwell in the stage versions of Mantel’s books, told the programme: “There is an element of a man from outside, from perhaps a lower-status background and origin, scaling the heights, as it were, and becoming indispensable.”

Mantel added that Cromwell would not have gone on holiday during an “international crisis”, in an apparent shot at the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, who was in Crete as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.

“Cromwell was a politician,” she said. “He was the kind of man who was quite rare in any era, perhaps in any walk of life, because he was someone who was very much a big-picture man, but he knew how to take care of all the details as well.

“He privileged competence and turning information into knowledge.”

She added: “He wouldn’t have gone on holiday during an international crisis. Can you imagine Cardinal Wolsey going on holiday?”

Earlier this week, Mantel said she felt “ashamed” by the UK government’s treatment of migrants and asylum seekers and was intending to become an Irish citizen to “become a European again”.

She told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica: “We see the ugly face of contemporary Britain in the people on the beaches abusing exhausted refugees even as they scramble to the shore. It makes one ashamed.

“And ashamed, of course, to be living in the nation that elected this government, and allows itself to be led by it.”

She said that she was hoping to soon leave England and relocate. “Our projected move has been held back by Covid, but much as I love where I live now – in the West Country, by the sea – I feel the need to be packing my bags, and to become a European again.”

When asked about the prime minister, Boris Johnson, she said: “I have met him a number of times, in different settings. I agree he is a complex personality, but this much is simple: he should not be in public life. And I am sure he knows it.”

The “Great South West” not happy with the: “Magic Sauce” the “Catchup Ketchup”?

Owl always thought that the business-led Local Enterprise Partnership (see footnote in article), Heart of the South West (HotSW) had the plan to double the economy in 20 years from the 2018 baseline – what’s not working? 

Do we have any regional leaders with real economic, as opposed to business, experience and with the democratic support to make such a plea credible? 

Would Boris Johnson listen and what store should we put on any “promises” he might make? – Owl

Dear Boris Johnson, we need positive action not warm words

Hannah Finch www.devonlive.com 

The Prime Minister has been asked to make good on years of promises to Back the Great South West.

Economic leaders say they are beyond frustration after five years of ‘warm words’ but no action on the region’s plans to become a beacon for the green economy.

In an open letter to the PM, Bill Martin, publisher of the Western Morning News, who has spearheaded the #BackTheGreatSouthWest campaign, said that the region requires positive action after fulfilling its side of the bargain to come up with a clear business case that has brought together politicians, business leaders and academics.

But he warns that the ‘unity will not hold’ without some progress.

Mr Martin writes in the letter: “The Great South West is a large and powerful economic entity that with the right support can become the cutting edge of your levelling up and net zero agenda.

“We have done all that was asked. I am writing today to ask for your support again in giving the Great South West the recognition and support that its unity and ambition require. We are a region that welcomes warm words, but desires positive action.”

The letter comes five years after the #BackTheGreatSouthWest campaign was launched with the region’s biggest private sector employer Pennon Plc.

Since then, the Great South West Partnership has set out how it has the potential to become the ‘UK’s Natural Powerhouse’ in its Securing the Future prospectus that was taken to 10 Downing Street in 2019.

The deal asked the Government for £2million over three years to progress its ambitions but nothing has yet come of it.

Steve Hindley, chairman of the Great South West Partnership, said: “For the first time, the Great South West has set out a challenging low-carbon vision for our region building on our strengths and key opportunities and we have an active All Party Parliamentary Group set up to support the Great South West. We have consistently had warm words from No 10 and other ministers and we want to get on and achieve the same status as the other ‘Powerhouse’ regions and move forward with our blue and green agenda. As Chair of the Great South West steering group, I am beyond frustration with the delay in obtaining formal recognition and associated funding.”

The delegation from the South West visited Downing Street in 2019 to deliver the prospectus and set out how it planned to deliver an era of transformational change with the backing of the Government’s levelling up pledge.

Mr Martin said he acknowledges that much has been set aside because of the global pandemic but he argues that negotiations on the the ambitions of the Great South West have been minimal and had got confused in Whitehall with those of the Western Gateway, a strategic partnership aimed at promoting and maximising economic growth from Bristol to Swansea.

The Great South West plans to become the UK’s first region to reach net zero and the only exporter of green energy and UK’s greenest economy by building on its wealth of natural and research assets at sea and on land, praised by the PM in the lead up to June’s G7 Summit in Cornwall.

It seeks support for an enhanced import and export hub, recognition of a South West Tourism Zone and agreement to create a rural productivity deal.

Sir Gary Streeter MP, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Great South West said he shared Mr Martin’s frustration.

He said: “I see no reason why the government cannot move smartly to recognise our region and enable us to deliver on substantial growth and prosperity. I will keep pressing the government on this.”

Mark Duddridge, Chairman of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, said the Great South West’s ambition to spearhead the green industrial revolution is all the more relevant as the UK prepares to host the COP26 climate change summit.

He said: “We are making significant advances in Cornwall with new technologies like floating offshore wind, geothermal energy and clean metal mining, with world class deposits of lithium which is vital for electric vehicle battery production. And we are working towards our traditional industries like tourism and agriculture being more sustainable. But if we are going to stimulate investment to transform our communities, we need much more visibility on how the Government plans to deliver its levelling up agenda. The Prime Minister talks of a consistent and catalytic role for Government in driving a wealth-creating economy, and that’s what we are asking for today.”

David Ralph, Chief Executive of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, which covers Somerset and Devon, said: “Declared support from Government for this work would enable it to progress further and faster and help deliver a joined-up response to the challenge of climate change.”

Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of the District of East Devon on Tuesday, 7th September, 2021 at 6.00 pm

To consider withdrawing the title of Honorary Alderman awarded to a former East Devon District Councillor, John Humphreys, following his recent trial and conviction at Exeter Crown Court.

This is a virtual meeting.

It is being recorded by EDDC for subsequent publication on the Council’s website and will be streamed live to the Council’s Youtube Channel at 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmNHQruge3LVI4hcgRnbwBw

Public speakers are now required to register to speak – for more information please use the following link: 

https://eastdevon.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/have-your-say-at-meetings/all-other-public-meetings/#article-content

More details can be found here.

‘Housing should be boring’: low-cost developer explains his success

Jasper Jolly www.theguardian.com 

Marc Vlessing, a property developer, says he would be happy to be put out of a job. In an attempt to attract first-time buyers who might otherwise be unable to afford their own homes, his business, Pocket Living, builds smaller-than-average flats with lower-than-average price tags.

It is a business model whose success is based on the fact that so many have been priced out of city living by the housing crisis. Perhaps it would be a good thing if Pocket’s niche did not exist?

“That would be to me a great success,” says Vlessing, sitting at the kitchen table at one of his developments in Lambeth, south London. “I think housing should be boring.”

Pocket’s one-bedroom flats are classed as “affordable”, 20% cheaper than the average local market rate. The clue to the trade-off is in the name: the flats are about a fifth smaller than national standards, but try to make up for their modest size with clever design.

His business shows no signs of slowing down. It has developed nearly 1,000 of its small homes across London and is now considering Cambridge for its first project outside the capital.

“I think the housing challenge is here to stay for many years to come,” Vlessing says. “It is going to get more political.”

The housing sector has experienced an extraordinary period in which prices have continued to surge despite predictions that Covid’s impact on the economy would deflate the market. Instead, historically low interest rates, supply that has been constrained for years, pent-up demand from the early lockdowns and a rush for more space have meant that property prices rose by 11% in the year to August, according to Nationwide building society.

A 20% price discount on small-scale developments is difficult to achieve for private developers who want to make a profit. Pocket’s formula tackles the challenge in two main ways, one of which is the space cut. It aims for 37 sq metres (400 sq ft), compared with the UK median floorspace for flats of 43 sq m (“just under the size of four car parking spaces”, as the Office for National Statistics evocatively adds). Indeed car parking, and extra bathrooms, are among the extras Pocket eschews.

Vlessing is candid about the compromise: “If you make something bigger at 500 sq ft, my people can’t buy that.”

His people are the capital’s relatively low-earning first-time buyers – the average annual income of a Pocket buyer is £39,000 – and cash buyers. Flats in outer boroughs such as Barking start at less than £200,000, while closer to the centre the prices can be £280,000 or more. Crucially, the buyers are contractually bound to pass on the 20% discount to the local market rate in perpetuity, reducing the scope for flipping.

The model has proved durable: the 1,000-flat milestone will be reached around November. Pocket is also starting to expand into two- and three-bedroom flats, albeit at full market rates.

The company aims for a profit margin of 15% on developments, lower than the 20% to 30% enjoyed by the bigger housebuilders. In 2020, Pocket Living made revenues of £56m, nearly £20m lower than in 2019, and a pre-tax loss of £870,000 in 2019 swelled to a £6.3m loss, according to its latest accounts. Vlessing says it was an investment period, and profits will come from 2022.

However, the company has also had to contend with rising costs. Vlessing says the “combination of the pandemic and Brexit had been particularly pernicious” because skilled eastern European labourers have been locked out. Prices of copper and brick have also risen.

Pocket’s flats try to disguise their small footprints using design tweaks to encourage a sense of space: the doors are 2.5cm wider than usual, the ceilings are higher, floor-to-ceiling windows let in a lot of light and there is very little dead “circulation space” such as corridors.

The architecture may not be to everyone’s taste. The Lambeth development’s entrance balconies are clad with perforated metal panels that give some protection from the elements and the noise of passing trains. Yet the mix of brick and metal works well in the context of a busy railway track on one side and the orderly 1930s China Walk council housing estate on the other.

One resident in Lambeth, who has lived there for more than five years, says her flat is “lovely” and the build quality is good, though she thinks the service charges could be cheaper.

“I haven’t moved!” she says, by way of approval. But she admits that the flats are “dinky”, adding: “My next-door neighbour has a baby and a husband, which would be hard.”

Vlessing, who grew up in the Netherlands, argues that one-bedroom flats fill an important need. High housing costs make it difficult for key workers to live in city centres. Nonetheless, Pocket has run up against opposition in some areas.

Labour’s Haringey council in north London sold a site to the company in 2016, but the project failed to win planning permission under new leadership from the left of the party.

Vlessing, who was an investment banker before running a West End theatre group, is sanguine about such setbacks. There is little danger of demand for Pocket’s homes falling any time soon. The government’s approach has been to “endlessly stick bits of policy onto a broken system”, he says – in part because of the lack of a clear plan from previous administrations.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Vlessing wants affordable homes to be exempt from the community infrastructure levy, a tax on developments that local authorities can charge. He also thinks there should be a presumption of development for small sites across the country to ease the reliance on projects from big developers.

Vlessing says the housing crisis merits Cobra-meeting levels of urgency from the government to prevent the house price speculation that became a defining feature of recent decades.

“It turns us into these little mini-capitalists,” he says. “I don’t think housing should be an investment in that way. It’s become a casino economy because we’re undersupplying housing by a factor of two.”

Owl felt that this well argued comment, and ultimate challenge, from Tim deserved its own post, especially given his experience:

From what I can determine, government has on more than one occasion considered the question of who should be subject to DBS checks and it decided that councillors, by virtue of that position alone, need not. Anyone asked them why?

I do not recall a call by any body representing councillors that the government thinking is wrong on this.

Councillors who maybe required to interact with vulnerable persons, by virtue of some relative port folio, should be required to have checks appropriate to the involvement. That is not in dispute but it is the nature of the interaction/port folio not the position as councillor that drives the requirement.

I’ve heard some councillors say ‘oh but we visit the elderly or whatever so we should be checked’ . Well so do post-people, canvassers, painters and decorators and countless others. What is so special about councillors in this regard? Such visits are relatively rare compared to other home visits and if you bring in councillors then tens of thousands of others need them by virtue of their occasional home visits.

It is worth remembering that the sole purpose of DBS checks is solely to protect vulnerable individuals. It is not to ‘enhance’ the standing of those councillors who might like to think – “look at me I’ve got a level X clear DBS check”- or several as I recall at least one EDDC councillor stating straight off the bat when this was first discussed!

Having some past close working experience in the criminal intelligence gathering field, though before DBS checks as they now exist came in, I frankly don’t place too much trust in them. Most certainly I would not rely on them as a guarantee of character. They can and do give a completely false sense of security.

I have yet to determine whether Humphreys had, or applied for, any such checks. Should he have done so not least given some of the reports of his other non-council but ‘official ‘ work involving placements and other so far unmentioned work? The level of check needed for him would perhaps needed to have been at the highest level to pick up that he may have been interviewed over allegations (I still don’t know for sure if he was interviewed under caution as a suspect) or at what might be called the informed but reliable gossip level of criminal intelligence. (and the ‘gossip level’ is a minefield) If councillors should be DBS checked at what level should it be – again, what is so special about them yet isn’t enough for government? One cannot help but wonder why nothing was picked up through his lodge connections and passed on to authorities- my (non-member) experience is that some can be pretty tight with one another and I note, not all such memberships have been declared locally.

At the present time there is already a weeding system for applicants for councillor positions at the very outset though government rules- that though needs to be tightened and would continue to be applied nationally, (necessary not least so that there are no repeats of certain London Labour MP’s sons avoiding the restrictions or being required to resign because they had only been arrested for drug dealing when the form was completed and had not yet been convicted)

We should and must protect vulnerable people – yet we fail them constantly. I believe that far too much trust is placed on DBS checks which are at the very best, simply a snapshot in time and often incomplete especially in areas that matter most. Every single sex offender would be able to pass a DBS check at some point in time and continue to be able to do so until he or she does something that would raise a qualifying flag that makes them a more likely bet of being a risky character and ‘failing’ a DBS. Can a DBS check EVER protect the first victim? The claim that Jimmy Saville could have had a clean sheet DBS wise seems to me to be quite a reasonable one given he was given the keys for Broadmoor and Stoke Manderville.

It does concern me that existing measure are not smart enough – but this is part of a wider national debate about intelligence gathering, respect for privacy and labelling. It is very complex and not for here.

The local clamour for DBS councillor checks seems more political and profile raising than a reasonable and sound suggestion aimed explicitly at enhancing protection for vulnerable people at large. I fail to understand why anyone truly concerned with protecting vulnerable people would only argue for their district and not the country. Starting local doesn’t wash in such matters. That said, it is worth noting that arguing against it as a councillor opens one up to unhelpful ‘what have you got to hide arguments’ so I understand why the calls may go unchallenged . But, as joe public, and with some knowledge of the system, I can and do challenge the call. I challenge those parties suggesting it as to whether they are really serious about protecting the vulnerable or whether they have another agenda. Do you have a past and proven record of raising it nationally – which would be the sensible thing to do? Have you got the issue lined up for regional and national political conferences. Have you asked questions of government questioning the present system? If you have why haven’t you opened up about it? Let’s see the paperwork if you have, show us just how committed you are to protecting the vulnerable across the country and not just East Devon.

If such evidence is not forthcoming I think we will be entitled to question whether this is just a shameful diversion from East Devon Tories to deflect just how rotten some of their core members have been and how little they have done to keep their house in order, or something else.

We live in a jungle of acronyms.  Once, like real trees in the real Matto Grosso, they sucked CO2 out of the atmosphere and did the planet no end of good.  Lately, a new acronym has taken root in the thin soil of UK politics and threatens dire consequences.  Welcome to the world of FAF. 

Here in sunny Exmouth we have our share of problems.  Those officially charged with mitigating their worst effects rename them challenges, but semantic slights-of-hand solve nothing.  The current problems, exacerbated this summer by a tsunami of staycationers, include an ever-bigger breed of camper vans,, and a locally-grown crop of eager boy racers. 

A good friend of ours, a gifted entrepreneur unafraid of management structures large or small, has declared a war of his own on these cowboys, and devoted time he can scarcely afford to try and run them out of town.  I suspect he dallied with the full vigilante, including punishment beatings and those stinger things the cops drape across roads to shred the tyres of the ungodly, but as a super-concerned warrior citizen he decided to play within the rules. 

As anyone who’s ever tried to thread the needle of local government will attest, this isn’t easy.  Key fault lines between organisations that should be talking to each other are everywhere.  West of the Lifeboat station on Exmouth’s seafront, for instance, the seaward side of the road  belongs to Devon County Council, while the rest takes its orders from East Devon District Council.  This may sound wildly theological but if you’re trying to stop parked monster camper vans overhanging both the promenade and the road itself, it helps to know which doors to bang on.  In other words, it takes an act of the wildest optimism to assume that one arm of local government belongs to the same body as the other. 

Undaunted, our friend figured out a strategy, wrote himself a carefully-sequenced action plan, spent weeks collecting visual evidence, recruited support from the like-minded, and then used Zoom and his remaining stock of patience to set up virtual debates between all the interested parties.  Given the targets on which he was drawing a bead, these sessions had to include officers and councillors from Exmouth Town Council, East Devon District Council, a uniformed inspector from Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, plus sundry other interested parties. 

The problems were defined, aired, and debated.  Minutes were kept, rival positions explained, the civic meadow thoroughly ploughed.  At the end of this consultative phase, each interest group retired to review exactly what might have changed.  The weather, meanwhile, took a sudden turn for the worse and a series of grey days have made life slightly tougher for both the campervans and the boy racers.   

Undeterred, our friend has commendably made it his business to keep everyone in this rapidly-expanding citizen loop fully up to speed with his latest thinking.  Long memos seek to penetrate local government defences and make a forced landing on their turf.  He – and we – want some semblance of order imposed on both the rogue campers and the cowboy racers.  In the interests of peace and quiet, might there not be a call for properly policed parking sites with a range of facilities?  For a lower speed limit?  And for effective law enforcement to put the boy racers back in their cage? 

To their great credit, the police have a scheme to enrol locals in this latter battle, and there are signs that this will happen.  Councillors are likewise eager for action, as – privately – are certain local government officers.  But the timescales involved are geological – aeons of meetings, e-mails, local consultations, letters to the Exmouth Journal, and sundry other eruptions of local rage.  Nonetheless, our friend has called on years of experience in the private sector and come up with a cunning plan in order to maintain the momentum.   

This, I need hardly tell you, has now been released into the wild as an acronym. TAFF means a Task and Finish Forum.  Ironically, this management tool appears to have come from local government in the first place.  Each next step in our collective journey towards a better seaside life, insists our friend, is to be carefully described, and ticked when agreed and certified.  This, of course, is marking local government’s own homework, and has raised a thin smile amongst officers in Honiton and Exeter. 

One of them happens to be a friend, and we had a drink a while back.  In his heart, and I believe him, he’s totally with us.  He lives in Exmouth.  He loves the place.  He has kids.  And he likes to sleep at night, undisturbed by pimped exhausts and burning rubber.  But the real problem, he says, is resource.  Central government have kept local councils on starvation rations for most of the decade and now there’s no fat left.  Whatever you do, wherever you turn, costs money.  And there isn’t any. 

When I asked him whether this might be deliberate, an equally cunning plan to make local councils the sitting ducks for public protest, he simply nodded.   

‘We’re knocking on Whitehall doors every working week,’ he said.  ‘And we get precisely nowhere.’ 

‘How come?’ 

‘They’ve come up with an acronym.  It’s beyond cynical but it’s bloody clever.  Eff A Eff.   Faff And Forget.’ 

Were it not for the triple whammy of Brexit, Covid, and now Kabul, FAF would be mildly funny, but apply the Whitehall acronym to the whole range of governmental responsibilities and maybe we find the explanation for where we currently find ourselves, as both a seaside town beset by yobbery, and as a nation hopelessly adrift. 

FNBIONYGN   For nothing, believe it or not, you get nothing. 

                                                                                                     Graham Hurley 

Second homes could face bans under new legislation reportedly being considered by the Government.

Aaron Greenaway www.devonlive.com

It’s been reported that the Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick is planning a range of reforms that will give councils the power to ban the creation of second homes if they are deemed damaging to the community without a referendum on the issue.

The changes will form part of a ‘triple clampdown’ which it is reported will alleviate some of the extreme housing pressures in Devon and Cornwall along with granting Councils powers to insist developers build more starter homes as opposed to focusing on properties likely to be attractive as holiday homes .

New changes to planning rules could also be on the horizon, too, with a potential change of the rules to require owners of a property to get planning permission before conversion to a holiday let.

The Daily Mail reports that a Government source has insisted that while ministers were ‘not anti-second homes’, there was a need to tackle the issues in areas where ‘high levels of second home ownership are blamed for pricing local people out of the housing market.’

It also reports that while no final decision has yet been made on the subject, Mr Jenrick was ‘open’ to the proposals. In addition, where the plans to be put into law would primarily target traditional holiday lettings and Airbnbs – as well as not being applied retrospectively or apply to long term rentals.

Any new changes in legislation will come as part of new planning legislation this autumn with the intention of providing respite to areas seeing exceptional demand.

The proposal to prevent newly built properties from being sold to a non-residential buyer without a referendum closely mirrors a decision taken in St Ives, Cornwall in 2016. After residents voted for the proposals in a referendum, a ban on developers building new properties for the second home market was implemented, with new homes only able to be sold to people who can prove they will use it as a primary residence.

Under the new proposed legislation, Councils would not have to win a referendum to make this possible.

In 2019, a study by the London School of Economics said that the ban implemented in St Ives may have backfired, with developers choosing to build elsewhere with locals facing stiffer competition from those seeking to buy existing properties from elsewhere.

Professor Christian Hilber, who authored the study, however, noted that restricting second homes may have ‘positive effects on amenities and affordability while coming at a cost of a significant adverse effect on the local economy.’

Last month, DevonLive launched its Priced Out Campaign, which aimed to explore the impact of increasing house prices in our communities.

Alex Davis www.devonlive.com 

In response to our Priced Out of Devon survey, more than 1,000 people have shared their thoughts as to whether there is a housing crisis in the county.

Currently, 75% of participants in the survey believe Devon is currently in a housing crisis, with 76% agreeing with the statement that houses are more expensive now than 20 years ago.

80% of participants believed that there should be a cap on second homes in the county, while out of 1282 responses, 80% of participants believed that locals were being priced out of their communities.

Of the people who completed the survey, 60% owned a home, 32% rent and 6% registered themselves as currently homeless.

One participant said: “My son is saving for a deposit but he’s also renting 50 miles away as it’s cheaper inland. Most of his wages go on rent so he will be saving for years.”

Another said: “Second homes are killing the community and driving out locals. Second home owners put a drain on local amenities and don’t put anything back. Long term it will kill off communities.”

Despite the majority of participants agree that Devonians are being priced out of their area, some readers believed that people could prioritise more in order to find a house on the market.

One participant in the survey said: “Most young couples run two cars, take foreign holidays, gym contract, the latest mobile phones and WiFi. They need to learn to prioritise, stop moaning and pull their belts in just like the generations before them did.”

Another commenter added: “People need to expand their horizons. They might not be able to afford to live in high demand coastal locations, but move 10 or 15 miles inland or to larger towns and they will find it more affordable. This has always been the case.

“When we bought our first house nearly 20 years ago we could not afford to live in the village where I grew up. We bought a house in a nearby town saved up some more and then could afford to move to the village where we wanted to be. Patience and priority are what is important: not the latest iPhone or another tattoo!”

In South West England, listings for properties in South West England have fallen by 49% since 2019, with rents also up 23%.

Availability of housing has made it incredibly difficult for residents to find homes in the county. On August 4 2021, there were 2591 holiday let listings for properties in North Devon, compared to 21 properties listed to rent on Zoopla and 30 on Rightmove. In South Hams, 10% of landlords have holiday lets; the analytics website AirDNA counts 2521 holiday lets, but there are just 31 homes to let on Zoopla.

While housing crises have been announced in coastal towns, such as Ilfracombe, they have also been declared in Bideford, Great Torrington and Braunton.

Many responses from DevonLive readers showed that the housing issues in Devon are not restricted to younger people.

One participant in the survey said: “My husband and I cannot afford to buy our next property, we are both in our sixties. We live with our daughter who owns her home. We sold our property before COVID moved in with her and due to COVID and my husband shielding lost our chance to buy a property at a reasonable price.

“We live in Torbay and are shocked by how many people are buying and own second properties and more. In our road there are holiday rentals and an empty holiday home. There needs to be high taxes on holiday homes to bring more to the market or fund more affordable homes. All new homes need to be rst and only homes.”

Another said: “I am a 30 year old working professional and house prices mean it is difficult to save for a deposit when rental prices are so high. You can’t afford to live and save.”

Increasing rent has become a greater struggle for single parents or lone tenants, who often don’t have a combined salary to hit the salary requirement.

One reader said: “I am a single doctor and cannot afford to upgrade and move from my two bed flat to somewhere with a garden as they are out of my price range. It must be even harder for others.”

Another participant said: “I am a single dad with two children living with me both with a disability, I’ve been on Devon home choice since 2016 and still getting on there. Since COVID, people are buying up houses like no tomorrow down here rather than living up North. It seems the single family parents are suffering, just because we are single parents. We shouldn’t be treated like this.”

Covid rates in Devon and Cornwall have dropped by a third in the last week and are no longer the highest in England.

Owl notes the increasing part being played by the local public health teams, who were by-passed in the early stages of the pandemic.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

A total of 6695 new cases were confirmed across the two counties – with the total since the start of the pandemic at 119433 – down by 33 per cent from last week’s total.

And while rates remain relatively high, they are no longer at the top of the charts in England, as last week 11 of the top 13 areas were in Devon and Cornwall, but that is no longer the case.

Plymouth has the 5 ^th highest rate in England, with Cornwall 6 ^th , the only two areas in the top ten. Torbay is 11 ^th , with South Hams 13 ^th , and Teignbridge in 17 ^th the only other areas in the top 20.

Rates have fallen everywhere though, as have the number of new cases recorded, in all of the areas of the two counties.

Government stats show that 6695 new cases have been confirmed across the region in the past seven days, to 9685 new cases confirmed last week.

Since August 28, of the 6695 new cases confirmed, 2366 were in Cornwall, 516 in East Devon, 419 in Exeter, 320 in Mid Devon, 342 in North Devon, 1063 in Plymouth, 344 in South Hams, 435 in Teignbridge, 494 in Torbay, 211 in Torridge and 185 in West Devon.

This compares to the 9685 cases confirmed between August 21 and 27, of which, 3781 were in Cornwall, with 715 in East Devon, 662 in Exeter, 428 in Mid Devon, 448 in North Devon, 1229 in Plymouth, 375 in South Hams, 748 in Teignbridge, 679 in Torbay, 335 in Torridge and 285 in West Devon.

The fall comes despite Plymouth, Torbay, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly being elevated to ‘Enhanced Response Area’ status, because case rates in the county were among the highest in England – and the fall in cases and infection rates almost certainly relates to infections caught before the introduced of the status last Friday as they have yet to have time to take any effect.

While no extra restrictions are in place, measures have been rolled out which will help with support measures for education settings and increased national communications support, clearly outlining the continued risks of Covid-19 and the need to take personal action, such as the wearing of face masks and social distancing.

Infection rates across Devon are currently highest in the 0-19s, then the 20-39s, and then by the 40-59s, 60-79s and 80+. But in Torbay and Cornwall, the 20-39s have the highest rates, as does Torridge, West Devon and East Devon at a district level, while in Exeter, the 40-59s have the highest rates.

The latest Government figures, which give the position as of Tuesday, August 31, show that across hospital trusts in the two counties, there has continued to be a rise in the number in hospital – reflecting the rise in cases from previous weeks – going from 152 to 179.

Numbers in Cornwall have gone from 24 to 39, at Derriford Hospital they have risen from 52 to 54, at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, numbers are up from 40 to 51, and in North Devon District Hospital, they have stayed level at 19. But in Torbay, the numbers at Torbay Hospital have fallen from 19 to 16.

The figures show how many patients are in hospital following a positive test for Covid-19, but not whether they were admitted for Covid-related reasons, whether they were infected inside the hospital, or whether their admission was entirely unrelated but they happened to have Covid at the same time – figures for the South West show on August 24, around 17 per cent of beds were occupied by patients ‘with Covid’ and 83 per cent ‘for Covid’.

In the last week, there has been 16 deaths in Devon, two in Cornwall, eight in Plymouth, but just one in Torbay.

In terms of the latest MSOA cluster maps, that cover the period of specimen dates between August 23-29, all 230 areas of Devon and Cornwall reported three or more cases, including the Isles of Scilly with 10, one of four areas alongside St Just & Land’s End, Bow, Lapford & Yeoford and Sidmouth Town recording ten or less.

Newquay East reported 115 cases – half the 228 for the previous seven days, and was the only area above 100, compared to five for the previous week.

St Columb Minor & Porth reported 83, with Ivybridge (77), Cranbrook, Broadclyst & Stoke Canon (75), St Austell Central (72), Chelston, Cockington & Livermead (68) and Ham, Beacon Park & Pennycross (67) the only areas above 67.

Highest areas for each of the other districts were Middlemoor & Sowton (53), Tiverton West (42), Barnstaple South (40), Teignmouth North (52), Bideford South & East (65) and Tavistock (59)

In terms of infection rates, the four worst areas in England are all in Cornwall, with Newquay East, followed by St Columb Minor & Porth, Mid Saltash and Grampound Road, St Newlyn East and Cubert, with Padstow & St Issey 12 ^th , they are only areas in the top 20 – when last week, there were 17 areas in Devon and Cornwall. Ham, Beacon Park & Pennycross is 23 ^rd , while Devon’s top area is Tiverton West in 54 ^th .

Of the population aged 16 and up, 85.9% in Cornwall, 89.8% in East Devon, 78.7% in Exeter, 88.5% in Mid Devon, 87.2% in North Devon, 83.3% in Plymouth, 87.6% in South Hams, 88.8% in Teignbridge, 85.2% in Torbay, 88.4% in Torridge, and 89.9% in West Devon, have had one dose.

And of the population aged 16 and up, 78.8% in Cornwall, 82.8% in East Devon, 69.2% in Exeter, 81.1% in Mid Devon, 80.1% in North Devon, 73.9% in Plymouth, 79.9% in South Hams, 81.8% in Teignbridge, 77.4% in Torbay, 80.9% in Torridge and 82.6% in West Devon, have had a second dose.

Steve Brown, Director of Public Health Devon, said; “We’re going to see better use of our community testing vans. We’ve got five testing vans, which go out across Devon. Two of those vans already have embedded vaccination teams, so they’re going out to areas where there’s low uptake of vaccine and encouraging particularly young people and people who probably wouldn’t ordinarily go to our fixed vaccination sites to come forward to get vaccinated.

“We’re going to be looking at testing as well to make sure that there is testing capability across the whole of Devon, so people can access testing swiftly and easily.

“We’re also going to see an increase in our public health campaigns, to encourage people to get tested if they have symptoms, and obviously to take up the vaccination programme.”

Coronavirus cases have fallen a little in the latest recorded week, Mr Brown added: “We’ve all got a vital role to play. Please, if you’re eligible to be vaccinated, get your vaccination.

“If you have symptoms of COVID-19 – high temperature, loss of sense of smell or taste, or persistent cough – please isolate and then book yourself a PCR test.

“I’d also encourage people to test regularly using lateral flow tests, particularly when going out to visit vulnerable people; or you’re going to an event maybe; or you’ve come back from an event. These would be ideal times to take a lateral flow test.

“And also please don’t forget the good, old-fashioned public health measures – washing your hands, wearing face coverings in enclosed spaces, and social distancing where we can.

“Together we can help keep the rate as low as possible as we go into the Autumn and Winter.”

Professor Mike Wade, Deputy Regional Director and NHS Regional Director for Public Health England South West said: “With cases of COVID remaining high everyone is asked to continue to act carefully and responsibly.

“Day trippers, holidaymakers and residents need to protect themselves and others from COVID-19 and continue to exercise caution.”

FULL LIST OF MSOA in the Devon Live article

“If you want a greener world, resist the rising tide of concrete.”

George Monbiot www.theguardian.com

Dig for victory: this, repurposed from the second world war, could be the slogan of our times. All over the world, governments are using the pandemic and the environmental crisis to justify a new splurge of infrastructure spending. In the US, Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure framework “will make our economy more sustainable, resilient, and just”. In the UK, Boris Johnson’s build back better programme will “unite and level up the country”, under the banner of “green growth”. China’s belt and road project will bring the world together in hyper-connected harmony and prosperity.

Sure, we need some new infrastructure. If people are to drive less, we need new public transport links and safe cycling routes. We need better water treatment plants and recycling centres, new wind and solar plants, and the power lines required to connect them to the grid. But we can no more build our way out of the environmental crisis than we can consume our way out of it. Why? Because new building is subject to the eight golden rules of infrastructure procurement.

Rule 1 is that the primary purpose of new infrastructure is to enrich the people who commission or build it. Even when a public authority plans a new scheme for sensible reasons, first it must pass through a filter: will this make money for existing businesses? This is how, for example, plans to build a new hydrogen infrastructure in the UK appear to have been hijacked. In August, the head of the UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, Chris Jackson, resigned in protest at the government’s plans to promote hydrogen made from fossil methane, rather than producing it only from renewable electricity. He explained that the government’s strategy locks the nation into fossil fuel use. It seems to have the gas industry’s fingerprints all over it.

For the same reason, many of the beneficial projects in Biden’s infrastructure framework and American Jobs Plan have been cut down or stripped out by Congress, leaving behind a catalogue of pork-barrel pointlessness.

Much of the time, schemes are created and driven not by a well-intentioned public authority, but by the demands of industry. Their main purpose – making money – is fulfilled before anyone uses them. Only some projects have the secondary purpose of providing a public service.

Worldwide, construction is the most corrupt of all industries, often dominated by local mafias and driven by massive kickbacks for politicians. If infrastructure is to create any public benefit, it needs to be tightly and transparently regulated. Boris Johnson’s plans to deregulate the planning system and to build a series of free ports, where businesses will be able to escape many labour, customs and environmental rules, will ensure that the link between new building and public need becomes even more tenuous.

Rule 2 is that there’s an inherent bias towards selecting projects with the worst possible value for money. As the economic geographer Bent Flyvbjerg points out, “the projects that are made to look best on paper are the projects that amass the highest cost overruns and benefit shortfalls in reality.” Decisions are routinely based on misinformation and “delusional optimism”. HS2, whose nominal costs have risen from £37.5bn in 2009 to somewhere between £72bn and £110bn today, while its alleged financial benefits have fallen, is not the exception: it’s the global rule. By contrast, for £3bn a year, all bus tickets in the UK could be issued without charge, a policy that would take more cars off the road and reduce emissions much faster than this gigantic white elephant.

Rule 3 is that the environmental benefits of new schemes are routinely overstated while the costs are underplayed. HS2 is again emblematic: though it has been promoted as a greener way to travel, the government’s estimates suggest that it could, overall, release more carbon than it saves. Bypasses that were meant to relieve traffic jams merely shunt congestion to the next pinch point. Big hydroelectric dams routinely produce less electricity than promised while destroying entire ecosystems.

One reason for the environmental costs of new infrastructure is the massive footprint of concrete, whose carbon emissions may never be recouped. Another is the way new building creates new demand. This is an explicit aim of the government’s national infrastructure strategy and its “10-point plan for a green industrial revolution”. But you don’t solve a problem by making it bigger.

Rule 4 is that in countries with high biodiversity, infrastructure is the major driver of habitat destruction. As a paper in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution shows, new infrastructure and the deforestation it causes is highly “spatially contagious”. In other words, one scheme leads to another and then another, expanding the frontier inexorably into crucial habitats. There is an almost perfect relationship between the proximity to a road and the number of forest fires. Roads, above all other factors, are tearing apart the forests of the Amazon, the Congo basin and south-east Asia.

Rule 5 is that massive infrastructure schemes disproportionately affect territories belonging to indigenous people: for centuries their land has been treated as other people’s frontiers. Indigenous groups fought long and hard to establish the principle of “free, prior and informed consent”, which is recognised by the UN and in international law but ignored almost everywhere. This rule applies to all kinds of infrastructure, even those we see as benign. A report by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre shows how renewable energy schemes have often driven a coach and horses through indigenous people’s rights.

Rule 6 is that greener infrastructure will produce a greener outcome only if it’s accompanied by the deliberate retirement of existing infrastructure. In addressing the climate and ecological emergencies, the key issue is not the new things we do, but the old things we stop doing. But while the UK government has plans to fund new rail links, bus services and cycle lanes, it has no plans to retire any road or runway. On the contrary, it boasts about its “record investment in strategic roads” (£27bn). Every major airport in the UK has plans for expansion. Last week, for example, Gatwick airport announced a consultation to raise its passenger numbers from 46 million to 75 million a year.

Rule 7 is that rich nations tend to be oversupplied with some types of infrastructure. One of the simplest, cheapest and most effective green policies is to set aside existing motorway lanes for buses, to create a fast, efficient inter-city service. But where’s the money for construction companies in that?

Rule 8 is that environmental change cannot be delivered only by infrastructure. To be effective, it needs to be accompanied by social change: travelling less as well as travelling better, for example. We need to develop not only new railways and tramlines and wind farms and power lines, but a new way of life.

But while governments and construction companies are happy to give us more of everything, the one thing we cannot have is less. The overarching rule is this: if you want a greener world, resist the rising tide of concrete.