Daily Archives: 20 Feb 2023

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20 Feb 2023

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Planning applications validated by EDDC for week beginning 6 February

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20 Feb 2023

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More than 1,000 new homes set for approval in Devon

Plans for one of the proposed expansion areas to Cranbrook are being recommended for approval. East Devon District Council planners are set to give the go-ahead for more than 1,000 homes to be built on land to the north of Treasbeare Farm, and south of the old A30.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

As part of the Cranbrook Plan, 62 hectares of land at the Treasbeare Expansion Area is allocated for a mixed use development. Housing, community facilities, a neighbourhood centre, a school, a sports hub and employment land are all set to be built.

Those plans are now set to take a step closer to coming to fruition when councillors on Tuesday, February 28, will discuss them. And councillors are recommended by officers to approve the massive outline scheme for the growing East Devon town.

The scheme asks for outline planning permission for up to 1,035 residential dwellings – 120 more than is allocated in the development plan. There would also be a neighbourhood centre with retail units, including the possibility of takeaways, betting shops and a bar.

A two form entry primary school, of up to 420 places, with early years provision, is also planned. As is public open space, allotments, amenity open space and SANGS land.

There would be a sports hub comprising playing pitches, tennis courts, a multi-use path and a pavilion, as well as up to 10.26ha of employment land. Five serviced pitches for gypsies and travellers are also included, with principal access is to be provided from four points off London Road (B3174), with additional access points proposed for pedestrians and cyclists.

Treasbeare expansion area of Cranbrook masterplan

The report of planning officers says: “In essence the scheme which sits between Cranbrook and the old A30 to the north, and the airport to the south, proposes to locate employment land to the west, where it sits in close association within the Skypark and airport development, housing in the central and northern areas including those set to the north east of Parsons Lane, a gypsy and traveller site for 5 pitches (again to the north east), a sports hub and school towards the eastern ridge, and SANGS along the Ford Stream corridor and the eastern slopes of the site.

“The minor incursions where the proposed development steps outside of the built up area boundary are not considered to harm the character of the area or lead to any risk of settlement coalescence with the neighbouring village of Rockbeare.

“The delivery of the neighbourhood centre and key components of the sports hub including an artificial grass pitch are beneficial. While seeking some flexibility from the terms of the policy (but backed up with good evidence) the provision of these important community assets help with the sustainability credentials of the scheme

“The most balanced issue within the scheme has been the location of the proposed school – not so much as a result of the visual impacts although it is more prominent than would ideally be the case, but because it is proposed to be located towards the east of the site. This location means that walking distances from the proposed housing in the east and particularly development in Bluehayes would be in excess of the recommended walking distances advocated by Policy. Although this impact is partly offset by the provision of direct links, it is still a negative which must be weighed against specifically the delivery of a school, and more generally the other aspects of the proposal when considered as a whole.”

The report adds: “It is recognised that the layout of the scheme has resulted in minor incursions across the built up area boundary afforded to the Treasbeare expansion area, although these are not considered to cause harm. The location of the school is suboptimal and would result in greater walking distances than would be the case if it was located elsewhere within Treasbeare.

“However the delivery of the school within this expansion area nonetheless has merit, as it is a compatible use with the sports hub and spreads infrastructure either side of the London Road. As part of the proposed sports hub, the application provides a mechanism for the delivery of a full sized, flood lit AGP which was otherwise only partially funded. The scheme also proposes up to 1035 dwellings (of which 155 would affordable) which is of benefit to the Council’s 5 year housing land supply, employment land in excess of the policy requirement and a neighbourhood centre.

“Taken together it is considered that the public benefit that is derived from the scheme as a whole, outweighs the less than substantial harm to the heritage assets. Overall the proposal is considered to broadly accord with the Development Plan but where the proposal steps outside of this, other material considerations are in support, such that the proposal is acceptable.”

The Treasbeare expansion area will comprise a mix of housing, education, community, sport, employment and commercial uses (together with safeguarded land for the energy centre) that importantly will provide a key location for activity in the town and act as a hub for education and sporting facilities in this area. The sports hub in Treasbeare will be the main hub in Cranbrook and provide a wider range of facilities than at the Ingrams Sports hub further to the east.

The four expansion areas of Cranbrook

The four expansion areas of Cranbrook

The expansion area is one of four planned for Cranbrook. Bluehayes (for around 960 homes), Cobdens (around 1495 homes) and Grange (around 800 homes) are set to come forward at a later date.

Since construction on the town on the edge of Exeter began back in 2011, around 6,000 people now call Cranbrook their home. Work after ten long years has finally begun in the town centre in recent weeks.

East Devon District Council’s planning committee, when they meet on February 28, are recommended to approve the scheme. The Cranbrook Plan, which sets out policies and allocations, to provide the supporting facilities that a sustainable new town needs, which the new neighbourhood scheme aims to correspond with, has already been adopted.

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20 Feb 2023

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Taking the Tesla to Truro? Plan ahead.

Warnings over lack of electric charging points

“On the coast, we’re right at the end of the line for infrastructure – it’s like broadband all over again.

“It’s going to hurt the tourism economy because people are going to travel down on a Saturday night and they’re not going to have the ability to recharge those cars for their day trips on the Sunday. So they’re going to spend less money.”

James Tapper www.theguardian.com 

When the Nissan Leafs and Teslas flock to the seaside this summer, the arrival of their well-off drivers should be good news for British tourism.

But tourism leaders have warned that places such as Dorset, Cornwall and North Yorkshire risk being overwhelmed by the demand for charging points for electric cars, putting off tourists from returning in the future.

One in three new cars sold in December was electric, and rural and coastal areas are in danger of being left behind as operators scramble to add more public charging points.

Dorset has 133 charging devices, a rate of 35 per 100,000 people, which is slightly below the national average. But the Jurassic coastline gets 3.6 million overnight visits a year, most of them in the summer, forcing tourists to compete with locals for charging points.

Seasonal demand means holidaymakers are likely to see a repeat of the Christmas chaos when Tesla drivers had to queue for hours at service stations, according to Martin Cox, vice-president of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association.

Cox, who also runs two holiday parks in Dorset, said: “If that snowballs in July and August, then we’re going to have friction in our area because people are not going to be able to go anywhere. In Dorset, they sell 35% more petrol and diesel during peak weeks. This summer, we will probably see people queuing at EV points and people arriving late at our accommodation because they’ve had to wait to charge their car.”

Most electric car owners charge their vehicle at home on their driveway or at work and expect to do the same on holiday, said Cox, who is also an electric vehicle owner.

“We have about 500 cars a night in August,” he said. “We’ve got 11 electric vehicle charging points and we’ve now reached the limit. If we put any more on, we’re going to start tripping out sections of the park. Even if I turned off everything in the holiday park, we could only charge up 80 cars overnight.

“On the coast, we’re right at the end of the line for infrastructure – it’s like broadband all over again.

“It’s going to hurt the tourism economy because people are going to travel down on a Saturday night and they’re not going to have the ability to recharge those cars for their day trips on the Sunday. So they’re going to spend less money.”

Richard Toomer, executive director of the Tourism Alliance, said: “Unless we grip the issue of a lack of charging infrastructure, we will continue to see huge queues on tourist routes, as is already happening at key times of the year. That’s bad for tourism, bad for business, bad for Britain as an attractive place to visit and explore, and bad for the environment as people revert back to traditional cars for their getaways.”

Journeys outside peak times are usually much smoother, and electric car owners can drive from the UK across Europe without any hint of a queue. But so-called “range anxiety” remains an issue.

Lisa Johnson, the owner of LJ Natural, a handmade organic and sustainable beauty products business, often drives her Kia from south Manchester for getaways to the North Yorkshire coast. “We go to a beautiful little coastal village, and there’s no electric charging at all. There is in Whitby down the coast, but what we find regularly is that you’ll get there and there’s already someone charging, or they’re not working. I’m not going back to petrol, but you do need massive forward planning.”

Charging companies have been expanding rapidly, and so far the UK has 37,600 devices, with 8,300 added last year, and various government schemes for workplaces, landlords and local authorities to install charge points. Cornwall said it was adding 150 charge points this summer.

Ionity, a Europe-wide network, said it aimed to have rapid charging stations on major roads across the continent and the UK so that no one would be more than about 80 miles from a rapid charger.

But setting up a site can take months, according to InstaVolt chief executive Adrian Keen. The firm needs to work out if a site is commercially viable, apply for planning permission and then find the microchips to build it. The biggest bottleneck is working out how much electricity can be routed to the charging station, and that depends on how much energy is spare in the local electricity network.

Meanwhile, the distribution networks say they could add power more quickly but Ofgem regulations mean they are not allowed to build new substations or power lines until they have received a firm request, preventing them from building capacity in advance. Power companies believe that once the UK has transitioned to electric vehicles in about 2050, the country will need roughly 50% more electricity to charge them.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said people should feel confident they can charge their cars, whether going on holiday or commuting: “The government has already invested over £2bn into accelerating the transition to zero-emission vehicles, and there are grants available to businesses, including tourist sites, to subsidise the costs of installing charge points.”

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Water bosses should face criminal charges over illegal pollution levels in rivers, voters say

“Government needs to stop behaving like a marriage guidance counsellor and act, and act now.” – Feargal Sharkey

A majority of voters want water company bosses whose firms pollute rivers to be threatened with criminal prosecution, according to a new poll.

Hugo Gye, Daniel Capurro inews.co.uk 

Currently, the companies themselves can be held liable for pollution, but individual executives rarely are.

Asked whether bosses should be prosecuted if their companies have contributed to river pollution, 72 per cent of people supported the idea, with only 5 per cent opposing, according to a survey for i by Redfield & Wilton Strategies. There is little variation between different voting blocs, with supporters of all parties heavily in favour of potential criminal penalties.

The poll also found that 45 per cent of the public is dissatisfied with the current environmental condition of Britain’s waterways, while 16 per cent are satisfied.

A majority of those questioned said that water companies, local and national governments and independent regulators should all be held responsible for cleaning up rivers. Redfield & Wilton interviewed 1,500 adults in Great Britain earlier this week.

Campaigner Feargal Sharkey told i: “These polluters need to be held accountable, they need to be held responsible. The fines haven’t worked and jail is now the only answer, 72 per cent of the public get it, 72 per cent of the public want it, 72 per cent of the public demand it. Government needs to stop behaving like a marriage guidance counsellor and act, and act now.”

Charles Watson, chairman of River Action, told i that it was time for politicians to take notice of the public mood.

“Polling results like this demonstrate conclusively how the scandal of our polluted rivers rivers is now a matter of huge public interest,” he said.

“Our elected politicians need to wake up fast to the fact this is going to be a major issue when votes get cast at the next General Election.”

In many cases, the discharging of sewage into waterways is entirely legal. Water companies have environmental permits specific to each treatment works, which permit them to discharge sewage if the amount of water entering the system exceeds its ability to cope.

If a works discharges outside the parameters of any permit, this is illegal.

Permits can also be put in place for numerous other ecological parameters, such as phosphorus levels.

Criminal charges can be filed for breaches of these permits, but such cases are lengthy and expensive, meaning that the Environment Agency (EA) often relies on civil penalties. Fines in those cases are currently capped at £250,000. Defra has announced that it plans to raise this to £250m, but the Environment Secretary is reportedly wavering on the idea.

For the most severe cases, the EA does pursue criminal charges, but these have resulted in fines levied against water companies, not custodial sentences for executives.

The EA spoke out last year, urging courts to impose jail sentences on water company executives when serious cases of pollution are proved. However, the Crown Prosecution Service would have to consider the public interest when deciding whether to charge executives with criminal offences, and weigh how likely they would be to secure a conviction.

Since 2015, water companies have been hit with £138m in fines, £90m of that being against Southern Water. Since 2009, water companies have self-monitored their permits.

The Office for Environmental Protection is currently investigating Ofwat, the EA and the Environment Secretary over whether they failed to properly regulate water companies in England.

Ali Morse, water policy manager for The Wildlife Trusts, says: “It is critical that regulation designed to reduce water pollution is properly enforced. This means Government resourcing statutory bodies sufficiently to monitor river health and respond to pollution incidents. We also want to see reparations for damage caused to our waterways.

“Polluters should pay for negatively impacting nature and those fines should contribute to wider habitat restoration.”

A Water UK spokesperson said: “99 per cent of sewage works are now fully compliant with their legal permits, according to the regulator – a huge improvement on previous decades.

“That means compliance issues cause a tiny proportion of pollution in rivers, the transformation of which will require hard work, innovation and investment – with £56bn already planned for storm overflows alone.

“However, if things do go wrong, then it is right the Environment Agency has a wide range of powers to deal with it; those powers already include criminal prosecution.”

i is running a Save Britain’s Rivers campaign to raise awareness of the scale of pollution in the country’s waterways, and will draw up a manifesto for our rivers in consultation with experts and policymakers.

Save Britain’s Rivers campaign

i and its sister title New Scientist, the world’s leading science magazine, have launched a joint campaign to force ministers and water companies to address the scandal of Britain’s polluted waterways.

Over the next year we will deliver hard-hitting reporting that shines a light on the crisis, including in-depth investigations, features, podcasts and live events.

The Save Our Rivers campaign has three aims:

1. Reveal what’s going on in the UK’s rivers – and why.

2. Raise awareness and understanding of the plight of our rivers – and the terrible effects of pollution on people and nature.

3. Policy change. We will draw up a manifesto for our rivers – a robust, cross-party plan on how to fix them.

We will be speaking to experts and policymakers, business leaders and public officials. We also want to hear from you, i readers, to tell the stories of your local rivers and streams.

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Serious Blue on Blue attack in County Council debate

Level of Government funding, children’s services and roads [Cllr. Stuart Hughes’ deteriorating assets] all came under attack from a North Devon councillor.

‘Pull your finger out of your derrieres’

Only being kicked out at elections is going to put our Tory friends out of their misery. – Owl

Ollie Heptinstall, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

The government needs to “pull their fingers out of their derrieres” according to a Conservative county councillor.

Dermot McGeough, who represents Northam in North Devon, made the comment during a speech criticising his own party’s government and the county’s MPs at a full county council meeting on Thursday [16 February].

The ruling Conservative group’s budget for 2023/24 was approved at the meeting, but Cllr McGeough voted against it, saying responsibility for adult social care and children’s services should be given back to Westminster.

“Central government are failing us,” he said. “I’m a Conservative through and through. Never walked the floor, no intention to ever walk the floor. You cut me in half and I’m blue all the way through, which is a lot more than can be said for some people.

“We’re really, really struggling. It needs to be given back. Financially we cannot cope in Devon. Why should our residents suffer with such a huge burden on their taxes?

“Central government need to pull their fingers out of their derrieres and get it sorted for us,” Cllr McGeough added. “It’s not right. It’s not fair.”

He said the county’s children’s services, rated as inadequate by Ofsted but receiving an 18.4 per cent funding boost from April, is being “neglected” by central government.

“I want to see the best for the children of Devon. I’ve got a small child growing up. I want to see the best….I’m a Conservative. Is central government giving their best? No, they’re not giving their best.

“The MPs that are in Devon, I put this to you: ‘You wake up. Look at us. We need your help. Bloody help us.’”

He also criticised the county council’s highways department, one of a number of councillors at the meeting to lament the state of Devon’s roads.

“Highways needs a very good shake-up in my opinion,” Cllr McGeough said. “It’s not right that you leave roads in such disrepair … We’re being reactive. We’re not being proactive in anything.

“In the long run it’s going to cost this county tens and tens of millions of pounds to put right what we’re neglecting at the moment.”

In response, a spokesperson for Devon County Council, said: “Cllr McGeough’s comments were a part of a good and healthy debate on the budget at the full council meeting in which many members acknowledged the real challenges facing Devon and more widely across local government at this time.”

A government spokesperson from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “Councils have access to more than £7 billion in the next financial year to provide social care.

“We always listen closely to what they require to deliver great services, which is why this year we have set out a two-year funding guarantee so they can plan for the long term with greater confidence and certainty.”

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Fresh despair over Devon’s shoddy pothole-ridden roads

“….due to long term under investment in both maintenance and renewals our assets have deteriorated and become very fragile. ..” Cllr Stuart Hughes.

Who is responsible for your deteriorating assets Stuart? The Tory austerity programmes 1.0 and 2.0 or the Conservative Council cutting corners? – Owl

“Don’t forget, all Devon county councillors are up for election in May 2025 . Maybe if they haven’t done something about the state of our roads by then it’s time to vote the lot of them out.” Huw Thomas, Bideford

Devon Live www.devonlive.com

The number of potholes on Devon’s roads is on the up. Devon County Council saw more potholes recorded by January 20 this year than it did in the whole of January last year.

The council blamed consecutive freezing temperatures and rain, “the worst possible combination for our roads”. They said: “We are doing all we can to maintain the network in the best possible condition to keep Devon moving.”

While in 2022, the number of potholes recorded each month was well below the five year average. “However due to long term under investment in both maintenance and renewals our assets have deteriorated and become very fragile. The winter weather this year has highlighted the fragility of the network,” an answer given by Cllr Stuart Hughes, cabinet member for highways, at Thursday’s Devon County Council meeting on the state of potholes said.

But one of our readers seems to have raised real concerns about the state of Devon’s roads The letter, sent into our sister print title the North Devon Journal, questions whether highways teams are even bothering trying to maintain the roads.

Read the full letter below

Do your readers think Devon County Council has given up trying to maintain our roads?

As more and more drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are finding out the hard way, the number and size of potholes in our roads seems to be expanding exponentially.

One Barnstaple resident, Graham Payne, has even set up a Facebook group to try and hold DCC to account.

The North Devon Pothole Community was only set up a few weeks ago but already has more than 1,000 members angry about the state of our roads.

I wrote to my county councillor about the general situation and a few specific examples around Bideford. I did get the good news that the “bottom half” of Manteo Way is to be resurfaced in April, though there is no date for repairs to the lower end of Clovelly Road.

I won’t hold my breath regarding Manteo Way either. That was due to be resurfaced previously but the work was postponed following budget cuts.

I realise DCC has many costs to juggle, including social care and education. But it also has a legal duty to maintain the safety of roads and pavements under the Highways Act 1980. Many would think DCC has not only failed in this duty but isn’t even really trying.

My councillor said the bad weather before Christmas had exacerbated the situation. This may be true but many of our roads have been in a dreadful, if not to say dangerous, state for years.

DCC does have a system for paying compensation to those whose cars have been damaged after hitting potholes but I’ve heard many stories of the excuses they find to avoid paying up.

I asked my councillor how many pothole damage claims DCC is facing and what this is costing the county (and its taxpayers). She said she didn’t have the information.

I could put in a Freedom Of Information request but she warned: “while highways officers are researching replies to your queries they are not getting on with the current work load”.

So, a bit of a Catch-22 situation. We can’t challenge the council because then their highways department will be able to achieve even less?

You’d think DCC would be fighting for more funding from national government. But when I raised this with my county councillor, she trotted out the tired excuse that when the Conservatives took power: “there was a note left for them saying that there was no money left”.

You’d think that after more than 13 years in power the Tories would stop blaming the lack of funding for county councils on how Labour coped with the worldwide financial crash of 2008. I seem to remember this was mainly caused by bankers, a number of whom later became Tory MPs and senior ministers.

Don’t forget, all Devon county councillors are up for election in May 2025 . Maybe if they haven’t done something about the state of our roads by then it’s time to vote the lot of them out.

Huw Thomas

Churchill Road, Bideford