Category Archives: Cranbrook

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17 Aug 2015

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Affordable and Social Housing, Cranbrook, EDDC

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Whose “bright idea” was it to have too little office space in Cranbrook? Whose even “brighter” idea was it to convert a new 3 bed house to get some?

Cabinet, 12th Aug 15, 5.30pm)

Click to access combined-final-agenda-120815.pdf

p.53 “planning permission would be required to change the use of a house to some form of office accommodation”

They are referring to a planning application to turn a newly-built 3 storey town house with no disabled access to upper floors into office space for which EDDC is prepared to pay out £25,000 for capital costs and £30K for revenue costs.

It appears that the very little amount of space available above the Younghayes Community Centre is already spoken for and the conversion of this house is EDDC’s answer to the underprovision:

http://www.exeterandeastdevon.gov.uk/retail-space-at-cranbrook/

With Cranbrook set to double, triple, quadruple or quintuple expand over the next few years, one wonders whether developers care about office provision.

Does it provide less profit than housing, perhaps? Why has the Local Plan not made adequate provision? Is this the first of many houses to be converted? Will any of this space be suitable for disabled access? Or was everyone expected to work at Skypark!

Another omnishambles.

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14 Aug 2015

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Cranbrook

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All is not well at Cranbrook

A recent social media exchange – reported verbatim:

Post 1
Found out today that contrary to prior media advertisement that the new school will have a floodlit AstroTurf, turn out there is no lighting there so cannot be used by the community for most of the year. So bad news for the local football club and bad news if anyone was hoping for kids sports teams to use it in the winter evenings. Again, contrary to the previous media articles regarding the new facilities there. Wonder what the reasoning is behind this. Will be approaching the school trust, east devon council and the fa for a reason why this has been skimped on or maybe even forgotten! (Surely worse?) I’m sure il be told this page isn’t ur correct outlet for this message but think people should be aware of this. Personally I feel very much conned and I know I’m not the only one
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Comment taken out of sinc I know for a fact that the Ted Wragg trust were awarded the running of the school on the strict understanding that their facilities would be made available for use by the community!
I presume that they never made the decision for it not to be floodlit, but surely even they would be bright enough (no pun intended)to see that the facility would be rendered useless for most of the year?
6 people like this.

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Sarah-Jane Edmonds Jon we have no issue with it being discussed here – however, these comments need to be also directed to the Cranbrook Town Council so they can help fight this issue. They won’t use this page for info etc so please copy your message also to them on their page …
https://www.facebook.com/cranbrooktowncouncil
19 hrs · Edited · Like · 1

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Jon Elstone I have messaged them
19 hrs · Like · 1

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Jon Elstone Doubt they will be able to do much now though, have been informed by a electrical person that it would cost a fortune to install them at this stage. Another cranbrook balls up but never mind
19 hrs · Like · 1

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Jonathan Martin I know for a fact that the Ted Wragg trust were awarded the running of the school on the strict understanding that their facilities would be made available for use by the community!
I presume that they never made the decision for it not to be floodlit, but surely even they would be bright enough (no pun intended)to see that the facility would be rendered useless for most of the year?
19 hrs · Like · 2

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Kelly Curran
Kelly Curran’s photo.
17 hrs · Like · 3

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Jonathan Martin If the shops and train station are anything to go by we should see some progress in 3 or 4 years time then?
Thanks for clarifying that Kelly!
17 hrs · Like · 1

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Gareth White So were going to get 2 all weather pitches?
16 hrs · Like

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Steve Barfe Looks like it Gareth White, which is great but doesn’t help us with a solution for somewhere to train in the meantime as all other facilities within a reasonable distance are not available to us for one reason or another!
15 hrs · Like

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Pamela Cowell Typical EDDC.
14 hrs · Like · 1

Post 2:
Dear All,

I will not send you anymore updates on this page but have sent this follow up to give you some idea of the nature of what is currently going on via propaganda and the Cranbrook Facebook page. The query over the football pitch was moved over to town councillors page and then a picture of a table tennis table being used at Cranbrook and a very quick response from the town council followed on the Cranbrook page- This page is being manipulated, edited and sanitised to create an entirely false picture of what it is like to be a resident at Cranbrook and as Jon says the town and its promised facilities is starting to appear to be ‘a bit of a con’.

Warmest wishes,

Debbie

Please see Jon and Sarah-Jane Edmonds comments below:(

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Jonathan Martin The problem with any sports activities in cranbrook at the moment is the lack of facilities!
We’ve recently found out that the new astro pitch at the school, has been built without any floodlights!
So this basically renders it useless in the winter mo…See More
23 hrs · Like · 1

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Jon Elstone Another example of a promise being made and advertised and then changed. Same as train station and a few other examples. I have the news article from 18 months ago saying how the new school would be open and aimed for community use and now turns out that the school don’t really want to be open for community use and someone has decided to skimp on the floodlights. Maybe people in future should take the developers promises and plans with a huge dollop of salt
20 hrs · Like

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Sarah-Jane Edmonds Perhaps this is something that could be fed into the town council and they can look into supporting the cause? If interested pop on their page and drop them a message as they don’t want any correspondence via this page as it’s too much time for them to manage both comments here and on their page.
20 hrs · Edited · Like · 1

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Jon Elstone Will do for sure but people who live here have a right to know that there is a huge amount of broken promises and delays which really are starting to make the town appear like a bit of a con.
20 hrs · Like · 2
Debbie Russell

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31 Jul 2015

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Cranbrook, East Devon Growth Point, EDDC, Skypark

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Skypark delivery company will add only 127 new jobs

The rest are relocating from the current Sowton depot:

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/DPD-Exeter-driver-recruitment-drive-ahead-new/story-27515710-detail/story.html

Not quite the thousands of jobs Skypark was expected to attract. The ambulance centre also relocated which just leaves the E.ON energy centre as the only new employment on the site.

One can see why EDDC were so keen to help the developers of the part-EDDC owned site by moving there. Indeed if the supermarket at Honiton had not been cancelled no doubt they would have been making their plans for a move to the edge of Exeter. So convenient for the Rugby World Cup!

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24 Jul 2015

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Cranbrook, East Devon Growth Point, EDDC, Exeter City Council, Greater Exeter, Skypark, West End: WestClyst BroadClyst/ Pinhoe

Anyone notice something about this press release for Exeter Science Park?

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Exeter-Science-Park-Centre-set-welcome-businesses/story-27477506-detail/story.html

Answer: it is a non-story! At no point in the puff job is a potential tenant named!

EDDC us a partner in this project, along with Skypark, once touted as a suitable place for its new HQ and still with the majority of its space empty.

It seems all is not well at these so-called high-tech industrial areas on the outskirts of Exeter and Cranbrook. Yet thousands of houses are already being built for people supposed to be working in them. Recipe for disaster?

But still, a good exercise in making no news good news!

Perhaps our councillors should be scrutinising these projects and how much it is costing us to keep these sites ticking over and publicised.

Exeter Science Park was “topped out” in August 2014:

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Exeter-Science-Park-counting-opening-new-centre/story-22122385-detail/story.html

Skypark was supposed to provide 7,000 new jobs. Only three companies currently operate on the site: the E.ON energy centre for Cranbrook, ampn ambulance call centre and a locally-relocated parcel delivery service. It has proved impossible to find on the net just how many NEW jobs these three organisations have provided at Skypark.

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20 Jul 2015

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Affordable and Social Housing, Cranbrook, DCC, EDDC, Land Supply, Local Plan

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Cranbrook: the numbers just don’t stack up

Following on from the post where Devon County Council foresees a town “as big as Barnstaple” at Cranbrook. we have received the following comment which is upscaled to a post here:

Here are some historical EDDC statements about the size of Cranbrook:

Cabinet 2 May 2012 – “The Local Plan anticipates the completion of 6,000 homes at Cranbrook in the period to 2026 representing a likely population in excess of 13,000 people.”

Cabinet 3 April 2013 – “More broadly this pace of delivery is fundamental to supporting the achievement of the Local Plan, with circa. 60% of the remaining strategic housing requirement due to be accommodated at Cranbrook with expansion up to circa 6,500 homes over the plan period.”

Cabinet 4 Sept 2013 – “It is anticipated that by 2026, 6,000 new homes and associated town centre and other facilities will have been built. Assuming an occupancy rate of 2.2 persons per dwelling this is likely to mean that Cranbrook’s population will reach approximately 13,000 people – similar to Honiton by 2026. These 6,000 new homes are anticipated to come forward as a consequence of the following: Outline planning application 03/P1900 granted in October 2010 for the first 2,900; A Full Planning application for 600 homes (submitted on 2 August 2013) and (at the time of writing, being checked for validation) the ‘East and West Expansion Areas’ – allocated for approximately 2,500 homes in the emerging Submission East Devon Local Plan 2006-2026.”

Cabinet 4 June 2014 – “The vision for Cranbrook clearly anticipates that it will be much more than a housing estate with it being seen instead as a “new East Devon ‘market town’” with a “fully functional town centre” that is “ideally placed to perform a role in serving tourism in East Devon”.”

Cabinet 5 Nov 2014 – “The new Local Plan identifies both east and west expansion areas for Cranbrook to bring the overall level of development to about 6,000 houses. The new local plan does also show an indicative location for about 1500 houses to the south of the old A30 Honiton Road after 2016. New Community Partners (NCP) have advised that they will be submitting an outline planning application for the east, west and southern expansion of Cranbrook comprising possibly 4,000 houses before the end of 2014. The NCP held a “Cranbrook to 2031’ public exhibition on 15 and 16 October and before the end of this calendar year we expect to receive an application or applications for the largest residential scheme East Devon DC has seen in many years.”

EDDC Web site today – What is Cranbrook all about? – “Currently, a total of 3,561 homes, two primary schools, a secondary school, town centre, local centre and associated infrastructure and green spaces have planning permission but there are plans for a further 4,000 homes and associated infrastructure set out in the New Local Plan meaning that the town is planned to grow to a total of around 6,000 homes by the year 2026 and to 7,500 homes beyond that. This equates to a town of approximately 15,500 people (slightly larger than Sidmouth or Honiton).”

So, EDDC’s official position is originally 6,000 houses / 13,000 people , and now targeted at 7,500 homes (which would be c. 16,250 people). So I am not sure where 30,000 people has come from – or why a second station is needed when the population is actually projected to be only half the size of Barnstaple.

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20 Jul 2015

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Affordable and Social Housing, Cranbrook, DCC, EDDC, Local Plan

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Cranbrook to be “bigger than Barnstaple”?

The Cranbrook Herald is running a front page story which says that, according to Devon County Council, Cranbrook will need a second railway station because eventually “it could be bigger than Barnstaple” (pop: 30,000 plus).

http://www.cranbrookherald.com/home

This is an even bigger increase than that announced late last year (around 20,000):

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Cranbrook-set-double-size-new-proposals/story-23165420-detail/story.htmlj

The current population estimate of Cranbrook is around 2,500:

http://eastdevon.gov.uk/news/2015/07/a-bright-future-for-a-brand-new-town-writing-the-next-chapter-in-cranbrooks-history/

It’s 7 shops will open later this year: a cafe, fish and chip shop, a Chinese takeaway, a small Co-op, an estate agent, a pharmacy and a charity shop.

Talks about new roads into Cranbrook (which the new town council don’t like because they are “dull and not pretty” with insufficient access for the planned supermarket and a pub) seem to hint that there may also be a bigger supermarket in the offing.

Not much infrastructure for 30,000 people! Still at least they can eat, drink, be merry, sort out their hangovers and buy cheap clothes and then, when they are ready to move, they can use the estate agency! Though with many homes likely to be buy-to-let from cashed-in pensions and the like, the rental side may be busier.

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14 Jul 2015

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Cranbrook

Just how big is Cranbrook going to get – two railway stations big!

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Second-station-planned-Cranbrook-despite-long/story-26898509-detail/story.html

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9 Jul 2015

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Affordable and Social Housing, Cranbrook, East Devon Electoral/Returning Officer, East Devon Tories, EDDC, Local Plan

Cranbrook – over developed say – developers!

Interesting snippet from yesterday’s local plan hearing. Apparently developers were complaining that over-development in Cranbrook is depressing prices there and there is more money (sorry, better opportunities for housing supply) in other parts of the district.

Mr Thickett asked rather plaintively where the employment land was for the larger town. It appears planners had’nt really got to grips with that (though, of course, Skypark down the road and the abandoned inter-modal freight site are deserts waiting for rain),

Lower prices are better for us, not good for developers. Who does EDDC support?

Wonder what Mr Thickett thought of that?

He seems increasingly fed up with his visits to East Devon to try to sort things out – might he be ready to throw in the towel and rip the Local Plan up?

If he did the developer free-for-all will continue for years. That surely is not what East Devon Tory councillors want.

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2 Jul 2015

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Cranbrook, East Devon Growth Point, Environment (local), Greater Exeter

Devon urban sprawl

The region saw just over 5,000 acres consumed by urban growth in six years, according to a the survey, which shows the loss of an area almost the size of the Quantock Hills or Windsor Great Park, in the outskirts of London.

Almost 4.5% of the arable land in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset saw was turned into bricks and mortar between 2006 and 2012, the new map shows.

This represents around a seventh of the 35,000 acres of agricultural land lost to the spread of towns and cities across the whole UK.

http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Satellite-shows-4-5-Westcountry-swallowed-urban/story-26816236-detail/story.html

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1 Jul 2015

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Cranbrook, EDDC, Local Plan, Skypark

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Gypsy and Travellers policy: 7 years and still we don’t have one (but EDW has the answer!)

Planning Inspector Mr Thickett comes to East Devon – again – next week to see if the Council’s Local Plan is yet fit for purpose.

One of his comments in March last year was that the district had no gypsy and traveller policy. Fifteen months later, and with the subject due to be investigated next week, we learn that we STILL don’t have a policy but we DO have half a million pounds set aside to try to come up with one:

http://www.devon24.co.uk/news/500_000_allocated_to_find_sites_for_gypsies_1_4126709

And, as Councillor Mike Allen so clearly puts it:

“This particular approach had been an absolute essential since around 2008, when we started looking at the proposals.

“I’m very disappointed that it’s taken six or seven years to bring forward any proposals because if the local plan fails, it’s due to lack of gypsy and traveller sites.

“I thoroughly endorse the proposal – it’s long overdue.”

The article goes on to say:

“Subject to approval by the local plan inspector, the council will put out a call for sites – areas, such as Cranbrook, on the western side of East Devon have been earmarked as potentially suitable.

As well as the proposed £500,000 budget for purchasing sites, the council is looking into other sources of finance available to it.”

Bet people in Cranbrook didn’t see that one coming!

Fear not councillors – East Devon Watch has the answer! Simply put the site next to EDDC’s new Headquarters at Heathpark, Honiton. That way, councillors get to keep an eye on the site and ensure that it works!

Then again, Skypark has a lot of empty space now, we hear!

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27 Apr 2015

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Claire Wright, Cranbrook, General Election, Hugo Swire, Sidmouth/ Sidford/ Sidbury, Voting

Final General Electionhustings this week: Sidmouth (Tuesday) Cranbrook (Wednesday)

Final chance to make up your mind or change your mind!

Remember, East Devon Conservatives say it is too close to call – your vote REALLY WILL COUNT this time round!

gotpv

Sidmouth:  Tues. 28 April 2015

VGS General Election Hustings 7.30 pm for 7.50 pm start.

Questions to be submitted in advance to info@visionforsidmouth.org

Cranbrook: Wednesday 29 April 2015

St Martin’s School – opposite Younghayes Centre

7.30 pm for 8.00 pm start 9.30 pm finish

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13 Apr 2015

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Cranbrook

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East Devon Tories don’t want development in Cranbrook to be controlled by a “politically motivated” town council!

Reading between the lines it seems to suggest that people in Cranbrook will be left to find their own money for their own projects especially as

“The Economic Development Strategy recommends that we work with the community enterprise company [in Cranbrook], because it has greater access to funding, is able to conduct business and enterprise activity more freely than a town council and is not politically motivated.”

So, EDDC Conservatives don’t want development in Cranbrook controlled by a town council – interesting!  Seems that polling might have shown that many people in Cranbrook might well not vote Tory or think the East Devon Tory Way!

Or perhaps their strategy is that ALL town councils should be replaced by an “Economic Development Strategy” – maybe on the lines of the Local Plan’s concentration on “high economic growth”.

Source: http://www.theexeterdaily.co.uk/news/local-news/enterprise-development-strategy-cranbrook

 

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6 Apr 2015

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Cranbrook, Exeter City Council, Local Plan

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Exeter homes are unaffordable – so where do housebuyers go?

The article cited below blames not only high house prices but also the fact that many sites in the city boundary are now snapped up for student housing (which is not counted in Local Plans). With more than 18,000 students that means that Exeter is bursting at the seams and when a site (green or brown) becomes available in the city, the University snaps it up, leading to the “town v gown” mentality common in most big university cities.

The number of student dwellings in the city rose from 1,495 in October 2009 to 2,975 in October 2014 – an increase of 98.99 per cent.
 says the article.

Towns such as Cranbrook and Newton Abbott are therefore becoming dormitories and commuter belts for what EDDC is already calling “Greater Exeter” – meaning many people must take to their cars in East Devon to get to their jobs in Exeter and those same people use their cars to get to entertainment and leisure facilities in the city. Bus travel is being cut not expanded, so no help there.

With EDDC’s choice of high economic growth for our Local Plan this basically means we now have to dance to Exeter’s tune – the more jobs Exeter creates, the more houses we have to build. The more sites the University buys in the city, the more workers must find alternatives elsewhere.

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Exeter-affordable-cities-home-buyers/story-26286503-detail/story.html

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2 Apr 2015

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Cranbrook, East Devon Alliance, East Devon Growth Point, EDDC, Greater Exeter, Latest news, Local Plan, National Planning Policy Framework, West End: WestClyst BroadClyst/ Pinhoe

Cranbrook to swallow Rockbeare?

See http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Villagers-concerned-250-homes-plan-connect/story-26269146-detail/story.html

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1 Apr 2015

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Cranbrook, Misc

Planning application seeks to join Cranbrook and Rockbeare with 250 houses on green wedge

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Villagers-concerned-250-homes-plan-connect/story-26269146-detail/story.html

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1 Apr 2015

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Cranbrook

District heating (as supplied in Cranbrook) heavily criticised by Which

The Which? investigation of pricing plans of more than 50 schemes supplying heat to 90,000 households found would-be buyers were misled by incorrect information about costs, and angry they could not switch supplier.

Other problems included unclear billing, making it difficult to work out whether heating costs were fair or accurate, and poor customer service and complaints handling, with many having no access to Ombudsman schemes or independent redress if things go wrong.

One such disgruntled district-heating scheme user, living in Bow, explains he and fellow residents faced problems with the communal pipework silting up, meaning on occasion there wasn’t sufficient heat available and some problems using the controls — “which are unnecessarily complicated”.

But the real surprise was the cost.

“A communal-heating system is meant to be more efficient that individual systems, and our flats are heavily insulated with a clever ventilation system too,” the building-services engineer, who wanted to remain anonymous, explains.

“The radiators are tiny as the flat doesn’t need much heat to keep it warm. So you’d expect the monthly heating cost to be relatively low, yet it’s been £69 a month in our three-bedroom flat over the winter — more than our previous, flat which was almost 100 years old, and had an inefficient, old boiler.

“On top of that we pay a huge, monthly heating standing charge of more than £500 a year, which covers the cost of plant maintenance and future replacement. And with such well-insulated buildings, some have had to install air conditioning to cool down their overheating flats.

“Our windows are so small — to stop heat escaping — that we have to have some of the lights on even in the middle of the day. I’m fairly sure this more than offsets the heating savings.”

http://www.standard.co.uk/business/money/on-the-money-households-face-high-costs-and-low-satisfaction-with-district-heating-10147222.html

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27 Mar 2015

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Cranbrook, East Devon Growth Point, EDDC, Environment (local), Local Plan, Mid Devon, West End: WestClyst BroadClyst/ Pinhoe

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Local Plans: with the same figures, Mid-Devon opts for low growth in housing numbers East Devon opts for high growth

AFTER FOUR YEARS OF BATTLING THE SIDFORD INDUSTRIAL ESTATE IS STRUCK FROM LOCAL PLAN

The hugely controversial industrial estate, proposed at Sidford was today struck from EDDC’s Local Plan, following a proposal by Cllrs Stuart Hughes and Graham Troman.

The five hectare site was inserted into the Local Plan at the last minute when I was a member of the panel back in 2011.

It has taken local people four years of campaigning for the council to finally agree to delete it. Many votes of a similar nature have been taken in the past and have failed. Today’s got through.

The move took place at today’s extraordinary full council meeting to discuss revisions to the local plan.
I blasted the council for opting YET AGAIN for unevidenced and huge levels of growth that are contrary to consultants recommendations.

How many consultants have to tell EDDC that the right way forward is low growth before they actually listen? The answer is they never will listen. They (who I am not entirely sure) wants big big levels of development in East Devon – and so shall it be.

That is, until the planning inspector takes a look at it and wonders what on earth is going on.

A press release was issued by EDDC earlier this month which contained a grossly untrue statement about the planning inspector recommending the levels of growth that EDDC have opted for.

The planning inspector made no such recommendation. This was a disgraceful attempt to try and fool the public into believing that EDDC is doing the will of the planning inspector, who threw out the draft local plan last year.

See here for my blog earlier this week on what EDDC has done …. http://www.claire-wright.org/…/eddc_proposes_highest_housin…

Frankly, the council has sold the western end of the district off to the highest bidder. Villages like Clyst Honiton, Rockbeare and Blackhorse are set to be absolutely swamped in urban sprawl.

The council promised Rockbeare that it would be protected by a green wedge. If you saw the area that Cranbrook is set to expand now, massively south of the old A30, you would be shocked. Rockbeare is set to be lost amid bricks and concrete.

Whimple was supposed to have a green wedge to protect it from Cranbrook.
Not any more.

Whimple’s green wedge is proposed to have a great chunk eaten out of it as Cranbrook also sprawls to the east.

Given that councillors have never had the chance to question the consultants I moved an amendment that both sets of consultants are invited to the next overview and scrutiny committee meeting.

This amendment was argued against by the chief executive, who for some reason decided to mention my “parliamentary ambitions.”
It was voted down mainly by the conservative group.

My second amendment proposed an extension of the consultation period by two weeks, making a total of an eight week consultation period. This proposal was carried, despite some senior conservatives arguing against it.

Interestingly, I informed the council that Mid Devon District Council (which has been working with EDDC on this) has opted for a low growth scenario for its district. This is because Mid Devon councillors did not wish to concrete over any more of the countryside than they had to.

So why has EDDC opted for such a high growth level?(it is impossible to even match the levels to any figures in the reports!)

The chief executive said it was because East Devon is a “growth area.”
But I replied, the consultants knew this before they drafted their report didn’t they.

Yet they still recommended a preferred approach of significantly lower development, that is also in line with government growth projections.
Why oh why is EDDC doing this?

The Local Plan, with some minor amendments, was voted through by the majority of councillors.

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22 Mar 2015

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Affordable and Social Housing, AONB, Clyst St Mary, Cranbrook, Development Management Committee, East Devon Tories, EDDC, Local Plan, Local Plan Inspector

Local Plan version 2: a layperson’s summary

The Development Management Committee meets this week to nod through the latest draft of our Local Plan, after which it will go out for consultation.

It’s just about a year since the first version was inspected and thrown out straight away – the Inspector saying he expected to re-hear it in October 2014.

That month came and went and the excuse was: we have LOTS more work to do, be patient.

Those dealing with the revised plan were given few extra resources (around £50,000 worth when costs last published), more resources being piled into headquarter PRE-relocation work (£750,000 plus at least £10,000 to keep consultants reports on the project secret after EDDC was taken to court by the Information Commissioner for refusing to publish them).

February 2015: and we are told consultants reports are “imminent” but must not be published before local elections (May 2015) as they are deemed to be “too politically sensitive”. However, Mid Devon (relying on the very same consultants reports) decided to put their Local Plan out for consultation, eventually publishing the reports for the public with no qualms about their sensitivity.

Our Inspector would have no truck with this “political sensitivity” excuse and said he expected our new draft Local Plan to be out for public consultation by April 2015, election or no election.

Out of the mist came the consultants report – short, based on widely available figures and with no explanation as to why they had taken so long and soon after what appears to be a new draft Local Plan hurridly changed to reflect the new numbers and with an extra addendum of vastly more housing for Cranbrook and Clyst St Mary.

The Local Plan still appears to be (possibly fatally) flawed. Whereas it fixes on a number (18,000 plus houses including windfalls) IT DOES NOT MAKE IT CRYSTAL CLEAR WHERE EXACTLY THEY WILL GO except for Cranbrook and Clyst St Mary.

The report says some towns will have their built-up boundary respected (e.g. Sidmouth) whereas no such promise is made in other places (e.g. Budleigh Salterton). Some towns and villages have little idea of what their allocations will be or where they are to go. That makes Neighbourhood Plans very difficult.

What are the chances of this draft Local Plan being passed by the Inspector? Layperson’s opinion: very slim.

Whatever happens it will be a THIRD council that carries the can – the previous two having failed to get to grips with an out-of-date plan. Let us hope the new council will do a better job than the first two (big Conservative majority) councils did.

A vote for Independents is a vote for a new Local Plan to protect the district from free-for-all development. Heaven knows what a vote for Conservatives would bring on past and present performance!