In his weekly column Simon Jupp apologises for the turmoil in Westminster but not for the economic damage his government has inflicted on us by sheer incompetence.  A few weeks ago Liz Truss announced unfunded tax cuts, especially for the wealthy with disastrous consequences.

Now the new Chancellor is planning an austerity budget of tax rises and spending cuts, austerity 2.0.

We have consumer price inflation over 10%, food cost inflation at 17%, increases in mortgages, fuel bills that many cannot afford (fuel inflation 30%, gas temporarily capped at 100%, electricity capped at 54%) and we are facing a recession.

Pensioners and benefit claimants once more face cruel uncertainty over whether or not they will be paid in debased currency.

He also returns to his theme of trying to distract attention by criticising the non-Tory Council. This time for “not listening”.

But Simon, who were you listening to when you voted in the fracking lobby?

New Prime Minister will unite and deliver

Simon Jupp MP’s Weekly column for the local press:

Politicians don’t often apologise.

In political circles, it can be seen as weakness. Frankly, I really could not care less what politicos in Westminster think about me. I’m here to serve you.

I’ll be honest, I am annoyed by recent events. As your MP, I want to apologise for the turmoil in Westminster.

Although I campaigned for Rishi Sunak in the summer, I accepted a position in Liz Truss’ government because I wanted it to work. Unfortunately, it didn’t. At the time of writing, the markets and pound have responded positively to Rishi Sunak’s decisive victory in the leadership contest.

We have a mandate from a landslide election win for the Conservative Party in 2019. My party must quickly unite under Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, get a grip, and govern.

It’s the message I heard loud and clear on Saturday as I knocked on doors with Paul Carter, the Conservative candidate in the upcoming Newton Poppleford and Harpford by-election next month. I’m typically out most weekends taking part in coffee mornings, community events, or speaking to people on the doorstep.

Westminster can be quite an isolating place, which is why it is important to come back to my home in Sidmouth. I’m often stopped in the street or in the shops. I hope you’ll always feel that I’m accessible as your MP.

On a final note this week, you may have noticed that I have been “bleating” about the reluctance of Liberal Democrat party member Cllr Paul Arnott to get his councillors to come out from behind their keyboards, return to physical meetings, and reopen East Devon District Council’s offices in Exmouth and Honiton. Thankfully, the Conservative Group, working cross-party with Labour and councillors in Cranbrook, defeated the current administration. Councillors will return to physical meetings soon.

Cllr Arnott should listen to local public concern and reopen Exmouth Town Hall and Blackdown House to the general public. I’m hoping that much like the totally unnecessary debacle with traders on Exmouth’s Strand, the council’s current administration will see sense.

Owl’s view on virtual council meetings can be found here.

[Fact check: Cllr Arnott leader, abstained in the vote, as did Cllr Ian Thomas, the Chair – can’t get fairer than that!] 

EDDC has taken, what in Owl’s opinion is a retrograde step, by agreeing to a motion inspired by the Tory group to return to physical meetings immediately.

The issue is not entirely straightforward as was reflected in the subsequent vote.

By not amending fifty-year-old legislation the virtual meetings held during lockdown are not considered “legal”. They are deemed to be only “consultative”, resulting in councillors not making “decisions” but only “recommendations” for officers to act upon. These temporary arrangements have had to be extended, then extended again, though in practice they worked very well especially in increasing public engagement.

So, our Tory friends (seeking a distraction maybe), argued virtual council meetings couldn’t be properly “democratic”. Council Officers are working to introduce a hybrid system, and will make proposals in December, but the Tories can’t wait.

Yes, physical meetings for certain purposes and occasions are important and will be occasionally necessary but virtual meetings have overwhelming advantages in terms of transparency and public engagement. They also make being a councillor accessible to a much wider section of the community eg those with family commitments or those with mobility problems.

How are you meant to get to Blackdown House by public transport these days?

To stop all virtual meetings before hearing about what hybrid meetings might offer is to throw out the baby with the bath water.

At heart, this decision is discriminatory. Hopefully, more sensible decisions will be made when the subject is revisited.

Making more use of virtual meetings in all walks of life is essential if we are to increase productivity and economic growth, whilst cutting our carbon footprint. Why are Tories so set against the idea?

Here is what Green Cllr Olly Davey, Exmouth, has written in the Exmouth Journal:

WHILE I would have thought that our MP. Simon Jupp, might have had other things on his mind than attacking EDDC over its decision to continue with virtual meetings, I suppose we must expect such attacks to continue as we approach Council elections next May.

A week after his column was printed, a virtual meeting of Full Council rejected advice from the Monitoring Officer to continue with virtual meetings for a few more months until a reliable hybrid system could be adopted, and voted instead to resume in-person meetings for all committees with statutory powers, so that delegation of decisions to relevant officers would no longer be required. This was done on the basis that delegation was “undemocratic”, and it was even suggested that councillors were not doing the job they were elected to do, which even a casual glance at any of the recorded meetings will show is not the case. The Council has continued to function in almost exactly the same way

Had the Government amended the 1972 Local Government Act, as it had the opportunity to do when the emergency legislation enabling virtual meetings came to an end in May 2021, delegation to officers would not have been necessary. A law drafted 50 years ago, not surprisingly, did not anticipate the advances in technology that we now benefit from. This was despite lobbying by the Local Government Association and many councils who could see the savings in carbon emissions, officer and councillor time, increased public access, and greater transparency of decision making. We might not all have wanted to continue with virtual meetings, but it would have been good to have had the choice.

So now that “democracy” has been restored, what does this mean? Well, firstly, if you enjoyed watching Council and committee meetings being live streamed on YouTube, you now will only be able to see certain committees, while the heavy hitters like Planning and Cabinet will no longer be available, except in audio (possibly). If you want to attend meetings to protest about or support certain proposals or just to observe, you will have to come to Blackdown House. That doesn’t sound much like “democracy” to me.

For a number of the committees of which I am a member, I shall have a 35 mile round trip each time I attend. As I did before. I shall attempt to carshare with other Exmouth members, but as a Green Councillor who tries to minimise his car usage, it’s not a good outcome. If I want to drop into a Cabinet meeting because there’s an item of interest to me, I shall have to travel to Blackdown House.

I am coming round to a view that democracy is about choice – who to be governed by, what sort of society I want to live in, how I wish to live. The inability to hold legally valid virtual Council meetings may not seem very important, but it’s yet another way in which my freedom, that of the Council on which I serve, and of the general public to be able to scrutinise how we operate, has been eroded. Perhaps I can count on the support of our MP to amend the 1972 Act to enable virtual meetings but I’m not holding my breath.

South West Water challenged on ‘missing’ data

Environment campaigner Feargal Sharkey has challenged South West Water over what he claimed was missing data about sewage discharges around the Devon coast. Mr Sharkey tweeted a copy of a map showing where storm overflows had been used at the weekend, and also where no information was available.

Edward Oldfield www.devonlive.com

The former lead singer with the 70s and 80s punk band The Undertones asked South West Water why it had “stopped supplying the data”. The keen fly fisherman has in recent years been an outspoken campaigner against the pollution of the UK’s waterways.

The map he used is published by Surfers Against Sewage and gives real-time updates on water quality around the coast. It relies on data provided by the water companies on the activation of combined sewer overflows, and water quality analysis from the Environment Agency, but that only operates from May to September.

Companies are legally allowed to release a mixture of raw sewage and rainwater into the sea following exceptionally heavy rain. That is to prevent the networking backing up to cause flooding at roads, homes and businesses. Downpours can also wash animal waste and fertiliser into rivers and seas, causing a pollution risk.

One Tuesday morning, the Surfers Against Sewage map showed an ‘out-of-season’ message for the places where information provided by the Environment Agency only during the summer season was not available. Other locations showed a message that sewer systems are under maintenance and real-time alerts have been temporarily disabled. In Devon, they were Sidmouth Town, Budleigh Salterton, Dawlish Coryton Cove, Paignton Preston Sands, and Shoalstone Beach.

Meanwhile there were pollution alerts listed at Exmouth, Meadfoot at Torquay and Goodrington at Paignton, saying that storm sewage had been discharged within the last 48 hours. South West Water said it issued precautionary alerts of a possible temporary impact on bathing water quality at those locations on Sunday. That was due to heavy localised rainfall which could trigger a storm overflow, and the alerts were lifted on Monday.

Enlarged view of South West peninsular below, showing many red dots and “grayed out, info unavailable” ones particularly on the South Coast. Link to tweet here

The Environment Agency publishes its ‘Swimfo’ map updated with water quality information from designated bathing waters around the coast between May and September. It provides weekly water quality assessments and daily pollution forecasts for some locations during that period.

South West Water said its BeachLive service issues precautionary alerts when a storm overflow might temporarily impact bathing water quality, and it operates all year round with alerts issued in near real-time. It supplies information to the Safer Seas & Rivers Service, which provides the map on the Surfers Against Sewage website and a mobile phone app.

South West Water said in a statement: “Our BeachLive alerts are being sent out as normal. The third party app receives information from two sources, BeachLive and the Environment Agency’s Pollution Risk Forecast (PRF) system, which looks at rainfall over the beach catchment, along with wind and tidal data. The EA’s PRF system only operates between 1 May and 30 September and hence the app will show out of season advice for those beaches that only receive warnings from the EA PRF system.”

The statement added: “Monitors at Sidmouth Town, Dawlish Coryton Cove, Paignton Preston Sands and Shoalstone are currently under maintenance due to suspected signalling issues. We are investigating these assets and will ensure they are back online as soon as possible. This does not mean that BeachLive warnings for those beaches will not be issued. Where a beach has more than one asset that might affect its water quality then, if any asset not in maintenance mode has a spill, a warning would still be issued.”

A South West Water spokesperson said: “Precautionary alerts were raised at Exmouth, Meadfoot and Goodrington on Sunday to notify that there could have been a temporary impact to bathing water quality, due to heavy, localised rainfall which can cause our storm overflows to trigger. These alerts were lifted on Monday.

“South West Water’s largest environmental investment programme in 15 years, WaterFit, is now well underway, focused on delivering benefits for customers, communities and the environment. Through WaterFit we will dramatically reduce our use of storm overflows, reduce and then remove our impact on river water quality by 2030 and maintain our excellent bathing water standards all year round.”

The discharge of raw sewage into rivers and seas hit the headlines last year after the government rejected a plan from the House of Lords to end storm overflows. The government voted down an amendment to the Environment Bill, then did a U-turn after an outcry and announced it will tighten the law to put a legal duty on water firms to reduce the harm from storm overflows.

[The policy to build 40 new hospitals by 2030 was one of the key domestic pledges Boris Johnson announced before the 2019 election. This manifesto and subsequent electoral mandate is being used to legitimise the Sunak regime. – Owl]

Plymouth’s super health hub at Colin Campbell Court is in danger of not being built after the Government confirmed £41m of funding for the project is not available. Despite demolition work having started in Western Approach the health minister said there is no national NHS cash, which would have underpinned the scheme.

William Telford www.plymouthherald.co.uk

It means the project is now in severe jeopardy. The West End Health and Wellbeing Hub was heralded as being highly important for regenerating the lower end of the city centre and relieving pressure on Derriford Hospital.

Three city GPs’ practices would have relocated into the building too. Construction work was due to start in early 2023, but the Government has confirmed that NHS England funding will not be available and had never actually been committed.

Luke Pollard, Labour MP for Sutton and Devonport, said: “If the project gets binned because ministers have withdrawn the £41m of funding, the detrimental knock-on-effect this will have on our city’s health cannot be understated. Our city’s health GP service is facing collapse.

“People in Plymouth deserve better than a creaking health service. The Government cannot be allowed to deny us a project which could provide a lifeline for Plymouth’s health.”

At a Westminster Hall debate today he asked health minister Robert Jenrick to restore the funding or find it from elsewhere. He said: “What are the options to ensure we can build the super health hub?”

Mr Jenrick confirmed there was no national NHS funding available but said £250m had been given to the Devon Integrated Care Board, for the next three years, and that board could fund the Plymouth building if it deemed it a priority, The minister said he would visit Plymouth and broker a meeting involving Devon Integrated Care Board, stakeholders such as the city council and NHS England to look for an “innovative or creative” solution.

The West End Health and Wellbeing Centre, which at 5,700sq m is bigger than Colin Campbell House, was planned to front onto Western Approach and fill a huge part of the car park in down-at-heel Colin Campbell Court. Plans show an eye-catching three-storey block with living, plant-covered “green walls” and a glass-roofed inner “green courtyard”, with the entire building surrounded by landscaped gardens. Demolition of stores fronting Western Approach is underway.

How the planned West End Health and Wellbeing Centre, with its glazed roof creating a ‘tunnel of light’ though the building, in Plymouth could look (Image: KTA)

It was planned for the building, envisaged as one of a number of Cavell Centre in-community health and wellbeing hubs, housing the North Road West Medical Centre, Adelaide Surgery and Armada Surgery GPs’ centres, which would close and move into the building. It would also house outpatient services provided by University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, mental health, community health and diagnostic services, including X-ray, alongside a pharmacy, community kitchen and dining area, cafe, mental health area, and bookable interview and voluntary sector rooms, and small meeting “pods”, on the ground floor.

The project was also aimed at being the first segment in a regeneration of the Colin Campbell Court area, which could eventually see the refurbishment of the art deco Colin Campbell House, and the demolition and replacement of some buildings fronting Western Approach and Market Avenue with blocks of flats. And, being open seven days a week with up to 250 staff and around 3,000 appointments a day, it was predicted it would bring a huge economic boost to the area.

Mr Pollard said Plymouth’s health service is already at “breaking point” and “facing collapse”, despite the heroic effort of staff. He said some patients have been reportedly waiting more than 24 hours in an ambulance, and for an average of more than nine hours before being either admitted, treated or discharged from Derriford Hospital.

The health hub would also be based in Stonehouse, an area with the greatest health needs and lowest life expectancy in the city. Stonehouse accounts for about 20% of Derriford Hospital’s admissions and the new NHS facility was designed to improve access to health services and reduce the need for emergency admissions with early intervention and prevention.

Mr Pollard also stressed the project would be expected to generate significant financial benefits to the area, along with hopes that the investments generated would revitalise a part of the city centre that has “not received much love in recent years”.

He said: ““The super health hub is Plymouth’s flagship health project to address the GP crisis. By bringing health to the high street the aim is to treat more people earlier, prevent illness and cut emergency admissions at Derriford.

“This project matters a great deal to me. I have been campaigning for a super health hub in the city centre for years because I strongly believe the facility could be truly transformative for health in Plymouth. “

The project is a cross-party initiative and Richard Bingley, Tory leader of Plymouth City Council, said: “The West End Health and Wellbeing Centre would bring a massive range of benefits to people in Stonehouse – parts of which are in the top 1% of deprived areas in the country. The building and, most importantly, the new model of care it will deliver with integrated health and care services in one place, is a key development in addressing some of the vast health inequalities in the area.”

Mary Aspinall, Plymouth Labour’s spokesperson on health, said: “I am absolutely shocked that the rug is being pulled from under this huge investment in our city which would provide about 3,000 appointments a day and employ 250 staff. We will fight it tooth and nail. People in Plymouth do not deserve to be treated this way.”

From a correspondent: 

Yesterday four residents spoke to the EDDC Planning Committee about the issues regarding the construction of the three four story tower blocks backing on to the gardens at the bottom of Clyst Valley Road.

The application was debated at quite some length. Eventually Mike Howe suggested to the Planning Committee that they visit the proposed site and see for themselves exactly where the apartment blocks are proposed to go and just how large they will be. Residents remain hopeful that the good reasons that Charlie Hopkins ( the barrister) gave for refusal will see something that is far more in keeping for a rural village put forward.

[The Parish Council meets today at Clyst St Mary Village Hall at 2pmto discuss the vexed question of the Enfield Anaerobic Digester agenda here]

Dirty dairy farmers killing our rivers – Owl

An inspector was met with threats of violence at the start of a project in North Devon to check if farms were complying with rules to protect water quality, a report from the Environment Agency says. The study found nine out 10 of livestock businesses visited around the Taw Estuary were either causing pollution or breaking regulations.

Edward Oldfield www.devonlive.com

The project discovered a ‘surprising’ level of ‘complacency’ towards environmental rules and planning law on the farms that were visited, probably due to years of cutbacks in inspection visits. Details emerged in the report on the four-year project funded by the Environment Agency to improve the quality of waterways feeding the River Taw, which have been judged as poor or moderate due to pollution from cattle waste and fertiliser from the mostly dairy farms in the area.

An inspector visited 101 of the larger farms in the project area from 2016 to 2020. They found 66 were causing pollution, and in total 87% were either causing pollution or failed to comply with rules to protect the environment. The unannounced inspection visits resulted in advice in most cases, although there is one ongoing case of enforcement action.

The report, obtained by The Guardian under a Freedom of Information request, said the number of frontline inspection staff had been cut back in the last 15 years, which meant most farmers could expect to never have a visit during their lifetime. It said: “This may have led to complacency about regulations and a general reluctance to engage with the Environment Agency. The officer was subjected to hostility, aggression, and threats of physical violence at the start of the project, but there has been a marked change in attitude and some farmers will now contact the officer for advice.”

The officer was able to refer farmers to sources of advice and funding to improve the infrastructure on their farms, to meet regulations and reduce the risk of pollution affecting the waterways.

The 200 square kilometre area of North Devon was identified for the project, along with the River Axe in East Devon, due to concerns over the influence of farming on water quality. The inspections found problems with low quality infrastructure leading to poor management of slurry, run-off from fields rich in nutrients, and the use of fertiliser.

The area focused on was made up the catchments for the River Caen, Bradiford Water and River Yeo (Barnstaple), all of which discharge into the Taw Torridge Estuary. The Bradiford Water, Lower River Caen and Lower River Yeo were assessed as in Poor condition and the rest as Moderate.

The report said there was evidence that agriculture has a major influence on the quality of rivers. It said the low water quality in the surrounding area affected the Taw Torridge Estuary and “poses a significant risk” to bathing waters in the area, which has also seen salmon stocks continue to decline.

The estuary has protected status for shellfish, is a bass nursery, and a migration route for salmon, eels, elvers and shad in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a Unesco Biosphere Reserve. The report said the estuary waters are “failing” due to high levels of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, algae, and faecal indicators, mostly from livestock, in the shellfish waters and the beach at Instow, which has had its bathing water status removed.

The estuary discharges into Bideford Bay and can affect bathing waters from Westward Ho! to the south, through to Saunton Sands, Croyde, Putsborough and Woolacombe beaches to the north, all popular tourist destinations for water sports and vital to the area’s multi-million pound visitor economy.

The report said South West Water had invested to reduce nitrates from the major works discharging to the estuary serving Barnstaple and the surrounding area. It added: “However, the catchment continues to fail its water quality targets and it is postulated that this is mainly due to nutrient enrichment from dairy farming.”

The report said farmers in recent years had come under “intense commercial pressure” from low milk prices to expand dairy herds, often without increasing the size of storage for cattle waste, a mixture of manure and water known as slurry which is used as fertiliser. In some cases, DIY projects built without planning permission and ignoring guidelines can overflow or fail and cause pollution. The report adds: “When slurry stores have catastrophic failures, as well as risks to the environment, there is a real risk of injury or death from the physical failure of the structure or drowning.”

It said the dairy sector has “high potential” to release sediment, nitrate and phosphorus to rivers. The Taw Estuary is classed as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone, which means it has a closed season for fertiliser and manure spreading, but winter spreading often took place, often on saturated soils.

The report said there was “particular concern” at the widespread lack of compliance with slurry storage rules, which required five months of storage. The report said non-compliance with regulations and planning rules “appeared widespread”. It added: “Considering the cost of these stores, this is surprising and indicates a complacency towards environmental regulations and planning law, something that would not be so prevalent in other regulated industries.”

The corporation was live outside Downing Street on Monday as the former Chancellor was confirmed as the next UK Prime Minister.

A segment of the programme featured a Savanta ComRes poll which asked people to describe the Tory leader in one word.

Craig Meighan www.thenational.scot 

Among the popular phrases to describe the PM were “rich”, “okay”, “capable” and “liar”.

Other descriptions included “boring”, “posh” and “arrogant”.

But some viewers were surprised when they saw the words “twat” and “c***” spread across their TV screens.

The first expletive had no symbols to obscure the word while the latter had an asterisk only for the second letter.

One Twitter user shared a picture of their TV screen and said: “The BBC have accidentally broadcast the word c*** twice in a week, unbelievable scenes.”

Meanwhile Wayne David said: “I actually cannot believe the BBC News showed this Rishi Sunak word cloud earlier today.”

One user described the clip as “too funny” while another said “yeah I’d say that’s about right”.

“I would be grateful if you could convey my resignation as secretary for business, energy and industrial strategy to the King,”

Everyone, especially in the Scottish Press, is struggling with Jacob Rees-Mogg’s hand-written resignation letter dated “St Crispin’s Day”.

The last hurrah for the so-called honourable member for the 18th century is good news though. – Owl

Parliamentary Private Secretaries are appointed by ministers. So with Clarke gone our Simon will be looking for another job. Owl can’t see him being cerebral enough for Michael Gove the new levelling up minister.

With his old boss Dominic Raab back as deputy PM and Justice Secretary he could be in with a chance.

Simon will be glued to his phone for days waiting for a call.

Shock return of Suella Braverman taints Rishi Sunak’s vow to lead government with ‘integrity’.

The shock return of Suella Braverman as home secretary has undermined Rishi Sunak’s promise to lead a government with “integrity” on his first day in No 10….

Rob Merrick www.independent.co.uk (extract)

…Mr Sunak’s most significant move was to bring back the home secretary sacked – just six days ago – for a security breach that broke the ministerial code, in apparent payback for Ms Braverman backing his campaign.

The arch right-winger admitted breaching the rules by sending a policy document on an immigration shake-up from her private email to a colleague, allegedly misleading Ms Truss about it.

Just hours earlier, Mr Sunak, speaking outside No 10, had promised the country: “This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. Trust is earned. And I will earn yours.”

Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said: “Just a few hours into the job and Rishi Sunak is already putting party before country.”

Ms Braverman had left office “for breaches of the ministerial code, security lapses, sending sensitive government information through unauthorised personal channels, and following weeks of non-stop public disagreements with other cabinet ministers”, she said….

…“His decision to bring Braverman back as home secretary, less than a week after she resigned for breaching the ministerial code, suggests he intends to repeat them.”

Rishi Sunak has also appointed vehemently anti-trans Tory MP Kemi Badenoch to his cabinet as minister for women and equalities. www.pinknews.co.uk

Under the headline:

‘Fuming’ Tory members threaten to leave after being denied leader vote

The telegraph reports:

“Tens of thousands of Tory members will leave the party in anger at being denied a vote on the next leader, Rishi Sunak has been warned.

Ben Harris-Quinney, chairman of the Bow Group, the Conservative think tank, said the decision to bar members was a “terrible advert” for the Conservative Party.

And he warned that those members who remain will be less inclined to campaign for their local candidate at the next election – making a Labour victory more likely.”

Does Simon Jupp’s “door knocking” in Newton Poppleford signal the exodus has already started locally? – Owl

• Single storey rear extension, loft extension incorporating a rear hip to gable and side porch extension. 32 Willow Avenue Exmouth EX8 4QSRef. No: 22/2298/FUL | Validated: Fri 14 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Retention of roofing over silage clamp. Sandys Farm Upottery Honiton EX14 9PQRef. No: 22/2290/FUL | Validated: Thu 13 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Roofing over existing open livestock yard Gittisham Farm Gittisham Honiton EX14 3AXRef. No: 22/2291/FUL | Validated: Thu 13 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Roofing over open livestock yard. Sandys Farm Upottery Honiton EX14 9PQRef. No: 22/2292/FUL | Validated: Thu 13 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed building for hay, fertiliser and agricultural machinery storage Chineway Farm Putts Corner Sidbury EX10 0QQRef. No: 22/2285/AGR | Validated: Thu 13 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of lawful development for the conversion of a roof space to habitable use to include a rear dormer129 Victoria Road Exmouth EX8 1DRRef. No: 22/2273/CPL | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Deed of variation to amend the mortgagee exclusion clause (MEC) to the Section 106 agreement pursuant to application Land North Of Eastfield West HillRef. No: 22/2267/V106 | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed single storey rear extension 35 Regents Gate Exmouth Devon EX8 1TRRef. No: 22/2274/FUL | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Rear single storey extension and replacement outbuilding Hillhead St Mary Broadway Sidmouth EX10 8RQRef. No: 22/2275/FUL | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of conditions 2 (approved plans) and 9 (tree protection) of planning permission 21/0970/FUL (Erection of a single storey house in garden plot) to allow for removal of tree T1 Sunbeams Rhode Lane Uplyme Devon DT7 3TXRef. No: 22/2279/VAR | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Deed of variation to amend the mortgagee exclusion clause (MEC) to the Section 106 agreement pursuant to application 14/0167/MFUL and deed of variation pursuant to application 16/1049/VAR Land West Of Woodbury Road Clyst St GeorgeRef. No: 22/2266/V106 | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey rear extension to create family kitchen and living room measuring 8.00m beyond original rear wall, 2.40m to the eaves and 3.60m in total height. Applands Plymtree Cullompton EX15 2JYRef. No: 22/2269/GPD | Validated: Fri 14 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of conditions 2 (approved plans), 5 (garden subdivision) and 6 (bin and bicycle storage) of planning permission 18/1228/FUL (Conversion of existing house into 4 no. flats and re-building of existing barn in the back garden to create 3 no. flats) to correct the labelling of the west elevation and revise a window design in the west elevation, omit the car parking and communal garden, provide details of fencing and revise the bicycle parking Barn Mews King Street Honiton EX14 1ABRef. No: 22/2280/VAR | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• First floor side extension to provide accommodation, single storey front extension, replacement porch to front and associated internal alterations. 1 Moorfield Close Exmouth EX8 3QSRef. No: 22/2261/FUL | Validated: Fri 14 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two storey rear extension, alterations to fenestration and demolition of existing single storey rear extension 55 Albion Street Exmouth EX8 1JHRef. No: 22/2258/FUL | Validated: Thu 13 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Western Red Cedar – reduce height by 2 – 2.5m (close to previous pruning height). Variety of pruning cuts between 25-75mm, with a maximum of 150mm where balanced form of tree to be retained. The Dairy Old Bystock Drive Exmouth EX8 5EQRef. No: 22/2255/TRE | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Prior approval for change of use of an existing agricultural building to a hotel/guest house (Use Class C1) under Class R of Schedule 2, Part 3 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development Order 2015) (as amended) Building Adjacent Northleigh Village Hall NorthleighRef. No: 22/2249/PDR | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T2 – Hawthorn. Fell to ground level G5 – Beech & Eucalyptus. Reduce height to previous pruning points and cut back road side to in line with edge of grass verge. Long Summers Town Lane Woodbury EX5 1NERef. No: 22/2246/TCA | Validated: Tue 11 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Alteration to design of agricultural building approved under ref 17/1130/COU (retrospective), change of use of part of the landholding for amenity use including retention of timber amenity hut. Woodentops Land At Littledown Lane Newton PopplefordRef. No: 22/2243/FUL | Validated: Mon 10 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Side extension to existing care home to provide an additional 11 ensuite bedrooms. Works include demolition of existing side extension, and associated external works Malden House 69 Sidford Road Sidmouth EX10 9LRRef. No: 22/2265/MFUL | Validated: Fri 14 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of roof space to habitable use to include a 2no. front dormers, 3 x rooflights and 3 x front roof windows. 36 Post Coach Way Cranbrook Devon EX5 7BSRef. No: 22/2248/FUL | Validated: Mon 10 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Prior approval application for the addition of a 2nd storey and the addition of 3 x front dormers 36 Post Coach Way Cranbrook Exeter Devon EX5 7BSRef. No: 22/2252/GPAA | Validated: Fri 14 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Prior notification for the change of use from commercial (health and beauty suite (Use Class E(e)) to residential flat (Use Class C3). Seabrease Prospect Place Sidmouth EX10 8ASRef. No: 22/2251/PDMA | Validated: Mon 10 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of extension over garage with installation of external staircase. 2 Convent Fields Sidmouth Devon EX10 8QRRef. No: 22/2247/FUL | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of a new slurry store. Barnfield Farm Monkton Honiton EX14 9NLRef. No: 22/2245/FUL | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed New Spray Booth Compound 58 Greendale Business Park Woodbury Salterton EX5 1EWRef. No: 22/2227/FUL | Validated: Tue 11 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use from domestic Granny Annexe to Holiday let Accommodation adjacent existing dwelling house.Annexe Mathayes Farm Luppitt EX14 4SARef. No: 22/2235/LBC | Validated: Tue 11 Oct 2022 | Status: Withdrawn
• Change of use from domestic granny annexe to holiday let accommodation adjacent existing dwelling house Annexe Mathayes Farm Luppitt EX14 4SARef. No: 22/2234/FUL | Validated: Tue 11 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of existing hay shed to commercial/light industrial workshop/storage Colliton Barton Broadhembury Devon EX14 3LJRef. No: 22/2225/PDR | Validated: Tue 11 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey side extension and conversion of garage for use as a restaurant. New Fountain Inn Church Road Whimple Devon EX5 2TARef. No: 22/2232/FUL | Validated: Thu 13 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a replacement double timber garage with carport and demolition of existing asbestos garage. Jubilee House Chardstock EX13 7BHRef. No: 22/2233/FUL | Validated: Tue 11 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed construction of cider barn and tool shed Courshay Springs Hawkchurch Axminster EX13 5XFRef. No: 22/2221/FUL | Validated: Mon 10 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of hip to gable roof enlargements, veranda to front elevation, 2 x porches, alterations to fenestration and first floor side facing windows – and insertion of roof light within side facing roof slope. Springfield Hawkchurch EX13 5XBRef. No: 22/2205/FUL | Validated: Mon 10 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replace the four front windows of the property with matching style UPVC windows, retaining the existing stone cills. Myrtle Cottage The Strand Lympstone Devon EX8 5EZRef. No: 22/2206/FUL | Validated: Tue 11 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of condition no. 9 (materials and finishes) of planning permission 16/1578/MFUL for samples of materials and finishes to be used for external walls and roofs of the proposed development Mcbains Antiques Exeter Airport Clyst Honiton Exeter EX5 2BARef. No: 22/2199/VAR | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of 34 x ground mounted photo voltaic panels. Ivygreen Farm Chardstock EX13 7BYRef. No: 22/2191/FUL | Validated: Tue 11 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension, single storey side extension with alteration to fenestration, first floor rear balcony. 30 Camperdown Terrace Exmouth EX8 1EHRef. No: 22/2157/FUL | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Partial removal of wall between lounge and kitchen and install new steel box section beam and post; glazed opening between the lower part of the stair Myrtle Cottage Tipton St John Sidmouth EX10 0AWRef. No: 22/2101/LBC | Validated: Fri 14 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement of existing conservatory with widening of existing doors. Robin Cottage Sandys Lane Upottery EX14 9PLRef. No: 22/2044/FUL | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• The retention of the removal of internal plaster. Proposed works: re-plaster ground floor internal walls; removal of partition wall at ground floor and install steel beam; replace 5no. windows on rear elevation; replace 1no. door on rear elevation; windows on front elevation to have fitted internally with self-adhesive magnetic polycarbonate; replace staircase; create bathroom downstairs with extraction vent; insulate walls to lean-to at rear; lean-to floor to be insulated with limecrete (to become new bathroom and utility); install flue in lean-to for new boiler; new extraction/vent unit in lean-to; slate vent on main roof North elevation; dig out ground floor and install limecrete floor and new underfloor heating; re-pointing of front elevation; replace rainwater goods on front and rear elevation and drainage work 1 Virginia Cottages Causeway Beer Devon EX12 3JYRef. No: 22/1928/LBC | Validated: Mon 10 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Remove existing render on South elevation and re-render The Lodge Elysian Fields Sidmouth EX10 8UHRef. No: 22/0913/LBC | Validated: Wed 12 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

The Great Big Dorset Hedge project aims to create a wildlife highway stretching nearly 100 miles from the border with Somerset in the west to the edge of Hampshire in the east.

Mario Ledwith www.thetimes.co.uk

The rolling hills, wild unspoilt landscapes and bustling market squares of Dorset served as the centrepiece for much of Thomas Hardy’s work.

Describing the rural playground in Far from the Madding Crowd in 1874, the Victorian novelist and poet wrote of land divided by hedgerows that sang as the wind danced over the land.

Now, after a century of decline, a campaign group is hoping to restore the hedges that Hardy said made “a mean show as a fence” by planting a continuous line across the entirety of Dorset.

The Great Big Dorset Hedge project aims to create a wildlife highway stretching nearly 100 miles from the border with Somerset in the west to the edge of Hampshire in the east.

As well as offering food and shelter for wildlife, environmentalists say that the network will combat the effects of climate change and reinvigorate the landscape’s physical beauty.

The project has been instigated by the Dorset Climate Action Network, which said that thousands of miles of ancient hedgerows have been ripped out over the past century to accommodate agriculture and large machinery.

Volunteers are being sought to map the hedge network before planting honeysuckle, elm, hawthorn, dogwood, blackthorn and trees in the gaps. It may take a generation for the completion of a hedgerow to “stretch the length and breadth of the county”.

Jenny Morisetti, from the campaign, said: “What we are hoping to do is fill in the gaps in the existing hedgerows to create a footpath for the natural world. The idea is that insects and other wildlife will be able to move around more freely with cover without fear of predators and be more resilient to pesticides.

She added: “It’s a big project, ambitious and long-term, but we hope it will bring communities together.”

Although in its early stages, the project is being pitched as a future tool against climate change, with hedgerows protecting against flooding and soil erosion, providing shelter and helping to combat air pollution.

The charity Rewilding Britain has called for at least 5 per cent of Britain to be returned to the wild and for wildlife to be protected across another 25 per cent of land and sea to create corridors that plants and animals can move through in response to climate change.

The project is thought to be the most expensive hedgerow expansion being undertaken in the country. Similar projects are being carried out by volunteers in Devon and by the Hedgelinks organisation across the country.

Work has begun to build a new £112,000 all-weather games area in East Devon for a host of sporting and outdoor activities.

eastdevonnews.co.uk

Construction work began on Monday (October 24) at the Newton Poppleford Playing Field, near Back Lane, and is expected to continue for the next eight weeks – if the weather allows.

The district council hopes the new area will encourage new sporting teams to set up, for all-year-round activities, such as netball, walking football and other games.

Work begins on the new games area at Newton Poppleford Playing Field. Photo: EDDC.

The project, being led by Newton Poppleford and Harpford Parish Council, has been funded by East Devon District Council’s (EDDC) Section 106 money and Community Infrastructure Levy funds – cash paid to the authorities by developers to use on community projects.

Councillor Chris Burhop, Chair of Newton Poppleford and Harpford Parish Council, said: “This new multi-use games area is the result of several years of consulting with the local community, planning and hard work.

“The parish council is therefore delighted that this project can finally get underway.

“The new multi-use games area will be a step change in facilities in the parish and, having an all-weather surface, the area is bound to be well-used by a wide range of residents all year round.”

He added: “As a parish council we are committed to continue to expand the facilities of this parish, especially for sport and exercise and we will be looking at what we can do next.

“I hope we can see new teams being formed from the parish to make use of this facility, such as netball, five-a-side football and futsal.

“Many years ago, we had a netball team based in the village which had to disband when their court was resurfaced, and netball lines were not replaced. It would be great to see netball back.”

Photo shows (L-R) Michael Carter – project officer, Councillor Nick Hookway – EDDC’s portfolio holder for culture, sport, leisure and tourism, Councillor Chris Burhop – Chair of Newton Poppleford and Harpford Parish Council, Parish Councillor Susan Tribble and Jacqui Baldwin – Clerk to Newton Poppleford and Harpford Parish Council. Photo: EDDC.

EDDC said the playing field was already home to well-used tennis courts, football and cricket pitches, plus a children’s playground.

Councillor Nick Hookway, EDDC portfolio holder for culture, sport, leisure and tourism, said the district council was ‘delighted’ to help fund additional sporting opportunities in East Devon.

Cllr Hookway said: “East Devon District Council is delighted to provide funds to support Newton Poppleford and Harpford Parish Council in extending sports facilities for its residents.

“This new games area will have a big impact on improving the health and wellbeing of the local community – as regular exercise is key to good all-round health for all age groups across the community.

“As football and netball are such popular sports, let’s hope that these new facilities will help to develop local talent to meet national standards.”

“A mid-life obituary can be a gift, a course corrector, and in recent days the Conservativ Party has also had a foretaste of how it might go down in history. With the polls dipping as low as 14 points, obituaries are being written, and they are ugly: incompetence, ineptitude, lying, loafing, recklessness, selfishness, squabbling, careerism-before-country.”

Comment, Clare Foges, The Times 24 Oct 22

Simon Jupp says on facebook that he has been “knocking on doors” in Newton Poppleford ahead of the District Council by-election to fill the vacancy caused by the sad death of Val Ranger.

This prompted the following comment: “Could you please start responding to your emails, rather than galavanting round East Devon! People are still in crisis and are still needing help, even though your party is in pieces at the moment, your job still stands!”

In the 2019 election the Conservative candidate got only 114 votes, and Val romped home.

The best memorial for Val is for the people of Newton Pop to discard any apathy, overcome inertia and to get out there and vote for who will best represent the interests of their community. The candidate list can be found here 

This government doesn’t seem keen on giving people a vote these days so this might also be an opportunity to send them a message from Newton Poppleford as strong as the message sent from Tiverton and Honiton. A few letters to the press wouldn’t go amiss either.

The local Tories must be very worried if they have to send out their MP to canvass in a local election. Maybe he is the only activist left.

Jupp’s photo op follows his pet theme of supporting the hospitality sector. In this he is pretty much a lone wolf in the party as Jeremy Hunt ignored any lobbying and reimposed the increases in alcohol duty as part of Austerity 2.0 and the sector is really struggling. It faces a deadly combination of rising prices, rocketing food and energy costs and the prospect of recession, as the vital Christmas trading period looms.

BUT SO DOES EVERYONE ELSE. 

See: UK hospitality warns of ‘tidal wave’ of closures as crises loom.

Voting Tory isn’t going to help the hospitality sector.

PS Anyone answered a knock on the door to find themselves facing SJ in person or does he only visit the faithful few?

“We will come together, unite the Conservative Party, and deliver for the country.”

It is now clear that you and your party will be delivering eye watering Austerity 2.0.

Who cares a stuff about the Conservative Party?

Why is this something to celebrate? – Owl

Austerity 2.0 will be harsher than it needs to be, argues Larry Elliot in this extract from his column written on Monday before the new PM was announced.

Not that it will impact either Rishi Sunak (est worth £730M) or even Jeremy Hunt (est worth £17M) particularly. – Owl

“The incompetence and chaos of Truss’s brief period in office means that any hope, for now at least, of an alternative to deflationary policies has been extinguished. Both the Bank and the Treasury now feel obliged to pursue what they see as market-friendly rather than people-friendly policies. In tough times, the state can act as a shock absorber by spending and borrowing more, but Hunt thinks he has no choice but to make the public absorb more of the shock itself.”

Larry Elliott www.theguardian.com (extract)

Make no mistake, a Sunak premiership would be a victory for the financial markets and for the status quo more generally. And not just in Britain, either. After Truss’s humiliation during her 44 days in office, any country contemplating challenging the orthodoxy will now be having second thoughts.

This is a disaster, but one that Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng brought on themselves. As the Guardian revealed, the prime minister and her first chancellor were warned last month by economists sympathetic to their project of the need to square off the markets before revealing the contents of the mini-budget.

There was – and still is – a respectable case for the government borrowing more at a time when the economy is weak but the reasons for pursuing a more active fiscal policy needed to be spelled out. Truss and Kwarteng were told this by Gerard Lyons and Julian Jessop at a meeting in early September but chose not to listen.

The way forward was obvious. First, the Truss government should have announced details of a six-month energy price cap, an appropriate response to the hit to real incomes caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Other European countries had already announced price controls in response to higher gas prices and there was no reason why the markets would have been alarmed by a similar UK plan.

Second, Kwarteng should have announced a date for a later fiscal event at which he would make good on Truss’s leadership promises: the cut in NICs and the scrapping of the corporation tax increase, with the moves costed by the Office for Budget Responsibility. Any further changes should have been parked until a full budget in the spring of next year, again with an OBR assessment.

Instead of this step-by-step approach, Truss and Kwarteng committed blunder after blunder. All three stages were telescoped into one, the OBR was sidelined and the story became less about protecting the public from the side-effects of Putin’s war than about borrowing for tax cuts for the rich. The prime minister and the chancellor seemed surprised by the hostile market reaction but they really should not have been.

Now a hard rain is gonna fall. Kwarteng’s replacement as chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, is preparing a package of swingeing spending cuts and tax increases that will suck demand out of an economy already in the early stages of recession. In this he is being egged on by the International Monetary Fund, which thinks it is a good idea for both monetary policy – what the Bank of England does – and fiscal policy to be tightened at the same time.

But the idea should be to use a combination of monetary and fiscal policy to bring inflation down with the minimum amount of collateral damage. At a time when the Bank is in danger of being spooked into over-aggressive increases, it would make sense for the chancellor to be pushing in the opposite direction. The upshot of having monetary and fiscal policy pushing in the same direction will be an increase in company failures, higher unemployment and weaker consumer demand. The recession will be deeper and longer, making it harder for the government to meet its targets for borrowing and debt.

When Truss was running to be prime minister, she pushed back against the idea that there was a quantifiable “black hole” in the public finances that could be filled only by tax increases or spending cuts, and she was right to do so. Estimates of the public finances in the future rely on assumptions about how fast the economy will grow, because faster growth means a higher tax take, lower spending and smaller deficits.

The incompetence and chaos of Truss’s brief period in office means that any hope, for now at least, of an alternative to deflationary policies has been extinguished. Both the Bank and the Treasury now feel obliged to pursue what they see as market-friendly rather than people-friendly policies. In tough times, the state can act as a shock absorber by spending and borrowing more, but Hunt thinks he has no choice but to make the public absorb more of the shock itself.

In those circumstances, people act rationally. They spend less and save more; businesses find they have fewer customers and respond by cutting back on investment. Unemployment rises and companies go bust.

The fact that there are people on the left as well as the right who insist that Hunt has no choice other than to usher in a new age of austerity is evidence of the harm that Truss has caused. Governments always have choices, and this one has decided that a period of fiscal discipline is now necessary.

Hunt will get the full backing of whoever becomes PM for policies that will lead to more people relying on food banks and shivering in their homes this winter, fearful of turning the central heating on because of the cost. Desolation Row is about to become more desolate.

Rishi Sunak was instrumental in getting rid of Boris Johnson and came second to Liz Truss, in the process the Conservative Party concocted to succeed him.

She crashed the economy in 44 days.

In order to stay in power and avoid a general election at all costs, the Conservative Party has now decided that he should be next up for the job.

Yet we, the electorate, haven’t a clue what plan the third choice has for us is.

The new owner of a small, private airfield in East Devon has hit back at ‘nefarious’ objectors and also East Devon District Council after having to officially apply into an entity operational 365 days of the year. Farway Common Airfield, Moorlands Farm, just outside Sidbury in East Devon, was established 36 years ago and was originally operated under the ’28 day rule’.

Anita Merrit www.devonlive.com

However, it has always been available 365 days a year to both resident and visiting aircraft which is evidenced from airfield logbooks, the on-site flying school and aircraft owners. As the site doesn’t technically have planning permission, new owner and qualified pilot James Hortop, has had to apply for a Certificate of Lawful Development.

The planning application has so far received 108 public comments and of those, 56 are in support of it and 51 against. Concerns raised include noise pollution, safety concerns for those directly under flight paths and being in with an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Gary Fuller, who lives directly by the 30 acres airfield which has two runways, said: “The new person who has bought it is trying to develop it into something a bit bigger and a lot of residents have complained due to concerns about excessive noise and it is in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“I am also worried about disruption, the flight paths, being overlooked and what it could turn into. I believe the peace and tranquility we have experienced in the last 10 years will change and there will be no changing it back when the new owner gets the certificate of lawfulness.

“The person who owned it before just had it as a private airstrip. He was in his 90s and hadn’t flown for about 10 years, but he used to have people fly in and land there and would have some things running from there, but if it ever got too noisy he would put a stop to it. He ran it with respect for the neighbours.

“From what I have read on the planning application, the new person who bought it has big plans for the airfield to make it a bigger commercial venture and it will be used whenever he wants.”

Farway Common Airfield

To address concerns raised by local residents and objectors, Mr Hortop has written an open letter. In it, he states: “We are very disappointed with the obvious campaign that is running in objection to our recent application for a lawful use certificate. Many of the objections are a cut and paste from a circular letter whose writer has not properly read or understood our application.

“Despite making our contact details known and introducing ourselves to our near neighbours not a single one has opened any dialogue whatsoever as to what our plans are and our reasons for the application. We did not want to make an application; we were forced to do it.

“We write this letter in an attempt to prevent further concern, worry and fear that these circulating nefarious letters/social media posts are creating.”

He continued: “Due to unnecessary escalation from the council – with an out of the blue Contravention Notice despite writing to EDDC – we have had no choice but to apply for a Certificate of Lawful Development. This is simply to protect what has been occurring at the airfield for over 20 plus years.”

Mr Hortop added: “All we seek to do is regularise the operation of the site as a small airfield. The application to do this has been blown out of all proportion.”

Mr Hortop confirmed that its resident pilots fly around 70 to 100 hours per year (five to eight hours per month). He said: “We are also a small airfield with very limited space; we simply don’t have the room for hundreds of aircraft.”

Addressing concerns about its commercial flying school, he said: “The word ‘commercial’ has been taken out of all context. By commercial, we mean ‘for reward and employment. This does not mean an ab-initio school for would be commercial pilots who want to do circuits all day, every day.

“In fact, it would actually be illegal as such training must occur at a licenced facility. The flying school has operated for over 12 years.”

He continued: “The site has operated at a greater intensity than it does now for numerous years over the last two decades. No complaints during this time were received.

“There has been no impact on the ANOB, our fields are full of wild flowers, insects, pollinators, deer and birds. We seek to preserve and protect this environment.

“However, the natural asset that Farway Common Airfield has become is dependent on flying activities. Without it, we would be forced to graze horses or other livestock which would result in a monoculture.

“Had the airfield caused many of the issues that people are worried about, EDDC would have acted five, 10, 15 or even 20 years ago. There have been no complaints to act on.

“While we completely understand the concerns, the perceived negative effects of the airfield on the area have not materialised.”

Thanking those who have shown their support for the application, he said: “Farway is clearly loved by many and an important local and national asset to the flying community.”

Farway Common Airfield

A spokesperson for East Devon District Council said: “The council received a complaint early in the summer from a resident raising concerns that the times that Farway Common Airfield is used had significantly increased in recent times and now far exceeds the 28 days in a calendar year that the airfield can operate without needing planning permission. Council officers investigated the claims and agreed with the complaint and so advised the airfield to either stop or apply for retrospective planning permission.

“In response, the operators of the airfield have made an application called a Certificate of Lawfulness to demonstrate that they have been operating for more than 28 days per year for at least the last 10 years. Under the legislation where this is proven through evidence then the use can be recognised by the council as being lawful having operated unchallenged for more than 10 years.

“It is only right that this matter be formally addressed through the current application and residents be given the opportunity to submit evidence to challenge the applicant’s case. The airfields case could never have been formally considered other than through a formal application. A decision on the application will be made in due course.”

James is CEO of Merlin Equipment which supplies and designs of unique power products to the marine, specialist vehicle and defence industries. During Covid-19, his business delivered 500 x COVID vaccination and test vehicles in just three months

The Certificate of lawful development involves taking off, landing and manoeuvring of aeroplanes on the ground, and would allow operation 365 days per year – and regularising the use that currently takes place. The Town & Country Planning Act 1990: Section 191 as amended by section 10 of the Planning & Compensation Act 1991 states that the local authority has a period of up to 10 years to take enforcement action against breaches of planning control.

After the time limit has passed, the development becomes lawful, in terms of planning. To view the planning application, please click here.