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12 Feb 2014

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Local Plan

“I don’t see that Strategy 3 does the job”, says Inspector, as he begins Examination of EDDC’s Local Plan

A flavour of the first day is reported here:

Anthony Thickett, the Government Inspector is now in Sidmouth, for the Examination in Public (EiP) of East Devon District Council’s new Local Plan. The first hearings took place on Tuesday (11th Feb), with the opening session on Procedure and Duty to Co-operate. Although the Deputy Chief Executive had prepared a presentation on Procedure, the Inspector swiftly said, “I don’t see the need”, and moved on to what he described as the “thorny issue” of “Duty to Co-operate”. “You have not been co-operating with Exeter, is one issue that has been raised”, he told Matt Dickens and Richard Cohen. And when EDDC’s spokesperson told him, “We have had meetings with West Dorset”, the Inspector reminded her that there had been “Only one”. To her following comment, “We don’t think this is a Duty to Co-operate matter”, he said, “You don’t. I might!”

More to follow on this website tomorrow….

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10 Feb 2014

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Local Plan

Start of Examination of East Devon’s new Local Plan, tomorrow (Tuesday 11 Feb)

Knowle aerial viewDisplay 2The hearings, to be held in public, begin at 10 a.m. this Tuesday, at the Knowle, Sidmouth. Venue is the Council Chamber, just past the newer Council offices (pictured).
There will be 19 sessions, over a period of several weeks. Only those people who have already registered can speak, but a public presence will nonetheless indicate to the Inspector, the strength of local concern.

A link to the additional responses required by the Inspector is given here: http://saveoursidmouth.com/2014/02/10/inspectors-examination-of-east-devons-new-local-plan-begins-tomorrow-11th-feb-10-a-m-at-knowle-sidmouth/

For complete Examination schedule, go to: http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/progofficer.htm

While you’re in Sidmouth for the hearings, you might like a short pleasant stroll through Knowle parkland, to the town centre, or to the seafront ..or perhaps both, if you have time. P1030079

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10 Feb 2014

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Sidmouth/ Sidford/ Sidbury

EDDC Cabinet makes a mockery of its own watchdog.

The minutes of last week’s Cabinet meeting (5th February) have now been published. There are three principle issues of great public concern:

1.Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) recommendation on delay of Skypark for further survey on Knowle was rejected
2.Cost of land at Skypark is £986,000 exc VAT
3.A further £88,000 has been agreed, for the Office Relocation Project Manager to continue the process

The next EDDC Full Council meeting is on the 26th February, starting of course with public question time.

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10 Feb 2014

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Sidmouth/ Sidford/ Sidbury

‘Fuller’s Folly’, or ‘Diviani’s disaster’?

EDDC’s apparent miscalculations regarding the present Knowle buildings, are detailed in Robin Fuller’s paper (see links below). In an e-mail circulated to Councillors (16th August, 2013), EDDC Leader Paul Diviani brushed aside this research with just the facetious remark, “Fuller’s Folly?”.

What do you think? Is the following information worthy of debate?

1. http://saveoursidmouth.com/2013/08/16/serious-questions-over-size-of-modern-offices-at-knowle/
2. http://saveoursidmouth.com/2013/09/08/cost-of-making-knowle-offices-fit-for-purpose-eddcs-figures-challenged/

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9 Feb 2014

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Sidmouth/ Sidford/ Sidbury, West End: WestClyst BroadClyst/ Pinhoe

EDA deplores EDDC’s Skypark choice, as costs spiral in the office relocation fiasco.

The East Devon Alliance has today sent out this press release:

‘ANOTHER COSTLY HEAD OFFICE ERROR BY EDDC ?
Local residents, EDDC’s own watchdog committee, and own staff defied

The Cabinet of the East Devon District Council has selected Skypark as its preferred site for its headquarters. If the decision is approved by the full Council on 26th February, officers would carry out further research into the viability of the move. Marketing of the Knowle would begin “promptly”. A final decision would be taken in the summer. No financial details of the proposed move were announced to justify the decision to leave the Knowle in favour of a site which, currently, has poor transport links and certainly does not fit the Council’s claims that its District headquarters should be somewhere more central than Sidmouth.

The East Devon Alliance deplores this choice, and EDDC’s undemocratic insistence on a project which has no clear financial justification. As Head of the Relocation Team, Richard Cohen , admitted to the Council’s own Scrutiny Committee recently, he has not asked the Head of Finance for “a full breakdown of the costs”. And yet, in addition to the substantial expenses already incurred (well over £350,000), the Council plans to set aside a further £400,000 of tax payers’ money over the next two years, just for preparations.

EDA Chairman Ian McKintosh says, “Economically, this is not the time to rush ahead with a massive spending of public funds, on a move that is widely regarded as imprudent.” Coherent arguments in favour of retaining the Knowle have been ridiculed by the Leadership, without serious debate. Sidmouth resident Robin Fuller’s detailed suggestions for refurbishment of the existing purpose-built buildings, and possible sale or conversion of the historic former hotel, were patronisingly dismissed by Councillor Diviani in just two words, as “Fuller’s Folly?”.

Astonishingly, local voters are not the only people who have been ignored. EDDC’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) agreed last week that Councillors had not been properly informed of the cost calculations, resulting in serious reservations about the financial viability and even the necessity for office relocation. The OSC therefore voted that the Cabinet be asked to provide more precise details in order that Councillors could “make an informed decision” . The same committee also recommended that an independent survey of the Knowle buildings, particularly of the 1970’s offices, should be undertaken. No mention of this was made in EDDC’s announcement.

EDDC’s determination to move, whatever the evidence and the wishes of those who fund the Council, is confirmed in that they have also ignored their own staff. EDDC Chief Executive Mark Williams recently issued the results of a survey of EDDC employees, who were asked for their preferred location, other than the Knowle. Of the four sites named, Skypark was least favoured. Not for the first time, EDDC’s, mathematical abilities were challenged. The total of all the percentages for each location came to 149 per cent! ‘

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9 Feb 2014

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West End: WestClyst BroadClyst/ Pinhoe

EDDC HQ at Skypark not ideal, as EDDC explains

The Save our Sidmouth website has details: http://saveoursidmouth.com/2014/02/09/disadvantages-of-skypark-site-for-their-hq-according-to-eddc/
An East Devon Alliance press release on the Skypark announcement, will be posted shortly.

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7 Feb 2014

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Misc

“It’s time to have a second look” at EDDC office relocation plans

So said Conservative Councillor for Honiton, Mike Allen, at last week’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee. His view is shared by many, not least his fellow Councillor, Claire Wright, who has today taken further action. Details at this link:
https://sidmouthindependentnews.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/independent-councillor-puts-motion-to-eddc-to-defer-decision-about-skypark-move/

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7 Feb 2014

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Misc

Skypark unsuitable for EDDC office location…on many counts

EDDC’s announcement this week to relocate its offices to Skypark, has instantly met with ridicule.

For a useful map, and some initial commentaries, go to :

http://futuresforumvgs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/knowle-relocation-project-moving-to_1956.html

http://sidmouthindependentnews.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/public-transport-to-skypark/

The Express and Echo has more on the relocation debate, at this link: http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/East-Devon-campaign-group-criticises-district/story-20581500-detail/story.html

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6 Feb 2014

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Sidmouth/ Sidford/ Sidbury

Skypark choice ..another costly error by EDDC?

Today’s press release from EDDC announces last night’s Cabinet decision to select Skypark as their choice for a new HQ. No financial details are given.

This is in clear defiance of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s vote last week that Councillors should be properly informed about the cost calculations, based on real concerns that a move is neither financially viable nor necessary.
The O&S recommendation that an independent survey of Knowle buildings, particularly the 1970s offices, has also presumably been ignored.

This undemocratic decision completely ignores staff wishes,too, according to EDDC’s own survey: see http://sidmouthindependentnews.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/astounding-figures-re-knowle-relocation/

For text of EDDC’s press release, go to http://sidmouthindependentnews.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/eddc-to-sell-family-silver-to-move-to-skypark-how-will-you-get-there/

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5 Feb 2014

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Feniton/ Talaton

“The beneficial effect of heavy rainfall….

…is that more people work from home”, says Wainhomes’ spokesman . For the context of this topical quote, go to Feniton Councillor, Susie Bond’s blog : http://susiebond.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/groundhog-day-in-room-101-super-inquiry-day-10/

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5 Feb 2014

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West End: WestClyst BroadClyst/ Pinhoe

How Cranbrook puts strain on the area’s health services.

The Express and Echo explains this increasing problem, with reference to the current situation at Pinhoe and Broadclyst. See http://sidmouthindependentnews.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/putting-the-housing-cart-in-front-of-the-health-horse-in-east-devon/

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5 Feb 2014

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Misc

Environment Agency’s flood funding reduced by one fifth

Extracts from Environment Agency report point to more havoc ahead, not least in the South West:

‘Costs are set to double but funding has already been reduced.

http://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1048996/agencys-flood-funding-reduced-one-fifth

14 Jan 11
The Environment Agency’s overall budget is to be reduced from £829 million in the current financial year, to £708 million in 2011/12, falling to £652 million in 2014/15. Within this, DEFRA has decided that the agency’s budget for flood management will fall from £629 million in 2010/11 to £485 million in 2014/15 – a reduction of nearly 23 per cent.

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/library/publications/108673.aspx

What does our long-term investment strategy tell us?

It sets out the best available evidence on the choices the people of England face about how much money should be invested in managing the increasing risk of flooding and coastal erosion due to climate change and asset deterioration over the next 25 years (2010-2035).

Our modelling shows that investment in building and maintaining of flood defences will need to almost double to £1billion a year (compared to £570million now) by 2035. This figure excludes the cost of managing the risk of surface and ground water flooding and other activities such as flood warning and development control.’

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4 Feb 2014

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Seaton/ Colyford / Colyton

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‘Green Wedge success was not down to District Council’

A letter published today in Pullman’s View from Seaton,explains why:

‘It’s often said that journalism is the first draft of history.I’m hoping that your letters page will act as the second draft because I nearly choked on my porridge reading Councillor Helen Parr proclaiming her latest success in a planning matter… “to protect the landscape of East Devon against the wrong kind of development” (Pulman’s View From Colyton, January 28th).
The fact is that, in the months leading up to her planning committee’s decision on the green wedge development application between Colyford and Seaton, both Councillor Parr and her colleague Councillor Godbeer were making worrying noises about how “economic” arguments
might trump the green wedge preservation policy.
The View’s own correspondent wrote an accurate report of a meeting in Colyford, when a hall full of locals realised that they could not rely on their elected representatives to protect this site, and that they would need to go down with placards to the planning meeting. The attention generated by this put the application in the full media spotlight, as it deserved. I spoke at that meeting, and had dug out Councillor Parr and Councillor Godbeer’s manifesto for the last election, in which their number one promise was to protect the green wedge. I copied that promise to all members of the planning committee the weekend before and, together with 10 other technically-excellent speeches from the public, that left the committee no option in front of 100 or so people than to vote against. Councillor Parr, to
everyone’s mystification, and at our hour of need, abstained.
Howard and Anne West, and Robin and Bonte Pocock, then led a brilliant, selfless campaign to ensure our community was independently represented at the developer’s appeal, where it emerged that East Devon planning officers had not commissioned the requisite bat surveys prior to determination. This nearly fatally weakened one of East Devon’s strongest suits, but fortunately the inspector judged that the green wedge factor the campaigners had stressed would win the day.
The question for Councillor Parr is why, when Exeter had its Local Plan discussed four years ago and published two years ago, East Devon failed to do this. This failure of her allies on her watch left East Devon vulnerable to just such proposals for over-development as long as no plan is in place. This threat remains.

The credit for saving one of the most beautiful parts of the Axe Valley does not lie with her or her council, but with a model campaign by local people which, for the record, cost a number of locals rather a lot of money which she will, presumably, not be rebating from our
council tax. And her council’s actual reaction? A campaign to restrict public speaking rights in future!’

PAUL ARNOTT,
Colyton

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1 Feb 2014

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West End: WestClyst BroadClyst/ Pinhoe

PLEA FROM DOCTORS: EAST DEVON’S POPULATION EXPLOSION IS ‘CRIPPLING US.’

At last night’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting EDDC heard a desperate plea from the local health authority requesting an opportunity to speak to planning officers regarding East Devon’s unsustainable population rise. GP services across the region are already stretched to breaking point. They indicate a clear disconnect between the number of planning approvals and the region’s ability to sustain them.

Tamara Powderly of the NHS Commissioning Board (Eastern) stated ‘If you could just give our doctors the opportunity to talk to you and let the planning officers know their thoughts, we would make the time. It is this demography that is crippling us in the quality of services that our patients need.’

Councillor Mike Allen (Cons, Honiton) noted that East Devon’s new town, Cranbrook,already has 1200 inhabitants and this time next year it will be 2500. The fact that Cranbrook’s ultimate total is supposed to be 8000 seems to be a disaster waiting to happen.

It points to a painful lack of genuine localism from central government who continue pressuring District Authorities to approve more home-building right across England – which for its size is already Europe’s most densely populated nation.

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31 Jan 2014

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Sidmouth/ Sidford/ Sidbury

Knowle relocation may not be necessary…Councillors call for more evidence.

EDDC bosses will be asked, by the Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Committee, for the full calculations of the office move costs.

The SIN blog has this report of last night’s O&S meeting :  http://sidmouthindependentnews.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/council-watchdog-shows-its-teeth-over-ballooning-costs-of-the-knowle-move/