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Tuesday, 11 August 2015

An 'inter-modal freight depot', a giant Lidl's warehouse ... and when a 'site employing up to 450 people' is not 'counted as an employment site'

Following on from the news that the Sainsbury's warehousing site at the western end of the District (aka the 'intermodal interchange') is to be sold to Lidl's:
Futures Forum: An 'inter-modal freight depot' by any other name >>> >>> also known as: a giant Lidl's warehouse on the M5

... the way this is being considered in the still-draft Local Plan might provoke a question or two...

Firstly, as covered in the previous posting, there's the question about how many 'jobs' have been promised for this site:

Sainsbury's said in 2014 it was postponing plans for a depot on the site employing up to 450 people.

Sainsbury's plans to sell Exeter depot site - BBC News

Secondly, due to some sleight of bureaucratic hand, this site has not been designated as an 'employment site':

6 Spatial Strategy:
West End
The Intermodal interchange covers a site area of around 44 hectares but on account of its unique nature as part of the transport infrastructure is not counted as an employment site/in employment land calculations. 

http://eastdevon.gov.uk/media/363094/new-east-devon-local-plan.pdf

If we look further down at the 'totals' for 'Employment Land Provision and Allocations', we have a total of 179.4 Hectares:

Totals: 
Strategic Allocations:121.7 
Non Strategic Allocations: 28.85 
Total Allocations = 150.55 Hectares 
of which 121.7 hectares will come forward through strategic allocation sites 
and 28.85 ha through non-strategic provision.

A commentator notes that:

From the total of 179.5 Hectares, 105.5 is already committed and 72 hectares will come forward through strategic location sites and non-strategic provision.
(But the total does not include 22.7, as this is already built)

Note:  With so much development in the west we don't need a competitor site in Sidford, (which has poor connectivity and would increase traffic volume in village and on A3072)

See also:
Futures Forum: Questions remain about the Sidford business park
Futures Forum: Employment land proposals for Sidmouth >>> the latest draft Local Plan
Futures Forum: Proposals for a business/retail park at Sidford are removed from the draft Local Plan >>> further reports
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