East Devon Local Plan >>> Sidford business park to remain

Tomorrow, the District Council's planning committee, or Development Management Committee will be meeting to be updated on the Local Plan:
http://eastdevon.gov.uk/media/1441396/190116-combined-dmc-agenda-compressed.pdf (Item 8)
Verbal update on Local Plan at DMC, Tues 19 Jan. | Save Our Sidmouth

The Inspector has now issued his "The New East Devon Local Plan Schedule of Main Modifications":

BREAKING NEWS: DIVIANI SAYS LOCAL PLAN SOUND – BUT INSPECTOR REWRITES IT WITH NEARLY 200 MAJOR CHANGES!

18 January 2016

Here is Diviani’s puff job:
18 January 2016 - Key milestone for East Devon’s Local Plan - East Devon

The “main modifications” are here:
http://eastdevon.gov.uk/media/1450922/appendix-1-main-modifications-2.pdf

A quick glance suggests that the I spector did more work on the plan in a few months than EDDC did in nearly a decade. There are MANY changes that have implications for just about every town and village in the district.

More to follow …

BUT one major point:

Councillor Stuart Hughes was talking out of his … when he said, in a re ent Sidmouth Herald, thanks to him and ex-Councillor Troman the employment land site in Sidford had been deleted – IT HAS NOT BEEN DELETED.

BREAKING NEWS: Diviani says Local Plan sound – BUT Inspector rewrites it with nearly 200 major changes! | East Devon Watch

As far as Sidmouth is concerned, there is one massive 'proposed modification':

Jobs - provision of up to 5 hectares of additional employment land, with a particular onus on B1 space with uses (with any retail “ancillary to primary use of each unit”.) Through Development Management Policy in the plan land is allocated north of Sidford (Site 041A / 041B) This will be developed in 2 phases, the first of 3 hectares in the Southern part of the site (041B), and the second phase of 2 hectares in the Northern part of the site (041A) after the 5 year review of the Local Plan. The second phase will not be allowed to go ahead until after the 5 year review and only if the Southern part of the site has been fully developed and at least 90% occupied for employment uses first. If the first phase has not been developed by the first plan review, then the employment allocation for Sidmouth should be re-examined. Furthermore, the employment site must be subject to the highest design and landscaping standards with extensive planting and wide buffers around existing homes to minimise any amenity impacts. The proposed employment site will need to contribute a section towards the Sidmouth to Sidbury cycle route.

"The New East Devon Local Plan Schedule of Main Modifications"

To quote from the District Council Leader on this issue:

The Inspector has also resolved to include the Sidford employment site that East Devon councillors asked to be removed from the Local Plan at a Council meeting in March 2015. Explaining his decision in his report, he says:

"It has been shown that there is neither a suitable site within Sidmouth nor a better one outside the town. I consider that any environmental impacts can be satisfactorily mitigated... I consider the proposed allocation to be sound and I do not recommend its deletion."

18 January 2016 - Key milestone for East Devon’s Local Plan - East Devon

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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