Manstone Depot: "The council has a growing appetite to build its own council housing."

One of the areas proposed for housing under the East Devon local plan was at the Manstone Depot - currently occupied by the District Council:
Futures Forum: Public Examination of the New East Devon Local Plan ..... Sidmouth: the issues: The Knowle, Port Royal, Manstone Depot Residential Allocations

“10.2 The housing allocation sites are all owned by the District Council and are considered to be ‘developable’ within the plan period. It is intended that the Manstone Depot site will be allocated for 20 houses, the Knowle for 50…” 
http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/combined_agenda_lpp_200312.pdf
REPRESENTATION TO LOCAL PLAN - final version - vision group for sidmouth - 14jan13

The property was advertised for development:
commercialsearch.savills.co.uk/content/assets/3607/MANSTONE DEPOT A4 6pp save_v13.pdf

And yet it was considered 'unsuitable':

Alternative sites, including Alexandra Industrial Estate, which is already hampered by poor access, and the council’s Manstone Depot, which is surrounded by housing and has therefore already been proposed for housing, have been deemed unsuitable.21 January 2016 - Sidford employment land allocation will remain in East Devon’s Local Plan - East Devon

However, it has now been revealed that the District Council put in its own bid to develop the site:
East Devon District Council bid to develop Manstone site - a Freedom of Information request to East Devon District Council - WhatDoTheyKnow
EDDC bid for manstone site.pdf

Here is the story from the latest Herald:

Breaking news & sport in Sidmouth | Sidmouth Herald

The District Council has shown interest in developing affordable housing:
Futures Forum: Affordable Housing in Sidmouth: DCH and EDDC: project in Mill Street completed
Futures Forum: A solution to our housing problems: build on car parks
Futures Forum: East Devon and affordable housing: November 2012

Or not:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: 'likely to accommodate around 100 people' but 'unlikely to include any affordable housing'
Futures Forum: Affordable housing in East Devon: lack of building... and lack of transparency...
Futures Forum: Allocating housing numbers in East Devon

And then there is the ongoing saga of the availability of S106 cash for housing in Sidmouth:
Futures Forum: 106 payments and the NPPF... the repercussions for East Devon
Futures Forum: Fortfield Hotel ... to ... Sanditon apartments >>> How much exactly will Sidmouth benefit from S106 cash from developers?
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