District Council draft Local Plan: and the AONB

The District Council has put the latest draft of its Local Plan out to consultation:
East Devon public given chance to comment on planning blueprint | Exeter Express and Echo
Futures Forum: District Council draft Local Plan: consultation to 12th June

There are still questions to be addressed.

The new administration will have to consider to what extent 'normal' planning decisions will be hived off from 'strategic' planning decisions:
Futures Forum: Who should determine 'strategic planning' in East Devon? part two >>>>> Cabinet decides to defer the decision to "have a separate committee for planning policy issues until after the elections in May 2015"

The elections will determine to what extent popular concerns about 'development' will have to be taken into account:
Concerns that thousands of houses planned for East Devon are “neither necessary or deliverable” | Exeter Express and Echo
Futures Forum: 'Development resistance' in East Devon >>> or, how local issues might affect the general election >>>
Futures Forum: CoVoP Day of Action in Sidmouth >>> and across the UK >>> reports

Fundamentally, however, the final draft Local Plan will have to take on board the concerns of the Planning Inspector:
Inspector issues soundness warning over East Devon local plan | Planning Resource
East Devon housing row as local plan bungle opens doors to developers | Western Daily Press

The Save Our Sidmouth group has raised several issues.

Employment land:
Proposed Sidford Business Park removed from Local Plan | Save Our Sidmouth
New access being considered for Sidmouth’s existing employment site | Save Our Sidmouth

Knowle relocation project:
Incursion into Knowle’s Public Open Space “has never been debated by councillors” | Save Our Sidmouth
Auditors’ reports highly dependent on “quality and sufficiency of data used” | Save Our Sidmouth
Sidmouth’s signature landmark to become large retirement community? | Save Our Sidmouth
Sidmouth Town Council adamantly opposed to EDDC “appropriating” extra land to develop at Knowle | Save Our Sidmouth

Delays:
Further delays to the Local Plan “quite incredible” | Save Our Sidmouth

The latest draft Local Plan excludes the allocation of employment land at Sidford:
Controversial plans for huge industrial estate on Sidmouth green fields are scrapped | Exeter Express and Echo
... but there are still issues about where to put any 'employment land':
Futures Forum: Questions remain about the Sidford business park

The Sid Vale Assn has expressed its specific concerns on this:

Sid Vale Association - Welcome to the Sid Vale Association Website
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