Futures Forum: A solution to our housing problems: give people the houses they want
Sadly, very little of this has filtered down to East Devon - as observed by the East Devon Watch blog:
EDDC CURRENT PLANNING POLICY ENCAPSULATED IN ONE PLANNING APPLICATION
25 JUN 2018
Monopoly planning:
No affordable housing? Check
Too many houses? Check
Primary school which may never get built and in wrong location? Check
You have 3 ticks – do pass Go and don’t go to jail!
EDDC current planning policy encapsulated in one planning application | East Devon Watch
Apparently, it's all about that thing called 'viability':
Futures Forum: How viability assessments allow developers to break promises made to get planning permission and cut the number of affordable houses by half
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: and viability
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: “We’re only going to work with developers who are interested in meeting our objectives. If you come to us with a record of using ‘viability assessments’, ‘permitted development’ rules and other mechanisms to avoid delivering affordable housing, don’t expect to partner with us on land that we own.”
Devon Live carries the details:
Plans for Exmouth extension and new school set to go ahead
The outline plans, for land at Goodmores Farm off Dinan Way, also seeks outline permission for employment, commercial, and community uses
By
Daniel ClarkLocal Democracy Reporter
25 JUN 2018
Controversial plans that would see 350 new homes and a new primary school built on land at the edge of Exmouth are being recommended for approval – despite concerns about a lack of affordable housing and whether a new school is even needed.
The outline plans, for land at Goodmores Farm off Dinan Way, also seeks outline permission for employment, commercial, and community uses.
The plans, which will be considered by East Devon’s Development Management Committee on Tuesday, July 3, are recommended for approval, despite considerable concerns by Exmouth and Lympstone councils, local ward councillors, Devon County Council and residents.
Some objectors question whether there is a need for future housing and a new primary school in the town. Others accept the principle of the development but question if the primary school is in the best location, and they fear that the development will not provide adequate funding of around £2.5 million toward the school.
Some also doubt that it will provide funding towards the extension of Dinan Way - a further £2.5 million - or provide an adequate percentage of affordable housing, as only 18 affordable housing units, rather than 88 under the council’s policy of 25 per cent, will be provided.
But the council’s officers say that the application from Eagle Investments Ltd has been viability tested after the developer claimed it could not afford to meet the full costs of infrastructure to support the development. The independent assessment concluded that, in addition to a £2 million contribution to infrastructure under the Community Infrastructure Levy only 18 affordable housing units would be viable.
Recommending it for approval, the report to the committee says: “Strategy 22 of the EDDC Local Plan outlines the vision for how Exmouth is envisaged to grow during the plan period and with specific reference to the application site states the following under the land allocation section of the strategy that Goodmores Farm is to be used for a mixed use development for 350 homes and around five hectares of land for mixed use employment (three ha) and community and commercial facilities two ha)'.
“Accordingly, as the proposal seeks permission of up to 350 houses, 1.53 hectares for a primary school and its playing fields, 2.14 hectares of employment area, 0.34 hectares of commercial/community space and an area for neighbourhood open space the proposal is considered to align with the allocation as set out in Strategy 22 of the Plan.
“Although the contribution to CIL from the development will not cover the cost of the school and Dinan Way extension, the application is providing its full CIL contribution and as such any shortage towards the school and road will need to be funded from the wider CIL receipts should a successful bid for the money be received by East Devon from Devon County Council.
“Matters of flooding, drainage, impact on trees, impact on ecology and impact on highway safety have been found to be sound in principle, though much of the detail regarding these matters would need to be considered in detail at the reserved matters stage.
“In addition, the site would be secured for a primary school and/or community use. Although the development in this case would not be able to meet the full costs of infrastructure that would be required under the council’s policies, government policy is clear that the council must compromise in such circumstances to make the development viable. As a result, the proposal is considered to comply with existing planning policies and is recommended for approval.”
The meeting to discuss the application is being held at East Devon District Council offices at Knowle in Sidmouth and begins at 10am on July 3.
Plans for Exmouth extension and new school set to go ahead - Devon Live
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