Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan > District Council representation > as part of consultation to Friday 8 March

The Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan is out to its final consultation before it goes to the Examiner:
Futures Forum: Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan > fortnight left to respond

Here are the pages for any representation:
Neighbourhood Plans being produced in East Devon - Sidmouth - East Devon

Part of that process involves giving the District Council a last opportunity to comment:
Futures Forum: Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan now submitted to District Council for final examination

Officers presented their final report on the plan to the District Council's cabinet on Wednesday:
Agenda Document for Cabinet, 06/02/2019 17:30

And their submission was agreed to: 

Response to Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan Submission 

The report asked for agreement to the response by the Council to the current Regulation 16 submission consultation for the Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan. 

RESOLVED: 1. that the formal submission of the Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan (the Plan) and the producers of the Plan be congratulated on the dedicated hard work and commitment in producing the document, be noted and, 
2. that the council make the proposed representation set out at paragraph 5.2 in the report in response to the consultation. 

REASON: To ensure that the view of the District Council was recorded and informed the consideration of the Plan by the independent examiner.

060219-cabinet-mins.pdf

Daniel Craig highlights the main points on Devon Live: 

Ban on new second homes being built is part of the Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan

The Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan, which is currently out for consultation, has a vision of conserving and enhancing the picturesque location on the Jurassic Coast and that appropriate developments should complement and protect the natural environment.

Daniel ClarkLocal Democracy Reporter
17:40, 8 FEB 2019

Any new homes built in the Sid Valley would not be allowed to be used as a ‘second home’ if a Neighbourhood Plan for the area is approved.

The Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan, which is currently out for consultation, has a vision of conserving and enhancing the picturesque location on the Jurassic Coast and that appropriate developments should complement and protect the natural environment.

But as part of the plan, it includes a policy that any new open market housing, excluding replacement dwellings, will only be supported when it is restricted to being used as a Principal Residence and not as a ‘second home’.

Cllr Bruce De Saram, East Devon District Council’s Neighbourhood Planning Lead, told the concil’s cabinet on Wednesday night that it would be first plan for East Devon that included the principal residence restriction.



Sidmouth seafront (Image: Daniel Clark)

A similar restriction which effectively bans any new second homes being built has previously been imposed in areas of North Devon and the South Hams.

The cabinet unanimously to endorse the council’s official response to the Neighbourhood Plan, but Cllr Mike Allen raised concern about the sheer number of contraventions of Local Plan policy that the plan include.

Mark Williams, the council’s chief executive, said that they were only a consultee on the plan and that there was a risk that an inspector could have a difficulty in declaring the plan sound.



Sidmouth seafront (Image: Daniel Clark)

The Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan’s vision is that the Sid Valley maintains and promotes its rural and coastal beauty, is a welcoming community and advances its appeal to young and old and provides a diverse economy to support a high quality of life, work and visitor experience

Appropriate developments should complement and protect our natural environment while improving the existing built environment in our town and villages in both scale and character, the plan states, and adds that development should reinvigorate the Eastern End of Sidmouth around the Port Royal, to become a culturally vibrant centre for the community and visitors.

The plans calls for the protection of open spaces such as parks, the Byes, the Knowle, Connaught Gardens and the beach and there will be a presumption against any built development within the ‘Green Wedges’.



Jacob's Ladder, Sidmouth (Image: Daniel Clark)

The plan adds: “Any new open market housing, excluding replacement dwellings, will only be supported when it is restricted to being used as a Principal Residence and not as a ‘second home’, in that the occupier uses it as their main residence, regardless of who owns the Freehold.”

Justifying the policy, the plan says: “At present approximately eight per cent of the homes in the plan area are either second homes or are used for holiday lets. The Neighbourhood Plan is anxious that any new housing built in the plan area should be used for providing homes for persons to live in on a permanent basis.

“This considered approach recognises the importance of welcoming new people to the area and balancing housing needs and there is also anecdotal evidence that local prices are inflated by the demand for owning a second home thereby making the accommodation less affordable for local residents.”

The Neighbourhood Plan also says that schemes for a park-and-ride site on the outskirts of Sidmouth will be supported, as the need for a park-and-ride has been a long term aspiration of the District Council, the Town Council and the County Council, has the support of the local community as a means of accommodating the visitors to the town without bringing additional traffic and congestion in to the town centre.

Other policies in the plan include the development of a safe pedestrian/cycle crossing over the A3052 between the Bowd and Woolbrook Junction to link with the planned Otter Trail and the development of a shared pathway for pedestrians and cyclists from Sidbury to Sidford, which will cross the tiger crossing in Sidford and link with the Byes.

Any development of Eastern Town will be expected to demonstrate how the scheme will improve the cycle pathway linkages with the town centre and the wider area, and while that a flexible multi-use facility for a range of community events and performance space including commercial activities should be provided at the Port Royal, facilities for the lifeboat station, sailing club, public toilets, and the swimming pool should be retained.

The vision for the Sid Valley added: “This vision conserves and enhances our picturesque location on the Jurassic Coast. It nurtures and promotes the ambience of our community to which both residents and visitors connect. To realise our vision, our Neighbourhood Plan encourages changes which benefit our community; children and young people and families and older people and the economy.”

The Sid Valley area, with a total population of 15,500, includes Sidmouth, Sidbury, Sidford and Salcombe Regis.

Consultation of the plan runs until Friday, March 8, before it goes to an independent examiner, who will inspect the plan against a series of ‘basic conditions’ that the plan must meet.



The welcome to Sidmouth sign in the snow in Sidford (Image: Daniel Clark)

Should the examiner conclude that the plan meets the basic conditions it will proceed to a local referendum where, should more than half of the electors in the local area vote in favour of the plan, it will become part of the statutory development plan for East Devon.

The plan, plus supporting documents and a comments form is available on the East Devon website: http://eastdevon.gov.uk/planning/neighbourhood-and-community-plans/neighbourhood-plans/neighbourhood-plans-being-produced-in-east-devon/sidmouth/#article-content


Ban on new second homes being built is part of the Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan - Devon Live
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