Sizeable employment site passes first interview for East Devon town

Plans for a large employment site at the entrance to an East Devon town have passed their first test after securing the backing of planners.

The proposal for land south of Hansford Way in Ottery St Mary, submitted by Graham Hudson, includes a range of potential uses, ranging from storage and distribution to professional services space and light industrial.
Concerns about the appearance of the proposed development and potential noise were among the concerns from Ottery residents, including its mayor, Councillor Vicky Johns (Independent, Ottery St Mary).
But besides those concerns, as well as fears about potential flooding in the area and the possible impact on traffic congestion, East Devon District Council’s planning committee swiftly approved the scheme.
“It has been allocated as employment land for some time, and surrounding houses have been built knowing an industrial estate could be besides them, and given flood mitigation issues have been addressed and the highways authority aren’t worried, I think we have to go with officers’ recommendations for approval,” said Councillor Mike Howe (Independent, Clyst Valley).
This view was promptly supported by fellow committee member Councillor Ian Barlow (Independent, Sidmouth Town), who reiterated that the land had been identified as suitable for industrial and commercial use for some time.
“The whole point of us creating plans that signify what land might be used for is to let people know what is coming in the future, and so they have to make their own decisions based on that,” he said, referring to the potential issue the proposed development could have on nearby housing.
And Councillor Bethany Collins (Liberal Democrat, Ottery St Mary), said she had lived in the town her entire life but not been able to work there due to a lack of employment opportunities.
“I appreciate the concerns raised but I echo the other points made that it could be good for the town, and hopefully we can mitigate some of the issues around screening the buildings at the reserved matters stage to make sure there is an attractive entrance to the town,” she said.
Resident Roger Vaughan had urged the committee to reject the proposal because of the changes in the area that had occurred since it was first designated for employment use.
“When the application site was allocated for employment purposes in early editions of the local plan, the land directly adjoining the site on three sides was agricultural, which is vastly different to the situation now,” he said.
That includes housing estates nearby as well as the town’s hospital and The King’s School.
Mr Vaughan added that the neighbouring Finnimore Industrial Estate to the east was divided from the proposed site by a “natural barrier” and feared this being impacted.
“There is a tributary of the River Otter with natural banks and trees, and a designated public footpath which runs the full length of this boundary,” he said.
“And to breach this barrier and allow the continuation of industrial sprawl would be an act of bad planning practice and takes no account of the vast changes made to the immediate environment.”
Ottery St Mary Town Council had raised concerns that the footpath – known officially as Footpath 25 – had not been mentioned in the plans, and some residents feared that the removal of the bank alongside the footpath would “lead to its closure from flooding as well as increased flooding in the area”.
But the planning report stated that there would be “no impact on Footpath 25”.
“There are no proposals for the extinguishment or diversion of either the entirety or part of this public right of way,” it said.
Councillor Jess Bailey (Independent, Otter Valley) reiterated fears about flood risk, and recalled the “terrifying spectacle” of swollen river levels and flooding in January this year when residents living near this site were issued with a red alert message to prepare to evacuate their homes.
“I was there on 29 January and saw the terrifying spectacle of the River Otter in full flood, and I’m concerned about developing an industrial estate so close to residents, and even though historical tests have been done to assess flood risk, I think our approach to climate change and flood risk need to be bang up-to-date,” she said.
Cllr Bailey added that the site now provides a basin for run-off water when flooding occurs, but feared what might happen if it was built on.
There were also queries about whether Ottery needed the additional employment land, given claims that two other parcels allocated for employment space had never been developed and units in the existing Finnimore Industrial Estate had remained vacant for years.
But East Devon’s economic development manager, said the lack of meaningful employment development in the town forced people to commute to the likes of Exeter and elsewhere.
“For every 100 people in East Devon there are only 74 jobs here and in 2015, that was roughly 88,” he said.
“That is an issue.”
Mr Winters added that more recent employment growth had occurred nearer Exeter at sites such as the Skypark, but that these were “not particularly close to Ottery St Mary”.
“There are lots of stalled employment sites in the district, so to see this come forward would be very encouraging,” he added.
The committee passed the application. A full, reserved matters application, that will consider details such as appearance and layout, will now need to be submitted by the developer.