Campaigners opposing a proposed 700-home site on the edge of Exmouth have been assured key concerns will be raised with ministers. David Reed MP held a community meeting to hear residents’ views on the plans.
Around 100 people attended the event at Exmouth Town Council, raising a litany of fears about the so-called Exmo_20 site, an area of land near the Grade II* listed St John in the Wilderness Church and the internationally recognised Pebblebed Heaths.
The parcel of land has been included as a prospective site for housing in East Devon District Council’s draft local plan, but it has witnessed a groundswell of opposition against it, with thousands criticising its possible allocation during a public consultation.
A host of residents raised fears about housing development in the district more generally, highlighting concerns about the ability of the sewage system to cope, the impact on roads, the potential damage to nature, and the affordability of homes, among others.
Three East Devon District Council members were also present – Councillor Mike Howe (Independent, Clyst Valley), Councillor Melanie Martin (Independent, Budleigh & Raleigh) and Councillor Maddie Chapman (Conservative, Exmouth Brixington) in spite of advice from the authority that they should decline the invite because council meetings with officers present were the correct forum for local plan discussions.
One key issue raised at the meeting came from Cllr Howe, who is the vice chair of the committee overseeing the local plan process in East Devon.
“One question that has been asked tonight is what you, Mr Reed, can do for the residents here, and I’d say that if you can get a statement from the minister stating what a ‘significant change’ to a draft local plan is – explicitly – then actions can be taken,” he said.
“But at present, we have to go on what has been done by planning appeal inspectors, local plan inspectors, and the government, and they are unclear about it.
“The government should give us all clarification, as that would help everyone.”
Mr Reed responded by saying he would take that on within a week.
Clarity on what a ‘significant change’ to a draft local plan is could be crucial for campaigners’ efforts.
Concerns have been raised at East Devon’s strategic planning meetings, based on the existing government guidance, that if the draft local plan is altered too significantly after the public consultation on it, then the process has to rewind a step.
If it could be confirmed what a ‘significant change’ is, then campaigners hope there could be a debate about whether controversial sites could be removed from the draft local plan.
Resident Bill Edmunds, a member of the Stop Exmo_20 Action Group, said he believed the prospective site represented just 3 per cent of the total homes in the draft local plan.
“I wouldn’t call that significant but we are banging our heads against the wall on this issue,” he said.
Another campaigner, Thomas Shillitoe, made the point that not enough homes had been built in East Devon to satisfy government targets, so the draft local plan potentially is “oversupplying what is required”.
Mr Reed told the meeting that with central government now intimating its national 1.5 million homes ambition was a ‘stretch target’, that there could be room for manoeuvre.
“There is a window of opportunity here,” Mr Reed told the meeting.
“With local government reorganisation paused and questions being raised [by the government] about housing targets and deliverability, there is space politically where we can work together to raise things with central government and have arguments listened to.
“The key thing is that I have no power over the planning process, but I can convene people and work together, so the call now is for East Devon District Council, Devon County Council and utility providers to work together.
“This site [Exmo_20] is not sustainable, it shouldn’t be in the plan, and we need a good argument to go to central government with.”
Mr Reed reiterated his belief that homes should not be delivered without supporting infrastructure, such as community facilities, schools, GP surgeries, and adequate sewer capacity.
“If we can’t handle the existing amount of sewage from homes, then why are we building any more houses until that’s sorted,” he added.
Mr Reed said he had contacted multiple utility firms and public sector organisations to seek their views on how they could cope with the prospective increase in housing in the area.
He added that he viewed it as “really good” that East Devon had delayed submitting its draft local plan to update various key documents, including those that assess potential air quality impacts and sewer capacity.
Mr Reed expressed sympathy with local councils due to being subject to government mandates, but that elected representatives could be “more vocal”.
East Devon is aiming to submit its draft local plan to the government by the end of the year. It wants to do this to ensure it benefits from a lower housing target than it could have to take on if the draft submission is delayed.
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