Campaigners readying for next assault against potential monster 700-home plot

Opponents to a vast housing development mooted for an East Devon town are set to outline their ongoing issues at a public meeting next week.

Campaigners are readying themselves to highlight what they believe are major flaws in the ongoing process that is proposing to allocate land at St John’s, on the outskirts of Exmouth, for a huge housing scheme.
The location for a prospective development at St John’s has been included in East Devon District Council’s draft local plan, which identifies sites in the district where the principle of building homes and creating employment sites would be deemed acceptable.
Those against the St John’s site – known as Exmo_20 in the draft local plan – claim it failed a crucial test early in the process, which remains ongoing, and so should have been rejected as a possible site for homes.
East Devon has acknowledged that the site did initially fail the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment, or HELAA, but on the issue that the prospective site would have, at that stage, only been accessible via St John’s Road.
However, an update to the Exmo_20 allocation means a 400-metre road would form part of it, linking the prospective homes to the B3179 that goes along the Pebblebed Heaths, an area that boasts multiple environmental designations.
Stipulations mean there could be “no development” along that proposed new road, however, some campaigners have expressed dismay that such a road isn’t considered development itself, especially given its proximity to the environmentally significant Heaths.
Minutes from an East Devon strategic planning committee in July acknowledged questions from members of the public about the fact Exmo_20 “initially failed the HELAA assessment due to concerns about site access”.
“However, following members’ decision at the strategic planning committee meeting on 3 September 2024 to explore alternative access options, further work was undertaken to assess access from both the B3179 and St John’s Road,” the minutes state.
“This additional assessment demonstrated that the site could be developed, and subsequent investigations involving officers, the site promoters and the highway authority [Devon County Council] led to the conclusion that the site could be delivered and concluded that all documentation can be found on the [district] council’s website.”
Campaigners also contend that the total allocation in the draft local plan provides more than enough sites for the council to hit its required housing target without the Exmo_20 site.
They further suggest that the St John’s site’s initial failure of HELAA should have ruled it out regardless of whether the access issue could be rectified.
East Devon said it has included a windfall of 1,837 homes within its figures for the draft local plan, something that it states is advisable. Without Exmo_20, homes might need to be found on sites it has previously rejected or new ones identified.
Campaigners also believe other issues mean the site shouldn’t have progressed, including heritage concerns due to the site’s proximity to the historic Grade II*-listed St John in the Wilderness Church.
A document (Appendix F) analysing the 2021 call for sites on East Devon’s website described Exmo_20 as “probably unachievable” in relation to housing, with one part of the analysis stating the site was “probably unachievable due to reliance on Dinan Way extension and junction improvements needing third party land”.
“Also, the site is very close to the Pebblebed Heaths and there is a minerals objection,” it added.
“Potentially a smaller site could come forward but would need further assessment”
The meeting next week (Thursday 24 September) has been organised by Exmouth and Exeter East MP, David Reed at Exmouth town hall on St Andrew’s Road, and the campaign group Stop Exmo_20 is urging people to attend.
The draft local plan is set to be submitted to the government by the end of the year, and will ultimately be approved or rejected by a planning inspector.
A growing number of residents have increasingly raised opposition to the prospective housing site at St John’s because they view it as unsuitable.
Even if the site ends up being included in the local plan when it is ratified, developers would still need to submit planning applications. That means a site’s inclusion in a local plan does not guarantee houses will be built there, because any proposed scheme would need to satisfy local planning policies.
However, the picture has been complicated by 3West, a housing developer that has announced it is drawing up proposals for the Exmo-20 land to submit to East Devon.
Mr Reed stated on his Facebook page that he had received a “significant amount of correspondence about the proposals”.
“So I want to give people the opportunity to raise their concerns and take part in a town hall-style discussion,” he said.
“Those attending will also be able to submit a question in advance.”
Some rival politicians, including Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate Charlotte FitzGerald, have criticised a donation given to the Conservative Association by 3West Group prior to Mr Reed’s election that he registered upon his victory in the General Election as per Parliamentary rules.
Any planning application that is eventually submitted will be decided solely by East Devon District Council.