Members oppose proposed development sites in Exmouth
At the Council’s meeting on Monday 9th January, Exmouth Town Councillors approved a response to the draft local plan consultation.
Exmouth Town Council has carefully reviewed the consultation documents and the response reflects Members’ support for some of the strategic policies contained in the draft, but also serious concerns over the housing allocation and associated development sites proposed for the Town.
Issues raised during the debate included the rising pressure on existing infrastructure, such as sewerage, doctors’ surgeries, schools and traffic and the undesirable risk of coalescence with the neighbouring parish of Lympstone to the north of the Town.
Councillor Steve Gazzard, Chairman of Exmouth Town Council, commented:
“The Town Council welcomes every opportunity to help shape local policy and support the best outcome for the area and it recognises the need to strategically and carefully plan for a good mix of housing to support the aspirations of our residents – be they growing families, first-time buyers or people looking to downsize – as well as the long-term economic growth and continued investment in our town.“
The Council’s viewpoint generally is about resisting any further urban sprawl to the north-east of the Town and ensuring the sustainability of any proposed developments. Councillors also feel strongly that the Local Plan should ensure that new housing meets the needs of our residents.
Councillor Steve Gazzard further commented: “It’s difficult to see how that can be achieved when financial viability assessments provide a loophole for developers to escape their affordable housing obligations. We’re not opposed to the Local Plan and we’re not opposed to house-building per se but more work needs to be done on identifying sustainable locations for housing and ensuring that affordable housing provision is supported via robust policies to ensure its delivery.”
The full response from the Town Council can be read on the Town Council’s website here