“An extraordinary development”
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The District Council’s strategic planning committee met up last night:
Browse meetings – Strategic Planning Committee – East Devon
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Its focus was to consider the GESP:
What does the Greater Exeter Strategic Plan mean? – Vision Group for Sidmouth
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And it decided to reject the plan:
News Flash – EDDC Strategic Planning Committee recommends withdrawal from GESP | East Devon Watch
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This is an extraordinary development.
But, as pointed out by a correspondent, East Devon’s own Local Plan was based upon an assumption of 3% growth throughout the Plan period – and yet the district averaged less than 1%. The Greater Exeter Strategic Plan was calling for at least that amount of housing growth across the four participating districts – and now that one of them has withdrawn, it questions the whole larger-scale strategy.
Certainly, most residents in the western part of East Devon will be pleased. A further correspondent notes: “With the GESP, the eastern approach to Exeter would have been saturated with unwanted development and gridlocked roads. Developer and landowner-driven development is totally uncalled for, contradicting the climate emergency measures.”
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Elsewhere in the area, another participating district has decided to, perhaps reluctantly, go along with the GESP:
Teignbridge back plans to have say on major Greater Exeter development plans – Devon Live
But the campaign group ‘Newton Says No’, based in Newton Abbot in Teignbridge, is more impressed with East Devon:
Newton Says No – STOP PRESS…. East Devon have just voted… | Facebook
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This decision by East Devon’s strategic planning committee will now have to go before the full council: