“Existing communities must have a role in the development of new plans.” [Richard Foord MP]
.
Councils are struggling with housing.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service for Devon reports that “there are new initiatives on social housing – as the county grapples with what has quickly become a housing crisis”.
In the meantime, though, East Devon District Council needs to borrow £12million on its social housing, as it grapples with repairs and maintenance, adding to the £85 million it already owes in borrowing for housing.
It is clear, though, that we need more housing – and that local government is not in the position to provide.
But as the new MP for Honiton and Sidmouth suggests, plans by the new national government should not be a matter of simply “enforcing more house building which could leave communities feeling hollow”:
Developers should not just build houses; they are building and expanding communities – and existing communities must have a role in the development of new plans. Additionally, we need to build in a way that is sympathetic to nature. I want to see our more social homes, replenishing our local housing stock. I would like to see sustainable communities built by having accompanying infrastructure – indeed, that we see it in advance of more house building.
Indeed, these observations reflect those expressed in recent comments on the ongoing Knowle Planning Appeal:
Of course, with the new Labour Government saying they are going to free up planning rules we may have this development foisted on us no matter how much it doesn’t fit in with the Neighbourhood Plan, how much it will stand out when viewed from the South West Coastal Path, how much it overlooks neighbours, or how much it will skew Sidmouth’s age demographic even further putting increased pressure on all sort of services which are currently struggling with demand.
…