from local planning to the climate and beyond…
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A correspondent has got in touch with the VGS to ask to what extent people in the Sidmouth have been “pushing back” against any perceived “dereliction of duty or lack of responsibility” by local government.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT:
Of course there will always be ‘push back’ expressed on social media – but it can’t always be dismissed as unwarranted shouty anger.
So, in response to the sharing of the VGS post asking Do you think Exeter city council should expand into East Devon on social media, one response very reasonably said this suggestion was “Good, two Councils instead of three = lower running costs, lower bills. Cornwall and other are unitary councils. As for planning it is Government targets to build.”
Otherwise, it is difficult to determine whether local citizens are ‘pushing back’ against proposals for changes in local government in the county – other than in the formal representations made to the official consultation exercise asking us to Have your say on the future of local government in Devon.
LOCAL PLANNING AND REGULATION:
On the other hand, planning and regulation decisions by local government always seem to garner some sort of ‘push back’.
One recent high profile example would be the Cliff Road residents’ concern about planned restrictions to their property. Their concern does seem quite reasonable, as there is a contradiction between the proposed East Devon Local Plan policy which would ‘limit development in areas deemed to be at significant risk of coastal erosion’ and the fact that this policy ignores the upcoming £21 million beach management scheme, which is anticipated to lessen the risk of erosion.
On the other hand, there are local government planning policies which win general acclaim, for exmple how the new beach huts have been proposed as ‘a long-term investment in Sidmouth’s seafront’.
The VGS projects do involve a certain amount of ‘push back’ of their own – although any requests for action by the councils are made by trying to engage positively, if not persistently.
The most recent newsletter on Cycling in the Sid Valley reports on various points of contact by the Sidmouth Cycling Campaign – all very long-term planning processes which needs lots of patience.
The Cherishing Sidmouth Cemeteries group have got bat boxes up in the Cemetery as well as new signage for Sidmouth and Sidbury Cemeteries, thanks to working with the councils – although there is still work very much in progress with regard to the management of the sites.
And whist the Friends of Glen Goyle have worked very successfully with the councils to end up with the seating in the Goyle as very popular and often occupied, the group is still at work trying to secure a much needed path in the park.
So, ‘constructive engagement’ seems to be one way forward, as shown perhaps from the work of the Vision Group for Sidmouth twenty years on as it tries to interact with the various layers of local government, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. And whether the VGS review of the final draft of the East Devon Local Plan 2025 will have any effect is almost impossible to measure.
THE CLIMATE:
Looking at the biggest issue of our time, the VGS blog and that of the CAPS website, also put together by the VGS, regularly puts together stories on the climate and how they affect life locally – and, again, it is difficult to determine what sort of ‘push back’ there is from Devon’s residents to official policy.
An excellent piece just posted on the CAPS social media pages looks at just this – and why some climate policies are more popular than others – as explained by a psychologist. There is even a reference in this report to how proposals for low-traffic neighbourhoods have sparked strong opposition in Devon, including the ‘Stop the block’ protests over Exeter’s controversial LTN last year.
Otherwise, the CAPS project and its currently very active parallel Eco Hub Sidmouth is proving very engaging to local people – both of which are being supported by lead partner Sidmouth Town Council – and it does seem that these ‘semi-official’ eco hubs are ‘catalysts for positive tipping points’.
COMPLAINTS ABOUT NOISE:
A final provocative thought: To what extent are complaints about the noise levels of events taken seriously by local government?!
Whilst it has been reported this evening [to the VGS – Saturday 16th August] that a wedding in a field in the Sid Valley has been making ‘rather a lot of noise’, to what extent would complaints against this event have been taken seriously if it had been a rave?! After all, it can be argued that what worried the 1992 government was not Maastricht – but raves, as thirty years of the UK’s anti-rave Criminal Justice Bill clearly allows for some noise, but not others…
Ultimately, though, issues such as noise come about because of complaints by people who feel they have recourse to local government regulation.
For example, some years ago, the Volunteer pub in Sidmouth banned future outdoor live music events after complaints from residents during the Folk Festival – which shows this balance between listening to locals, the interests of the various parties and councils getting involved:
The statement from the landlords said: “The continued complaints are proving stressful for Lynds and I. And, seeing as our whole aim, when taking this pub on, was to create a fun community atmosphere where everyone can enjoy their ‘local’, it seems this is causing problems for people locally. We understand that pubs aren’t for everyone but didn’t realise quite how offended people would be with us for organising events. As a business, and more importantly as a family, we have always tried not to upset anyone where avoidable. Although at first glance it might seem a severe measure to take, we think in the long-term, it will benefit us by hopefully showing locals that we are aware of their concerns and will act on them. We plan to be at The Volley for a lot of years to come so we don’t want to upset anyone unduly.”
After the couple’s statement was published, many showed their support for the pair’s decision, although they said it was a shame. People also applauded the couple for their professionalism in handling the issue.
An East Devon District Council spokeswoman said: “Environmental Health have received one or two complaints recently from a resident of Temple Street who has been affected by loud music and customer noise. These were followed up with the landlord who advised that after FolkWeek he has no more music events planned this summer. We have advised him to let us know if he wishes to hold more in the future so that arrangements can be made to manage music noise levels better.”
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