Information on public speaking is available online
Minutes:
Thomas Shillitoe addressed the Committee concerning the Regulation 19 Local Plan, stating that in his view the Plan was neither sound nor legally compliant and runs the risk that substantial changes are needed at examination. He referred to a breach of the Regulations, noting that the consultation had been substantially altered since its publication. Mr Shillitoe spoke about Exmo_20 and urged the Committee to take immediate steps to remove the development at the upper section and proposed that the surplus allocation of 563 housing allocations be utilised instead. He expressed concern regarding what he perceived as the Committee’s compliant approach and urged Members to ensure that the opportunity presented by the 563 surplus housing allocations was not wasted.
John Hamill expressed serious concerns regarding decisions made by Committee which he believed compromised the credibility, legality and soundness of the Local Plan. He cited key issues including the absence of a complete air quality mitigation strategy, inconsistences within the Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) and flaws in the site selection methodology. Mr Hamill emphasised that the Regulation 19 stage should be evidence-led, justified and consistent; however, instead his view is that the evidence was being shaped to fit predetermined outcomes describing this as outcome-driven planning. He highlighted several fundamental problems including procedural failures, questions over the soundness of the Plan, a lack of public trust and significant legal risks. He urged the Committee to acknowledge these failings and to have the courage to change these before the Inspector rejects the Local Plan.
Nigel Humphrey addressed the Committee regarding public engagement in the Regulation 19 process and raised three key points:
1. Following the initial consultation, the public were advised that individual responses to questions would not be provided; however the sustainability appraisal report included over 30 pages of the Council’s responses to all comments received. He stated that the public should be informed of these responses.
2. Specific questions raised at the previous meeting were not adequately answered. An email reiterating these questions, along with an additional query, was sent to the Chair in early December and copied to all Committee Members. To date no response has been received.
3. He questioned what steps the Council would take to engage with the public and encourage comments on the proposed new community. The Assistant Director – Planning Strategy and Development Services had advised that 1,100 comments on site Exmo_20 was not unusual for a large development; however only four comments have been received regarding the new community, which is expected to comprise over 10,000 dwellings.
Mr Humphrey advised the Committee that the Council must demonstrate a genuine and comprehensive commitment to engaging with and listening to the public. He added that providing responses to his questions would be appreciated.
Stuart Lees, referred to the Regulation 19 consultation and expressed concern about the pressure on already overstretched local infrastructure, as well as findings from the Water Cycle Study which identified significant issues with water treatment and pollution in the River Otter. He asked what measures would be taken to address these problems, requested local face-to-face meetings, and sought clarification on whether planning would be paused until South West Water resolve the water-related issues.
Francis Whiteley spoke in relation to Minute 43 – Proposed response to consultation on the evolving Local Plan for Torbay and questioned East Devon District Council’s responses which questioned the validity of Torbay’s current standard method numbers. He suggested that housing numbers should be discounted to take account of the National Landscape. He noted that the Torbay Plan proposes to provide for a lower figure because of the National Landscape there and yet East Devon has not taken this approach. He noted that the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) standard method requires the minimum number of houses whereas he believed East Devon were seeking to maximise housing numbers. He said that this would have knock on impacts for housing delivery across the wider area.
Councillor Roy Collins spoke on the balance between tree planting and food production. He noted that while the UK has planted many trees to support environmental goals, this has coincided with a reduction in domestic food production, leading to increased imports from countries where forests are being cleared to grow food. He stated that this approach is counterproductive for global climate change, as producing food locally would cause far less environmental harm than clearing vast areas of rainforests to meet demand. Councillor Collins highlighted concerns regarding East Devon and urged the Committee to reconsider the use of sites containing agricultural land. He emphasised that converting these areas into housing or employment sites would diminish future food production capacity, which is essential for generations to come.
The Assistant Director – Planning Strategy and Development Services responded, noting:
· All feedback on the Local Plan must be submitted through the ongoing consultation process.
· Further communications will be issued as there are still several weeks remaining, reminding the Committee that this consultation addresses comments raised in previous rounds.
· Anyone who previously commented on the consultation has been contacted regarding the current consultation.
· Face-to-face meetings were held during the Regulation 18 consultation in 202, however, as the Local Plan is now at a later stage, such meetings are not considered appropriate.
· The Local Plan includes policies preventing the delivery of new homes unless there is sufficient waster water capacity to accommodatethe additional flows.
· He disagreed with Mr Whiteley’s comments on National Landscape and housing figures, explaining that while Torbay proposes to not meet its housing need, East Devon’s Plan does meet its requirement – even though 58% of the district is designated National Landscape.