Agenda item

This report is to advise Members of progress that has been made on the delivery of Axminster Urban Extension since the masterplan for the site was endorsed earlier this year and HIF monies were secured from Homes England to help to deliver the relief road.

The Service Lead – Planning Strategy and Development Management presented an updated report on the Delivery of the Axminster Urban Extension following the endorsed masterplan by Members at Strategic Planning Committee on 29 January 2019 on the basis of receiving £10m Housing Infrastructure Funding from Homes England to help deliver the relief road.  Members were advised that Homes England had declared the funding available was classed as recoverable grant funding and had to be repaid by the development to the council.  Members noted that officers had fundamentally disagreed with the developments ability to repay that money on the basis of Homes England valuation of the land.

The report to Members considered the re-assessment of the options for the delivery of the Axminster Urban Extension in light of the HIF funding being withdrawn by Homes England and Members noted the masterplan was undeliverable in its current form.

Ward Members discussed the following:

·         Councillor Hall said the masterplan which had been endorsed by members on 29 January 2019 with the forward delivery of the relief road was good for Axminster and East Devon and would make Axminster a resilient town and complimented Axminster through health, wellbeing and education.  He raised concerns that Axminster needed to increase in population to remain resilient for the future and addressed concerns that the secondary school had already lost its sixth form due to the lack of foot fall and its primary school admissions were decreasing.  He highlighted the importance of the relief road on the basis of the A303 improvements between Illminster and Honiton had been put on hold which would result in an increase in traffic through Axminster and addressed that Highways England needed to look at the safety issues of the A35 road. 

·         Councillor Jackson said her community felt deeply disenfranchised and that the masterplan had been the single biggest concern raised by the public since the local election and a fresh approach to the masterplan was needed.  She said Axminster had accepted the development of houses on the promise of improved infrastructure, job opportunities and retail regeneration but so far this has not materialised.  Affordable housing was already up for reduction even before the planning application had been approved and addressed the need for more affordable housing and questioned the current council house waiting list for Axminster.  Cllr Jackson said Axminster residents were horrified on the prediction of major risks to affordable housing, employment space and the consideration of proceeding without the crucial infrastructure in place and also feel unheard with their environmental concerns.  Finally Cllr Jackson said the masterplan had been missold to Axminster and residents were assured that the relief road was a priority but that the report shows the relief road was a smoke screen to deliver unwanted development in an already overdeveloped town.

·         Councillor Moulding said the north south relief road was a key item of infrastructure and vital for the future of Axminster and that it was expected that the road was to be delivered upfront in its entirety.  He addressed the importance for the north eastern urban extension of Axminster to support up to 800 new jobs for the area which was a vital component for the town to enable the schools to flourish and the potential to provide a wide range of health and wellbeing needs for Axminster.  Cllr Moulding suggested that paragraph 4 in the report should have been more specific to inform Members that the proposed £10m housing infrastructure fund grant to the council would support the road when it had been repaid by the developers and that £10m would ultimately remain with the council for investment for the provision of affordable housing.  Councillor Moulding suggested looking again at option 2 – Affordable Housing Discount which would allow work to proceed with the HIF funding and agreed with revisiting the masterplan as suggested in paragraph 14.  He raised concerns with the suggested piece meal delivery of parts of the site.  He said he recognised the need to protect the five year land supply but as Ward Member could not support this course of action.

Points raised during discussion of the delivery of the Axminster Urban Extension included:

·         The need for Axminster to expand with the relief road.

·         The £10m funding is vital for the delivery of the relief road.

·         Concerns raised that if the five year land supply was lost this type of development could happen.

·         Axminster needs a Neighbourhood Plan to help shape the design, needs and how it is done.

·         East Devon has to maintain its housing supply across the district.

·         Axminster has made a good case about why it needs a relief road and not delivering the road is critical and the need to get it right.

·         Reference was made to recommendation 1 on land values and the report on section 9 addressing an independent valuation of the site.  Concerns were raised that Members had not been provided with sight of the independent report.  In response the Service Lead Planning Strategy and Development advised he had not quoted the valuation in the independent report but confirmed what the developers were paying was reasonable for the value of the site.

·         Concerns raised about how Members can make informed decisions without seeing all the reports.

·         It was acknowledged that out of the 68 responses received these were mostly objections.

·         Members supported the comments from Axminster Ward Members.

·         The need for a Housing Needs Survey to be carried out.

·         The need for the masterplan to be looked at by a new consultant.  In response the Chief Executive reminded Members that there were 3 live planning applications in relation to the area of land in the current version of the masterplan and reminded Members that officers were struggling to find sufficient funding to deliver the relief road and addressed the difficulties of engaging different consultants. 

RESOLVED:

1.    That it is not going to be possible to progress with the Housing Infrastructure Fund bid as things stand and that the offer is likely to be withdrawn unless Homes England change their position on land values be accepted.

2.    To re-engage the consultants for the Axminster Urban Extension Masterplan to review options to enable the forward delivery of the relief road in its entirety.

3.    That a Housing Delivery Action Plan be produced to consider how to bolster the housing land supply position in the district and that this be considered by Strategic Planning Committee be agreed.

4.    That a Members Advisory Panel be set up early in the New Year.