Campaigners opposing a 700-home 'village' in Exmouth are preparing for a public meeting where the town's MP will hear their concerns.
David Reed, MP for Exmouth and Exeter East, is hosting the meeting at Exmouth Town Hall, in St Andrew's Road, at 6pm on Thursday, September 24. Residents will have the chance to raise concerns and share views on the St John's Woodland Village proposal, including its potential impact on infrastructure, sewage systems, roads and public services.
The meeting is expected to last about an hour and a half, with doors opening at 5.45pm. Attendees will be able to ask questions on the night.
Seating in the council chamber is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. You can reserve your place here.
Opponents to a vast housing development mooted for an East Devon town are set to outline their ongoing issues at a public meeting this week, writes local democracy reporter Bradley Gerrard.
Campaigners are readying themselves to highlight what they believe are major flaws in the ongoing process that is proposing to allocate land at St John's, on the outskirts of Exmouth, for a huge housing scheme.
Developer 3West aims to submit plans later this year for up to 700 homes on the outskirts of Exmouth. Images: 3West.
The location for a prospective development at St John's has been included in East Devon District Council's draft local plan, which identifies sites in the district where the principle of building homes and creating employment sites would be deemed acceptable.
Those against the St John's site, known as Exmo_20 in the draft local plan, claim it failed a crucial test early in the process, which remains ongoing, and so should have been rejected as a possible site for homes.
East Devon has acknowledged that the site did initially fail the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment, or HELAA, but on the issue that the prospective site would have, at that stage, only been accessible via St John's Road.
However, an update to the Exmo_20 allocation means a 400-metre road would form part of it, linking the prospective homes to the B3179 that goes along the Pebblebed Heaths, an area that boasts multiple environmental designations.
Stipulations mean there could be "no development" along that proposed new road, however, some campaigners have expressed dismay that such a road isn't considered development itself, especially given its proximity to the environmentally significant Heaths.
Protesters made their voices heard against a possible development site in Exmouth for around 700 homes. Photo: Melyn Moon Photography.
Minutes from an East Devon strategic planning committee in July acknowledged questions from members of the public about the fact Exmo_20 "initially failed the HELAA assessment due to concerns about site access".
"However, following members' decision at the strategic planning committee meeting on 3 September 2024 to explore alternative access options, further work was undertaken to assess access from both the B3179 and St John's Road," the minutes state.
"This additional assessment demonstrated that the site could be developed, and subsequent investigations involving officers, the site promoters and the highway authority [Devon County Council] led to the conclusion that the site could be delivered and concluded that all documentation can be found on the [district]council's website."
Campaigners also contend that the total allocation in the draft local plan provides more than enough sites for the council to hit its required housing target without the Exmo_20 site.
They further suggest that the St John's site's initial failure of HELAA should have ruled it out regardless of whether the access issue could be rectified.
Protesters made their voices heard against a proposed site in Exmouth for around 700 homes. Photo: Melyn Moon.
East Devon said it has included a windfall of 1,837 homes within its figures for the draft local plan, something that it states is advisable. Without Exmo_20, homes might need to be found on sites it has previously rejected or new ones identified.
Exmouth to Host Meeting on 700-Home Village Plan