Planning and Countryside

What we are witnessing in planning is deeply disturbing. Despite all the rhetoric about localism, planning policy is being used to impose unnecessary greenfield developments. We urgently need to have real local control, minimising the loss of countryside. According to the Telegraph big property developers have been privately promised by Conservative Planning Minister Nick Boles MP, that planning laws will be relaxed yet again within weeks to allow them to begin a house-building boom. Nick Boles has called for building on open land and attacked ‘hysterical scaremongering of latter-day Luddites’ (ie people like me) who oppose it. Earlier, The Daily Telegraph disclosed that the Conservative Party has received millions of pounds in donations from big developers who stand to benefit from controversial planning changes.

Where is the Plan?

Swathes of pristine countryside and vital green fields around Teignmouth and the Teign Estuary villages are in jeopardy, because of delays in the local plan - Plan Teignbridge. Our planning system must seem insane to the casual observer. ...A vineyard owner is refused permission to build a modest house just yards outside the village development boundary (known as the village envelope), yet big developers seem to be able to build just about anywhere they want- even areas designated as countryside by the public through consultation, alllbecause Plan Teignbridge has not been adopted. So why has the plan been delayed, giving developers carte blanche to build anywhere?

Pantomime

The Morrisons missing millions leaflet was published by Richard Younger Ross and myself because we believe teignmouth shoukd get its fair share of the Morrisons cash. The ruling Conservatives are rattled, at the eleventh-hour they changed the budget to include £2.5 million for the Carlton Theatre, I believe in the hope of deflecting attention. It is becoming even less clear what is going on, at the budget meeting we discovered that the £2.5million is in fact for the whole seafront not just the Carlton, and then over three years. Thursday night at the Courtney, it was quite clear even some Conservative councillors don't know what is going on. The Morrisons’ deal was done under the Liberal Democrat/Independent administration; I was involved with that process. Conservatives opportunistic opposition to Michael Fields could have de-railing the whole Morrison project with dire financial consequences. Thanks to the Liberal Democrats administration, we have the playing-fields we need, the contaminated land sorted out at no expense to council-tax payers and over £9million windfall. Clearly pressure from Teignmouth residents has forced Teignbridge Council into a last minute budget change. We should keep up the pressure, it’s clearly working!

Building on the Countryside

I understand Waddeton Park Ltd are about to enter into formal pre-application discussions with Teignbridge District Council Planning Department in connection with a planning application for residential development on land adjacent to Shepherds Lane together with alterations to Mill Lane. The proposals are for a sustainable residential development on green fields, rejected by residents in Plan Teignbridge.