News
Chairman's Notes on Planning (2 June 2009)
The Thatches, Thurlestone
The developers have now arranged an appeal against the refusal of permission
for planning application 55/1350/08/F by informal enquiry.
The appeal reference is APP/K1128/A/09/2098698. The inquiry will be held at
10.00, 7 July at Follaton House. The public can attend and by arrangement
with the Inspector speak at the inquiry.
Forward Planning
SHDC has published a series of "Site Options Consultation" leaflets for the "Area Centres" of Totnes, Dartmouth, Ivybridge and Kingsbridge and their hinterlands. The leaflets are not available in hard copy but can be seen by following the links "More information here" under "Local Development Framework Site options Consultation" on the SHDC home page and then "Site Options Consultation" on the Local Development Framework page. The leaflets on the four Area Centres, Totnes, Ivybridge, Dartmouth and Kingsbridge are accompanied by a description of the methods used.
The Kingsbridge hinterland contains 2 "Local Centres", Salcombe and Chillington and the villages Aveton Gifford, Lodiswell, Malbrough and Thurlestone. The objectives of the Forward Planning Process as defined in the LDF Core Strategy is to find sites for 200 houses and 5 ha of employment land in the Kingsbridge Area Centre, 50 houses each for it's 2 local centres and an unspecified part (perhaps around a quarter) of the total of 400 proposed for Rural Areas, i.e. the villages, over the whole District. Villages with both a shop and a primary school are to be preferred.
The leaflets contain maps identifying each site considered and a "Sustainability Threshold Assessment" on a five point scale (between absolute constraints and strong support) made for each site for covering the issues Alan has mentioned (land quality, flood risk, contamination, biodiversity, protected landscape, visual impact, historic environment, air quality, accessibility by walking cycling, public transport and private car, quality of built environment, energy use and healthy community) for each site. The assessment for each issue is summarised in a total view.
Previous Local Development Documents have provided only generalised guides to development and therefore there is little to disagree in their proposals. This is the first occasion when site specific judgements have been made and although still a long way from specific development I suggest we should look at them carefully. Nearly all the sites are outside current development boundaries and can be expected to generate fierce controversy.
The planning subcommittee is examining these leaflets. Responses to the DC are required by 30 June. An initial reaction is that there is only 3 ha of employment land required for all the Local Centres and Rural Areas in the whole district which suggests that there will be a lot of people travelling some distance to work. And then of course we have local elections and a looming general election and the Boundary Committee changes all within the time scales for these documents so the whole elaborate process is subject to considerable uncertainty.
The Princes Foundation for the Built Environment has been asked to hold the series of workshops based on their Enquiry by Design process to further test the methods used. The Society has been invited to attend these workshops and the following have offered to attend:
Adrian Gale for the Ivybridge hinterland workshop to be held in Modbury
on 16 June.
Nicola Fox for the Kingsbridge workshop to be held on the 17 June
Myself for the Kingsbridge hinterland workshop to be held in Chillington on
18 June
Alan Stapleton will also attend the Kingsbridge hinterland workshop on behalf of the Sustainability Group.
Following the "Core Strategy and Policies Report" and the "Development Control Core Policies Preferred Options Report" published in July 2007, SHDC has now published a "Development Policies Development Plan Document (DPD) Publication (Pre-submission) Stage" for a 6 week consultation from 22 May to 3 July. The document can be seen by following the link from the home page above and then the "Development Policies DPD". This report moves some way from the generalisations of earlier reports and does contain some specific suggestions for planning policy. I suggest that as many of you as possible have a look at this before our next meeting. Responses can be made using the LDF Consultation Portal.
Salcombe Conservation Area Review
We now have the draft Salcombe Area Conservation Review on which we will
be commenting during June.
South Hams Society
In February we had a most interesting illustrated talk by Professor Ian Mercer about “A Lifetime in Landscapes” followed by the annual Cream Tea and raffle. At 7pm on Tuesday 24th March the Society will held the AGM which was followed by a talk from Adam Hart-Davies entitled Inventors and Scientific Heroes of Devon at Thurlestone Parish Hall.
The Society was pleased to see that the application to build 6 affordable houses on Bakers Piece, East Portlemouth, was approved. The Society wrote in support of this application but agreed with the SHDC Design Panel that the houses would be better sited and less contentious if they were moved further down the hill and took the form of a terrace.
We were very disappointed that approval was granted for a large development at Gerston which lies in an AONB and SSSI. The existing bungalow is to be demolished and a house 4.7 times larger and with 5 carports is to be built in its place. Whilst the design is good, the Society feels that the scale of development in this tranquil part of the estuary is potentially damaging. Councillor Denise O’Callaghan Ward Member for West Alvington reminded members that reports from Natural England, the CPRE and the RSPB whilst not actually opposing the application, did express concern about the likely impact on this sensitive area. At a site visit the committee paid close attention to the design, but did not appear to consider the effect such a dominant, highly glazed building would have on the surrounding estuary.
For further information or comments please contact: Gordon Waterhouse, 01548
852570, John Chalmers 844174 e: john@croftroad.eclipse.co.uk, or Vivien Napper,
842405, e: viv@rathlyn.eclipse.co.uk or visit the website; www.southhamssociety.org
Become a member!
Membership of the South Hams Society is only £10 per year, and you can print out your application form and banker's order form from the 'Join' page
