"Lessons needed to be learned from Cranbrook"

Plans for a new community nearby have been announced

Lessons will be learned from the development of Cranbrook, as East Devon District Council proceeds with planning its second new community, a leading councillor says.

Todd Olive (Liberal Democrat, Whimple and Rockbeare), who oversees planning strategy for the council, said efforts are being made to ensure that certain infrastructure and services are in place before homes are occupied in the forthcoming new town near Farringdon.

The comments come as the authority launches a public consultation that runs until Monday 7 October.

“Some of the objections that we hear [to planning applications] are around services and infrastructure, and for the new community we know there are some lessons to be learned from how previous administrations of a different political colour have done this at East Devon before, and there is a real enthusiasm and conviction to make sure we do it differently this time,” he said.

“I’ve said that there is a real red line around the new sewage works for the proposed new community, meaning that we want that built and operational before any new dwellings are occupied.”

Although it can be difficult for councils to refuse individual planning applications because of concerns about insufficient services, Cllr Olive said the authority had more control when planning a whole new community.

He acknowledged that while lessons needed to be learned from Cranbrook, it had enjoyed some early successes, notably the school being opened by the time the thirtieth house was occupied even though the agreement with developers would have allowed it to be operational by the time the 500th home was lived in.

One of the biggest issues highlighted by Cranbrook residents was the speed with which the town centre was developed compared to original promises, with a supermarket potentially opening at the end of this year, some 12 years after the first residents moved in.

Cllr Olive’s comments came in Radio Exe’s Devoncast podcast as part of a wider discussion about planning.

The authority is identifying land across the district suitable for residential development or be acceptable as employment land.

Like all councils responsible for planning, it is required to build a set number of homes – decided by a central government formula – each year.

Councils have to complete a local plan in the coming months, or risk having to build a larger number of homes under forthcoming changes to planning policy being mooted by the Labour government.

East Devon is required to build 946 homes a year at present, but if its local plan is not completed in time, this could rise to 1,146 a year.