Could East Devon get second new town?

Favoured location is near Westpoint

East Devon could get a new town.

Around 12 years since spades went in the ground to start building Cranbrook, to the east of the district, thoughts are turning into how to creating a settlement with up to 8,000 new homes.

Now residents are being asked for their views.

East Devon District Council (EDDC) is consulting on its local plan, which will determine how the area develops up to 2040.

If it goes ahead, the town, which will take decades to build but could start within the next 10 years, will have shops, schools and other community facilities. Around 2,500 new homes are proposed to be built by 2040.

Three proposed options are under consideration, including a favoured option on land between the A30 and the A3052, to the north and east of Westpoint.

The others being seriously considered include land to the south of the A3052 Sidmouth Road and east of the A376 and Clyst St George.

All three are pretty much in the same area and the council says they have good transport links and are close to existing jobs. 

The need for a further new town comes from the limited opportunities to expand existing towns and villages due to many environmental issues - two thirds of East Devon are designated as ‘Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ and there are also issues with flooding and protected natural habitats in much of the rest of the district.

Councillor Dan Ledger, EDDC’s portfolio holder for strategic planning, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity to create a modern zero carbon town. It could provide homes that are affordable to buy and run with everything residents need within easy walking and cycling distance.

“A new town means that we can plan for the delivery of homes, jobs and infrastructure such as schools, health centres and community facilities alongside each other without further overloading the infrastructure of existing towns.

“This would however be a big change to the landscape and impact on nearby communities, so it is really important that people get involved and tell us what they think of these proposals. A new town like this may seem a long way off but we need everyone’s input now to make sure that we are on the right track from the start.”

The consultation can be viewed online at: http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/local-plan