East Devon Local Plan News
Future Development in West Hill + Ottery St Mary?
East Devon District Council’s (EDDC) review of the Local Plan has reached a significant stage and WHPC expects the Draft Local Plan to be published in mid-October for an 8 week public consultation.
A West Hill community drop-in session has been arranged for residents and Cllrs to discuss the proposals on
- Friday 18th November 3.45pm to 8.00pm at the Village Hall
EDDC’s Strategic Planning Committee's met on 6th September to consider site allocations for towns including Ottery St Mary. The 9th September meeting scheduled to consider site allocations for villages, including West Hill, was postponed following the sad news of the death of HM Queen Eliazbeth II. A new date for the meeting is not yet available. The proposed site allocations are expected to be those included in the Local Plan. Click here for more details.
West Hill Parish Council agreed the following statement to be read out at the Strategic Planning Committee:
West Hill Parish Council Statement for EDDC SPC 9th September
West Hill Parish Council will comment in detail on the draft Local Plan when it is published and we have had the chance to listen to our residents’ views.
However, we would like to make some preliminary comments on the proposed site allocations for West Hill.
There were very many sites around West Hill put forward through the HELAA process, and we are pleased that Officers have excluded the majority as possible site allocations.
The preferred site allocations are WH04, WH06, and a 2nd best site, WH01. There are problems with all of these sites.
WH04 – highways access to this site would presumably be from Windmill Lane. This is narrow and unlit, and totally unsuitable for the volume of traffic that would come from the development. The walking route to the village centre and facilities is about 1km, and along mostly unlit roads with no footway. The site is on some of the highest ground in West Hill, and development is likely to breach the skyline and therefore have significant landscape impact.
WH04 and WH06 – both these sites are on land that has many springs and natural aquifers. There are problems with surface water runoff and flooding, which has already caused problems to residents in surrounding streets.
WH01 – proposed 2nd best allocation. This is a site with high landscape value, and many TPO’d trees. The current woodland acts as a buffer between the recent development at Hayes End and the busy B3180, and is a haven for wildlife.
The Parish Council also have concerns about the lack of infrastructure. We share many facilities with Ottery St Mary, and the proposed development there, which is excessive, will place even more strain on services. There are particular problems with primary and secondary school capacities, medical services at the Coleridge Medical Centre, and inadequate bus services.
For West Hill itself, we have a severe lack of public open space and community facilities, and a single shop. Two thirds of workers commute out to work.
These factors make West Hill less sustainable than many other communities, and yet we are proposed to have 9.1% growth – far more than many major towns such as Exmouth, Honiton and Sidmouth, and far more than many other Tier 4 villages, a significant number of which have 0 preferred sites for allocation.
