Cranbrook was promised a town centre. But where is it?
The district council is currently in talks with the developers to extend deadlines to start building a town centre.
Developers promised that the first five high street units would be built in the designated town centre area before 2,000 homes are occupied.
The number of completed homes in Cranbrook is approaching 2,000, with almost all of them (between 1,900 and 2,000) occupied. And, the land next to Cranberry Farm, designated for the town centre, is still mostly empty fields.
East Devon District Council (EDDC) has said 'rather than follow legal recourse, at this stage' it is in talks with the Cranbrook Consortium - Taylor Wimpey, Hallam Land Management, Persimmon Homes and Redrow Homes to update the agreement.
In 2013 the Herald took a photo of a sign in Cranbrook which stated that the town centre was 'coming soon'. The promise has formed part of the sales pitch to potential home owners.
The current legal agreement stipulates trigger points for when the town will get its town centre and along with other facilities, including a skate park.
EDDC said it feels that it is in the 'public's interest' to work with developers on delivering the town's promised facilities.
When approached for a comment the Cranbrook Consortium said it is 'not in breach' of its obligations.
But when the Herald approached EDDC, the authority said the current document was 'outdated' and that a new agreement has not been signed off.
A council spokesman said: "This agreement is now outdated, however, we are currently working with the consortium to resolve this. The document is still at discussion stage and a draft document has not been published. It is in the public interest to continue to work alongside the consortium to reach agreement, rather than follow legal recourse, at this stage."
The legal agreements currently total more than 500 pages.
It is understood that the marketing of town centre land has begun.
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