Parishes urged to help shape future development policies

East Devon District Council has begun an eight-week public consultation on its draft Villages Plan.

The document will help guide new development decisions for 14 of the area’s larger villages, as well as the town of Colyton.

Communities and residents have until Wednesday, September 28, to put forward any comments on the proposals.

Feedback from this consultation will be considered by the council’s strategic planning committee, before a final version of the plan is produced for further consultation.

The Villages Plan will then be submitted for examination by a planning inspector.

The East Devon Villages Plan is being produced by East Devon District Council to help guide decisions on where new development should be directed in selected villages – including Beer, Broadclyst, Clyst St Mary, East Budleigh, Feniton, Kilmington, Musbury, Newton Poppleford, Sidbury, Uplyme, West Hill, Whimple, Woodbury and the town of Colyton.

The Villages Plan will show a black line - called a built-up area boundary - around these settlements. Within the black line, new houses will generally be acceptable, but outside they will only be acceptable in special circumstances. It is common practice within planning to use black lines as a means of guiding new development in East Devon.

Essentially, the Villages Plan will review where these lines should be drawn and will give the public an opportunity to comment on where the lines should be drawn.

Further research has been undertaken to determine whether the boundaries drawn using the council’s existing criteria should be reduced in areas where it is difficult to access local services and facilities on foot. This approach is being proposed for Beer, Newton Poppleford, Uplyme and West Hill.

The Villages Plan does not affect any changes that residents could make to their homes without planning permission.

The draft documents are available at the council offices at Station Road, Sidmouth, EX10 8HL, online at: http://eastdevon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policy/villages-plan/villages-plan-2016-consultation/, in local libraries and a copy has also been sent to the relevant parish councils.