Resident opposed to community centre location.

The Local Development Framework submitted to East Devon District Council (EDDC) by Honiton Town Council (HTC) states that “plans are well advanced for a community complex”.

It is generally known that Dowell Street is HTC’s favoured location for the proposed complex, seating 300 people, but the LDF also describes Dowell Street as “a notorious road for traffic congestion and air quality problems”, stating “it is essential to reduce the amount of traffic in the town centre” and recommending road improvements in Honiton to “...relieve Dowell Street”. In addition, EDDC has already designated Dowell Street as an Air Quality Management Area due to these problems.

Apart from the ever-increasing cost of HTC’s plans, using taxpayers’ money, do they also intend to increase, instead of decrease, the town’s pollution?

If EDDC moves to Honiton, there is adequate space on Heathpark - already owned by EDDC and within a stone’s throw of Turk’s Head Corner - to house their offices and a Honiton community complex on the same site, with the remaining old Army barracks (part of Honiton’s billeting town history) incorporated as a tourist attraction.

All this could be introduced in one Turk’s Head Corner development instead of “piecemeal” building, and could be serviced by direct public road transport into Exeter via Lidl, Exeter International Airport, Cranbrook and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

Leave Honiton’s car parking spaces alone! They are scarce and are needed!

Joanne Maxwell

Via email