Parking concerns raised over EDDC plans for Honiton HQ

Worries have been aired that the parking situation at Honiton’s Heathpark estate will get worse if permission is granted for the construction of a new district council headquarters.

Members of Honiton Town Council’s planning committee raised the concerns when considering an application from East Devon District Council (EDDC) to construct a three-storey office block on land off Gloucester Crescent.

In the plans, EDDC is proposing an extra 139 parking spaces.

Cllr Ken Hopkins said that trying to park on Heathpark was ‘horrendous’ and ‘getting worse’.

He added that visitors to Heathpark would have to park in other areas of the estate to get to the council’s headquarters and said he was also concerned that the situation might get so bad, it could force motorists to park on people’s driveways. Mr Hopkins also questioned whether the authority would introduce a shuttle service for staff, which he says would ‘alleviate the parking’.

Cllr Ashley Alder said that a shuttle service from Sidmouth would be good idea, and raised her own concerns about the lack of a register office in Honiton.

She requested that EDDC includes the facility in its plans.

Mrs Alder said it was ‘quite appalling’ that for the amount of people living in Honiton, there was no register office. Cllr Roy Coombs reminded councillors that it was worth bearing in mind that some EDDC staff would be working in Exmouth.

It was agreed that Honiton Town Council supported the application, but requested whether it would be possible to provide a shuttle bus from Sidmouth, and consideration is given as to whether the number of car parking spaces is sufficient. The town council would also like to see the full register office service re-opened.

EDDC’s planning application can be view on the authority’s planning website under reference 16/1292/MFUL.