17th February 2012

SEATON: Good turnout for Local Plan Consultation Day

Seaton Town Council’s Local Plan Consultation Day, held last month, saw a good turnout from residents.

It may have been a cold and wet day but a good number of people visited the Town Hall throughout the day to make their comments known.

The presentations covered the section of the Local Plan for Seaton - and the overarching policies across East Devon until 2026 - in comparison to the views that residents and the Town Council have already put forward during the ‘Plan-It East Devon’ and the LDF Process.

The Town Council also invited Fosseway Developments and Seaton Park Homes to provide information about their schemes for major development off Harepath Road.

During the day, several hundred residents visited the exhibitions.

They were offered the chance to complete questionnaires to express their views. The results from these questionnaires have shown that there is still overwhelming support for the comments that have already been put forward but not included in the Draft Local Plan.

In particular, there was a strong feeling that the Green Wedge should be protected at all costs so as to avoid coalescence with adjoining communities. To strengthen this, residents were quite clear that the development boundary should not be breached.

Both the major schemes put forward would include building beyond the current boundary and both schemes were given a resounding rejection.

In view of this strong public support, the town council requested that the following comments are now included in the Local Plan:

• The Seaton Design Statement is an accepted and approved document for Supplementary Planning Guidance. Developers should be able to demonstrate clearly that they have had regard for this in drawing up proposals.

• Future landscaping should conform with the Seaton Design Statement which sets out planting appropriate for a seaside town and levels required to support the town’s ‘Natural Seaton’ branding.

• Support will be given to initiatives to promote a low carbon economy as this can be seen as giving full support to the ‘Natural Seaton’ branding that is being developed.

• Housing needs surveys should be used as a crucial part of the planning process in establishing demand and support should be given to this process.

• As with all communities in East Devon, there is a need for houses that local people can afford as opposed to the generic descriptions of ‘Affordable Housing’. Priority should be given in S106 and other agreements to measures that ensure that these houses are allocated to people with a strong local connection. There is scope to provide elderly person’s bungalows in Seaton and this might free-up larger houses for local families.

• In any approval for new development, care should be taken to ensure that conditions are imposed requiring utility infrastructure to be upgraded to meet any new demand.

• The town council welcomes the statement by the district council that monies have been ring-fenced for improved health and education facilities and urges them to identify land to bring forward those facilities.

• The town council strongly supports the completion of the Jurassic Coast Interpretation Centre.

• Policies should be put in place to provide or encourage public art across the town and, in particular, to be used effectively to enhance the Jurassic Coast Interpretation Centre public realm.

• Harbour Road is the key route between the regeneration site and the town centre. Proposals should be developed for enhancing this route to ensure that visitors to the regeneration site are encouraged to visit the town centre.

• Town council feels that there should be a strong statement that opportunities for leisure based journeys to coastal towns in the district will be enhanced where possible.

• Increased vehicle inward journeys will require car parking. This should be sensitively placed to give easy access to desired locations and should be managed in order to encourage use, which will then discourage unlawful parking in other areas. Pricing should also take into account the wish to encourage those arriving in the town by car to stay longer than their intended visit. Many visitors arrive by camper van and wish to park overnight and many residents own camper vans. Facilities should be put in place close to the town centre and the seafront to encourage this.

• The Green Wedge areas should be protected at all costs, and there should be a strong statement of intent to avoid coalescence with other communities surrounding Seaton.

SEATON: Good turnout for Local Plan Consultation Day

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