CONSULTATION LAUNCHED ON POSSIBLE HOUSING SITES

The Government requires at least 751 new houses a year to be built in Teignbridge. Teignbridge District Council is required to find land to accommodate those 751 houses.

The council is now consulting on potential sites for the new housing and it’s vitally important local residents have their say.

You can see the full details online at www.teignbridge.gov.uk/localplanreview

Copies are also available at local libraries and at Teignbridge’s offices at Forde House in Newton Abbot.

The consultation runs until 12 noon on Monday 9 August, so please be sure to have your say before then.

In summary, the Government has a formula which determines how many houses each council area must have, and the council is required to identify enough land to meet the ‘housing need’.

This is known as the Local Plan and for Teignbridge, it is looking at site options up to the year 2040. At this stage no decisions have been made on which sites will finally be earmarked for housing or other development, such as for jobs, for example.

In the main, the proposed sites will have been put forward by landowners for consideration to be included in a future Local Plan for development.

I am sure there will be a lot of comments on social media, like Facebook, but I can’t state enough just how important it is to make sure you put in your comments to the Council.

You might think Teignbridge should simply say it will have no truck with the Government’s housing figures. There are some real ‘perils’ in taking that approach.

Firstly, if not enough land is identified for housing, then developers could put in planning applications for any sites that might suit them – and they could win permission on Appeal to the Government’s independent Planning Inspectorate.

Secondly, the Government could simply give the job of making the Local Plan to another council, or to its own appointed inspectors.

Painful as it is, I think it’s better that local people are involved in deciding where any new housing or jobs might be placed. We’ve already got enough Government interference as it is in local decision making.

In summary, please look at the potential sites now being consulted on. The website link is www.teignbridge.gov.uk/localplanreview and get your comments in by 12 noon on 9th August. Thank you.

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