Exmouth Town councillors have approved a response to the draft local plan consultation.

Exmouth Town Council says it has carefully reviewed the consultation documents and the response reflects members’ support for some of the strategic policies contained in the draft, but also serious concerns over the housing allocation and associated development sites proposed for the town at this stage of the local plan.

A consultation meeting was held at Ocean in December for councillors and members of the public to see the plans for the first time and the proposed development sites around the town. 

Issues raised during the meeting on January 9 included the rising pressure on existing infrastructure, such as sewerage, doctors’ surgeries, schools and traffic, and that the building of houses may mean Exmouth ends up linking with Lympstone.

Councillor Steve Gazzard, chairman of Exmouth Town Council said: “The town council welcomes every opportunity to help shape local policy and support the best outcome for the area and it recognises the need to strategically and carefully plan for a good mix of housing to support the aspirations of our residents – be they growing families, first-time buyers or people looking to downsize – as well as the long-term economic growth and continued investment in our town.

“The council’s viewpoint generally is about resisting any further urban sprawl to the northeast of the town and ensuring the sustainability of any proposed developments.

“Councillors also feel strongly that the Local Plan should ensure that new housing meets the needs of our residents.

“It’s difficult to see how that can be achieved when financial viability assessments provide a loophole for developers to escape their affordable housing obligations.

“We're not opposed to the Local Plan and we're not opposed to house-building per se but more work needs to be done on identifying sustainable locations for housing and ensuring that affordable housing provision is supported via robust policies to ensure its delivery.”

The full response from the town council can be read on its website here: Exmouth-Town-Council-Members-Emerging-Local-Plan-Responses.pd.