East Devon District Council will be discussing potential residential and employment development sites across East Devon in a series of public meetings.

Set throughout September, East Devon District Council’s Strategic Planning Committee plans to consider each potential development allocation. In these public forums, both residents and councils get the opportunity to voice their thoughts.

Past opinions expressed during consultations running from late 2022 to spring 2023 are also taken into account.

The schedule for these forums is divided by areas.

September 3 will focus on Exmouth, Lympstone, Woodbury, and Exton in the morning, followed by Budleigh Salterton, East Budleigh and Otterton in the afternoon.

Other meetings will be held on September 11, 20, and 23, discussing different regions each time.

Cllr Todd Olive, EDDC Portfolio Holder for Strategic Planning, said: "After three public consultations and years of technical work, we are now approaching the stage where we must make decisions about what sites should be developed under the new Local Plan.

"Deciding where to build in our part of the world is one of the hardest decisions we have to make. In many cases, as residents ourselves, we share your concerns, and your frustrations, about the process we are going through.

"However, we have little choice but to push on. If we don’t, the government have made clear that they will not hesitate to step in and make a Local Plan for us – with 28% higher housing numbers. To avoid this, we not only need to make tough decisions – we need to make them quickly. If we don’t publish a final draft plan in the next few months then we will have to restart the Local Plan process under the new, higher housing targets.

"Going forwards, we will be making a clear case to government about the constraints of our area and our desperate need for more funding for infrastructure. We are also working with South West Water to understand the issues with existing sewage infrastructure, and to make sure that improvements align with the increase in demand from new homes and come forwards before new development is occupied.

"The new Local Plan has a target of 946 new homes per year. Through this new Plan, we will also be striving to provide more affordable homes for our residents, protect green spaces and biodiversity, and drive decarbonisation and job creation."