A FINAL chance to comment on improvements to the Local Plan for Teignbridge has just been launched.
The latest version follows feedback from more than 1,000 people in a consultation held earlier this year. Changes made following the consultation and consideration by councillors have been incorporated into a Local Plan Addendum. Residents will have until December 22 to comment on this before the final plan and all comments received are sent to the Planning Inspectorate for an examination in public next year.
The Addendum consultation will be the sixth time since 2017 that local people will have had the opportunity to shape the plan, which sets out a 20-year vision for future development and details the policies which will help the council deliver homes and jobs for local people as well as its environmental and climate change goals. The Addendum contains changes made to the Local Plan in the light of the feedback from this year’s consultation such as the removal of proposed housing sites at Newfoundland Way Car Park in Newton Abbot and Le Molay Littry Way in Bovey Tracey.
It also includes a new Design Code for the west of Newton Abbot and updated information that strengthens the local plan such as new sustainability appraisals, environmental, heritage and habitat assessments as well as detailed modelling of the impact that the plan’s proposals will have on local and strategic road networks.
The council’s priority of building on previously developed or under-used land is not affected by the Addendum changes and proposed locations for most new homes remain close to jobs, services and sustainable transport or in local villages where small site development will help sustain local services.
The Addendum also includes the latest house building numbers required by Government with 720 homes to be built annually, a reduction of 429 homes over the lifetime of the plan. The six-week consultation gives people a final chance to comment on the latest changes included in the Addendum but not on the wider Local Plan proposals.
Executive member for planning Cllr Gary Taylor said: ‘We have made some significant improvements to the Local Plan in the light of feedback from the consultation earlier this year and I would encourage local residents to look at these and let us have their views on the changes.
‘Our aim is to have a Local Plan that meets our statutory obligations and ensures that economic and housing development can only take place in areas identified by the council and not as a result of planning system appeals.’