Simon Thornley, Business Manager Strategic Place at Teignbridge District Council, writes:

It was good to see the MDA?article, Planning complaints?, May 18, highlight again the opportunity for people to get involved in a review of Teignbridge’s Local Plan. The council is running a first stage of consultation until July 16 and throughout June we’ll be taking a roadshow to 11 venues where people will be able to learn more and get involved.

The Local Plan review consultation provides the opportunity to engage in constructive discussions with Teignbridge’s communities on the future of development in the district.

However, there should be no illusion that this consultation is an opportunity to slow down the pace of development. National levels of housebuilding haven’t exceeded 200,000 per year since the late 1980s and the Government is committed to delivering 300,000 homes a year in England by the middle of the 2020s. To do that, local authorities are being set housing targets that they will need to meet through their Local Plans, or face unplanned development coming forward across their districts.

Development is already bringing a wealth of benefits to Teignbridge. More than 80 per cent of new homes are bought by local people, many of whom might otherwise face tough choices about whether to share inadequate accommodation or move away. Meanwhile, affordable housing rates have more than doubled since the current Local Plan was introduced in 2014 and these new homes are helping to drive town centre vitality. We have bucked the trend despite shops leaving and the town centre has performed well. The redevelopment of Market Walk makes commercial sense, not least because it enables the council to manage its own finances without the majority burden falling to the local taxpayer through increases in council tax.

As for infrastructure, new development and community facilities are coming forward hand in hand. In the past five years more than £180 million has been invested in our infrastructure. The list is extensive and positive: The new South Devon Highway; Newton Abbot University Technical College; a new primary school in Kingsteignton; two more primary school expansions in Newton Abbot; a forthcoming all-through school in Exminster parish; expansion of Barton Surgery in Dawlish, two new countryside parks at Dawlish and Exminster and 35km of cycleway.

Next will be much-needed improvements to the A382 Bovey Tracey road that have already attracted Government funding because of the clear link between upgrading the road and creating homes and jobs.

We know there’s much more that local people would like to improve about how new development comes about and that’s why we’ll be listening throughout this consultation as the Local Plan review continues over the next few years. Not everything that’s asked of us will be feasible but we want to hear about the things that really matter to people so that we can respond to our communities’ top priorities. We would encourage people to seize the opportunity and get involved in shaping our beautiful and unique district for future generations.