A CREDITON man has written the following letter to Mid Devon District Council’s planning department in which he says Fordton residents are very concerned about a proposed development of industrial units by the level crossing:

WITH reference to Planning application 15/01548/MFUL for the erection of industrial units on land at NGR 283829 99476, planning approval was given for industrial development on this site previously in 2013.

<7 point>Since then there has been a significant change to the environment close to the site.

The railway foot-bridge has been expensively refurbished and the historical significance of the signal box recognised.

If planning approval is continued for the site in question development it is likely to adversely affect both these monuments from the Victorian railway period.

Any development allowed should be required to blend sympathetically with the railway buildings.

Most of the objections to the previous planning application are still relevant:

1. The site entrance is close to the level crossing and will exacerbate congestion at this point. See the comments by DCC Highways. If the Crediton to Okehampton link is re-opened to regular passenger traffic, as proposed, there will be more frequent closures of the level crossing. The site entrance should be set further back to allow two large vehicles room to pass at this point.

2. The road through Fordton is used by many HGVs from Crediton Milling and heavy tractor-drawn trailers carrying agricultural products. Residents’ cars are parked along Fordton Terrace. Many of these have their wheels up on the pavement obstructing pedestrians. They also restrict vehicular traffic flow to single lane. Additional traffic associated with the proposed development will make the situation worse. Some residents have suggested that a better use for the site would be for residents’ parking and as extension to the existing car-park by the railway station.

3. The consultants’ report on the flooding issue is incorrect and incomplete in some details. They do not consider the increased, but still unquantified, frequency of extreme rainfall events associated with global warming. They incorrectly state that the improvements to Fordton Bridge were made in 1968, by the local authority, but these improvements were in fact designed and built on behalf of South West Water Authority and the new flood channel and additional arches were not commissioned until 1978. Since then the road through Fordton has been impassable due to flooding on at least three occasions. This is not reported by the consultants. The effect of the development on flood water levels in the immediate area close to the proposed development including the railway is not considered. Their assessment of flood risk associated with the site development should be considered to be flawed.

John Boyle

Wescott

Fordton

Crediton