By Sue Read

ALMOST 20 members of the public were at a meeting in Crediton to hear about plans to build up to 330 homes on the edge of the town and to ask questions.

They attended Crediton Town Council’s policy and forward planning committee meeting at which the developers had been invited to talk about what they call Creedy Bridge, known better as Pedlarspool.

Oliver Taylor, strategic land manager for Gleeson Developments Limited who are building new homes on a number of sites throughout the country, explained the plans that were shown at the public exhibition earlier this year.

Speaking on transport and highway points was Alex Wozniczko, associate director of A W Cockward of Exeter, development engineers. Members of the Creedy Valley Protection Group were among the others present.

PRIMARY SCHOOL

A primary school could be built, but it was unlikely there would be a doctor’s surgery, it could include special units for care at home, but not a residential care home.

It could mean closing Pedlarspool Lane to vehicles, a roundabout for the main vehicle access at Exhibition Corner, and holding ponds for when the land floods, plus a new clubhouse and pitches for Crediton Rugby Club.

The site is in Sandford parish. Mr Taylor was asked if there was any reason why Sandford and its people had not been consulted in a meeting such as this one? It was said that since the link road was built, more traffic was using Pedlarspool Lane as a way of getting to Exeter which would cause a problem in the middle of the new housing.

Mr Oliver said Gleeson had gone to consultation, were at this meeting at the invitation of the town council and would be quite happy to meet Sandford Parish Council.

When committee chairman, Cllr Liz Brookes-Hocking, suggested another meeting with Gleeson and Sandford Parish Council, there was agreement.

CAR PARKING

Provision of car parking for the new rugby club was queried with Mr Taylor being told that space for 200 cars could be needed on a match day and practice days.

Near the end of the hour-and-a-half meeting, Cllr Brookes-Hocking said feed-back was needed from the meeting Gleeson was to have with Devon County Council about vehicle and pedestrian routes on Friday (today).

Sandford would need to be included because that parish council would know better how roads around the site were used.

CONVERSATION

“I would rather we had lots of conversation now rather than have people upset when the planning application goes in and people wonder what is going on,” she said. Mr Taylor agreed.

Cllr Brookes-Hocking explained that the town council has had a policy and forward planning committee for at least three years with its main task being to work on the Neighbourhood Plan which would include this site.

“We want to iron out some of the main issues with this,” she said. “I am aware there are people who say this site should not have been chosen to develop.”

She said it was in the Mid Devon District Council Local Plan as a contingency but had now been brought forward. Because of its geography, Crediton was not scheduled for a lot of development, but this site had been chosen as part of the Local Plan.

She added: “We know Crediton has to have some development, suitable sites are few.

“As we see it, this committee’s job is to talk with developers about how we can make this work, we do not want to exacerbate problems in Crediton.”

Saying it was in Sandford parish but on the Crediton town boundary, people living there would look towards Crediton for a number of services.

She added: “Communities can expand but it is how you plan for it to make it work.”

Mr Taylor said Gleeson had consulted on the three options which included a primary school for 210 children. He said that although people had put forward ideas, Gleeson had to be realistic about what it thought could work.

He said that 177 people signed the register for attending the exhibition and consultation, most had put in responses with a wide range of comments.

OPTIONS

Seventy per cent had favoured a school, 80 per cent had favoured Option B that included about 330 homes and 50-70 extra-care units as well as the new rugby club.

Many people had said that two and three bedroom homes were needed plus affordable housing. Mr Taylor said that local people in need of affordable housing would be a priority.

RUGBY CLUB

He said the concept of extra-care homes was welcomed and that the proposed rugby club was broadly accepted and welcomed although many were concerned about the flood risk on the sports pitches about which Gleeson would take advice.

He said there would be a scheme to take surface water run off to attenuation ponds where water would be stored to be discharged at some point into the water course. Allowing for climate change would be factored in.

A lot of people had wanted the trees and hedges kept as much as possible. Gleeson had adopted “a landscape approach” and tree loss would be limited to those with disease or in the wrong place. There would also be work to make the site attractive to wildlife.

TRAFFIC

Mr Taylor said that some responses had said it would impact on the approach to the town and there were “significant” concerns about traffic and how the development would work with existing roads.

He said many people had felt a new GP surgery should be provided. However, there were two in the town, both of which were accepting new patients. The Department of Health guidelines were one doctor to serve 1,800 people.

Based on its figures for the town, it had been thought the number was nearer 1,500 people and so it had been thought unlikely this development would include a new doctor’s surgery. These figures were later queried.

Asked about the density, Mr Taylor said it would be 35 units per hectare, consistent with the district council policy, which meant around 330 houses on the site.

Cllr Brookes-Hocking commented that the town council had found that one of the things people appreciate about Crediton was its setting.

“To me this means areas such as Pedlarspool and I am concerned, because of what people have said, if the development could be fitted into the landscape sensitively is good, but imposing it on the landscape is not.”

Mr Wozniczko said access would be via Exhibition Road with a roundabout plus pedestrian footways.

The narrow Stonewall Lane would be enhanced rather than wholescale widening.

EFFECTS ON

CREDITON

Cllr Bill Dixon commented that the effects of the development would be most felt in Crediton.

He asked how the primary school might be financed, adding: “I find in your document about the site here are a lot of if’s and but’s and possibly and maybe and ‘will be looked into’ which mean nothing when you are trying to present something this big on the edge of Crediton.”

Mr Taylor commented that the whole purpose of public consultation had been to see how people felt about the proposals and a greater chance to influence the proposals.

“Yes, there are if’s and but’s and we hope to have a meeting to settle our master plan and what we are going to take forward.”

A county council spokesman said this had been seen as the best site for an extra primary school, if it was needed over the Plan period, but things could change in 20 years.

EMPLOYMENT LAND

Asked about providing employment land, Mr Taylor said this had been included but the district council had preferred extra-care homes which, as a model of tenure, would see people stay in their homes and be independent. They would have to qualify to have such a home. It was not a care home.

Cllr Anne Hughes asked who would fund the extra-care homes and, if there were to be around 300 homes, there would be that many extra vehicles on Exhibition Road.

“It could be quite chaotic in the morning and afternoons, what plans do you have to keep Crediton moving?”

Cllr Andi Wyer commented that there was no way someone from this estate would walk to Crediton railway station, someone else said it would take 20 minutes and that people were being forced to use their cars.

Cllr Wyer added that there was concern this development was “over the hill and far away” from the rest of Crediton with no sensible link for pedestrians.

Mr Taylor said that Gleeson had to work within a number of constraints, it had invested in the feasibility of pedestrian access via Old Tiverton Road or Pounds Hill.

Cllr Brookes-Hocking said that was such a sensitive site, between Creedy Park and Shobrooke Park and it was felt the quality of the site had not been properly taken into account in terms of infrastructure.

She said there was the strong possibility of housing development at the other end of Stonewall Lane. Each site would impact on the other, had this been thought about?

Going back to traffic, it was asked if Pedlarspool Lane was to be blocked off, had they thought about where the silage trailers might go, people on the estate would not be pleased if they went through in the middle of the night.

Another member of the public commented that this was not a good site to develop. “Can we say hang on a minute, you are suggesting people walk to the High Street along a road which takes heavy goods vehicles to Tiverton, and with a new roundabout.

“Already the wing mirrors of big vehicles overhang the pavement. There is no pavement on Old Tiverton Road and you would be funnelling traffic up the narrow road past Creedy Lakes.

“Nor have we heard about how the sewage would be dealt with and there are bats in that area.

“Who is going to pay for the storage of the rainwater to be discharged? Yes it is a flood plain but a large part of that site helps prevent water going back to Sandford.” This brought applause.