General Discussion

Whereabouts in Dawlish is this beauty spot? Thanks.

its the greenland opposite the entrance to Smugglers Inn behind the houses there. You can walk along there, OaklandWoods back on to part of it and you can walk up Oak Hill to the crossroads and take a left signposted Holcombe and there is an entrance there

Thanks for the very quick response Brazilnut. I know exactly where you mean now, and Messrs Heath, Large & Co (sound like solicitors lol) are absolutely right to campaign to protect that pocket of land. Good luck to them.

If the land haadn't been made available for development by the present landowner (according to the Gazette that's the Luscombe Estate) then it couldn't be considered for development. So, the people to be approached surely is the Luscombe Estate and the question to be asked is why are they prepared to sell the land?

It's also a cirl bunting site. The original proposal was for 100 houses to be built here and adjacent land (draft Dawlish neighbourhood plan) which was downscaled to 20 when the housing estimates were shown to be over-egged. But once you're down to 20 it just doesn't seem worth it compared to the environmental loss of this open space.

perhaps the reason that 20 are still being proposed is that if they get built then they could serve as a reason for more being built in that location in the future should the numbers of new housing needed be revised upwards.

That also applies of course to all those other areas ear-marked for development.

Me? Cynical?

Good luck to the residents with their objection. Soon there won't be any green spaces left.

We were looking at a place up that road a few years ago and the estate agent said that a cemetry was being planned on the land - he was probably winding us up!

Just been for a walk around that neck of the woods, and I noticed that the homes on South Downs Road and its vicinity are all relatively modern.

I wonder if anyone objected when these homes were built on what was presumably a greenfield site until fairly recently?

I'm not saying that there's hypocrisy at play. I'm just saying......

Anyone else see the letter in this week's Dawlish Post (that's the freebie paper) on page 9 about the housing figures being used by Teignbridge District Council to justify all the proposed new house building in the district over the next 20 years. Letter is headed Evidence Shows That District Has Its Figures Seriously Wrong:

Here is an extract:

"It is apparent that there is substantial evidence now available to show that Teignbridge has got its figures seriously wrong.

The latest forecast from the official government body, the Office of National Statistics, quotes a forecast population growth of some 20,000 in Teignbridge between 2010 and 2030. Assuming that the national average of 2.3 persons per home is applied, approximately 8,700 homes will therefore be requred.

By contrast, Teignbridge draft Core Strategy gives the housing need over the corresponding 20 year period as 14,800 homes. Applying the same occupancy ratio as above, this equates to a staggering population growth of 34,000.

How can Teignbridge Council possibly forecast a 70% population increase above that quoted by the official government statistical authority?"

@Lynne - absolutely right. the papers have finally caught up with that long housing discussion thread here last year. at least the dawlish neighbourhood plan showed a reduction from its original figure of 2000 new homes to around 1300 - much more in line with forecast population growth

@neilh, lynne,

Do you mean the boring thread where querying the basis for the TDC figures led to accusations of being a nimby?

Don

What is Teignbridge's current average occupancy ratio? Above, below, or exactly 2.3? Thanks.

How would Teignbridge know that? From the 2011 Census? Are the figures available yet?

Calm down dear. So does anyone know what latest published ratio is for Teignbridge?

Why not build on the Lawn and Manor Grounds as well because there wont be any shops left so it might as well be a housing estate!!!!!!!

Nelson, as I have told you before - I am not your 'dear'.

@Don. Yes it was that famous thread "Drop in meetings for consultation on draft Dawlish Plan". What a thread that was. I remember it well.

The myth of the housing projections was exploded, the Dawlish Plan was in tatters, peopel threatened to withdraw from this forum because it was getting boring. Yet the whole thread was core to teh future of Dawlish!!

Don't know about nimby but you do have to be nimble to keep up with the politicians. As long as there are statistical anarchists out here we have a chance to restore sanity to the curious machination of numbers which go into the planning process.

It looks like the occupancy ratio is 2.2, which you would hope takes in consideration the disproportionate number of holiday and/or second homes in this district. I love the idea of people thinking of themselves as being statistical anarchists!!!