Dawlish Discussion

The lead story in this week's Dawlish Gazette concerns a proposed development at Hensford (presumably land presently forming Hensford Farm) of some 1,200 homes, a primary school, workplaces, shops, hospitality facilities.  I have to guess at the exact location as no map is shown. 

The Gazette associates this development with the next Teignbridge Local Plan (which takes us up to 2040) - and then, by implication, the one after that.

I am confused.

As we, the public, will not know what land is finally being put forward for development by TDC in its new Local Plan until it (the proposed new Local Plan) goes out for public consultation early next year, why does the present landowner and their development team, assume that the land that they wish to develop will be amongst that selected by TDC?

A bit presumptious, don't you think? Or am I missing something here?

Furthermore, I have looked at the list of all the land originally put forward by various landowners to TDC for possible inclusion as development sites in the new Local Plan. This 'call for land' happened, I believe, in 2018. I can find no record of any land categorised as Hensford.  Langdon yes, but not Hensford. 

So.......are we looking at a proposed development on land that has not yet even been submitted to TDC for consideration for development? And land that can't be submitted for consideration until the next 'call for land' takes place? (which won't be until a few years time). Again a presumption on the part of the landowner and the design company. And quite a way into the future 'n all.. Talk about being in front of oneself! 

"Curiouser and curiouser" said Alice.

Perhaps some light will be thrown on what exactly is being planned,  and for when and where exactly, at the public exhibition of this proposal which will be held at the Manor House on Friday 11th November from 1pm to 7pm and on Saturday 12th November from 10.am to 5pm. 

Details will also be published on the website www.hensford-park.co.uk at the same time.

PS click on this link to see a list of all the land within the parish of Dawlish that was put forward in 2018 as possible development sites. https://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/media/9614/dawlish-parish.pdf

And equally as curious is the fact that...........@Teignpot posted on this thread and now that post has disappeared. 

I've been told that this is known as a 'speculative development'.

It's a way of being able to build on land that hasn't been identified for development (see my first post above). 

Interesting read here from the Campaign For The Protection of Rural England (CPRE) concerning this issue.

https://www.cpre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/LandZpromotersZbriefingZ2018.pdf

Here's an extract from the CPRE article "Current Government proposals do not recognise that the main driver for speculative development is not the absence of plans or the need to build houses, but the desire to make profit from developing land that hasn’t been rationally and democratically identified as appropriate for development. Land promoters are likely to find some way of exploiting any measures to improve the planning system, as long as the uplift in land value remains such an irresistible temptation.  Communities welcome good development that follows local and neighbourhood plans, but land promoters actively work against local wishes for the sake of their own profit."

Dawlish 'new town' could mean up to 1,200 new homes

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/dawlish-new-town-could-mean-7756904

If you click on this link and look at the photo to the upper right hand side you will see the location of this proposed housing development.

https://www.hensfordpark.co.uk/

Look at the inner circle at about the one/ two o'clock mark. See those white buildings? That's Langdon Hospital. The darker shade is the location of Gatehouse Farm, Secmaton Farm and the Persimmon sites. Already identified for housing development in the present Local Plan.

The area with the orange shading shown adjacent to those areas and to the upper left is the site of the proposed Hensford Park.  

and then if you click on this link and look at No 2 Langdon sites you will see, marked in red, the land finally being considered (or not, we await to see ) as development sites for the emerging Local Plan that will be put out for public consultation in a couple of months time.

 https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/dbca7d53b2d947caac7e84a5b7e3ee9f

Is there any overlap between the land shown as being the proposed Hensford Park and the land shown as being considered for future development by TDC? 

https://www.middevonadvertiser.co.uk/news/frosty-reception-for-green-village-proposal-570697

Is anyone surprised at the reaction to this proposal from the general public? 

Just a reminder.

A public exhibition of this proposal will be held at the Manor House on Friday 11th November from 1pm to 7pm and on Saturday 12th November from 10.am to 5pm. 

(that's today and tomorrow).

It's open now, just been down and had a look

click on this link for more info about this development proposal

https://www.hensfordpark.co.uk/

comments must be received by Sunday 27th November 2022 

Visited the exhibition yesterday.  Turns out that the promoters of this proposal have been in discussion with TDC since July 2021 when TDC asked for large site planning concepts to be submitted to them.  Were any of the public aware of this?

So.......not a speculative planning development as such (see my earlier posts above - although I can see certain circumstances when it could become such a thing) but rather a response to TDC's planning department request for 'visions for future development' as it were. 

We (the public) only know about this planning concept vision because the promoters of Hensford Park have chosen to go public. It begs the question of what other large site planning concepts have also been submitted that we, the public, know nothing about. 

This is deffo a future planning concept however as, and I have explained this in my earlier posts, a chunk of the land included has not yet been put forward for consideration for development and  this cannot start to happen until the next call for potential development sites takes place which won't be for some years yet. 

That said, some of the land in this vision was submitted in the last call for sites and has been/is being considered by TDC for development. Whether this particular bit of land has made it through to the final stages will be revealed in January 2023. 

The land submitted for consideration for development can be seen here on this link. Scroll down to Number 2 Langdon Hospital. If you regard the top of the page as being north then the two pieces of land outlined in red and located to the south west are the two bits that I am referring to; https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/dbca7d53b2d947caac7e84a5b7e3ee9f

Just come across this https://hensfordpark.co.uk/reports which is from the developers behind the Hensford Park proposal to local councillors. It is dated September 2023.

Is anyone surprised at the reaction to this proposal from the general public?