New Plans For Dartmoor (Central Devon Liberal Democrats)

Central Devon Liberal Democrats <info@centraldevon-libdems.org.uk>

New Plans For Dartmoor

August 6, 2011 11:21 AM

Ripe for development?

New Plans for Dartmoor

A large chunk of the Central Devon constituency lies within Dartmoor National Park. At the moment the National Park Authority are preparing a Development Plan which sets out two main areas of planning policy for:

subject related policies (e.g. housing, employment, tourism) to advise and manage development
site specific policies to set the planning framework for particular areas and land uses

This document is part of the Local Development Framework (LDF), and sits below the Core Strategy; the policies it contains will replace 'saved' policies in the Local Plan. Together with the Core Strategy its policies will form the basis for decision making for development in theDartmoorNational Park.

Housing for local people

Rural areas and particularly Protected Landscapes such as National Parks suffer from an acute shortage of housing which forces many young people to move away to the towns. Poor provision of expensive public transport also makes things difficult for those who stay.

It's not just house prices that are too high for anyone who hasn't got a foot on the ladder, or an inheritance. It's rents as well. In Moretonhampstead for instance there are 17 people on the Housing waiting list, but who knows how many more are in rented accommodation that they cannot really afford? The same story is true for other towns and villages in the Park.

The other part of keeping young people in these areas is having enough local jobs. Do we really want our towns & villages to become a dormitory forExeterand other big centres? If not we need to encourage more visitors in all sorts of ways, so as to support local businesses and also value the industry we have in our various industrial estates - as well as people's back yards!

Now the National Park Authority is consulting people on where and how much new housing should be built over the next 20 years. If you want to keep young local people here and keep our local communities balanced and alive, it is vital to make your views clear.

Have Your Say

The Park's plan is still a draft document and can still be amended.

If you want to know more about the Plan, you can find it at local Parish Council offices, at the National Park offices in Bovey Tracey or on the DartmoorNational Parkwebsite (www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/planning)

You can make your views known by letter, e-mail or by filling in one of the

consultation forms which are available on the web site.

You have until the 23rd September to get your comments in.