The East Devon Local Development Framework (LDF) proposes over 3,000 new houses to be built in Exmouth. This includes 970 new houses in Exmouth with approval, but not yet built, and 1,850 new houses on green fields and woodland outside the existing town boundary. While not mentioned in the LDF, East Devon District Council also expect significant “windfall housing” from brown field sites, eg Rolle College.

By comparison, Budleigh Salterton is being asked to take 50 (yes, 50) new homes over the next 10 years and Sidmouth has no “strategic allocation” of houses.

With no credible plan to generate thousands of new jobs within Exmouth, there must be thousands of additional commuter journeys along the already overcrowded A376 or across Woodbury Common.

While EDDC propose to massively increase the number of houses, there is no money or proposals for new schools, hospitals, doctors or dentists in Exmouth.

Government budgets have been slashed, thus there is no possibility that the A376 will be improved and the supposed extension of Dinan Way is neither funded nor solves anything - it just creates another traffic jam at a new junction with the A376 and opens more green land for future development.

The chilling part is the EDDC long-term vision for Exmouth - “development will continue along similar levels as that planned for 2006 to 2026” – so, apparently, the long-term future is for Exmouth to become a vast urban sprawl of commuter houses.

It is widely reported in the national press that the new government has done away with central housing targets and many nouncils and communities are moving to prevent these huge housing schemes wrecking their community and environment.

We, the residents of Exmouth, need to write, mail, twitter or facebook our views to East Devon District Council and prevent this grotesque plan being foisted on us.

The council’d LDF consultation process lasts until November 30. If we in Exmouth do nothing, then the LDF plan will become a fact and no amount of complaining in the future will change the plan.

John Connolly,

The Coach House,

Old Bystock Drive, Exmouth.