Courtlands Update – Thursday 26th January

Courtlands Update – Thursday 26th January

Yes, Day 3 and the end is definitely not yet in sight! Today the Appeal hearing covered two areas, hearing from EDDC’s Alan Breckon about development control, and from Strategic Land Partnership’s Sarah Planton about landscape.

Alan Breckon did a robust job of explaining why and how the appeal site isn’t the best, and justifying how EDDC had reached the decisions it had. Some of it pretty dry on development control policies, but Alan was good on the justification for the Green Wedge and why it must be defended.

Sarah Planton’s position (briefly summarised as ‘the development is a good thing with minimum impact, that the development didn’t start coalescence with Lympstone and that walkers on the East Devon Way would enjoy walking through a housing estate’) was pretty thoroughly attacked by the EDDC barrister and further battered by Mark Robertson from Courtlands Lane. She had to admit that landscape assessment was to a significant extent a matter of opinion not a science, and that the EDW would be badly affected.

The day rounded off with a screening of a journey along the narrow lanes of Lympstone – a video made by Don Mildenhall.

A full day Tomorrow – heritage matters from both sides with possibly a start on the planning case from SLP’s witness.

Tuesday will be the day to hear SLP’s main witness making the planning case for the development. At this rate it might run into Wednesday. We get the opportunity to cross-examine all the SLP witnesses – which Mark did very effectively today.

Helen Dimond

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