ROCKBEARE
PARISH COUNCIL
The Review Officer (Devon), Local Government Boundary Commission for England, Layden House, Turnmill Street, LONDON, EC1M 5LG.
15 January 2015
Dear Sir,
New Electoral Divisions for Devon
I write on behalf of Rockbeare Parish Council to offer our views on the revisions to the electoral divisions for Devon County Council.
Most people in the parish identify with Rockbeare and Marsh Green and go to Ottery St Mary to access local facilities such as shops, leisure centres, doctors etc. There are no shops in the parish, one post office shared with a vets and one well known public house which readily identifies itself with Rockbeare.
Our area and its immediate surroundings are heavily influenced by the emergence of a major new development, Cranbrook, which has in a short time grown from nothing to having about 1000 houses in 30 months and continues to grow at that pace adding at least 50 new houses every month. Already there are more houses in Cranbrook than there are in our parish. East Devon District Council has revised our parish boundary such that the area north of the rear boundaries of properties fronting London Road will be part of the Cranbrook Town Council area as from 1 April 2015.
The Cranbrook developers have submitted an outline planning application for about 4,500 additional houses to extend the area of the development to the west, east and south of the current outline consent, taking the total number of houses to about 7,500. As this is already part of EDDC Local Plan proposals we assume that the application (or something very close to it) will receive approval. There are also a number of other large developments that have received consent especially in the Broadclyst parish which will also require your consideration.
We presume that the Commission will not wish to review county divisional boundaries every 5 years or so to accommodate this rapid growth and therefore our views are offered to provide some permanence to the new boundaries especially in the rural hinterland of which our parish is becoming a part.
The residents of Rockbeare fought a long yet losing battle against the Cranbrook “Growth Point” proposals in the early years of this century but in recent times have sought to ensure that the emerging new community is well planned in collaboration with EDDC. However that does not mean that they wish to be subsumed into the new community and become a very small voice in its governance. They would be strongly opposed to such a move.
Accordingly we wish our current parish to join with our neighbouring parishes to the west and south of us in any new electoral divisions that the Commission may propose. We recognise that such a review will have an impact on the wards for EDDC but assume that given the pace of change in this area that this is something which the Commission will address as part of its review or invite the appropriate authority to consider.
We have also presumed that the Commission will not seek to split existing parishes (assuming such a move to be within its remit). However were that to be considered for Rockbeare Parish, we would wish to be consulted over any new redrawing of our boundary.
Yours faithfully
David Mason Chairman, Rockbeare Parish Council