On 2nd December 2011, the second consultation in relation to the redevelopment of Hatherleigh Market took place.  Local residents had their first view of the draft plans for the site, and were given the opportunity to provide feedback.   The plans remain on display at the Community Centre for those who could not attend the event, and feedback can still be sent in.  Full details were available on the consultants website but they have been removed currently – whilst they wait for the publication of the strategy document.

So, how can you influence what happens on the site?  And how can the Town Council help with this?

Contrary to some comments that were overheard on the day, the Town Council remains completely independent of the consultants who are working on behalf of the Vick family to draw up the plans.

Our role is to listen to the views of the whole community and represent those views formally in response to the plans.

One of the key ways that we can all influence what happens is through the Plan It process.  This has been set up by West Devon Borough Council with Hatherleigh Town Council and is designed to gather the views of the community on all aspects of the future of Hatherleigh (not just the market development).  This will be pulled together into a development strategy for the town, and will have an influence on planning decisions in future.

At the moment Plan It surveys are being distributed to every household in Hatherleigh, along with spare copies at the Community Centre and in the Paper Shop.  These surveys provide an opportunity for every person who lives in Hatherleigh to share their thoughts on what is important for the future of the town.  It can also be accessed online here

Will it have any influence over the market redevelopment?

We believe so, otherwise the group of 10 Plan It volunteers working on the project wouldn’t be wasting so much of our time on it.

The redevelopment of the site has been written into West Devon Borough Council’s official plans for Hatherleigh for many years now, and the fact that a redevelopment will take place in inevitable.

However, we all have a chance to influence the way in which it is developed, including such things as the nature of housing, the amount of parking that is provided, any additional facilities that we need to accommodate any population increase, the traffic flow through the area, the size of supermarket that we need, and many more things.

The consultants working on the plans for the market have agreed to wait until we have completed the Plan It consultation before they finalise their plans.  This is a golden opportunity for all of us to have our say.

To get involved, all you need to do is to complete your Plan It survey.   We are keen to get responses from as many people as possible, young or old, new residents and people who have lived here all their lives, those who use the existing market and those who don’t – all of your views are important.  Every member of the community can submit a response, it is not limited to one per household.  Don’t forget that additional responses can be submitted on the online version of the survey

Online Plan-It Survey

Please let us know what you think – it really does matter, and really can make a difference.

Diary Date: The Plan It process will finish with a Consultation event on Saturday 25th February.  Further details will be provided nearer the time, but the whole community will be invited so make a note in your diaries now!

For further information please contact:

Hatherleigh Town Council
Email: HIDDEN EMAIL

West Devon Borough Council
Telephone: 01822 813600
Email: HIDDEN EMAIL

 

The consultants have now set a date for the 2nd consultation and have asked us to help make sure everybody is aware.

 

Hatherleigh Livestock Market
A Second Consultation Event

Following the exhibition in July of this year which sought initial views from the community, the owners of Hatherleigh Livestock Market and their design team have been considering different proposals for the site and how they may assist in regenerating the town should the Livestock Market need to close.  As part of the plans it is proposed that the Tuesday Pannier Market would remain as an important part of town life.

In considering different ideas for the future of the land the design team has reviewed and sought to understand the many comments, concerns and constructive suggestions that were made during the event in July and have been made since.  These views, mostly from local people, have had a very real impact upon the shape of the emerging proposals.  You are invited to see the plans and share your thoughts with the design team.

Please come and have your say.

Friday 2nd December 2011
From 2pm to 7pm at Hatherleigh Community Centre

Regards,
Neil Emery
Group Director

For and on behalf of LHC Urban Design Ltd

To try and help clarify some questions that people have asked we have produced the following. We will be adding to this as and when further relevant questions are asked. The date in the title is when it was last updated. The most recent question(s) have been added at the bottom and marked with an *

 

What is Hatherleigh market?

The site is a 10 acre area between the old town and the bypass, on which several different markets currently operate.

The most well known is every Tuesday, and includes a large pannier market, with a bric a brac auction and a fur and feathers auction.

Since 2001, legislation resulting from the Foot and Mouth outbreak has required the livestock market to run on different days when there are fewer people present and therefore less risk of disease being transferred.  Currently the sheep market is held on Monday, and the cattle market is held on Thursday.

 

Are any of the markets likely to close?

The site owner has employed developers to put together plans for redevelopment of the site.  This is as a result of falling livestock sales and insufficient income from other elements of the markets.  For example, sheep sales through Hatherleigh market are now only 10% of what they were in 1990.

This situation is common to many markets across the country, and many far bigger markets have already closed such as Banbury, which was previously the largest livestock market in Europe.

To compound this situation significant investment is needed to improve the existing facilities to meet regulations and improve safety on the site.  This investment cannot realistically be recouped within a reasonable timescale.

As a result of these circumstances, it is highly likely that the livestock market will close.

As part of the redevelopment, there is an opportunity to improve the existing pannier market, either by relocating it and enhancing it or by setting up a new street market instead.  The owner has specifically instructed the developers to include a pannier market or new street market in their designs.

 

Where does the number of  170 houses come from?

This figure comes from the draft Core Strategy that was published by West Devon Borough Council in 2005, and was the new housing target that they set for Hatherleigh.  This was part of the overall requirement for new houses in West Devon set by central government, which is shared between the towns and villages in the area.

 

Since then the Core Strategy has been amended (and adopted) in April 2011. That document does not mention any specific number of houses for Hatherleigh.

The ideas that the developers put up at the consultation in July did not specify a number. The final amount of housing as part of this development is yet to be established.

 

Will the plans include sufficient parking?

Any new houses in the plans will include parking spaces which is now a legal requirement.

It is recognised that sufficient parking is required for the pannier/street market to be successful and the field across the by-pass is being considered for potential overflow parking.  This is still at an early stage and full details will be available when the plans are made available for consultation in October.

 

Who will decide what happens in the end?

The developers will come up with a plan which may include options for the community to consider.  They intend to make this publicly available in October 2011 for comment, and based on this consultation any final adjustments will be made.  They will then submit a final plan to the Planning Department of West Devon Borough Council, who will make the final decision as to whether or not the outline plans are permitted.

 

How are Hatherleigh Town Council involved in the development plans?

As representatives of the community in Hatherleigh, Hatherleigh Town Council is being kept informed as the plans progress, so that we can pass the information on to the rest of the community.  We have invited the developers to attend some of our monthly Town Council meetings for them to keep us up to date and to enable us to ask questions about the development, and we then share this information publicly as soon as it is available.  We also have the opportunity to make suggestions through this process.

We publish all of the key facts on our website, www.hatherleightowncouncil.org, and on our notice boards.

There are no written plans at this time, and therefore there is only limited information available to share with the community at this time.  Once a little more information is known, we will consult more formally with the community so that we can ensure that we are representing the community’s views in our discussions with the developers.

 

Did the Council ‘break with tradition’ to hold an August meeting?

Normally we do not hold a meeting in August as this is the time of year that our town clerk usually takes her summer holiday.  However, this year she took her holiday earlier in the year and the July meeting was cancelled instead.  As it happens, we did schedule a short meeting in July in the end as there were some planning applications that we needed to review.

The August meeting was a normal monthly council meeting and was not a planning meeting regarding the market site nor a consultation event.

 

Are any Hatherleigh Town Councillors paid for their roles?

No.  We are all volunteers.  None of us receive any payment at all for the hours that we put in, nor for our expenses (e.g. fuel for attending meetings, etc).  Occasionally, a Councillor may purchase something on behalf of the Council and then reclaim the costs of this item.  When this happens it appears in the minutes of the meeting which can be scrutinised on our website or on our noticeboard.

 

Who should I talk to if I have ideas or concerns about the development?

You can talk to any of the Town Councillors to share your ideas and concerns, and we will ensure they are passed on to the developers.

You may also want to speak to our District Councillor, Christine Hall on cllr...@westdevon.gov.uk , whose responsibility it is to represent the views of the community to the Planning Authority, West Devon Borough Council.

 

Can I get more involved in the future market plans for Hatherleigh?

Yes.  Hatherleigh Town Council will be setting up a working party which will include some Councillors, and some other community members.  This group will meet regularly to discuss the plans for the market as they develop and to ensure that the whole community is involved in the process.  If this is of interest to you, please contact us through our website, or talk to any of the Town Councillors.

We will be advertising this more widely soon, so look out for further details.

 

Can I get involved in other areas of development for Hatherleigh?

Yes.  West Devon Borough Council is starting to work on “Plan-It” with Hatherleigh Town Council.  This is a much wider community-led planning process which will look at the development of the whole town for the long term future.  There are seven main themes: Economy, Environment and Open Spaces, Housing, Local Facilities and Attractions, Local Services, Transport & Communications and Community Life.

We are hoping that members of the community will want to get involved in each of these areas, and together with the Town Council can have a say in the future of Hatherleigh.

If you would like to get involved with this, either talk to any of the Town Councillors, or contact West Devon Borough Council directly. More details will be put up on the town council website soon.

 

* According to the West Devon Borough Council (WDBC) 2005 Local Plan (Page 58) 110 houses were to be built in Hatherleigh to meet the need for housing. Since then approx 200 houses have been built, so why are 170 more houses planned?

We do not know where this magical figure of 170 house originated from. The WDBC 2005 Local Plan allocated land for approximately 110 houses in Hatherleigh. Since then, all of these houses have been built. In addition to these, a number of houses have been developed around the town and elsewhere in the parish of Hatherleigh on sites that had not been allocated. These houses have helped to meet the housing need for the town for the period 2005 – 2011.

Over the past few years WDBC has been reviewing the Local Plan and has recently adopted an updated plan for the Borough called the Core Strategy. This is a longer term plan and makes provision for new housing and other development for the period 2011 – 2026. The Core Strategy does not set any specific housing numbers for Hatherleigh but does highlight the site of the Market as an area that might come forward for future development if the business is not viable in the future.

The example plan that was displayed by the market consultants back in July did not specify any number of houses and they explained that they wanted to keep an open mind on this until they heard what the residents thought was important.

At the Market consultation in July, West Devon Borough Council (WDBC) and Hatherleigh Town Council displayed and explained details of something called Plan-It. The full information about this project can be seen on the Town Council website – [click here].

This is a community-led planning project which will look at the development of the whole town for the long term future.  There are 7 main themes: Economy, Environment and Open Spaces, Housing, Local Facilities and Attractions, Local Services, Transport & Communications and Community Life.

This project is going to be used to look at the future of the town as a whole and its development needs over the next 10 – 15 years. As this will benefit the town by allowing the community to have more say about how Hatherleigh develops in the future, we have decided to use this to also help shape the Market redevelopment proposals.

Working Group
The Town Council are putting together a working group comprised of residents and councillors to look at the issue regarding the town. We are now looking for residents who have an interest in the town to volunteer. The party needs to have a cross selection of residents so that we can gauge the requirements of the community as a whole, so they need to be people who can understand and consider all views in relation to all aspects of the town.

There are certain criteria that any volunteers need to meet – which is the same as what the councillors have to meet. They are:
·         Be a British subject or EU citizen
·         Be over the age of 18
·         Must live in the town or have your principle or only place of work within the town for the whole of the last 12 months (or within 3 miles of it)
·         or own land in the town for the whole of the last 12 months (please note that you would need to declare an interest and be restricted as to which ‘area’ you represent.)

You are NOT eligible if you are:
·         Subject of a bankruptcy restriction order or interim order
·         Have, within 5 years before, been convicted in the UK of any offence and have had a sentence of imprisonment (whether suspended or not) for a period of over 3 months without the option of a fine
·         An employee of the Council.

You will also need to sign a declaration of interest including any financial interests and also a code of conduct,

The party will be limited to 4-5 councillors and 4-5 residents, so please bear in mind that not everyone who volunteers may be selected.

The aim of the group will be to gather information to identify the key issues and concerns that the community have regarding each of the 7 ‘areas’ and also to compile any suggestions and opportunities and to communicate them to the Council.

If you are interested then please respond with some details about yourselves (name, address, phone number) by using the comments form below. These details will not display on the website! Or if you would prefer please give your details to one of the town councillors. A number of people registered an interest in this project at the consultation and we would like those people to let us know if they are still interested.

At the moment we can not specify just how much time this will take. There will be some time spent gathering information, time spent putting on a consultation on the 7 areas for residents to review the information and add further comments / views, collating that information and probably a further consultation before presenting the findings to the council. This is our current view on the likely plan.

The closing date for this is the end of September 2011 as we need to finalise the participants and want to try and get a final plan out and agreed by early Jan if possible.

With the information gained Hatherleigh Town Council can draw up a plan on how the residents want Hatherleigh to look in the future (short term AND long term).

Plan-It – is a joint project set up with Hatherleigh Town Council and West Devon Borough Council to look into the future needs etc for Hatherleigh.

The attached document gives you more information on Plan-It – please click here.

Hatherleigh Town Council are looking for people who want to be involved in helping shape the future of the Town to work with the Town Council.

For more information please either speak to any of the Town Councillors or look at the information on this website about the setting up of a working party.

Attached is the initial report that the consultants have put together from all of the reports that were submitted at the 1st consultation as well as the few subsequent comments emailed to them.

Hatherleigh Market Engagement Statement – click here

Summary of 1st Stage Consultation – click here

The next step is for the consultants to draw up a few different plans to incorporate, where feasible, some of the suggestions made. All of the plans that they draw up WILL include an area for a Tuesday market – which was always going to be included.

The 2nd consultation will take place in the autumn where the plans will be shown for the residents to again view them and make comments.

It is the duty of Hatherleigh Town Council to represent our community in Hatherleigh and we take this responsibility seriously.  We listened carefully to the views and concerns expressed at the Council meeting on 9th August 2011 and will, of course, ensure that this information is passed on and that the concerns are taken into consideration as the plans for the market progress.  We are determined to ensure that any development of Hatherleigh Market brings as much benefit as possible to the town.

The market site is currently privately owned, and the owners of the site are entitled to decide how they use this land.  Currently they have announced that they plan to sell the land for development, but rather than drawing up these plans entirely privately they have opted to consult with the community to give an opportunity for everyone to express their opinions and make suggestions about how the development could bring benefits to Hatherleigh.

The first stage of this consultation was carried out during July and August 2011, including a public meeting on 14th July at which some initial thoughts and ideas were displayed.  The results of this are currently being analysed, and the developers will provide a synopsis of the results of this to Hatherleigh Town Council.  When we receive this, we will make it available on our website (www.hatherleightowncouncil.org), and will place a copy at the Community Centre for those without internet access.

The developers will then draw up outline plans for the development, and at this point they intend to display these plans publicly for further community feedback.  Once this is complete, they will make any adjustments and submit a formal planning application to WDBC

As with every planning application, Hatherleigh Town Council will be consulted on these plans, and we will have an opportunity to register any concerns and suggestions formally on behalf of the community.  Of course any individual or business can also write or email to comment on the plans at this stage.

These representations will be taken into account by West Devon Borough Council in making their planning decision, but ultimately the decision lies with them.

We will keep everyone informed on progress via our website and will place an update in the Parish Pump each month.  We will also ensure that any public consultations are publicised as widely as possible including displaying posters throughout town.  Please look out for further information which we will publish as soon as it becomes available to us.

Please feel free to make comments or ask questions using the form below. We will endeavour to reply to all comments and will be setting up a Q&A page where relevant questions will be added and answered for all to see.

As you may have heard, due to decreasing sales for the livestock market the site owners are now planning to close it and redevelop the site. Hatherleigh Town Council is getting involved to try and ensure that the plans offer the best that they can for Hatherleigh. So far, we have held meetings with the consultants and with West Devon Borough Council and whilst the ideas are at a very early stage at the moment, we will continue to meet with them as the plans progress.

At the Town Council, we feel that the weekly produce market is very important to the town and that we would like something similar incoporated into the plans – along with sufficient car parking being retained.

There will be a public consultation held at Hatherleigh Community Centre on Thursday 14th July running between 13:00 and 19:00 where people are invited to come and give their views on what they think should be included etc.  We would urge as many people as possible to come to the event to see what the ideas are, and to put forward their views as to what is important for the town.