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 are also available on the consultants website.
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
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
