Exmouth Christmas Day Swim 2014

A picturesque seaside town in the West Country now how so many elderly people living there it is at “saturation point” and reaching the stage where it is no longer “economically viable”, local politicians have warned.

East Devon Councillors made the remarks as they rejected proposals to site a new block of retirement apartments in Exmouth, arguing more homes needed to be built for younger people instead.

Churchill Retirement Living was hoping to build 54 retirement apartments together with six retirement cottages, communal facilities, and associated car parking, landscaping, and commercial space on the site of builders’ merchants Jewson on Fore Street.

The council’s planning officers recommended approval, deciding it would be “sustainable development” and help improve housing supply.

However, the bulk of the committee voted against the plans, citing a perceived lack of a “mixed balance” of properties, a loss of employment land, and because the site had not been marketed for the required time of at least a year.

The committee’s decision came after several objections were heard at the meeting, reported on by Devon Live, including from Exmouth Town Council, which raised concerns about the loss of employment land, perceived “overdevelopment,” and criticism about more housing exclusively for elderly residents.

A town council statement said: “It puts a very particular type of development – retirement properties – in an area awash with them when we’re in desperate need of affordable homes for young families and couples.”

Speaking in favour on behalf of the application, Rosie Roome claimed there was a “clear local need” for such a development, stating: “Retirement housing is not for everyone, but it is important to provide choice within the housing market.”

She added: “The proposal will have benefits throughout the whole housing market; freeing up larger properties for families which in turn frees up homes for first-time buyers.

Ms Roome revealed there would be “no loss of employment” from the current Jewson store, with all staff transferred to nearby Withycombe Road.

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However, East Devon’s economic development officer Tom Winters told the meeting there will be “more economic harm than benefit deriving from this particular application.”

He explained there is a “chronic lack” of employment land in East Devon, while the district is “currently losing many employers because they cannot find sufficient space”

And whilst it was estimated the application would lead to 12 jobs on the site, Mr Winters believed guidance suggested “23 jobs is the right amount of jobs which should be accommodated at this type of site for this type of use.”

Mr Winters added East Devon has the third highest proportion of pensioners of any local authority in the country. That’s not economically sustainable.”

A number of councillors then criticised the plan, including Councillor Olly Davey (Green, Exmouth Town), who said: “The local plan says there is a need for balanced communities, securing employment provision, reducing the need for commuting, and encouraging development for younger people and families.

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“Well, Exmouth already has a high proportion of older people,” he said, adding: “I think a better use could be found for this site. A better use would be a mixed residential and commercial – say an office development.”

Cllr Davey also believed the level of developer contributions was lower than it should have been.

Meanwhile, Cllr Brian Bailey (Conservative, Littleham) said: “Exmouth is in a situation where we’re all getting older. The population in Exmouth is getting older and older on a daily basis.

He added: “We have a housing need in Exmouth for one- and two-bedroom flats and houses. We need those types of housing. Why are we getting this? We don’t need this. There is no demand for this.”

This was further echoed by Cllr Steve Gazzard (Lib Dem, Withycombe Raleigh). “Do we need any more retirement homes? I don’t think we do. I think we’ve got to what I would call saturation point in Exmouth for these types of developments.”

The committee rejected the plan by a margin of six votes to one, with three abstentions.

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