Plan Mid Devon
The current Mid Devon Local Plan was adopted by the Council in July 2020 and has a lifespan to 2033. This will help guide multi-million pound investments across the district which will benefit Mid Devon and its communities and provide greater certainty about where new homes, employment and other uses will be located to meet our needs, together with new schools, roads and other supporting infrastructure. It will also help us regenerate our town centres and protect and enhance those parts of Mid Devon where we do not wish to see un-planned development taking place, including the open countryside and high quality landscapes.
The current Mid Devon Local Plan is in force alongside the Devon Minerals and Waste Plans, and neighbourhood plans that have been ‘made’ for Cullompton, Tiverton and Crediton. These plans help guide planning applications submitted to the Council for determination and the decisions made on these. However, there is a legal requirement for a review of the Local Plan to be completed in five years. To achieve this we have started the preparation of Plan Mid Devon now. The new Local Plan will have regard to the latest national planning policies, practice guidance and thinking about how best to plan in the context of a national housing crisis, economic recovery and the challenges of a climate emergency. It will also ensure Mid Devon will continue to benefit from a plan-led approach for development to meet our current and future needs over a longer time period to 2044.
Latest News – March 2025
Following the consultation on an Issues Paper in early 2022 the Council has continued to gather evidence and produce technical studies that will be used to help inform the preparation of the new local plan. Some of these studies are now published on the Council’s website, including: the Retail, Leisure and Tourism Study; Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment; and a Landscape Character Assessment, while others are still in progress. The Council has also very recently held a further ‘call for sites’ to provide an opportunity for potential sites available for development to be brought to the Council’s attention for consideration.
The Government introduced a new National Planning Policy Framework and new ‘Standard Method’ for calculating the housing need for local authority areas in December 2024, and intends to implement reforms to the plan-making system in 2025. These changes have made it necessary for the Council to undertake further work for the new local plan and have resulted in a need to review its plan making progress and prepare a new plan-making timetable (the Council’s Local Development Scheme ‘LDS’). The new Local Development Scheme was approved by the Council on 4th March and is now published on the Council’s website. The Local Development Scheme shows that the Council will progress the preparation of the new local plan through the reformed plan-making system, based on the Government’s expected introduction of a 30 month plan-making timetable. The Local Development Scheme may need to be updated once the regulations for the new plan-making system have been published. It is intended that the next stage for the new local plan, which will involve the publication of draft vision and spatial options and consultation on these will take place in the early spring 2026. More information about this will be made available once the Council is able to do so.
Issues Paper Consultation – early 2022
Consultation on the Plan Mid Devon 2023-2043 Regulation 18 Issues Paper took place from 31st January -28 March 2022. This was the first stage in preparing the new Local Plan in which we sought views about what the new Local Plan will include and how Mid Devon should be planned for in the future.
We received 116 representations which covered a range of 58 questions. In total 2,635 comments were made. These representations are available to view online using the search facility.
You can search all representations received during the Plan Mid Devon Regulation 18 Issues consultation (2022) by Name, Organisation, Customer ID, Chapter, Question and ‘Other’ which identifies Miscellaneous comments as well as comments on the associated Sustainability Appraisal and the Equalities Impact Assessment.
Here is a summary of the representations received.
Below you will find the series of materials provided as part of this consultation:
Plan Mid Devon - An Introduction by Cllr Richard Chesterton
We are preparing a new Local Plan for Mid Devon
Priority 1 - Responding to the climate emergency and moving to a net-zero carbon future
Priority 2 - Delivering development, infrastructure and regeneration to meet our needs
Priority 3 - Addressing housing affordability and improving choice
Priority 4 - Protecting and enhancing the natural and built environment
Priority 5 - Improving our health and well-being
Priority 6 - Supporting rural vitality and a prosperous rural economy
The Issues Paper and supporting documents can be found below:
Plan Mid Devon 2023-2043 Regulation 18 Issues Consultation
While the Issues Paper is available to download for free, if you would like to have your own paper copy, they are available to buy for £10. To buy one, you will need to call our Customer Services team on 01884 255255 and ask for a copy of the ‘Local Plan Issues Paper’. You will be asked to provide your name, address and payment details. A copy of the document will then be posted to you.
Plan Mid Devon 2023-2043 Regulation 18 Issues Consultation (Print version)
2.0 Sustainable Development and Six Top Priorities
3.0 Our Mid Devon Vision and Objectives
4.0 Responding to the Climate Emergency and Moving to Net-Zero Carbon
5.0 Access to New Technologies and Digital Communications
6.0 Meeting Housing Needs
7.0 Supporting our Businesses and Jobs
8.0 Infrastructure and How We Travel
9.0 Our Natural and Historic Built Environment
10.0 Improving Our Health and Well-Being
11.0 How Our Places Look and are Used
12.0 Our Towns and Their Environs
13.0 Our Rural Areas and Villages
14.0 Culm Garden Village
15.0 Proposals at Junction 27 M5 Motorway
16.0 A Sustainable Distribution of Development Across Mid Devon
17.0 Next Steps
Appendix 1 - Glossary
References
Plan Mid Devon 2023-2043 Regulation 18 Issues Consultation Summary Paper
Plan Mid Devon Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report
Plan Mid Devon Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report Non-Technical Summary
Equalities Impact Assessment Screening Report
Statement of Representations Procedure
Statement of Availability of Proposed Documents
How to Get Involved
Consultation on the Plan Mid Devon 2023-2043 Regulation 18 Issues Paper, took place from 31 January – 28 March 2022.
Representations on Plan Mid Devon 2023-2043 Regulation Issues Paper, its associated Sustainability Appraisal or any other associated documents could be submitted in the following ways:
Onllne Survey (preferred method)
E-mail to planmiddevon@middevon.gov.uk
Letter posted/delivered to:
Mid Devon District Council
Plan Mid Devon Consultation
Forward Planning
Phoenix House
Phoenix Lane
Tiverton
The following statement was provided as part of the consultation.
When making a representation you must include your name and full postal address, otherwise your comments cannot be registered. Representations will be treated as public documents and will be published online following the consultation. This will include the name and address of the representation, all other personable identifiable information will be redacted. For full information on how we use your data please see our privacy notice on Development Plan Documents.
Events
| Event | How to join us |
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Monday 7 February 3.30 - 4.30pm Introduction to Plan Mid Devon + Question and Answers |
Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/92806230903?pwd=Y1BWZzgyODFTUUtEdEo2OER0MTJOUT09 |
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Thursday 10 February 6.00 – 7.00pm Climate Change and Plan Mid Devon + Question and Answers |
Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/96284411377?pwd=anQ4Uzk1OXU4ZFhqTDBBalY1ZThvQT09
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Monday 14 February 10.30 -11.30am Introduction to Plan Mid Devon + Question and Answers* |
Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/94838271260?pwd=Y1pNbHFzT3ljVmxpN05lOE9uUG9Edz09
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Wednesday 16 February 6.00 – 7.00pm Housing and Plan Mid Devon + Question and Answers |
Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/92033544135?pwd=RnFXbmJFa0xrMG1oZjhtOXptclZndz09 |
With the announcement of the lifting of National ‘Plan B’ Covid 19 restrictions in January the following public drop in events have been organised. |
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Thursday 3 March 9.00am – 12.00pmPublic drop in event |
Crediton Lords Meadow Leisure Centre - Sports Hall This is a face to face event. To keep everyone as safe as possible from Covid-19 please take a negative lateral flow test before arriving. We encourage you to wear a face mask at the event if you are able to. There may be a one way system and a maximum capacity of the venue at any one time to enable social distancing. |
Monday 7 March 9.30am – 12.30pmPublic drop in event |
Tiverton Phoenix House – Phoenix Chambers This is a face to face event. To keep everyone as safe as possible from Covid-19 please take a negative lateral flow test before arriving. We encourage you to wear a face mask at the event if you are able to. There may be a one way system and a maximum capacity of the venue at any one time to enable social distancing. |
Tuesday 8 March 1.00pm – 4.00pmPublic drop in event |
Cullompton Community Centre – Hillersden Suite This is a face to face event. To keep everyone as safe as possible from Covid-19 please take a negative lateral flow test before arriving. We encourage you to wear a face mask at the event if you are able to. There may be a one way system and a maximum capacity of the venue at any one time to enable social distancing. |
*This will have the same content as the event on the 7th February
You can take a look at the Exhibition Boards here:
Board One - Welcome to our consultation about Plan Mid Devon
Board Two - About the Plan Mid Devon Issues Paper
Board Three - About Mid Devon - Did You Know?
Board Four - Responding to the climate emergency and moving to a net-zero carbon future
Board Five - Improving our health and well-being
Board Six - Access to new technologies and digital communications
Board Seven - Meeting housing needs
Board Eight - Supporting our businesses and jobs
Board Nine - Infrastructure and how we travel
Board Ten - Town centre vitality and viability
Board Eleven - Safeguarding our historic built environment and designing new places
Board Twelve - Natural Environment
Board Thirteen - Supporting rural vitality and a prosperous rural economy
Board Fourteen - Culm Garden Village
Board Fifteen - Proposals at Junction 27, M5 Motorway
Board Sixteen - Plan Mid Devon with us - Where to find out more and have your say
A timeline of the key stages of the Local Plan Review is set out in our Local Development Scheme.
Further updates as the Plan progresses will be provided on this page. Those that wish to be contacted directly on planning policy matters including Local Plan consultations please send your contact details to planningconsultations@middevon.gov.uk. For details on how we process your data please see our privacy notice.