Cranbrook council seek residents’ views on future of town centre
Cranbrook Picture: Chris Mills/Still Imaging - Credit: Archant
Cranbrook Town Council (CTC) has asked residents to vote in an online poll about the future of the town centre.
CTC has outlined two proposals, one from a consortium and one from East Devon District Council (EDDC), and has said that the choice is mainly whether the residents want a range of town centre facilities now or would be happy to wait for a more ambitious town centre at some undetermined time in the future.
The consortium’s proposal is the one that would be delivered immediately and would see the construction of a 2,500 square-metre supermarket with an additional 1,000 square-metre of retail space on Tillhouse Road, a town square, a nursery and a town hall with café, meeting spaces and around 15 rentable office units.
The proposal would also add 350 town centre homes as well as a children’s centre, youth centre, library and a skate park.
If this proposal was accepted, it is expected that work would begin within the year with a 2021 completion for the he supermarket, shops and town square.
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The other approach being considered by EDDC planning officers is to create a masterplan for the town centre development and would include similar facilities to the consortium’s proposal. However, there would be fewer residential units, some workshops, light industrial units and a hotel.
The detailed plans are not available to the public yet but will be at EDDC’s Strategic Planning Committee next month.
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CTC has raised concern that it does not know how long it would take EDDC to develop the town centre masterplan and no timescale for delivery has been given.
Cllr Les Bayliss, chairman of Cranbrook Town Council and chairman of the council’s planning committee said: “The situation is finely balanced and requires a significant decision to be made. There is a chance now to deliver a comprehensive and holistic town centre in the near future – or wait for another number of years before anything is delivered.”
To vote in the poll and to view the full outline for the plans, visit https://www.cranbrooktowncouncil.gov.uk/town-centre-2/
EDDC will make the final decision on which plan to move forward with.
