The Otter Valley Association (OVA) has issued a stark warning regarding the future of East Devon, calling on local authorities to fundamentally rethink the pace and scale of proposed development. In a recent opinion piece published in its quarterly magazine and across social media platforms, the association argued that the district is currently attempting to build beyond its environmental capacity, risking irreparable damage to local ecosystems and public infrastructure.
The concerns center on the ambitious housing targets outlined in East Devon’s emerging Local Plan. While the association acknowledges the genuine need for new housing—particularly to assist young people in joining the property ladder and to address the shortage of affordable homes—it insists that this necessity should not be treated as a blanket mandate to approve all incoming planning applications.
A primary point of contention for the group is the state of wastewater infrastructure. The association highlighted the current prevalence of storm overflow discharges into local rivers and coastal waters, questioning the ability of existing treatment and drainage networks to manage the additional burden of thousands of new homes. The article warned that if sewage and drainage systems are already struggling during current extreme weather events, the impact of increased connectivity could lead to more frequent and severe pollution incidents.
Water supply and flood risk also feature prominently in the group’s critique. With hotter summers and prolonged dry spells becoming more frequent, the association expressed deep skepticism regarding the sustainability of increased residential demand on existing water resources. Furthermore, the conversion of rural fields and green spaces into hard, non-porous surfaces such as roads and roofs is expected to exacerbate local flooding, threatening the integrity of existing rural communities.
Beyond utility and infrastructure, the OVA raised alarms about the permanent loss of the district’s natural heritage. From its ancient woodlands and river valleys to its unique heathlands and coastline, East Devon’s landscape is seen by the association as a finite asset. The group explicitly rejected the notion that biodiversity “net gain” measures, such as new planting or artificial habitat creation, can act as a substitute for the protection of established, complex ecosystems.
“Ancient landscapes and long-established ecosystems cannot simply be recreated overnight,” the association stated. “Once a field becomes a housing estate, it is lost forever.”
The association also challenged the economic logic often used to justify large-scale developments. It noted that, despite being marketed in the name of affordability, many newly built properties remain financially inaccessible to the average local earner. The OVA argues that the focus should shift away from expansive growth and toward the prioritization of brownfield site redevelopment and smaller, community-integrated projects.
Furthermore, the group is advocating for a “infrastructure-first” approach to planning. It contends that essential service upgrades—including improvements to roads, health facilities, schools, and utility networks—must be guaranteed and delivered before any major housing expansion is sanctioned.
Dr. Chris Boorman, chair of the OVA, emphasized that the association is not fundamentally anti-development, but rather concerned with the viability of the current trajectory. The core of their argument remains a question of balance: whether the current strategy for East Devon’s growth is occurring at a scale that the local environment and its communities can realistically support. As the district moves forward with its Local Plan, the OVA’s position signals a growing tension between the demand for housing and the desire to protect the environmental thresholds that define the region.
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