Plan to back nature reserve with £1.1m confirmed

Plans to bolster a nature reserve with a £1.1m cash injection have been backed again after an initial decision was revisited.

Support had already been given to put £1m into an investment fund and £100,000 in a high interest account to cover the costs of maintaining Clyst Meadows Countryside Park, in east Devon.

East Devon District Council is legally obliged to oversee the funding of the park for 80 years and the aim is for the cash to come from developer contributions, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council's scrutiny committee called the decision in, meaning it had another opportunity to decide whether this funding approach was the best option.

Councillor Mike Goodman, committee chairman, said there had been "some uncertainty on the right course".

He said at December's cabinet meeting, where the £1.1m was approved, two members voted for, two against, and four abstained.

"That shows it isn't an exact science," Goodman said.

Councillor Geoff Jung said securing an agreement was vital for housebuilding ambitions as councils have to find ways to bolster the flora and fauna lost when development happens on greenfield sites.

Councillor Todd Olive said: "We could spend that £1.1m on more important items of infrastructure in the district without compromising our legal duty to provide this green space.

"The alternative is an annual drawdown from the community infrastructure levy (CIL) pot, so it is still developers' money and not council money."

Councils receive CIL money from housing developers and ring-fence it to fund projects that benefit local communities.

Councillor Paula Fernley said a long-term agreement should protect the funding for the area even after local government reorganisation happened and new councils were created.

The committee voted in favour of backing the cabinet's original decision instead of sending it back to cabinet or asking full council to consider it.

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