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15. LYME REGIS

15.1 INTRODUCTION

15.1.1 Lyme Regis is a historic coastal town and one of Dorset’s principal tourist resorts. It became well known in the early nineteenth century for the discovery of fossils, and today is an important centre for visitors to the World Heritage Coast. It has a resident population of around 3,670. The town lies entirely within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is also constrained by land instability. The Shoreline Management Plan identifies the town as a location that should continue to be defended, and additional coastal defence works are planned.

15.1.2 The town lies on the Devon / Dorset boundary, with the settlement of Uplyme (in East Devon) very close by. Challenges for the Local Plan include taking advantage of the economic benefits of tourism and the World Heritage Site location, while meeting the local needs for affordable housing and jobs, and protecting the town’s unique character and environment.

15.2 A VISION FOR LYME REGIS

15.2.1 In 2031, Lyme Regis will:

  • retain its unique coastal character while developing to meet local needs (as far as is possible within the various constraints on development), with a focus on affordable housing, so as to retain a viable mixed-age community;
  • develop its role as a visitor and educational centre on the World Heritage Coast, with a strong identity based on its geological heritage and fossil interests;
  • tackle transport issues through effective traffic management;
  • adapt to the effects of global warming, due to the town’s position on an unstable coastline;
  • have a positive relationship with the nearby village of Uplyme, with the two communities working together to meet their needs.

MAIN DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

15.2.2 Development opportunities in and around Lyme Regis are limited due to land instability, highway and landscape constraints. The development opportunities include:

  • Land south of Colway Lane, Lyme Regis - the continuation of an extant permission will provide a further 50 houses;
  • Land at Woodberry Down, north of Lyme Regis has the capacity to provide about 90 homes and retain some local employment opportunities.

15.2.3 Further opportunities around Lyme Regis, including land in East Devon will need to be explored.

15.3 LAND AT WOODBERRY DOWN

15.3.1 Land at Woodberry Down was previously allocated for employment and housing in the 2006 local plan. However, an enlarged allocation could deliver up to 90 homes, and ensures that a more comprehensive approach to the adjoining areas is considered. Any development will need to address the future of the existing buildings on the site and loss of private playing fields.

15.3.2 The site is within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, but is visually contained to the north, east and south and set against a backdrop of static caravans. Tree and hedge planting will be required along the north and western edges of the site before the site is developed. The site is steeply sloping in places and in an unstable area, which will be exacerbated by the springs on the site. This will inevitably add to the construction costs. There is the opportunity on this site to use innovative light weight structures, combined with a more contemporary design.

15.3.3 Vehicular access to the site via Pine Ridge would be acceptable, subject to the eastern end of Colway Lane being retained as a cycle / footway only.

LYME 1. LAND AT WOODBERRY DOWN

i) Land at Woodberry Down, Lyme Regis, as shown on the policies map, is allocated for housing and the retention of existing employment.
ii) Development will require tree and hedge planting along the north and western edges of the site in advance of the site being developed, and existing trees and hedgerows on the site should be retained where possible.

15.4 FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES AROUND LYME REGIS

15.4.1 The coastal town of Lyme Regis, in West Dorset, lies close to Uplyme in East Devon. The East Devon and Dorset AONBs abut one another, sweeping over both settlements and the surrounding countryside, and there are also constraints of land instability and highway access that limit development potential in and at both Uplyme and Lyme Regis. Whilst not quantified through a formal local housing and employment needs assessment, there is a local expression of need for housing and employment in Lyme Regis, though at Uplyme, as set out in the emerging East Devon Local Plan, local aspirations for development are modest.

15.4.2 West Dorset District Council will work with East Devon District Council, Lyme Regis Town Council and Uplyme Parish Council (and the County Councils and other partners) to ensure over the long term that the most appropriate solutions to meeting local needs of both communities are fully understood and explored and thereafter expressed in future policy documents, including neighbourhood plans. In terms of future development patterns, Lyme Regis and Uplyme are considered to be suitable only for limited local growth, rather than strategic or significant growth.

LYME 2. LAND AROUND LYME REGIS

i) The district council will work with East Devon District Council, Lyme Regis Town Council and Uplyme Parish Council to undertake joint evidence gathering, including on constraints, and if necessary bring forward proposals of an appropriate scale to support the long-term growth of Lyme Regis and Uplyme.



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