General Discussion

for info.  This is what the automated response message said .  My highlights in bold.

"Thank you for your message, which was received today.

This mailbox is checked on a daily basis during office hours and your message will be passed to the most appropriate officer. 

If a response is required, we will endeavour to contact you within 5 working days but if your enquiry requires a more detailed response, this can take up to 20 working days.  Should this not be possible, an interim response will be sent explaining the reasons for the delay and the likely date of the full response."

I had enquired as to who owns the new Dawlish Countryside Park. Now I don't know about the rest of you, but that doesn't strike me as being a question requiring a detailed response. 

How long ago did you make the request?

@ the end of the working day today - 19 working days ago.

I also asked who would be paying for the country park's running costs.  I haven't had an answer yet. I thought it a simple and straight forward question which would therefore be simple and straight forward to answer ie within 5 working days. 

But it would seem not.

I agree, seems very straightforward. 

I've been away for a while and have had restricted access to emails which may account for the fact that I missed reading this response from an officer at TDC sent to me the day after my letter was published in the Gazette.

Here is part of the TDC email response. It gives answers to my questions of 1) who owns the countryside park and 2) who would be paying for its maintenance.

It seems that TDC deem the answers to be of the more detailed variety as it took my letter in the Gaz and a total of 13 working days before they got back to me. 

1. Teignbridge District Council owns the Park and have forward-funded the purchase on behalf of the Habitat Regulations Executive Committee, with repayment being made from developer contributions on new residential housing.

1. As you may be aware, the Countryside Park is one of a number of strategic, alternative, areas of countryside (called Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space (SANGS)) which form part of a mitigation Strategy. As such, where land is secured by a Local Authority (with the approval of the Executive Committee) to provide SANGS, it will be purchased, established and maintained using developer contributions from each Council area. How much contribution is required from each Council is dependent on the cost of the SANGS and the amount of development in each Authority.