Cranbrook Community Governance Review
Published: 06 August 2025
Cranbrook Community Governance Review
Consultation closing date is 24 October 2025.
Background: East Devon District Council has received a request from Cranbrook Town Council to carry out a Community Governance Review in order to amend the external parish boundary of Cranbrook Parish to properly reflect the planned expansion of the town.
The Cranbrook area has undergone and continues to undergo significant development and expansion in relation to housing and related development and infrastructure which extends into the area of neighbouring parishes. The areas for this growth have previously been formally identified through the adopted Cranbrook Plan.
In carrying out this review, East Devon District Council must ensure that community governance arrangements reflect the identities and interests of the community in the area, and that they are effective and convenient.
This means that in looking at the boundaries of Cranbrook Town Council, we will also include the boundaries of the four parish and town councils which are adjacent to it in the review. These are:
- Broadclyst Parish
- Clyst Honiton Parish
- Rockbeare Parish
- Whimple Parish
The Proposals:
1. To the south of Cranbrook Parish an area of land be transferred from Clyst Honiton Parish to Cranbrook Parish. This affects an area of land north of Exeter airport and is centred around Treasbeare Lane and the western section of Parsons Lane. This area is shown on the map as area A.
2. Between Court Royal and Green Marsh Road are a number of properties, which lie to the north of the London Road but are currently in Rockbeare Parish. It is proposed that only properties to the north of the London Road be transferred from Rockbeare Parish to Cranbrook Parish. These areas are shown on the map as area B.
3. To the southeast of Cranbrook, centred on Gribble Lane, and lying between London Road and Rewe Lane, an area of land be transferred from Rockbeare Parish to Cranbrook Parish. This includes both land that is covered by the Cranbrook Plan but also properties at Crosspark and Rewe Brake, thereby using Rewe Lane as the defined southern boundary. The proposal is shown on the map as area C.
4. To the east of Cranbrook Parish an area of land primarily to the west of Cobden Lane (but including a wedge to the east, where this is adjacent to the London Road and is consistent with the Cranbrook Plan) be transferred from Whimple Parish to Cranbrook Parish. This is shown on the map as area D.
5. To the east of Station Road (and north of London Road) an area of land be transferred from Broadclyst Parish to Cranbrook Parish. Land to the west of Station Road and that which is separately identified through the Cranbrook Plan as comprising Broadclyst Station, is not included in this proposal. The area proposed for transfer is shown on the map as Area E.
Number of Councillors and Warding: Cranbrook Town Council comprises of 12 members and is not divided into wards, with all the Town Councillors elected to serve the whole of the Town Council area. As part of this review, East Devon District Council must consider the overall numbers of Councillors, and whether or not to divide Cranbrook Town Council into wards for the purposes of representation and elections.
When considering this, we have to consider whether:
a) the number, or distribution of the local government electors for the parish would make a single election of councillors impracticable or inconvenient; and
b) it is desirable that any area or areas of the parish should be separately represented
Once all of the housing units detailed in the Cranbrook expansion plan are completed, it is estimated that the population of the Town Council area will rise from a figure of 6,700 (based on 2021 Census) to a projected figure in excess of 18,000 (assuming that all of the boundary alterations listed above are included in any revised Town Council area).
Cranbrook Town Council has stated that it does not require the expanded Town Council area to be warded, and it is content with the current number of members, but nevertheless we are seeking residents views on:
6. The total number of Councillors who should serve the expanded Cranbrook Town Council.
7. Whether the expanded area of Cranbrook Town Council should be warded or not.
If the expanded area of Cranbrook Town Council is to be warded, the number of wards, the boundaries and names of those wards, and the number of Councillors who should serve those wards.
East Devon District Council Wards and Devon County Council Electoral Divisions: Cranbrook Town Council is currently “coterminous” (i.e. it exactly matches) with the boundaries of the Cranbrook ward of East Devon District Council, and it is wholly contained within the Broadclyst electoral division of Devon County Council, bordering the division of Whimple & Blackdown on its eastern edge.
Were the proposed expansions of Cranbrook Town Council to take place, then the area of Cranbrook Town Council would no longer be coterminous with the District Council ward, and it would also include a modest area of the Whimple & Blackdown County Council division on its eastern boundary.
As part of this review, East Devon District Council can ask the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (the “LGBCE”) to amend the boundaries of the District wards and the County electoral divisions to ensure that the boundaries of Cranbrook Town Council run along the same boundary lines as those wards and divisions.
By amending these boundaries residents will be more easily able to identify with their local area and be able to identify their local councillors at every level of local government more easily.
We are seeking views on whether:
8. East Devon District Council should ask the LGBCE to amend the boundaries of Broadclyst ward, Cranbrook ward and Whimple & Rockbeare ward so that the boundaries of the expanded Cranbrook Town Council are the same as the boundaries of those wards.
9. East Devon District Council should ask the LGBCE to amend the boundaries of Broadclyst division and Whimple & Blackdown division so that boundary on the eastern side of Cranbrook Town Council is the same as the boundaries of those divisions.
To complete the consultation survey please visit:
Have Your Say Today - Community Governance Review: Cranbrook And Surrounding Development Areas Consultation - Commonplace
Map of proposal:
