Homes plan approved five years after rejection

A plan for 31 homes to be built in Devon has been approved - five years after a similar proposal was rejected.

West Devon Borough Council green-lighted plans for 31 homes near Woolacombe Road in Bere Alston.

A councillor pointed out very similar plans were rejected in 2019 over access road issues.

But planning officers said they recommended approval this time after working with the applicants Burrington Homes.

Access for the homes will be off Woolacombe Road, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Independent councillor Ric Cheadle said the application was pretty much identical to one refused and dismissed on appeal in 2019 because of concerns around the access from Woolacombe Road rather than the nearby B3257 main road.

Labour councillor Isabel Saxby added Woolacombe Road had been the scene of frequent accidents, including one where someone was paraysed, and a modern junction on the B3257 would be better than using one "made for horse and cart".

Planning officers said no scheme was perfect and having worked with the applicant, it had been proved an entrance off the B3257 was not feasible, which developers had not been able to prove when the plan was put forward in 2019.

Officers said the developers approached the neighbouring Bere Alston Bowling Club about sharing access off the B3257, but the club felt this would impact its business.

Creating visibility for the road would have meant encroaching on the garden of a neighbouring property, which was unacceptable to the owner, officers added.

Within the plans, Burrington Homes said it would give about £45,000 for sport and play facilities, £24,000 towards secondary school transport and £5,000 to investigate an extension of a 30mph speed limit on the B3257.

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