250-homes plan given go-ahead by single vote
A 250-HOME housing estate will be built at the 'gateway' to Kingsteignton — despite strong opposition from residents.
Teignbridge District councillors have agreed to give developers permission to build on agricultural land at Penns Mount.
The scheme has met almost blanket opposition from local people since first proposed but made it through a planning committee by one vote.
Planning officers pointing out that the land had been designated for housing in the emerging Local Plan only a week before.
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Developers Eagle One Homes said afterwards they were delighted with the decision.
The outline plan is for up to 250 homes, public space, a community orchard/garden and an access road.
Ward councillor Mike Walters told the meeting there were already other plans to build 860 new homes in Kingsteignton and more were not needed.
He said: "This is the green gateway to Teignbridge but will look like a shanty town."
Cllr Joan Lambert said: "We need a primary school for all these children coming in the area but there is no new school. Where's the green spaces? Where's the open spaces? "
Cllr Jackie Brodie said the applications should be turned down on the grounds the new Local Plan had not yet been adopted.
She said: This is a prominent landscape feature and is precious."
The council received 79 letters of objection from people and one in support, mostly on environmental and road safety grounds.
But chairman of the committee Cllr Humphrey Clemens said councillors had agreed to include Penns Mount in the Local Plan and refusal now may not be a defendable position at appeal.
He said the whole district had to make difficult decisions.
He said: "We all agreed to build in areas we'd prefer not to. Life goes on and we have to expand."
Eight councillors voted in favour and seven against with one abstaining.
A quarter of the houses will be affordable with three hectares used as a public park.
Andrew Rowe, land manager for the developers, said there was no valid reason to refuse the application on the 11-hectare site off the Ware Barton roundabout.
He said: "We will now go away and make sure it comes forward again in a sensitive manner.
"Our next step is to complete the Section 106 agreement with the council which will deliver more than £1.2 million in cash benefits. This includes £500,000 towards the Kingskerswell bypass, £376,516 towards a new primary school, £308,000 towards sports and recreation facilities and £50,000 towards upgrading the existing cycle route along the Teign estuary."
Comments
by Bleach
Tuesday, October 09 2012, 10:38AM
“"Where's the open spaces?"
Look around you. For god's sake there's the whole of Dartmoor behind you and the entire S. Coast full of beaches in front of you. What more do you want?
If people don't want more houses, stop breeding.”