300 new homes planned for White Rock in Paignton
DEVELOPERS are proposing a new 300-homes estate on the site of a proposed prestige business park in Paignton as part of a 'land swap' deal.
The homes are proposed for some of the land earmarked for White Rock business park off Brixham Road.
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Together with plans for development at nearby Yannons Farm, this could mean up to 900 new homes for this part of Paignton, about the same size as the Great Parks estate.
Torbay's deputy mayor Chris Lewis (left) says the homes may be needed to 'kick-start' interest in the factories.
Extensive work costing £7million has already been carried out to open up the land for development including new roads, roundabouts and landscaping.
Despite being on the market for more than a year, the developers say there has not been enough interest in the proposed high-quality offices.
Joint partners Abacus Projects and Deeley Freed of Bristol have now approached Torbay Council with the suggestion of allowing 300 to 350 new homes on the two southern fields of the proposed business park, a hotel/public house/restaurant and local shops and facilities, and a landscaped open space, on the land at the Long Road/Brixham Road junction off Waddeton Close as well as offices.
Mr Lewis said: "Torbay is already heavily dependant on service industries. There aren't people queuing up to build factories. It may be the only way to get the factories is to compromise and kick-start it with other forms of development."
The developers say the White Rock housing development would create sufficient income to pay for the opening up for employment development of a new area of green field land adjacent to Torbay Business Park off Woodfield Road.
Councillors have been told the new area is in a bowl and not highly visible, but it is designated as an area of great landscape value and countryside zone, and will have wildlife issues.
Members were asked to consider relaxing the strict controls on land designated for employment, allowing 50 per cent to be developed for other purposes such as housing, but only if the industrial units can be built. This could require compulsory purchase of land.
Members of Torbay Council's new local plan working party were recommended to still include at least 64,000sq m of employment land in the new local development framework at three sites: Yalberton Road/Yannons Farm, White Rock and the former Bookham site on the other side of Long Road which is up for sale.
Officers said traffic issues would have to be considered for the White Rock site, but that most of the land is already earmarked for development. Highways has requested a contribution towards roads improvements and sustainable transport.
Head of planning Les Crump emphasised there had only been pre-application discussions.
"People talk about things happening behind closed doors. We are trying to be open about it, but we need a proper consultation process through the developer with local people and interest groups," he said. "We are sharing it with you now with a view to you discussing it in general terms, then the developer if they wish going forward to formal consultation."
After the meeting, a spokesman for Bristol-based Deeley Freed Estates said the scheme was in the very early stages. He said they would be consulting the public in September before submitting any application.
"We have entered into discussions with the council to see if we can help to provide jobs and houses in the wider West Paignton area," he said. "We are still committed to providing employment space at White Rock but the plans were originally drawn up in the late to mid 1990s, in better economic times. Now we are trying to provide a development combination more targeted to Torbay's current needs."
He said Torbay Business Park had proved successful and there was higher demand for light industrial units than office buildings in that area of Paignton.
"Obviously we recognise that it is a sensitive site and would work with the planners to make sure any wildlife or landscape impact is mitigated," he said.
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by aniiimal
Thursday, January 26 2012, 7:33PM
“Why are people moaning the be all and end all is there are not enough houses within Torbay so this is needed.The people moaning will soon think again when their siblings are not able to be housed and have to move further a field.People need to think of the whole picture rather than how it may effect themselves.”
by Ant, Paignton
Friday, July 30 2010, 12:54PM
“Building houses will have the opposite effect to 'kick-starting' interest in factories. It will put in place a community who will not want factories on their doorstep. This will ths make it easier and more palatable to build more houses.
Lewis is trying to delude us all into believing the laws of economic agglomeration will be bent for him.
Why do we have to give in to the demands from these developers who are getting their fingers burnt ? Investments can go down as well as up, and I see no reason why the ratepayers of Torbay should have to suffer the extra burdens this misguided development will place on us all.
Oh - and you build HOUSES, not HOMES. Homes is the place I live. Its a marketing ploy to make houses sound more attractive.”
by Bob, Paignton
Friday, July 30 2010, 8:05AM
“It is obvious that most of the traffic is local, people travelling within the Bay and not out of it. School runs, shopping etc.
Also quite a few people leaving the Bay from this end choose to go via Totnes to the A38.”
by Obvious, Torbay
Thursday, July 29 2010, 9:57PM
“We ahve the Wall Park and Churston protesters claiming that the traffic is horrendous and new houses will make it worse. Now we have the same arguments levelled at White Rock. Curiously, when a new link road at Kingskerswell is debated many people claim that there is hardly any traffic. Where are all the cars going?”
by Mosschops, Paignton
Thursday, July 29 2010, 9:04PM
“Of course there has been no interest in the past year. There's been an horrendous recession and the bypass is on hold, nothing much to encourage business here. Also, is it being marketed correctly and aimed at the right businesses. I agree, it's pointless buildng more houses when there are no jobs.”
by Kevin, Roselands, Paignton
Thursday, July 29 2010, 5:50PM
“300 new homes, around 600-700 Adults, 600 more cars to contend with at rush hour and a infastructure not capable of taking what we have now!! Which planet are these people on!. Jobs are few and far between with a faultering economy not looking promising is it. What we need is not more housing, but a local Authority who knows how to run a holiday resort! More facilities, better road network and more car parks for the visitors to park. Revenue is what makes a resort tick, not an overcrowded jobless comunity.”
by Rick, United Kingdom
Thursday, July 29 2010, 3:53PM
“As others have said - where are the jobs? Seems we're just building homes on green field sites for the sake of it whilst brown field or vacant shopping areas could be developed”
by Jane, Paignton
Thursday, July 29 2010, 2:30PM
“I seem to remember that a couple of months ago there was another planning application for housing in the area which South West water opposed as the sewer system is not able to cope. Has that changed, or does Mr Lewis have an alternative proposal for dealing with this?”
by Stan, Torbay
Thursday, July 29 2010, 1:56PM
“"Despite being on the market for more than a year, the developers say there has not been enough interest in the proposed high-quality offices."
But hasn't Chris lewis told us repeatedly that high quality office space is much in demand when talking about the Civic Hub project?”
by Edwin Jefferson, Plymouth
Thursday, July 29 2010, 1:45PM
“"Torbay's deputy mayor Chris Lewis says the homes may be needed to 'kick-start' interest in the factories."
Go read the job pages. There aren't any jobs. Why add at least 1800 adults to an area with few jobs?
Remember the days when Nortel used to employ that many people? What happened there?
The deputy mayor just wants to do something about the error of judgement in starting to build a 'business park' on a road far from dual carriageways and motorways.
Of course people will buy homes... an expanding population always needs them, but our local services, transport networks and job market, are already at their limits.
Our local politics is a mess and has been for a long time. They all think big statement buildings and projects are more important than clean and tidy streets. New York City had their broken windows - we've got fools in charge who'd put a board over the window and build something expensive and ugly around the corner, so they can say 'I did that, I did!' - No better than graffiti tags, but with a much bigger impact.”