Hundreds protest against 175-home plan for Brixham green space

Hundreds of people signed a petition against housing on the outskirts of Brixham when campaigners took to the streets of the town at the weekend.

Members of the Save Brixham’s Green Spaces social media group were among those taking part in the demonstration to raise awareness of the potential for development at Monksbridge on the main road leading in and out of Brixham.

Developer Monksbridge Park Ltd plans to file a planning application soon for 175 new homes in the fields alongside the junction and skate park. A ‘scoping opinion’ document was lodged with Torbay Council in October.

The company says the land is currently unused and has no public access, and homes there will help to meet Torbay’s need for new homes.

An area within the site will be earmarked for local shops, a gym, a hotel, a café or ‘hot food offerings’. Details will be announced later, but the developer says jobs will be created.

Opponents, however, say the fields alongside the main road in and out of Brixham are one of the town’s last green spaces and should remain that way.

The petition opposed the possibility of development on the land and called on Brixham Town Council and Torbay Council for support.

A by-election will be held on March 26 for a seat on the town council, the second by-election of the year in the Furzeham with Summercombe ward. The list of candidates has not yet been finalised, but independent candidate Frances Robinson has said she will stand purely on the Monksbridge development issue.

It will be ‘not to represent a political party, but to represent the people of Brixham’, she said.