‘Speculative’ plan for new homes in North Devon village is rejected

Planners have rejected ‘speculative development’ for a field at Ashford because they say it doesn’t meet local needs.

Despite feeling the pressure to find more sites to meet new housing targets, North Devon Council’s planning committee was not willing to accept the plans for five homes on land adjacent to The Linhay in the village between Barnstaple and Braunton.

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It said only one of the homes would be ‘affordable’ and the scheme did not include enough two bed properties, of which there was a shortage.

Reasons for refusal also included the visual impact of the proposed development as it would be on an elevated site above the village and the Taw estuary.

Ashford Parish Council did not support the plan on the grounds it was a greenfield development, as well as concerns regarding access and egress to an unclassified road, increased traffic numbers giving rise to safety issues, skyline development, concerns over drainage and discharge of foul water.

It also said the design of the properties was not in keeping with the village and would result in the loss of hedges and wildlife habitat.

North Devon Council is being asked to look favourably at areas which are outside the development boundary in the local plan such as this one, as long as they are in a sustainable location.

Ashford is classified as a rural settlement and therefore considered worthy of development as it has a church and a village hall.

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But planning officers said with an ‘exception site’ like this they would be looking at all the homes being affordable. They said ‘speculative development’ such as this on greenfield sites would not be supported.

A suggestion that 1,000 square metres could be provided within the application site for a much sought after village green had not been secured by any legal mechanism, the committee was told.

The planning committee voted to reject the proposal.