More than 100 homes could be built in a vital area of land that helps an East Devon village maintain its separation from a fast-growing neighbouring town.
An outline plan for up to 105 homes has been approved by planners, even though it is located within an area on land south of London Road that is designated as a so-called ‘green wedge’ between the village of Rockbeare and Cranbrook.
Such areas of land are specifically designed to help keep conurbations apart, but efforts by the developer, Waddeton Park, to scale the scheme down and to put single-storey homes on part of the plot while leaving some of it undeveloped, swayed East Devon District Council planning officers towards recommending its approval.
Even though there was consternation from some members of the council’s planning committee that months had been spent identifying green wedges yet development on them was now being recommended, the scheme was approved.
Councillor Olly Davey (Green Party, Exmouth Town) said: “Members of the public watching this would conclude that green wedges are hardly worth the paper they are written on.
“But we have the same situation north of Exmouth where we have a green wedge that is in the local plan as a preferred [development] site and unfortunately they are not sacrosanct.”
He said while a planning inspector had originally concluded with the Exmouth site that the green wedge designation was important, he thought the green wedge protection was “a lot less now”.
The Rockbeare ward member, Councillor Todd Olive, had called the London Road application “fundamentally unacceptable” in May because it was outside any established development boundary and was on part of the “last remaining area of the green wedge between Cranbrook and the northern edge of Rockbeare”.
Cllr Olive was unable to attend the meeting in person but had informed the committee he stood by his previous comments.
The application was also linked with plans to turn a nearby area of agricultural land into a Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace, or SANG. This would include public open space, play space, and allotments within the emerging Clyst Valley Regional Park.
Because the housing application was an outline plan, a more detailed version will need to be submitted before any homes are built.
Amy Roberts, the agent for the developer, said engagement with East Devon had been ongoing for over 18 months.
“We have really listened and made significant changes to the scheme,” she said.
“Most importantly, the western most part of the development has been removed, and we have scaled the site down from 140 homes to 105. That directly addresses any concerns and materially reduces the visual impact.”
Ms Roberts added that because the new development would not breach the ridge line on the green wedge, it was acceptable because it would not lead to coalescence between Rockbeare and Cranbrook.
Revised national planning policies updated in August also make it harder for local councils to oppose proposed developments unless the harms substantially outweigh the benefits.
But East Devon is also behind on its five-year housing target, meaning it is also under pressure to approve schemes.
While planning officers accepted this scheme was in the green wedge, they stated that it “does not harm the green wedge’s function” because of the way the scheme had been designed.
The housing development also proposed a new vehicle access on London Road, as well as a new pedestrian access, shared foot and cycle ways and crossing points and traffic calming measures on the road.
Devon County Council is undertaking various improvements on London Road, and the planning committee heard the county council supported the elements being proposed by Waddeton Park.
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