Fresh plans for homes on site of former Torquay school and convent

Developers taking on a project to build 90 homes on the site of a former Torquay school and convent are likely to get the go-ahead for the latest stage in their plans next week.

Members of Torbay Council’s planning committee will consider the proposals for the site of the former Stoodley Knowle School when they meet on Monday (January 12).
Developer Ansteys Cove Development – based at Buckfast Abbey – is asking for permission to complete the homes project which has already begun. It also wants consent to alter listed buildings on the site, part of which is also retrospective.
The previous developers who had made a start on the site went into liquidation last year and the project has been ‘mothballed’ since.
The latest plans show slight amendments compared to similar plans originally approved by the council in 2021.
Some neighbours have complained about a number of the homes already built on the site, and alterations are part of the latest plans.
The full planning application is for the demolition, alteration and extension of existing buildings and construction of new buildings to provide 90 residential dwellings, which will be a mix of houses and apartments.
The application includes a part-retrospective request for permission for seven of the plots on the site with associated access, car parking, landscaping and infrastructure.
The Stoodley Knowle site includes the historic Ilsham Manor, featuring a significant medieval chapel. There are legends of a secret cell within the oratory of the chapel.
During the First World War the site was a military hospital, where King George V and Queen Mary visited wounded soldiers.
Les Filles de la Croix bought the property and established a convent, opening Stoodley Knowle School in 1925. It was described as an independent, non-selective Catholic school for girls aged up to 18, providing education inspired by Christian ideals.
The complex grew and the buildings on the site expanded, only for the school to close in 2015 due to a decline in pupil numbers.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth bought the 47-acre site in 2017 with the aim of protecting its heritage while sensitively developing the land.
Notable former pupils include senior Antarctic scientist Victoria Auld, actress Lysette Anthony and reality television personality Georgia Toffolo.