Early-stage plan for up to 30 homes in East Devon village waved through

A plan for up to 30 homes in an East Devon village has been given the go-ahead in spite of concerns of local residents.

Fears were raised about the impact of the development planned for land at Eastfield, in West Hill, mainly because of simultaneous schemes that could see a large number of new homes built in the village.
Some councillors are also worried about the capacity of the sewer system, while others feared flooding could get worse if all the schemes go ahead.
East Devon District Council’s planning committee approved the application by Blue Cedar Homes, although at this stage, the scheme is purely an outline one, meaning firm details – including the actual number of homes – will be decided later.
Objectors who attended the planning committee meeting echoed their concerns they had made for a neighbouring scheme that East Devon planners had deferred moments earlier
Cllr Jess Bailey (Independent, West Hill and Aylesbeare) said one of her main objections was that the land was outside the boundary for housing development in West Hill.
“I’m aware of the pressures that East Devon is under to deliver housing, but this application should be refused,” she said.
Cllr Bailey also raised concerns about the ability of the nearby Fluxton waste water treatment plant to deal with more demand.
While a planning condition had been imposed to ensure that foul water treatment capacity was adequate before any homes are occupied, Cllr Bailey wanted to make sure these were the “most robust” they could be.
This scheme had already been approved by the planning committee in October last year. However, changes by the previous government to national  planning rules meant it had to be revisited by East Devon’s planning committee.
The proposal will see new houses across two sites, one larger and one smaller, but accessible to one another via a new footpath.
Residents have raised concerns about more traffic on a existing neighbouring estate, but the highways authority did not raise any formal objections.
Francis Pullman, chair of West Hill Parish Council, said the development should be viewed as “unsustainable” given residents would probably need to drive to access services.
He added that this scheme, alongside one proposed for the neighbouring land, could exacerbate flooding in the area, and asked whether “enough consideration has been given to the issue.”
He continued: “I hope the [planning] committee members are clear and convinced that the very real problem of surface water flooding already being experienced by some residents is going to be dealt with in a proper, co-ordinated manner between the two developers.”
Simon Tofts, from Blue Cedar Homes, said a legal agreement was ready to be signed if the application was approved, securing 50 per cent of the properties as affordable, as well as requirements such as ongoing maintenance of communal spaces and parkland and maintaining the footpath between the two parts of the sites in perpetuity.
The scheme was voted for unanimously by the planning committee.