A GROUP of Lamerton residents against plans for a borough council community housing scheme on a greenfield site in the village are calling on the parish council to rethink its support after their survery revealed 80% of residents to be opposed to it.

Ten residents campaigning as A Plan for Lamerton asked 262 people in 175 households out of a total of 386 whether they supported West Devon Borough Council’s plans for 18 affordable homes at Green Hill. Only 27 out of the 262 people canvassed between September 4-9 were in favour.

Organiser Karen Dreher said the parish council had ‘gone to quite extraordinary lengths to push through a housing development plan that the village simply does not want’.

‘We will continue to ask this question: how can the parish council push through developments that the majority of the village consistently reject? Neighbourhood plans are supposed to be what people want to see developed in their locality and this has been anything but that.’

Lamerton Parish Council has voted to include the site in the draft neighbourhood plan, along with 15 homes on the brownfield Court Barton site, taking the total homes to be built in the parish to 33 up to 2034.

A Plan for Lamerton has accused the parish council and West Devon Borough Council of hiding information about the scale of opposition and says only 15 out of 247 people it polled support building the 33 homes.

Lamerton Parish Council chairman Roger Geake said: ‘The scheme proposed is for 18 homes, a small percentage to be sold off at full market cost to offset the scheme and the rest from funding coming from a grant from Homes England, the remainder of the properties are for Lamerton families either living in the village or who have family or ties here and would like to return.

These homes are being offered to either buy and fully own or to rent at a considerable lower market cost of between 60/70%. At present a three-bedroom home in Lamerton can start from £260,000 plus.’

WDBC leader Neil Jory, who represents Lamerton as part of the Milton Ford ward, said: ‘West Devon Borough Council cannot comment on the validity of the survey but we do know that there is a lot of strong feelings locally.

‘What we can say is that the neighbourhood plan is coming forward for its final approval stage.

This will be publicised and members of the public will be able to come forward and make comments that will be taken into account by the examiner. In addition to this, should a housing scheme come forward it will be subject to further publicity and public scrutiny, through the planning process. So there are plenty of opportunities for everyone to have their say.’