lamerton Parish Council has once again opposed a proposal for a housing estate on a controversial greenfield site between two parts of the village.

The latest incarnation of a scheme for 21 houses was debated at Lamerton Parish Council on Tuesday night last week.

While the parish council does not decide planning applications, it can give a view on whether to approve an application to planning authority West Devon Borough Council.

The current application, 0107/22/OPA, made by Piers Turner, contains nine affordable homes, eight open market homes and four self-build plots.

Cllr Karen Dreyer argued that it was wrong to count the self-build plots as affordable.

She said that as a so-called exception site, where housing was only allowed to provide affordable homes in rural communities, a maximum of 40 per cent of the home should be market value homes.

‘This development would have 52 per cent affordable housing and only 48 per cent market value homes, obviously far more than 40 per cent,’ she said.

She went on to say that a housing needs assessment carried out by Devon Communities Together in January 2022 had identified a need for eight affordable homes for local people, with one and two bedroom homes needed, not larger houses. As this was an outline planning application, the size of the houses was not specified, but could be substantial.

Cllr Dreyer added that the housing on the Green Hill site, a field to the north of the road between the Blacksmiths Arms junction off the main road and the village centre, was highly visible from the village to the east.

‘The majority of the dwellings are clustered on the western site of the application site, more visible because they are on higher ground. The site would be visible from many parts of the village.’

Cllr Martin Exley-Deane said the development would affect a site full of wildlife, including 17 species of bats. He questioned the logic of the developer being allowed to give money as ‘biodivesity credits’ to planning authority West Devon Borough Council to compensate. ‘That means we lose a habitat in Green Hill and it goes to pay for biodiversity somewhere else.’

He added that ‘what we need is a sustainable development of affordable homes on the site.’In a vote, one councillor voted for the scheme going ahead, five voted against and two abstained.

A previous scheme for 17 homes of council housing, being proposed by West Devon Borough Council which was ‘the first council housing in a generation’, foundered after it split the village and the parish council. WDBC eventually abandoned the scheme.