COUNCILLORS representing Okehampton Hamlets have thrown up their hands in horror at the design of 134 houses planned for the outskirts of the town.

The proposals are being put forward by ADPAD and Hannard Developments as part of a larger development of 375 houses granted outline planning permission by West Devon Borough Council (WDBC) back in 2015.

Originally submitted as separate applications of 109, 17 and eight houses, they now being put forward as a package to WDBC for planning permission for ‘reserved matters’ — the detail of the design and layout.

However, Okehampton Hamlets Parish Council voted unanimously at their meeting on Monday last week (October 1) that the proposals should go back to the drawing board.

Councillor Andy Ewen said: ‘The houses that are already there look awful and these are going to be similar.

‘Nobody expects what they see when they come over the hill on Crediton Road towards Okehampton now. They are shocked by what they see. The developers have got it wrong, it should be more countrified.’

He added: ‘These all have the same front doors and the same windows.’

Parish council chairman Brian Wood said the proposed development looked too ‘crammed’, with insufficient turning space for vehicles.

‘There is no provision for visitor parking whatsoever and in at least two of the parking places there are no turning circles. I also think it is quite dense. If it wasn’t such a dense development, there would be more room for parking circles.

‘Also, this plan isn’t the same as the masterplan in terms of one bedroom accommodation being available — they are all two bedroom houses or larger.’

Councillors also felt that the houses should be painted in a wider palette of colours.

Cllr Wood proposed that the council should not support the application: ‘The density of the build is too high, there is insufficient parking for visitors and it is a poor layout,’ he said. ‘Also, the Hamlets council don’t like the colour scheme and feel it should be more sympathetic to the local area.’

Councillors’ comments will now be forwarded to West Devon Borough Council, who will make the final decision.

At the same meeting, the Hamlets council was asked to give its opinion on the detailed design of 75 houses being proposed by the developer Redrow — and unanimously gave it the thumbs up.

The application for three and four bedroom houses already has outline planning permission from WDBC as part of the same 375 houses but the developer has submitted a proposal for reserved matters.

This is phase two of a development of larger houses which Redrow is building on land around the emerging St James’s Church of England Primary School, itself in the process of being built on land north of Crediton Road.

‘These are much better looking houses and they look much less dense,’ said Cllr Ewen.

Councillors voted unanimously to support the Redrow application.

l The meeting also voted to back a planning application to WDBC to put up a 24-metre telecommunications mast at Oak Industrial Estate off the B3260 Exeter Road, designed to improve mobile phone coverage.