A VILLAGE in dire need of affordable housing is the focus of a fresh planning application for starter homes on green space right in its centre.

Plans for six starter homes have been put forward to be built on an old orchard behind the Red Lion Inn in Exbourne, in a fresh attempt to develop the site.

The plan is on part of the site thrown out by a planning inspector on appeal last year for three to six affordable houses, a playpark and a community orchard.

It was rejected as out of keeping with the village centre Conservation Area, and impacting on the neighbouring Grade II listed former farmhouse at Town Living.

This was despite there being a need to build 30 affordable houses in the village before 2034, as set out in planning blueprint the Joint Local Plan.

The application split the village, with some people in favour of it and some opposed.

Now applicants Peter O’Connor and partner Sam Money, who live at Town Living farmhouse overlooking the site, are applying to West Devon Borough Council to build the same number of houses on a smaller area, maintaining green space between the development and their home.

The new application for Permission in Principle (PiP) will mean the loss of car parking spaces to the right of the pub, but these will be compensated for by parking and a beer garden behind the hostelry.

The applicant said the application was ‘a resubmission of a recent larger development Permission in Principle application that was refused on appeal and seeks to address the inspector’s reasons for refusal’.

He added: ‘The site is now much smaller and further removed from Town Living; the PiP description confirms the development is for six affordable starter homes; and an ecological survey is included to address the concern about the apple trees.’

The site includes off road parking for the houses as well as new parking for the pub and a new entrance via a footpath to the road. It will be accessed to the right of the Red Lion Inn, where landlord Nick Hamlyn is supporting the application.

He said: ‘From my point of view I hope it does go through because as we all know at the current time, beer gardens are invaluable.

We have got a really narrow one at the moment, with picnic benches in our front car park. For us to have a proper beer garden would be brilliant.

He added: ‘The development would have a right of way going through our existing car park and so it will reduce the car parking at the front but we would gain with the car parking at the rear plus a beer garden.’

Comments to West Devon Borough Council are being invited by Tuesday (July 7) to West Devon Borough Council via the council’s website, where the application can be found under reference 1673/20/PIP in the planning section.

This application is for approval in principle for six homes and the layout of the site, with the the detailed design to be decided with community involvement in a subsequent application.