Council vote against protected land development

Land south of Bedlands Lane and west of Dark Lane in Budleigh Salterton had been put forward

A village in East Devon will now not have to accommodate extra homes, meaning a protected area of land will not be developed.

Land south of Bedlands Lane and west of Dark Lane in Budleigh Salterton had been put forward as an area where up to 50 homes could be built.

Even though planning officers at East Devon District Council suggested the site was not suitable for housing, the strategic planning committee had previously included it in the draft local plan.

The plan, which identifies sites where new homes and employment property can be built in the next 18 years, suggests a maximum number of homes for each site.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, for any of the homes to be built, a formal planning application would need to be submitted by a developer and then approved by the council's planning committee.

Ed Freeman, assistant director for planning strategy and development management, said: "There was a discussion that the least sensitive parts of the site could be developed."

He said a potential developer had submitted an indicative scheme that would only use a part of the site, but that officers had concerns.

In a vote, six councillors voted in favour of not allocating the site for potential development, with three against and two abstaining.