Homes scheme for historic Devon site rejected

The proposal was to build 100 homes on Tidcombe Hall's site

Controversial plans to build 100 homes in the grounds of a historic Devon site have been thrown out by councillors.

Mid Devon District Council's planning committee rejected the proposals for Tidcombe Hall in Tiverton for the second time in three years.

The plans, to put nine dwellings in Tidcombe Hall and its outbuildings, eight new homes in the grounds and 83 more across the wider site, had received 171 objections.

Councillors unanimously rejected the scheme after planning officers said the land was not needed to meet its housing requirements and would harm the character and appearance of the Grand Western Canal conservation area and wider locale.

Some of the objections to the plans highlighted only part of the proposed site is listed in the council’s local plan as land that could only be built on as a contingency.

Councils must prove they have five years of housing land supply.

In Mid Devon’s case, if it could not then it had identified some of the Tidcombe Hall area for development, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

During the planning process, the council and developer had clashed over this issue, with the authority claiming it already had the required five years of land available for housing but the housebuilder suggesting it could be proved otherwise.

'Optimistic figures'

Olly Ansell, the agent acting for the applicant, stated that given the national housing crisis, approving the development made sense.

He suggested the council only had 4.2 years of housing land supply and it had only hit its annual target of the number of homes it needed to build in three of the past nine years.

"The council is using optimistic figures and the supply of housing land is on a knife edge and could worsen without applications like this," he said.

He added that other benefits included affordable housing and contributions for education, health and other services and "securing the long-term viability of Tidcombe Hall".

Local plan call

However, the planning committee sided with officers and decided not to approve the scheme.

Planning committee chair Les Cruwys noted that a previous scheme for up to 179 homes was refused three years ago.

He urged those working on the next iteration of Mid Devon’s local plan to reconsider the presence of Tidcombe Hall.

"If the adjacent land is allowed to remain as a contingency, then this type of application is going to keep coming in, and I hope those dealing with the next local plan will support me in getting that land taken out, as it is outside the settlement limit," he said.