150 new village homes approved

UP to 150 new homes in the village of Landkey, near Barnstaple in Devon, are to be built over the next five years.

A plot of 25 acres of greenfield land to the south of the A361 North Devon link road, bordering Millennium Green community park and Birch Road, is to be developed.

Part of the Tarka Trail will run through the land, providing a footpath to Barnstaple.

Some North Devon District Council councillors expressed caution about the proposals as the land had not been part of the local plan for development.

However, given Governmentset housing targets and the development being deemed ‘sustainable’, councillors voted unanimously in favour.

Speaking at the council’s planning committee, Cllr Malcolm Prowse (Independent, Bratton Fleming) told fellow members that, despite some issues, the project “ticks a lot of community boxes”, especially given the council’s lack of a five-year housing land supply.

However, Susan Tyner, a resident whose home will neighbour the new development, criticised the plans. She argued that the new homes are not needed and the project will create too much traffic, damage the local environment, cause noise, air and light pollution and put a strain on overstretched local NHS resources.

She added: “Housing needs are already being met in this area and we need to remember why people settled here to begin with, namely because of the natural beauty, the green fields and a quality of life. Greed is destroying all of these things. I am horrified of the overbuild of this beautiful area.”

The development will be built by Allison Homes, a company based near Peterborough. As part of Section 106 agreements with the council, Allison Homes will contribute £250,000 towards improving the A361 Landkey junction. This money will also be used for walking and cycling projects, including the new bridge and cycle route on Mount Sandford Road.

The developer must also pay for street lighting on nearby Birch Road to make up for the extra traffic expected when people move in. A further £205,000 will go towards extra bus services.

Nearly £320,000 from the developer will be paid towards primary schools and a further £500,000 for secondary schools. An additional £78,000 will go towards Special Educational Needs (SEN) places. Local NHS services will receive £72,600.

A ‘green infrastructure’ contribution of £353,000 will also be used to create allotments and an outside play area.