Tavistock Town Council has objected to a request by the developer behind The Tors housing estate to ‘reduce’ its commitments to provide a school site and footpath before building more homes.

The council is particularly concerned about a request to remove a site for a new school originally included in the plans.

It is being argued by developer Vistry Homes that the site is no longer needed.

The developers of the Callington Road site have applied to planning authority West Devon Borough Council (WDBC) for a ‘deed of variation’ to change planning obligations associated with the substantial part-built estate of hundreds of homes off Callington Road.

Vistry Homes, parent company of Bovis Homes, is seeking changes to the Section 106 agreement, the legally binding agreement setting out what a developer must contribute to the community to offset the impact of the development.

The town council objects to removal of the school site pencilled in within the site, and the education contribution, saying the site is ‘integral to the estate, as required by the joint local plan’.

It says that its removal needs to be justified by ‘substantial’ evidence that it is not needed, taking into account the number of houses set to be built on various sites in Tavistock to accommodate government housing targets.

In its views to planning decision-maker West Devon Borough Council, the town council asks to be assured that if a new school is needed in the future, that local education authority Devon County Council has identified another site for it.

The removal of the school site also mean the redirection of Section 106 (S106) payments for two other other relatively new estates in Tavistock, Embden Grange and Broadleigh Park, which had been allocated towards the construction of a school on the Vistry site. This amounts to £366,560 for Embden Grange and £373,226 for Broadleigh Park.

The town council also objects ‘most strongly’ to the removal of the promised footpath link between the Tors and new homes to the town centre via the adjacent Monksmead estate.

Councillors say the path is ‘vital to provide safe and convenient’ access between the estate, local schools and the town centre. The link will become a much more important issue if the school is not provided on site, forcing children to attend existing town schools.

The town council says the developer has ‘no authority’ to abandon this link, because WDBC has responsibility under the S106 agreement to facilitate it. Therefore, WDBC should require the developer to build it as it is ‘crucial to the new estate’s sustainability’.

Town councillors also object to the removal of bus shelters pending a public consultation involving residents of the Tors.

Councillors ask that before variations are agreed, WDBC seeks a development viability assessment (as in the S106) and a reassessment of affordable housing provision.

This plan (application number 2605/25/VPO) is listed on West Devon Borough Council planning portal at this link: https://www.westdevon.gov.uk/planning