A DEVELOPMENT deadlock was this week broken in Tavistock, giving the green light to a series of new housing projects. Developers, including housing giants Wimpey and Westbury Homes, should now get the thumbs up to start work on projects in and around Tavistock, providing more than 170 homes. The news comes as South West Water finally backed down on objections to developments at The Manor, off old Launceston Road and in Brook Street ? confirmation is also expected on projects at the Ordulph Arms and in Barley Market Street. The water company had been objecting on the basis that the sewerage system would not have the capacity to cope with the extra housing. West Devon?s planning chief Stephen Gill said the news was a ?major victory? in terms of future planning for the borough. He said: ?We have managed to unlock a very, very difficult situation through a lot of negotiations. ?It was a major problem we were facing. To be fair to South West Water, they didn?t realise that if that objection had been allowed to stand all development would have been put on hold until 2008. ?Our local plan proposals for development within the whole borough not only had to be commenced, but completed by 2011.? Mr Gill said land put aside for development at Callington Road and at Bishopsmead, involving more than 450 extra houses, was likely to be built on in the second phase of the new local plan, although the Callington Road development was dependent upon the re-opening of the Tavistock to Bere Alston rail route. ?What I was concerned about is that it would all have come on stream together in 2009 and in a two-year spell you?d have all this development going on at the same time and the local infrastructure wouldn?t have been able to cope.? Mr Gill said the borough had been consulting with South West Water with regard to the new local plan since 1997 and it had not objected to West Devon?s proposals, particularly regarding The Manor site. It was only when planning applications had been submitted that the water giant had objected. He said the situation had been ?very complicated? and the borough was pleased and relieved the issue now appeared settled. A planning appeal by Wimpey and Westbury Homes regarding The Manor site has now also been avoided, after West Devon council members agreed on Tuesday to lift a planning condition referring to foul drainage. The condition stipulated that the developers could not start work until the public sewerage system had adequate capacity. A spokesman for South West Water said: ?We have carried out some minor improvements at the sewage treatment works, which are allowing more favourable consideration of planning applications ? but this is not a blanket agreement. ?As applications come through we will be looking at them individually, but we are now more satisfied and happy that we can deal with the extra flows from these properties.? Jeremy Sutcliffe, strategic land manager for Wimpey, said the company was delighted with the news. ?I think common sense prevailed in the end,? he said. ?We are obviously very pleased that South West Water agreed to lift their drainage embargo. ?In terms of starting work at The Manor, we have outline planning permission but we will need to submit for detailed planning permission. ?I would have thought that should be in the next month or so, all going well, hopefully we will be starting on site later this year.?
