LEWDOWN residents this week staged a protest against a plan for a ?town house? development with three storey high buildings, which they say will be completely out of character in their rural village.

The plan for 15 homes by Inova Homes Ltd, for which outline planning permission was won on appeal in 2001, came under fire at a public meeting last Friday, when local people viewed the proposals for the old filling station site.

They claim the style and density of the development is inappropriate for the village ? but applicants say the scheme is a result of extensive consultations with officers from West Devon Borough Council.

A peaceful protest was held at the site on Tuesday, in an attempt to publicise the views of villagers who supported the borough?s decision to refuse outline permission two years ago because of the subsequent loss of employment land and development in the open countryside.

Chairman of Lewdown Parish Council Peter Tinworth said the site was very prominent and visible from all areas including Dartmoor.

?Some of these homes will be three storey and the density is just about as high as you can go,? he said.

?We are also concerned about the parking arrangements as only a few of the house have garages.?

Mr Tinworth said the limited infrastructure in the village would be stretched and questioned the need for additional housing.

?We understand that a development at Lifton has been put on hold because the houses are not selling,? he said.

Colin Harris, who is on the village recreation committee and is community watch officer, said he feared for children?s safety, as there would be nowhere for them to play.

He said cars would be criss-crossing the site to get to a parking area at the rear of the houses.

?I am not against new homes being built but these are totally out of keeping with a village,? he said.

?If you want to buy a town house you would stay in the towns. People move to a village because they want a bit of space around them with a garden.?

Tim Holden of Turner Holden, planning consultants for the applicants, said the scale and form of development now being proposed responded to the detailed discussions held with officers from the local planning authority.

?The Government requires developers to make the best use of previously developed sites such as the former service station at Lewdown,? he said.

?Higher density developments are actively encouraged. Indeed, if a lower density had been proposed, the borough council could rightly have criticised my clients for failing to respond to that requirement.?

He added that the range of houses were intended to meet the needs of local people, in a way that larger properties might not.

?The appearance of the houses has been deliberately designed to be simple and unfussy, reflecting local architectural character,? he said.

A spokesman for West Devon Borough Council confirmed that the proposal was likely to be considered by the planning committee on July 22.