TRAFFIC chaos and a threat to wildlife were just two of the issues voiced at a public meeting held in Tavistock this week. Monday?s meeting was sparked by a planning application to build more than 30 dwellings on the old hockey pitch in Grenville Drive. Brian MacGregor, whose garden backs on to the site, said about 20 residents and West Devon councillor Alison Clish-Green were at the meeting. Mr MacGregor said: ?The main concern is the amount of traffic all those extra houses would create, on top of what we already have in Grenville Drive. Already you can be stuck at the junction with the main road for ages. ?The entrance to where they want to build the houses is on a blind spot, which is made worse with all the cars parked along there. I?ve seen emergency vehicles struggling to get through, I?ve seen the old peoples? coach having to back out into the main road because they can?t get through.? Mr MacGregor said there were also environmental concerns ? a colony of bats live in the area. Cllr Clish-Green said she felt there was already too much development in the town?s South West ward ? the borough?s smallest ward, with no community centre, pub or post office. ?There?s already Grenville Drive, Westbridge Cottages, the whole of Bishopsmead ? now there?s the new Redrow estate, the new Focus, the Sainsbury?s application ? it?s all housing, retail and employment, yet there?s nowhere to even vote in the ward ? it?s becoming an urban sprawl,? said Cllr Clish-Green. ?The traffic situation is already dire at the junction of Grenville Drive and the main road ? I also feel very strongly about protecting our green spaces ?that pitch is a wildlife haven,? said Cllr Clish-Green. A spokesman for West Devon?s planning department said development on land used for sports was covered by specific planning guidance. He said: ?There will be circumstances where it?s acceptable and some where it?s not. We need to assess whether it?s appropriate for this site to no longer be used for sports. ?In terms of highways and access, we will consult the highways department. Clearly if they don?t think it?s suitable there?s an issue, but if they don?t raise objections, it?s very difficult for us to refuse it on those grounds,? said the spokesman, who said the earliest the matter could be considered by the planning committee was when it met on December 11. Phil Edwards, chairman of Tavistock Hockey Club, said following a change in rules governing playing surfaces for league hockey in the late 1990s, the club had been unable to use its grass pitch. The high cost of building an all-weather surface on the land precluded such a move and the club had decided to sell the site, to provide capital for its development, and investment in local facilities for hockey. Mr Edwards said: ?It is hoped Tavistock Hockey Club can invest locally to develop our sport and encourage youth involvement through local partnerships. ?A number of people within the club have worked hard, with our trustees, to achieve this outcome, hopefully providing a fantastic opportunity for the hockey club to develop, both itself and more generally, the sport within Tavistock.? Phillip Gill, of developers Bishop Acklam, said highways concerns would be addressed as part of the planning process. He said he would be happy to meet residents to discuss their concerns ? his company?s policy was to be as sensitive as possible to residents and the environment, regarding any of its developments.
