GOVERNMENT- appointed inspectors have recommended that a further 600 new houses are built in West Devon over the next 18 years — on top of the 3,800 proposed last year. The borough council must now identify sites for an extra 30 houses every year until 2026. The recommendations have caused concern among councillors who fear Okehampton and Tavistock, expected to bear most of the extra homes, will not have the infrastructure to cope or sites available. The recommendations come from a panel of inspectors who examined the draft Regional Spatial Strategy, the framework document for future development in the region. They suggest further housing needs to be built in the borough to meet local need. For West Devon, the proposals mean a 15% increase in the number of new homes scheduled to be built by 2026, bringing the total per year to 220. The implications of the latest figures will be considered at a series of planning roadshows for the public being held in the borough next month. District councillor for Tavistock South, Cllr Mandy Govier, said the extra homes were a 'scary' prospect, as it would mean development lines being pushed nearer and nearer to flood plains. 'In Tavistock the only place left where we could really build is Tiddybrook, which runs along the river,' she said. 'I do not want to be responsible for giving permission for housing that could potentially flood. 'The other problem is the infrastructure, with the pressure on schools who are being stretched all the time, and hospitals, particularly with many elderly people moving into the area.' District and county councillor Roy Connelly said his major concern was how much of the new housing would meet local need. He said: 'Much of the housing that is being built in Tavistock is way out of the league of people trying to get on the housing ladder. 'These people have no choice but to move out and go elsewhere.' Cllr Alison Clish-Green said planners should be looking at reinstating some of the housing stock, like buildings above shops which were currently not in use. 'We should think about this before we start carving up more green fields around the town,' she said 'There also comes a time when someone needs to make a stand and say we have had enough development. 'I feel very strongly that we should be building small developments in several of the villages, rather than making Tavistock and Okehampton bigger and bigger.' Planning policy manager Chris Dunford said the inspectors recommended a 20% increase in the number of houses across the South West as a whole. The recommendations will go before the Secretary of State, who will have the final say. 'The recommendations were based on the rate of households being created, ensuring there was sufficient housing for them,' said Mr Dunsford. 'We need to make sure we have the right kind of housing in the right place. 'These changes do not just affect West Devon, but everyone across the country.' He said some additional housing could be built into a development suggested to the west side of Tavistock, linked to the reopening of the railway line to Bere Alston, and the west side of Okehampton, where Okehampton Town Council favoured new development. 'We are also checking out whether North Tawton, Hatherleigh and Lifton could accommodate additional housing and the long term provision of retailing,' Mr Dunford added. A housing needs study in 2006 revealed that just over 300 affordable homes each year were needed in West Devon over the next ten years. West Devon Borough Council has been able to deliver somewhere around its target of 35% of affordable homes on new developments at Tiddybrook Meadow, Tavistock (32%) Exeter Road, Okehampton (35%), three sites in Hatherleigh (43% combined) and Pentillie Road, Bere Alston (35%) and hopes to increase that to 40% in the near future. Dates and venues for the roadshows are as follows: Tavistock Town Hall – Thursday February 14 from 2pm to 8pm. Arundel Arms, Lifton – Thursday February 21 from 2pm to 8pm. Arundel Arms, Lifton – Wednesday February 27 from 9.30am to noon. Tavistock Parish Church Rooms – Saturday March 1 from 9.30am to 1pm.
