people in Lamerton of all ages are being asked to give their views about what housing and facilities the village needs – in a fresh effort to create a Neighbourhood Plan for the village.

The survey conducted by the Lamerton Neighbourhood Plan Group runs until noon on Monday, March 27. It has been sent to every household in the parish and can also be found on the Lamerton Parish Council website.

Cllr Karen Dreyer, who is one of three parish councillors on the group, along with 12 other volunteers from the community, insisted all options were on the table in the plan. The plan derailed several years ago in a row over whether affordable housing should be built on controversial greenfield site Green Hill. It is now being revived, in the hope that it could be redrafted and go to a referendum of everyone in the parish by the end of the year.

‘We are trying to get a response from everyone,’ said Cllr Dreyer. ‘From the primary school through to age 11, through the school, we are asking for something like artwork to get the children’s views, and everyone from secondary school upwards is invited to go online or fill in the paper form.

‘It is important that the Neighbourhood Plan is representative of the views of everybody who lives in the parish and we can only learn about their views if they tell us.Creating a Neighbourhood Plan for the parish allows parishioners to say no to further development. It needs to reflect the views of everybody so it is vital that people respond.’

The village must accommodate ten new homes according to the area’s blueprint for development, the Joint Local Plan, up to 2034. However more could be built.

This comes after a proposal by West Devon Borough Council to build 18 affordable homes on Green Hill, a greenfield site, split the village, leading to resignations from the parish council, with some councillors saying they receiving threats after voting to back the Neighbourhood Plan.

‘It is not just about whether housing goes on at Green Hill or not,’ said Cllr Dreyer. ‘It is about which of the ten possible sites should be built on. We need to build another ten houses to meet the local plan requirement but we are asking people to think about whether there needs to be more than ten. People could say we want to see 50 more houses in Lamerton and we don’t give a damn about greenfields, and that then gives us an idea. On the other hand, they could say ten is enough, that will cover the affordable housing, and that also gives us a way forward.’

The completed surveys can be dropped off at Lamerton Sports and Community Centre, the Blacksmiths Arms and Carr’s Garage. They can also be dropped off at the parish church in Lamerton this coming Sunday and at the Copper Penny Farm Shop over the coming week.

See https://lamertonparishcouncil.gov.uk/nplan/lamerton-neighbourhood-plan-survey/