PLANNERS have given outline consent for a new village hall to be built on the edge of Bridestowe, but have stressed the facility needs to be carefully designed to minimise its impact in the countryside.

Bridestowe Village Hall management committee applied for permission to build on a greenfield site with an open aspect and scenic views of the moor, approximately 100 metres outside the development boundary.

At a meeting of West Devon Borough Council's planning committee last week, planning officer Chris Watson said the council's policies accepted that essential village facilities could be, in certain instances, located outside village boundaries because of the undoubted benefits for the community.

Plans to build on the site of the old village hall, which was condemned and closed last autumn, were dropped after two failed lottery bids. The old site at Tanyards Court is to be sold to raise funds for a hall project in another location.

Approval was granted for the site to be developed for housing earlier this month under delegated powers following no objections.

Village hall management chairman David Porter said at the meeting that architect Alan van der Steen, who designed the previous plans, had been appointed again to come up with a design for the new village hall.

'This is a wondrous site for the community and will be a joy for everyone to use,' he said. 'It will be greatly appreciated by young and old and we will have our traditional village hall again.'

A letter of objection was received from the one resident living nearby, raising concerns over noise pollution and road safety.

The planning officers' view was that the access was suitable and the hall sufficiently far from the occupier not to cause an unacceptable level of nuisance.

'We feel it is important the village hall committee is aware the development will have to be carefully designed in terms of the building and landscaping surrounding it to minimise its impact,' said Mr Watson.