A PUBLIC meeting has been called to discuss a proposal for 125 homes on the site of the former prep school at Mount Kelly.

Mount Kelly Foundation governors have applied to West Devon Borough Council (WDBC) for outline planning permission for the houses and flats, with 40% to be affordable housing.

The application includes plans to convert Hazeldon House, a redundant house in the grounds of the school, into ten flats. Parking will be provided along with landscaping and improvements to the junction with the main road.

However, the proposal is likely to be controversial because the site is outside the built up area of the town.

Town councillors will discuss the application at a special meeting at Tavistock Town Council Chamber on Tuesday, August 22.

Mark Scoot, agent for Mount Kelly Foundation governors, will present the proposal at the meeting, which starts at 6.15pm, after which there will be a chance for the public to ask questions.

‘The application proposals will make a significant contribution towards the provision of much needed housing of different types and tenures thereby helping to address the acute shortfall in housing supply,’ said Mr Scoot in a planning statement to the borough council. ‘This includes delivering up to 50 new affordable homes for local people in the area.

‘Whilst the site is located beyond the settlement boundary of Tavistock, it is well-related to the centre, and the settlement boundaries as defined should be given no weight as they are outdated and cannot deliver the housing needed to meet the district-wide require-ments.’

While the site has been earmarked for ‘extra care’ housing within the draft Local Plan, which sets out the West Devon Borough Council’s district-wide proposals for housing, it has not been allocated for general residential development.

While the town council will give its opinion on the proposal, the planning application will actually be decided by WDBC.

WDBC leader Philip Sanders said he could not comment on the proposal before it was discussed by the planning committee, of which he is chairman.

‘In general terms we have a housing need, and the council is supportive of housing development,’ he said. ‘What I can say is that it does comply with the quota we ask for affordable housing, at 40 percent.’

An official statement issued by WDBC said: ‘We would be likely to support an application for extra care housing in accordance with the emerging Joint Local Plan. We have not yet given consideration to the application proposals.’