A FINAL judgement on controversial plans for more than 100 homes on the edge of Tavistock is now due after a planning inquiry concluded last week.

A final decision may now come in just six weeks, following a hearing that lasted four days.

The inquiry last week marked the penultimate stage of a two-year debate over Trand UK’s plan to build 110 homes, 58 of them affordable, on Butcher Park Hill.

Protesters waving placards demonstrated outside the inquiry, which was into the developer’s appeal against West Devon Borough Council’s refusal of the plans for the residential units, with associated access, servicing, parking, open space, allotments, allotment building, play space and associated infrastructure.

Maggie Stokes told the planning inspector she was speaking on behalf of residents who were against the plan. They wanted to focus on traffic, road safety, surface drainage, flood risk and the proposed development’s impact on Tavistock’s World Heritage Site status.

She gave evidence of traffic surveys, highlighting that traffic heading to the area goes through Bedford Square at ‘the heart of our heritage town’ into an edge-of-town environment as it merges into open countryside, on a narrow road unsuitable for heavy traffic.

She said: ‘This precious gateway to our World Heritage Site must be preserved, as it is.

‘The infrastructure of surface water drainage and sewage on this side of town is in need of considerable renewal at considerable cost.

‘We, as residents, are not convinced that disturbing this fragile hillside with attenuation tanks and the like will contain surface water run off once the land is built on and tarmac covered. The natural sponge effect of the land will be reduced and more prone to over absorption and thus flash floods.’

Roger Croxson told the inquiry: ‘As a resident these proposed houses will have an impact on my life, from the noise and the increase in heavy traffic during any building and the increase in domestic traffic afterwards.’

Amanda Cheetham spoke about the prospective impact of the development on the town’s World Heritage Site status: ‘The World Heritage Committee has expressed its concern at recent meetings as to the impact of such developments on the settings of World Heritage Sites, including that of Tavistock.

‘Its concern has extended to include developments bordering on but outside World Heritage Sites.’

Maggie Stokes referred to an earlier appeal into an existing planning permission for 52 chalets on the site, dating back to 2010.

She concluded: ‘We implore the inspector to follow the lead of her colleague Mike Robins, who stated, quite clearly, “residential development is not suitable here” by using all her power to rule against this appeal and protect our precious Tavistock.

‘Furthermore, to make this a landmark case to refuse any future residential developments for this site, so as to prevent a precedent of wide-scale development deep into the countryside.’

Others to give evidence arguing against the plan included Cllr Jeff Moody, deputy mayor of West Devon.

The Times asked Mark Scoot, agent for the applicants Trand UK, for a comment, but none was offered.