LAMERTON Parish Council’s chairman has made an impassioned plea to people to ‘get around the table’ after the borough council pulled out of a community housing scheme that has divided the village.

Cllr Roger Geake told a well-attended meeting of the parish council on Monday night that ‘there are now rifts and divides that will never heal’ over the proposal for 18 affordable homes on a greenfield site off Green Hill.

His comments came as the borough council revealed it had decided not to go ahead with the community housing scheme after all, saying in a statement that ‘the business case doesn’t stack up’.

Cllr Geake appealed for unity after reading out a letter of resignation from parish councillor Cllr David Green over personal attacks levelled at the parish councillors since they voted to include the scheme in the community’s Neighbourhood Plan back in 2019. He said he was frustrated that no planning application for the site had been forthcoming from WDBC in the 14 months since the parish council put its head on the block in support of the controversial scheme.

‘In my opinion, West Devon have hung us out to dry, so to speak,’ said Cllr Geake. ‘It is time for the parishioners to make it quite clear what they want, the Neighbourhood Plan or futher division. The whole village has a choice to get behind the Neighbourhood Plan or take it back to include another site to replace Green Hill. The choice is for all the parisioners and not just for a small group. I suggest we all read the Neighbourhood Plan and decide what we as individuals want for our village.

‘It would be easy to sit back to say nothing but I won’t allow West Devon to use us as a scapegoat. As for the actions of some in the community, there are now rifts and divides that will never heal.’

Cllr Geake said the parish council had been targeted by campaign group A Plan for Lamerton with scores of Freedom of Information requests and a Judicial Review which had cost the parish council £1,000. The group, meanwhile, points to a recent survey to argue that many residents are opposed to the scheme.

Cllr Neil Jory, who represents Lamerton on the borough council as well as being leader revealed that the council was pulling out of the scheme as it was ‘unviable’ due to technical issues with drainage on the site. He said a report to be discussed at the council’s next hub committee meeting.

He said he was ‘really sorry’ that parish councillors ‘endeavour and hard work has now seemingly come to nought’. ‘I understand the frustration locally but will continue to support the parish council to the best of my ability and will respect any decision that the parish council makes. I will continue to help and assist in any way I can with the Neighbourhood Plan, but we do need people with a variety of views to work together to this end. It is a blow for the supporters of the scheme and for the council, but we remain committed to working with the parish council and Neighbourhood Planning group to deliver the community’s aspirations as they evolve from this difficult point in time.’