FAMILIES fear flooding and danger for children in the Boughthayes area of Tavistock, after detailed permission for an extra 30 houses near their homes was granted by West Devon planning committee this week.

The new estate will be built on land between Crease Lane and the disused railway line, using the existing Boughthayes entrance — outline consent was granted in 1997.

But the agent for the scheme said the developer would take steps to improve safety.

Boughthayes resident Margaret Grills told Monday's planning meeting traffic congestion was 'horrendous' and would get worse — there is provision for two cars at each house.

She said that on one occasion paramedics had to run into Boughthayes to help a choking child — the ambulance could not enter the estate due to parked cars.

'The danger and chaos this will cause doesn't bear thinking about,' she said.

'The lives of all who live at Boughthayes will be dramatically affected if this development goes ahead.'

Mrs Grills was also worried about an area of wetland used to store excess water in times of high rainfall — she said it posed a danger to children on the estate.

John Mathis, who lives at Maudlins Park, said there was a working copper mine near the site in the 19th century. He was concerned about contaminated land and the ability of an ancient culvert to cope with water run-off.

The culvert had to be repaired after serious flooding occurred in Callington Road during Christmas last year.

'Please remember that culvert is 170 years old,' he said.

Peter Pridham, chairman of Boughthayes Tenants and Residents' Association, said extra houses would mean traffic would increase by 100 per cent.

'Children's lives will be at risk,' he said.

Mr Pridham claimed the planning report was 'watered down'.

'We feel at the outline stage we were not properly involved, misled and unfairly treated,' he said.

Mr Pridham said his house was suffering from subsidence — and other homes on Boughthayes had already been underpinned.

Cllr Caroline Keane said she had 'extreme difficulty' with the application.

'To outline a plan without an eye to the progress of time is nonsense — I cannot agree to this,' she said.

And Cllr Dick Eberlie said: 'It really does seem to me that we have been boxed in by this previous permission — we are stuck with it.

'There are serious issues here which were overlooked at the outline stage.'

He asked if anything could be done to change the outline permission.

Planning officer Jane Green said: 'The only way out is if the applicant voluntarily submitted some alternative scheme — the only other option is a revocation and that would have profound implications.

'Vast amounts of compensation would have to be paid to the developer.'

But Peter Rowan, agent for Corporate Builders Ltd, said his client volunteered to ease traffic congestion and safety by creating pavements and parking bays in the Boughthayes entrance.

He said a contamination report commissioned by the developer was acceptable to planning officers, and a new screen would stop debris blocking up the culvert.

Roger Collins, head of building services, said the water authority and Environment Agency were satisfied the systems in place would cope with drainage.

And planning officer Chris Watson said there were 'no particular grounds' for concern over previous mining activity in the area.