A HOUSING development on ?a sad eyesore? in Tavistock town centre has been given the go-ahead by West Devon?s planners.
It means 22 flats will be built by housing association West Devon Homes on the site of the old Abbey Garage on Dolvin Road to meet the growing demand for affordable housing.
The proposed building has both three and four-storey elements and was approved by the planning committee on
Tuesday subject to a string of conditions.
Committee chairman Cllr Roger Mathew said the future of the site had been a long-running issue with a number of schemes put forward before the newest designs were drawn up.
He said: ?It?s a welcome development because of its social impact and its aesthetic impact. It is a site which has been a sad eyesore for a very long time and deserves a very much better appearance.?
But owners of neighbouring properties were unhappy with the scheme. They claimed the building would be over-dominant in the vista from Bedford Square and Abbey Place and the size and design would not be in keeping with the locality.
Opponents also said the height of the building did not respect the modest scale of adjoining cottages, it would result in a loss of light to 1 Dolvin Road and the parking area would be too high and would cause noise, loss of privacy and nuisance from lights.
But planning officer Jane Green said in a report that it was appropriate for any building on the site to have a ?strong visual presence?, and the design would avoid an ?unreasonable loss of light? for the adjacent property.
Cllr Dick Eberlie raised the issue of parking provision for residents on Dolvin Road.
Eight of the 26 parking spaces proposed in the scheme will be specifically for the council?s use, and are intended for residents in Dolvin Road.
Stuart Davies, chief executive of West Devon Homes, told the meeting the development offered the potential of living accommodation for local people in a town centre location at an affordable rate.
He said: ?It offers hope to the strongly growing number of people who are looking for one and two bedroom accommodation.?
Mr Davies said there was a ?crisis in affordable housing? with 750 people in the Tavistock area on the housing list, and this number was growing every month.
?This is a positive addition to the town and it?s people,? he added.
A letter in support of the scheme was received by former counciller Michael Pithouse.
He wrote: ?I have two sons. One has already had to move to the South Hams to live as he could not afford to stay near Tavistock, but he still works in the town for a local family.
?I fear my second son will also suffer the same fate in a few years? time, as there are no affordable properties to rent or buy in the Tavistock area.?
A major survey carried out two years ago found West Devon needed to provide 363 affordable homes a year to meet the present shortfall.
Borough head of planning Stephen Gill said: ?We still do regard this as the most important site in Tavistock. We have worked hand in hand with the applicant and we are entirely satisfied with the scheme we have now.?
The garage on the two-thirds of an acre site was demolished in the early 1990s. The site was bought by the borough council some years before.