RESIDENTS have vowed to take on a major property developer over a building scheme that would 'double the size of the village'. Around 70 people attended a meeting of Blackawton Parish Council on Tuesday to express their concerns at a Cavanna Homes plan to build 61 houses on fields at Town Farm. But although many are against the size of the proposal, some are in favour of smaller scale housing in the village or a development that would provide more affordable homes. And ward councillor for West Dart and South Hams Council leader John Tucker warned there would be some sort of housing on the site that had been adopted in the district council's 2011 development plan. 'It's almost set in concrete already,' he said. 'If you don't get this development, you will get another. 'There are lots of people who want houses and we have 2,000 people on our waiting list and 31 who have connections with Blackawton who want to come back here to live.' Cavanna has had to re-submit its original application due to a minor error over the boundary of the land and the new date for comments on the latest proposal to be submitted to South Hams Council is Friday, July 18. Campaigner Carey Burton said it was a chance for objectors 'to have a second bite of the cherry'. 'Not everyone is opposed to the development but many people say it is too big in one single area, at one point in time,' she said. 'As a village, we are very good at welcoming new people and integrating new development, but we are concerned that the affordable housing is the smaller part and the for-sale houses the larger part.' The number of open-market houses being proposed was particularly concerning when some of the recently built ones on Cheavstone Lea had failed to sell, she said. Cavanna's proposal is for 40 open-market homes and 21 affordable homes, as well as eight employment units, the ownership of which would be transferred to a village community trust. The developer would also contribute funds to help expand the village primary school early years and reception facilities and a multi-use games area would be created, as well as a toddler play area. A contribution of £55,000 would be made towards bus transport for pupils attending Dartmouth Academy and a further £52,000 towards creating sports pitches. Ms Burton said other major worries centred around parking, increased traffic and road safety for pedestrians, particularly young people walking to the bus stop along single-track lanes. Concerns over drainage from the proposed site and the sustainable energy levels for the new development, were also raised. Some parishioners called for a legal challenge on the 'unsuitability' of the road network and others wanted an independent traffic survey carried out and more details on the bat and bird life in the area and the possible impact on the ecology. Cllr Tucker said he would take back to the district planners the concerns raised at the meeting. He said the village would have to come up with material planning evidence to stop the development. But, suggested as a way forward, the parish council could ask for certain conditions to be attached to any approval, which could include the employment units being built in the first phase of construction and on the early allocation of the Section 106 funding. Vice chairman Simon Rake said they were 'amateurs dealing with professionals' but they might have more weight with the developer if they could budge on some things. He said the transfer of the business units to the community might represent a considerable source of income for the village year-on-year. 'To some extent that might mitigate whatever people think about the shortcomings,' he said. And parish council chairman Alan Mallyon said: 'We need to get the best we can.'