DEVELOPERS are making a mockery of the planning system, one Ivybridge resident has declared, as another house is planned to be built in a ­conservation area.

South Hams Council has received an application to build a further home in the conservation land off Beacon Road.

In 2013 Mill Manor was approved by the district council to be built in the area despite local objections.

Edward Burch, who lives in Grade II-listed house Woodhaye, which overlooks the proposed development and the newly built Mill Manor, objected to the first development and still feels the developer is cheating the planning system.

'The development lies within a conservation area,' he declared, 'a policy-one and -two area and in proximity to a Grade II-listed house.

'I objected to the original Mill Manor development, which was passed despite a lot of local objections.

'Now I have no qualms with it being approved, but what ­happened afterwards upset me. Without reference, the developer chose to make significant changes to the property.

'One window was supposed to be blank – it isn't. It was ­supposed to be a four-bedroom house – it's being advertised as five.

'Some are little changes, but that's not the point.

'If it wasn't for me saying something the developer would have got away with it, but they were made to go for retrospective variations.

'The developer is misusing the system – they've saved money by not obeying the rules.

'I just feel the developer has done it before – they're just ­running rings around the ­planning system.

'The council was told that Mill Manor would be a big Georgian-style house in a big field; now there's another planning application for a whopping great bungalow right up to our boundary.'

District councillor for Ivybridge Mike Saltern agrees with Mr Burch and has declared that the application should be firmly rejected.

He said: 'This proposal for a four-bedroom, single-storey dwelling, part sunken into the hill within the grounds of the newly built Mill Manor – itself the subject of considerable ­objections by local residents – is totally against previous planning guidance that a dwelling would not be appropriate in this position due to its close proximity to the listed building Woodhaye.

'The land lies within the Ivybridge Conservation Area and I'm strongly of the view that the erection of a further dwelling on this land would neither ­conserve nor enhance the special character of the conservation area, but would significantly detract from it.

'Massive excavation would be necessary to conceal the building and the previous pre-application proposal in this part of the field was also not supported due

to the amount of excavation required and the harsh engineering, which was considered unsustainable – this was in ­addition to the close proximity to Woodhaye.

'The land lay within a policy-one area, which states that ­development would not normally be permitted where it would alter the low-density character of the area or increase the number of vehicles around Woodhaye, The Chantry and Highlands.

'The erection of yet another dwelling on this site will be detrimental and is clearly an incremental approach by this developer, who has submitted the application despite previous planning guidance, which I am aware was given by the then planning officer.

'As stated, the proposed site forms an integral part of the ­setting of Woodhaye, a grade II-listed building that's situated

on rising ground and clearly designed with its front elevation overlooking the open land, which is the subject of this application.

'The proposed dwelling would be in very close proximity to the boundary of Woodhaye and would be completely overlooked from the very large windows that give onto the field.

'No amount of landscaping would mask or mitigate the impact of the dwelling, the drive, the car-parking area, the entrance and the proposed ­terraces.

'The impact on Woodhaye would be such as to completely undermine its listed status.

'It's extremely disappointing that the developer has chosen to pursue this direction, but it's very apparent that, by taking an incremental approach, they seek to exploit an inability of the planning system to consider clear intent and that adheres to the requirement to focus on what is before it at the time. The latter point is fully understandable, but creates this conflict.

'It was highlighted to the development management committee by objectors to the first "Mill Manor", and indeed retrospective applications to change the design, that this ­further application would undoubtedly be forthcoming.

'Had an application been ­submitted for two dwellings on this site originally, I suspect that the outcome may have been very different, given the guidance of the planning officer at the time, and we would not now have the recently built Mill Manor, which I'm sorry to say does detract from the conservation area.

'I call for this application to be firmly rejected.'

The application's design and access statement, submitted on behalf of applicant Moorhaven Ltd, states: 'The site falls within the development boundary of Ivybridge and therefore the ­principle of further development is supported in policy terms.

'The location of the site within the Ivybridge policy area, Conservation Area and proximity to the Grade II-listed building known as Woodhaye have all been material considerations in the design of this proposal.

'Policy IP6 states that development that would alter the low-density character of development, or result in an increased number of vehicles in the policy areas around Woodhaye, The Chantry and Highlands, would not normally be permitted.

'The proposed dwelling will be sited within a curtilage of 0.75 acres, which is a considerable area for domestic space.

'The new Georgian-style dwelling known as Mill Manor will retain the remaining 0.55 acres.

'The size and shape of the plot allows it to be separated into two considerable-sized plots.

'The separation between these two properties will be in the form of appropriate and natural planting, as suggested by the landscape architects, which

will enhance the setting of Woodhaye.'

Members of the public have until Tuesday, March 24, to submit comments on the application to South Hams Council.

To view the full application, or to submit a comment, visit http://www.southhams.gov.uk">www.southhams.gov.uk and type in planning application reference 27/0372/15/F, or write to South Hams District Council, Follaton House, Plymouth Road, Totnes, Devon TQ9 5NE.