REVISED plans for 26 new homes in the quiet village of Holbeton have been submitted to South Hams Council.

The proposals, by trustees of the Flete Estate, are to develop two separate parcels of land adjacent to the village - one north of Church Hill and one east of Vicarage Road.

The plans, originally submitted in July 2015 have drawn mixed reactions from locals and the parish council.

The revised plans for the Church Hill plot have lessened the impact on the church, while the Vicarage Hill development has seen a change in the layout and access to properties to make it ‘more in keeping with the village.’

Under the outline plans, the Church Hill site would see 16 dwellings, nine of which would be affordable, a car park for 44 cars, allotments and a footpath to Church Hill.

Off Vicarage Hill, 10 open market homes are proposed, along with a new village hall and car parking, and a footpath to the village.

The new hall has been a long-held desire of some in the village, given the poor state of repair of the current building, and various surveys and studies have been carried out to find out what residents would like to see. The current plan would see a new hall built, but only if permission is won for the associated housing.

In March, the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty raised ‘no objection in principle’ to the Church Hill development.

Robin Toogood, AONB manager stated that the ‘size, tenure and number’ of houses needs to be justified by a local housing needs analysis and that the ‘design, layout and orientation’ of the development needs to enhance the ‘coherent and distinctive character of Holbeton.’

The consultation also raised concerns over the protection of ‘existing significant landscape features and boundaries’; the impact of the car park; the need for a sustainable drainage plan and the impact of external lighting.

However, the AONB ‘strongly objected’ to the Vicarage Hill development, raising concerns of the narrowness of the road accessing the site, the inadequacy of parking at the village hall; the substantial engineering works required and the style and layout of the dwellings.

The report also expressed concern that the current village hall site would be developed ‘bringing forward a number of new dwellings that goes beyond what is required to meet local housing needs.’

Last year, Holbeton Parish Council carried out a thorough survey of villagers to gauge their views on housing development. The survey found that of three proposed sites, Church Hill was by far the most popular. A majority of respondents supported housing on the Church Hill site, with a narrow majority against developing east of Church Hill.

Despite this, more than 30 letters of objection have been sent by members of the public to each application, with almost none in support.

In August 2015, the parish council held an extraordinary meeting to further gather the views of locals, before sending objections to both proposals to South Hams Council.

The council said that, while supporting the idea of houses on the Church Hill site, particularly affordable homes ideally managed by the Flete Estate, it took issue with several points. These included the proposed drainage arrangements, the size of the car park, and not enough importance being attached to keeping the existing pedestrian gateway.

The council objected more strongly to the Vicarage Hill proposal, saying it comprised an ‘unacceptable level of development for a village the size of Holbeton’, and citing poor access, hedgerow and habitat destruction, and the impact on the AONB.

It also pointed out that the number of dwellings in the parish had already increased by 50 per cent since 2000.

As the principal landowner in Holbeton and the surrounding area, the Flete Estate says it has an important role to play in helping to meet local housing and other needs. In the planning applications, the estate points to ‘a comprehensive process of consultation with the local community’ it carried out, and said it ‘takes a very long term view of its activities and understands its longstanding role in the local community’.

A point made again and again is that, without further housing and more people coming in, local amenities like the village shop and pubs may in future struggle to survive.

For further information or to comment on the plans, visit www.southhams.gov.uk and search for application numbers 25/1720/15/O for the Church Hill site and 25/1721/15/O for the Vicarage Hill proposal.

The revised plans can be commented on until Friday, December 2.