Anger as ‘square peg in round hole’ housing site approved

Residents have expressed anger after a decision to approve a site in an East Devon town for around 136 homes.

Fears were aired of “severe and serious concerns” about additional traffic being routed onto the A35 into Honiton, with residents flagging a petition with 80 signatures against the location of the site. 
The land at King’s Road, near Hale Close, has been approved by East Devon planners as able to take around 136 homes.
“This site is a bureaucratic square peg in a community round hole,” said resident Stuart Lees.
“You can do it with a very big hammer, but the damage will be considerable and last for years.”
The decision to approve the site came as part of wider efforts to approve East Devon’s emerging local plan, which will identify which sites across the entire district can accommodate nearly 21,000 homes collectively all the way out to 2042.
Mr Lees described the steep approach into Honiton on the A35, stating “visibility is very poor and the road is not easy to drive”.
“The S-bend before the Copper Castle is not easy or safe,” he said.
“The flow of traffic, with cars, heavy lorries and farm machinery make it extremely busy as it is one of the primary routes into Devon from Southampton, so the new junction seems to everyone who knows it very unsafe and dangerous.
“I ask you to rethink and ask the highways department and the police whether they are fast-tracking a poor decision due to pressure on housing.”
Ed Freeman, one of the council’s senior planning officers, said a condition of the site being put forward now included efforts to extend the 30 mph limit further up the A35.
“The best way to deal with the concerns is to reduce speed limits, which this now does,” he said.
Simon Coles, the agent for the developer looking to build on the site, said Mr Lees had raised some “good points”.
“It is important to respect the views of local residents but these comments could be levelled at pretty much any of the allocations through the whole local plan process,” he said.
“The important thing to remember is the advice reminding us all of the professional views of the police and highways experts, and none has any objections to this in highways terms.
“It seems to me the best way of dealing with the highway safety concerns is to reduce speeds, and that’s what this does, by extending the 30mp and 40mph limits up the hill, slowing traffic down, and the officer report deals with the issues incredibly comprehensively.”
Mr Coles added there would be “full and meaningful engagement” with the community when more detailed plans were being worked on.
Mr Lees claimed out of the 80 people who signed the petition, only one couple were aware of the potential for the land at King’s Road to be allocated for housing development.
He added that he understood the pressure the council was under to meet its housing target, but that “the answer to a problem is not a bad answer”.
“I’m exasperated that anyone could consider an entrance and exit for 136 homes right on the junction of an S-bend,” he added.
“I can’t image it will be a safe or enjoyable living experience and the queues around work and school times will be horrendous.”