Flood-prone village to get another 35 homes even as residents object

Worries about flooding prompted residents to oppose the scheme

A new development of homes is to be built in a flood-prone East Devon village, despite residents warning against it.

The plans for Feniton has led to significant objections, with 55 people formally lodging their opposition.

Residents said work is continuing in the village to help reduce flooding and that the sewage system is already inadequate without adding more properties.

East Devon District Council’s planning committee debated the plans for two hours, with the scheme dividing opinion.

Six members eventually agreed to approve the proposal, with three voting against and another three abstaining.

The scheme, south of the railway line and next to a street called The Burlands.  submitted by Cresco Asset Management, will have 51 per cent affordable homes, and include open spaces. It is

Resident Chris Wilkins said:. “People are enduring sewage overflowing into their garden and backing up into the toilet,” he said.

“The knock-on effect for Burlands residents is that they are asked not to flush their toilet and are subjected to pungent smells in their homes.

“We’re a quarter of the way through the twenty-first century, but we’re living in third world conditions, which cannot be right.”

Jane Blackmore, a flood warden, said she felt “totally qualified to speak on this application regarding flooding and traffic”.

She continued: “This application relies on a desk-based review and has failed to consider critical issues related to Feniton.”

“It is also interesting that only one flood event has been mentioned, even though there have been numerous serious events and many more minor ones,” she said.

Ms Blackmore added that while the flood alleviation scheme, which is being funded by East Devon District Council, should help reduce incidents, there were fears that more development could exacerbate flooding.

“On many occasions, the railway line and nearby roads become very badly flooded, meaning we as wardens have to contact Network Rail to stop trains,” she said.

Nick Spence, a councillor on Feniton Parish Council, “did not recognise the officers’ report as accurate”.

He raised a 2014 report that had said Feniton was “not a sustainable location”, and that “substantially increasing the number of houses in a settlement without proportionate increases in the provision of local shops, infrastructure, employment opportunities and other local services would risk eroding community cohesion”.

Mr Spence added that the primary school is “at capacity”, the local GP surgery “oversubscribed”, and the vast majority of residents are “car bound” because of poor public transport.

While the planning officers recognised the site is in a so-called ‘critical drainage area’ which raises the potential flood risk, the council is confident this had been addressed.

Cllr Ian Barlow (Independent, Sidmouth Town) said he understood residents’ concerns, but was minded to approve the application, as long as he felt comfortable the council put in the “best conditions and then enforced them”.

He continued: “We need to make sure enforcement is carried out so that we check the plan, and if necessary, spend money on experts to question it, and not just rely on South West Water.”

Wendy Ormsby, the council’s development manager, said if houses were approved in an area that it was then often prioritised by the water company.

“If this development doesn’t come forward then there isn’t the impetus for them to look at this,” she said.

Cll Matt Hall (Liberal Democrat, Exmouth Withycombe Raleigh) felt there were too many houses are proposed, an issue others used unsuccessfully to try and get the application rejected.

But Ms Ormsby noted that while the land was not currently in an area where development is preferred, the emerging local plan – which selects sites across the district where new homes can be built – had identified it for more properties.

“Furthermore, in the emerging local plan, it says this site could accommodate 42 units, so this application is less than that,” she said.