More new homes for East Devon as a developer unveils plans to build around 500 – some affordable – between Cranbrook and Rockbeare

Becca Gliddon eastdevonnews.co.uk

Plans to build around 500 homes – approximately 75 affordable – a community hall, allotments, play areas and a neighbourhood centre on East Devon land between Rockbeare and Cranbrook have been revealed to the public.

Developer Baker Estates, based in Newton Abbot, this week held two public consultation exhibitions, showcasing its plans for what it has described as ‘residential-led, mixed-use development’ on land to the east of Gribble Lane and south of London Road.

The housebuilder said the site has been allocated for development as part of the Grange Expansion Area within the adopted Cranbrook Plan.

The developer’s proposed plan of the site.

The proposals include around 500 homes, a community hall,  a neighbourhood centre for shops, plus  business use near London Road.

Some 15 per cent of the homes – around 75 – will be affordable and for local people.

Plans shown to the public included multi-use green spaces, plays areas for children, allotments, plus community and ‘amenity’ space.

The developer said the southern part of the site would be left as Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG), to ‘provide sustainable opportunities for recreation, with new circular accessible routes created, habitat creation, increasing access to nature, and providing connections provided to the wider landscape’.

Baker Estates said its developments were designed to be walkable, ‘served by good quality pedestrian and cycle links with roads designed to incorporate bus services’.

Graham Hutton, Baker Estates operations director, said: “We received some positive feedback from locals on our outline proposals and we’ll be looking to incorporate some of the suggestions into our proposal before we submit to East Devon District Council.

“An outline application determines the principle of development together with the means of access.

“If successful, we would then prepare more detailed plans which we would share with the community then come back to the community, prior to submitting a number of ‘reserved matters’ planning applications.”