In July 2022 Place Land Limited submitted an outline application to construct as many as 35 dwellings on two green fields immediately to the east of the village of East Allington. Our initial objection argued that the cumulative effect of development of this and other developments in the village of East Allington was not supported by the Joint Local Plan.

The JLP had suggested East Allington could sustainably accommodate a further 30 dwellings in addition to the 175 already in the village. However with consent having already previously been given for seven new dwellings, were this application to be given consent, the total would rise to 42 – increasing the size of the village by 24%. Far too many, we felt, for a village of this size to comfortably absorb.

The site also fell outside the settlement boundary, employment opportunities in the village are essentially non-existent, access to the main road is along a mile of single-track lane, there is no doctor's surgery, the development would impact on the setting of the Grade II listed church and the parish council opposed the application.

But, before the application could be determined, a revised application was submitted for an 'outline application with some matters reserved for residential development and associated access', notably omitting to detail the number of dwellings the applicant intended to build. As a consequence the Society submitted a second letter of representation. The parish council also maintained their objection.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, after the case officer had recommended approval, the application went forward for consideration by the Development Management Committee. At that meeting the parish council representation made reference to our objection, as well as the article on page 3 of our October Newsletter, which you can read here.

Yet, much to our surprise, and after no little discussion, Councillors voted to recommend approval. As a result another unsustainable development of properties, unaffordable to all but a very few, will be built in a village where some existing properties have been on the market for over a year.