Green open space saved from development

An infill site used as a village green in Devon has been saved from development.

Torridge District Council's planning officers said objections from residents were significant in the appeal decision over a proposal for a home on the site at High Park Close in Bideford.

The council's planning committee refused the application by Pearce Construction Ltd in February. The developer argued the site was not officially designated as public open space and was privately owned.

The planning inspector dismissed the appeal concluding it was an "unacceptable loss of green infrastructure" and therefore in conflict with the council's policies.

Defined as public highway, the 250 sq metre (2,691 sq ft) site had been maintained by the county council.

Residents said open space was at a premium in that area and councillor David Brenton believed the level of public open space in Torridge was below what it should be at the current time.

One resident said the site had been used by locals, dog walkers and children for 50 years.

"This is the only open grassy area that we have," the resident said.

"It has been maintained by the council and is a HMPE (Highways maintainable at public expense) site which we have paid for through our council tax."

Brenton urged the community to apply to get the land officially registered as a village green so it was protected for the future.

At a planning committee meeting, he said it was a very good outcome for local people, 12 of whom objected officially to the proposal through the council's planning portal.

He hoped the appeal result would send a message to "professional people" who wanted to build on any "small plot of land you can lay your hands on or most inappropriate ones".

Planning manager Helen Smith said: "The inspector acknowledged that the site is privately owned and lacks formal designation but that current policy in local plans is strong enough to mean it is identified as public open space and should be retained for that purpose.

"A really important point with this was the level of contribution and objection from the local community and the inspector put great weight to that."

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