Dawlish Discussion

Orchard Lane runs off the A379 at St Mary's Cottages and up the hill with the Dawlish Countryside Park to its south.

In the recent Local Plan Review, showing land being considered for development, there was/is a fair chunk of land running up the hill on the country park side of Orchard Lane being considered. On the other side of the lane, and further up, land comprising Amity Farm was/is under consideration.

From reading the article it seems that the land in question is council owned. Anyone know which piece of land this is?  

https://middevonadvertiser.co.uk/article.cfm?id=121262&headline=New%20homes%20hopes%20for%20Dawlish%20and%20Newton%20Abbot&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2021

"Teignbridge District Council’s executive member for housing Councillor Martin Wrigley (Lib Dem, Dawlish North East) said: ‘Custom and self-build homes are an attractive option for many people so receiving funding to cover some of the high infrastructure costs on these council owned sites is welcomed.

‘Our plans for 10 to 20 custom-build homes at Howton Field near Newton Abbot are well advanced with planning permission already achieved.

‘The Orchard Lane site at Dawlish was highlighted in our recent local plan sites option consultation and so any building would be subject to the outcome of that consultation, member consideration and approval as well as planning permission being sought for around six affordable custom or self-build homes.

‘If approved, some of the funding would enable us to offset the open space loss by improving play equipment on a nearby site.’

Just done a quick check. The only TDC owned land that I can find along Orchard Lane is the children's playground (but it's not that site - see above quote from Cllr Wrigley) and a playing field a bit further up. Is it the playing field?

Also checked the land put forward for consideration for development along Orchard Lane. And yes, the playing field is there. So I guess the site of the playing field it is then.

An extract from the Local Plan Review analysis concering the pros and cons of whether this land should be developoed: (my emphasis in bold).

Site Potential YELLOW The site is subject to ecological constraints. However, through design and financial contributions, these are likely to be able to be mitigated, although this may reduce the capacity of the site. With the provision of pedestrian and cycle links, which could link into existing paths through Dawlish Countryside Park, access to services and facilities could be made by sustainable modes of travel, and  bus services run along the A379 to the town centre and railway station. Landscape and archaeology impacts and water quality issues could be overcome through design. The site is proposed for tourism use, but could be considered for residential should other land nearby be developed. Given the site's increasing distance from the settlement limit of Dawlish, however, other sites considered to be suitable in closer proximity should be considered for development before this site. The cumulative impact of any sites assessed as having development potential in the north of Dawlish will need to be assessed prior to any sites being taken forward to the next stage of consideration. 

I'll tell you what I think. Which is  -  that if that playing field were to be given the go ahead to be developed for housing, then the knock on effect would be to enhance any arguments that all other land put up for development in the immediate area should also be given the go ahead.  That would mean, for example, most of the (presently) open fields immediately adjacent to the Countryside Park being developed.

Is that what Dawlish wants? Its countryside park surrounded by housing?