A CONTENTIOUS scheme to breathe new life into the site of a disused Mid Devon sawmill has been approved after a lengthy debate.

Plans for seven workshops and a cafe at Stag and Squire in Stoodleigh, north of Tiverton, were debated for just over three hours by Mid Devon planners as concerns about sustainability, traffic, wildlife and drainage issues were repeatedly dissected.

A groundswell of opposition from Stoodleigh residents had emerged, with 33 out of 40 comments objecting to the scheme.

Some people who oppose the scheme attended the meeting and queried information about which trees would be protected, and suggested assumptions about how much water all the businesses on the site would use were far too low.

Applicant Dave Harris had submitted plans to Mid Devon District Council to demolish a range of dilapidated timber buildings and create seven small commercial units and a cafe.

Mr Harris’s vision is to provide a space in one of the units for his antique restoration business, and hopefully create a craft hub at the site alongside other small businesses and tradespeople.

Mid Devon planning officers had recommended the scheme for approval, because even though it sits within the Stoodleigh conservation area and is regarded by Mid Devon’s local plan as being in open countryside, the site already exists and has lawful use for general industrial use.

But the plans were ‘called in’ by local members Cllr Rachel Gimour (Liberal Democrat, Clare & Shuttern), who is now the MP for Tiverton and Minehead, and Cllr Chris Adcock (Liberal Democrat, Clare & Shuttern) because of concerns including road safety, economic viability and ecology impacts on species including bats.

This was in spite of the application having 26 conditions attached to the scheme by the council if it was approved.

“This development as proposed is harmful to biodiversity and does not respect the local character of the area or promote sustainable transport, or show a proven need beyond the limited business requirements of the applicant,” Cllr Gilmour told Mid Devon’s planning committee.

“Furthermore, it risks groundwater pollution, and is not a high-quality design but rather built for the lowest cost.”

She added that while redevelopment of the “neglected site could enhance the community, this plan does not do that”.

Cllr Gilmour also criticised what she called “manifest errors” in the report that officers had presented to councillors on the scheme.

Richard Marsh, director of place and economy, hit back, stating that the report “is accurate” and that officers had “gone to great lengths” to consider the scheme.

“It is unusual to see an application with so many conditions, but they are there to do what you would expect, which is to appropriately manage and mitigate concerns raised,” he said.

“What officers have tried to do through the conditions is provide reasonable assurance that there are ways of addressing concerns raised.”

Will Knowles, chairman of Stoodleigh Parish Council, said the plan was the “most controversial application I have ever had to deal with”.

He felt the wildlife survey submitted to the council was “very different and contradictory” compared to one carried out by residents, and believed the road was unsuitable for the amount of traffic the scheme could cause.

Devon County Council’s highways officers had said that because the total footprint of the scheme would be smaller than existing buildings, that it was difficult to suggest there would be more traffic.

But objectors claimed a range of independent businesses – potentially up to 10, including the cafe – were likely to create more traffic, which the narrow road would struggle to deal with.

A proposal to defer the decision and another to refuse the scheme were both defeated, with an eventual motion to approve the scheme – but with another condition that it be attached to the main sewer system rather than a septic tank.

Seven councillors voted for that final motion, and four voted against.

Bradley Gerrard