A TOTAL of 24 new homes will be built in a village on the edge of Dartmoor.

The application, by developer bunnyhomes for land near Church Lane in Cheriton Bishop, was unanimously approved by Mid Devon District Council’s planning committee at its meeting on Wednesday, January 4.

It forms part of an allocated greenfield site in the local plan, with seven of the 24 homes classed as being “affordable” and one plot set aside for self-builders. The properties range from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroomed homes.

The development will include a total of 60 parking spaces, while each property will have an air source heat pump and electric vehicle charging point.

The plan was supported by the village parish council and six public comments, although it did receive nine objections.

Concerns included claims that the access point to the site is in a “dangerous location” and the lane being “very slippery” in the winter, but Devon County Council’s highways department raised no objections.

Will Morris, head of land and planning for bunnyhomes, told the committee: “The proposal delivers homes on an allocated site, has support from the parish council, (local councillors) and your planning officer and as such I would ask you respectfully to approve our planning application.”

Local member Derek Coren (Conservative, Yeo ward) supported the plan, saying in a statement read out at the meeting: “No development company is going to meet all the requests of the parish council and the residents of Cheriton Bishop.

“(Bunnyhomes) has listened and endeavoured to meet them on many of these points, making changes where possible.”

Recommending approval, the planning officer’s report concluded the development will have “no adverse impact on local flood risk, ecology, archaeology, surrounding character, residential amenity and highway safety.”

Members of the committee agreed, approving the application unanimously subject to a number of conditions being met.