East Devon District Council has made its decision to refuse the application from Redrow Homes for an estate of 130 homes at Butts Road, Ottery St Mary.

Residents who were aiming to state their case for refusal at the management development committee’s meeting on May 8 will now have that afternoon free to raise a glass in recognition of this very welcome decision.

This may not be the end of the story, if Redrow should appeal, but it is a very clear indication of the strength of the case for refusal and we have good reason to be optimistic about the final outcome.

Residents had resisted this proposal in considerable numbers with passion and with well-argued facts. Although we cannot really know the extent to which our objections affected the position, there can be no doubt that decision-makers at EDDC became fully aware of the strength of the opposition to this development. Thanks are due to about 300 residents who made the effort to get this message across.

More development proposals affecting Ottery St Mary are likely to follow. Some may be welcome – others may not. Let us make sure that the voices of those residents who will be affected continue to be heard.

Richard North, Helen Dickason and Malcolm Macdonald

For Protect Ottery St Mary