A hotly opposed planning application for 63 homes in Ottery St Mary will go before East Devon District Council’s planning committee on Tuesday, September 26.

Ottery Town Council is strongly against the proposal for the land off Sidmouth Road. Cllr Richard Copus, chair of the town council’s planning committee, said: “There should be no more development south of Ottery St Mary because all the traffic has to go over Tip Hill, with the dangerous junction with school children going across it, and through the town which is already congested.”

The developers proposed a priority system in which motorists heading away from the town centre would have to give way to incoming vehicles - this has now been reversed so that outgoing traffic will have priority. Town councillors and local residents think this will only cause additional safety and congestion problems. A total of 463 objections to the housing development have been submitted to East Devon District Council, with only four people in favour of it. 

However, Devon County Council Highways, who originally objected to the proposal, have now withdrawn their opposition.

In a submission to East Devon District Council in August, Ottery councillor Vicky Johns said:  “As a resident of Ottery and member of both the town council and EDDC council I would like to ask the planning committee to attend a site visit with myself and our Devon County Councillor, Jess Bailey to see the road for itself.

“I have great concerns that Ottery is being allowed to have substandard pedestrian facilities just to ensure housing can be built, the pavements being proposed to get into Ottery itself are narrower than the standard minimum width no matter how 'short a length' it may be - this will push pedestrians into the road, this is not acceptable. 

“I understand DCC have asked for the priority system to be turned around - this will lead to vehicles being backed up during busy periods up towards the centre of Ottery, particularly towards Tip Hill/Longdogs Lane junction when children are trying to cross the road, which is difficult enough at the best of times even with a lollipop person.”

The mayor of Ottery, Cllr Richard Grainger, will be attending the EDDC planning committee meeting on September 26 on behalf of the town council to represent the views of local residents.