A family have submitted scaled-down plans for one house in their Sidmouth garden, after fears a two-dwelling scheme would ‘dominate’ the area.

Their architect, Henry Beech Mole, says the new proposal for the Moorcourt Close site is for a contemporary, environmentally-friendly single-storey building.

He said: “Our new proposal, although retaining the original design intent, is a significant material reduction in both size and scale, being less than half the proposed footprint of the original scheme. Sidmouth has a history of embracing innovative solutions and adding to the architectural parlance of the era. The notable local architect RW Sampson was really quite a radical practitioner, and designed a number of now highly celebrated buildings in the town.”

He said it would be one of the most environmentally-conscious new homes in the South West.

East Devon District Council will decide the fate of the application.