Branscombe Parish Council decided not to support a controversial planning application for Stoneleigh Holiday Park after a Weston resident made a heartfelt appeal. M2 Leisure Services submitted an application in September to build 17 new residential holida

Branscombe Parish Council decided not to support a controversial planning application for Stoneleigh Holiday Park after a Weston resident made a heartfelt appeal.

M2 Leisure Services submitted an application in September to build 17 new residential holiday units at the holiday park which was met with animosity from Weston residents and some Stoneleigh leaseholders.

Branscombe Parish Council strongly opposed the application which they discussed at their monthly meeting held on November 6.

However, an amended application for Stoneleigh went before the parish council on Thursday evening.

The application is to reduce external lighting, remove the top right corner of the site and included a revised planting scheme for M2 Services Ltd.

In a written submission to Branscombe Parish Council, Weston residents said the amended plans "do not resolve any of the original objections."

It states that outdoor lighting has only been reduced by two lights and therefore added light pollution will still arise.

M2 Leisure Services have now submitted a further amendment, which would decrease the amount of light pollution, however, this was not discussed at the meeting as the Parish Council had not received the additional plans.

Residents are also worried that the increase in parking spaces is not enough to cope with increased traffic to the site and, as the proposed number of bungalows has not been reduced, overdevelopment in the area is still a primary concern.

The submission also states an entrance cut through the Devon bank in September has not been reinstated despite no longer being part of the planning application.

Paul Haines, who spoke on behalf of Weston residents and some Stoneleigh leaseholders, also made a verbal presentation at the meeting which outlined their concerns.

He said: "We feel that the amendments to the planning application do not address the objections and concerns of local residents and Stoneleigh leaseholders, and we ask the parish council to again support us."

Councillors unanimously voted against the amended plans.

The council will now write to EDDC stating: "The amended plans are of a cosmetic nature only and are not substantive enough to alter the parish council's opinion."

The council have also requested that the plans they receive for the third amendment, which they are likely to discuss in early January, should be clearly annotated.