NEXT week is crunch time for a controversial West Hill planning application.

Blue Cedar Homes’ plan to build 50 new homes at land north of Eastfield has been recommended for refusal when it goes before East Devon District Council’s development management committee on Tuesday.

The outline proposal includes 20 age restricted homes and part of the site being given over to a new school building, in conjunction with West Hill Primary School, along with a pedestrian link to the school.

It has been recommended for refusal, because it would have “an unacceptable impact” on the current sewage treatment system, potentially overloading it and causing contamination of ground and water courses; and insufficient information has been provided to prove the development would not be capable of providing a minimum of 40 per cent affordable housing on site to meet district council policy.

Nearly 500 letters of objection have been sent to the council about the plan.

They state the proposed site is Greenfield land, in breach of current permitted village development; it would set a precedent for future development of Greenfield sites in and around the village, and the extra traffic flow into West Hill Road would add to the current dangers for all road users.