A PLANNING application to build 80 houses and industrial units on a field just outside Hatherleigh has been refused by West Devon Borough Council.

The council said the application to build on a greenfield site west of Runnon Moor Lane off the A3072 was outside the built up area of the town and has not been included as a site for development in the new Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan.

The application was opposed by Hatherleigh Town Council and the Devon branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

Patrick Whymer, head of development management practice at WDBC, said the proposal ‘had the potential to undermine’ proposals for development within the town which are in the Joint Local Plan.

These include plans for the Hatherleigh Market site which has been submitted by Kingswood Homes to West Devon Borough Council. There are also plans for a mixed-use scheme at Hatchmoor Industrial Estate. In total, the Joint Local Plan allows for 156 houses in Hatherleigh and 8,000 square metres of employment floorspace.

A spokesperson for CPRE Devon said: ‘CPRE Devon is delighted that after two years outline plans have been refused to develop a green field in open countryside outside Hatherleigh.

‘An application for a mixed-use scheme comprising up to 80 homes and light industrial units to the west of Runnon Moor Lane was submitted in 2017.

‘We put together a strong objection to the proposed development based on the adverse impact it would have on the rural setting, the lack of community support and the fact that it was not within the Joint Local Plan.

‘It is important that CPRE Devon fights to keep Devon’s countryside green when there are still plenty of brownfield sites and other alternatives for development across the county.’