THE charity looking to develop the derelict Old Mill site in Okehampton has lodged a new application for planning permission with West Devon Borough Council for homes for local people and an NVQ training facility for Okehampton College.

The proposal, with plans drawn up by local architect Geoff Cawse, proposes constructing new buildings around the Grade II listed historic factory chimney, which will remain, while the rest of the buildings are demolished.

The plans have been drawn up by Mr Cawse on behalf of Simon Essex, who owns the site off Mill Road, and has given it for community use through the Okehampton Skills and Sports Trust.

Mr Cawse confirmed this week that the plans had been lodged with West Devon Borough Council. This follows a related application to WDBC by the charity for a Certificate of Lawfulness to demolish derelict buildings on the site, relying on a planning permission granted some years ago by WDBC itself when it owned the site some years ago.Mr Cawse said the latest proposal had been drawn up in response to WDBC’s refusal of permission to demolish the remaining buildings.

‘The plans are really Simon’s brainchild and he wanted to put this the plan for housing in with the NVQ Centre, which is an education facility and which I think makes good use of the derelict site. They are looking at 18 two-bedroom low cost housing, starter homes, is Simon’s plan.’

The properties would be newbuilds, he added.

‘All the buildings will be demolished except the chimney – we won’t be demolishing that. It all hinges on the fact that without the scheme in place, the council don’t want the buildings to be demolished, that is the stumbling block.’

An earlier proposal for housing on the site did not find favour with the council. Now, the proposal is for three-storey flats built around the historic chimney, have been submitted with the addition of the NVQ facility, to be used to teach practical trades such as bricklaying, next to the bat home built to rehouse the bats nesting in the old mill itself.

Mr Cawse said that the first reponses from people in the community had been positive. ‘There have been one or two queries but no really negative “you shouldn’t be doing this” comments. I think people realise that something needs to be done.’

He said the costs of building on a brownfield site like the Old Mill were considerable. ‘You are building over a Medieval culvert and over a flood plain and all these things cost a lot of money and that is why no developer would touch this site. Simon’s investing a tremendous amount of his own money in this project. That is the really frustrating part of it. It is a difficult situation, but Simon has got the bit between his teeth now and all we can do is keep trying.’