Developer criticised over bid to ditch school site

The developer of a 750-homes scheme has been met with fierce opposition over its request to remove a new school site from its legal obligations.

Vistry Homes is building new homes at The Tors in Callington Road, Tavistock, with a school site included in its original planning agreement.

It said Devon County Council had not formally requested the land transfer for a school within the 10-year window since planning permission was granted - and it therefore no longer had to form part of the agreement.

In a letter to West Devon Borough Council regarding Vistry's application for a modification of the planning agreement, Tavistock Town Council said the removal of the school needed to be justified.

It said this needed to include "substantial evidence that it was no longer required" or an alternative site be identified by the county council.

The council also noted payments totalling £740,000 towards a new school secured through developments in Tavistock at Embden Grange and Broadleigh Park would have to be returned if the school site was removed from the plans, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A Devon County Council spokesperson said there was "no immediate need for additional school provision" in the area but it was reviewing the application "in line with the current adopted Joint Local Plan".

Tavistock town councillor and former planning consultant Graham Parker said if lost "any future new school site would have to be provided by the county council and that will be a cost to the taxpayer".

"This is a short-sighted move, it is just too early for Vistry to abandon the school, I think it would be an absolute travesty," he said.

"The company is trying to wriggle out of providing what it promised."

A Vistry Group spokesperson said: "We are beyond the 10-year trigger to offer the school site to the council, who have not approached us formally to request this land.

"There are no current plans to develop this land outside the obligations of the Section 106 agreement."

The Tors development was granted planning in 2014 and although the first phases have been built out, work has stalled on the rest of the site.

One resident opposing Vistry's application to make alterations to its original plans, said the "only reason" they bought their house "was because of the promise of these amenities".

They added: "Vistry should honour their commitments before any more houses are allowed to be built."

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