CREDITON Town Council strongly objected to the proposals for the change of use of the former Newcombes Surgery, at a Planning and Town Strategy Committee meeting which was held at the Old Landscore School on Tuesday, December 7.

Members of the council’s Planning and Town Strategy Committee resolved to recommend refusal on the grounds of the inadequacy of detail in the planning application regarding the proposed management of the facility following change of use, (proposed by Cllr Brookes-Hocking) for reference 21/02115/FULL.

This is a proposal for the conversion of former doctors’ surgery to four children’s home dwellings (C2) with associated landscaping and parking

at Newcombes Surgery, Clifford Gardens, Crediton, by the applicant Mr J Jenner of Blockworks Group Ltd, Worcester.

With regard to the second application, the Planning and Town Strategy Committee also resolved to recommend refusal on the grounds of inadequate detail in the planning application for reasons including a lack of private outdoor space for each dwelling, covered bin storage, secure cycle storage, limited amenity space for drying clothes and very limited outdoor space for the number of occupants.

As well as a lack of proposed planting to contribute to biodiversity net gain, lack of information on boundary treatment and lack of proposals for boundary planting to contribute to biodiversity net gain, lack of proposals for facilities for alternative energy generation and use, such as solar panels and other considerations towards climate change, (proposed by Cllr Brookes- Hocking) for Reference: 21/02113/FULL.

This proposal is for the conversion of the former doctors surgery to four new dwellings with associated landscaping and parking at Newcombes Surgery, Clifford Gardens, Crediton by the applicant Mr J Jenner.

Members of the public made the following points in relation to the planning applications 21/02115/FULL and 21/02113/FULL:

• Introduction of young vulnerable children could increase anti-social behaviour and crime in local hot-spots

• Local senior residents feel concerned about the location and proximity of the children’s home to elderly people

• Inadequate planning by local authorities and insufficient information shared with local residents and objections were not picked up

• Lack of resources, facilities and potential lack of supervision of children could result in problems within the town.

Cllr Brookes-Hocking said: “As a Council we have a number of issues to sort out with this.

“First of all, we are still waiting for the process for the first application to be made clear and we want to have an explanation because at the moment it is a change of use on a permitted development which the community is firmly against and we wouldn’t want to approve it in its current form.

“We have to take the application as it stands.

“Not only is it lacking in detail, one can hardly judge it as a planning application really.

“If you look at it in terms of climate change there are no proposals for making any part of the building sustainable or energy saving.

“Therefore the town council strongly objects to the proposals.”