Strongvox Homes presented their proposal for 120 homes on Sladnor Park.
Those who attended noted that there were a number of misleading statements such as the developers were going to improve the connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists to Torquay. On questioning they said this was only within the site, so the statement on their publicity boards was meaningless.
If the developers or their agents do present misleading or incorrect statements, residents should refute them at once to avoid the danger that such statements ultimately morph into ‘the truth’.
Other comments reported included:
“I was shocked how little they (the developers) knew about the site and the Local P land & Torquay Neighbourhood Plan policies.”
Other visitors reported that the developer’s weakest response was around the traffic. They know that Teignmouth Road is a dangerous road and, when confronted, they could not argue that the development makes it any safer, so the fact it significantly increases the danger is a weak point in their proposal (as indeed it was for previous proposals).
One of the strongest reasons for the Planning Committee to reject this could well be the significant amount of traffic uplift on an already dangerous road; one that has seen numerous accidents over the years. The neighbouring lanes being all single track are useless for a diversion and emergency services access could be very challenging with a combination of likely circumstances.
Worryingly, the representative that some visitors spoke to initially dismissed any concerns about the ecology. After being ‘educated’ and given a reality check about the fauna and flora; the representative did wince when it was pointed out that the period of time and the upheaval of the development itself would forever wreck the last area of truly diverse ecology this side of the Torquay conurbation. Even if they plant a few saplings a few years down the line, the damage to the existing diversity will have been done.
Clearly, those concerned about Sladnor Park need to remain vigilant and react strongly to any misleading or inaccurate statements that are put into the public domain by the developers and ther agents.