AN application for several industrial units at land on the outskirts of Ashburton has been rejected by planners.

Submitted by Ambrison Developments Limited, the application - reference 25/00944/MAJ - sought permission for 11 industrial units on land off Pitley Road.

But Teignbridge District Council (TDC) refused to grant planning permission, saying that the proposal is located on a greenfield site in an unsustainable location.

‘The proposal would have an adverse impact upon the rural character of Pitley Lane through the loss of the roadside hedgerow and provision of a large access to the site’, the council said in its decision notice.

There were several other reasons behind TDC’s refusal, namely a lack of further information about the potential ecological impacts.

Several objections were lodged against the application; Ashburton Town Council voted to refuse it.

According to the design and access statement for 25/00944/MAJ, the proposed development would have provided ‘flexible spaces capable of meeting the diverse needs of small and medium-sized local enterprises looking for high-quality, affordable premises’.

It would have required Pitley Road to be improved and widened, which would have been subject to further detailed design.

The application is ‘a major investment in creating a range of flexible employment spaces’, the design and access statement added.

It went on to say that the development would create ‘direct and indirect employment opportunities’.

The units, 15 metres by 10 metres and two storey, would have had an option for a mezzanine floor, but that would have been subject to tenants’ operational requirements.

A variety of tenures would have been available, with some buildings being let and some sold to owner occupiers, according to the design and access statement.

The proposed layout provided close to 40 parking spaces, including seven disabled spaces.