A DEVELOPMENT team has revealed its long-term vision for how Dawlish might grow in the future and is sharing its vision at a public consultation event in the town next month.

Ideas for a sustainable new low-carbon neighbourhood, providing homes, parks, workspaces, shops and large areas of green open space for people and nature, have been brought together in a concept masterplan by Farm Developments Ltd.

The site, Hensford Park, lying to the north of the town, would connect to the A379 via a new link road, and could ultimately accommodate around 1,200 homes over the next Teignbridge Local Plan period which runs to 2040 – and beyond.

The new facilities and services proposed would serve the wider Dawlish community as well as the immediate neighbourhood. The concept has been drawn up by LHC Design to feed in to Teignbridge’s Local Plan process, and does not form part of any forthcoming planning application.

Chris Jeffery, from Farm Developments Ltd, said: ‘Being local ourselves and having been involved in the planning process for more than 10 years now, we understand the challenges and what the local community needs.

‘We’ve thought about the best ways of making sure that the people of Dawlish can get the most out of the new neighbourhood.

‘Planning for the future is about much more than houses, it’s also about the vital infrastructure, facilities and services which help to form a community. We’ve considered education and healthcare, as well as shops, hospitality, workplaces and large areas of public open space,’ he explained.

Mr Jeffery added: ‘Crucially, we’ve have spent a lot of time looking at connectivity, in terms of how people will move around the new community, and how it will link up with existing transport networks.

‘Local people will naturally be concerned that more homes will mean more traffic, but our proposal actually demonstrates a reduction in car trips because of the essential services and new facilities that will be on site, plus new footpaths and a dedicated cycle route that connects with the town, the railway station and bus routes.

‘We believe that it’s better to plan at this scale combining all the elements that contribute to a sustainable growth plan, over the long-term, rather than on the basis of a number of separate smaller sites being planned at different times. By taking the long-term view we can carefully plan and deliver the facilities, open spaces and connections that create a great place to live, work and relax.

‘We have already agreed with Devon County Council that land would be set aside for a new primary school at Hensford Park, and we’ve discussed with the Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust how health services would be provided.’

He added: ‘We’ll be sharing more details on all these ideas at our public exhibition and would encourage local residents to come and find out more – and contribute their own ideas – to ensure our town grows in the right way in the future and is as good as it can possibly be for future generations.’

The public exhibition takes place at the Manor House in Dawlish on Friday, November 11, from 1pm to 7pm, and on Saturday, November 12, from 10am to 5pm, when there will be an opportunity to learn more and to share ideas with the project team.

The proposals will be published on the website www.hensfordpark. co.uk at the same time.