LANDSLIP fears at Bradley Lane, Newton Abbot, appear to have once again scuppered plans to occupy 30 newly-built affordable homes.

Flats at the troubled site will continue to remain unoccupied, after completion of the project was once again delayed. Originally intended to be occupied in July, the homes have been vacant for more than three months – no doubt a frustration for the thousands currently listed on the area's housing register.

News of the latest setback came to light at Teignbridge Council's overview and scrutiny committee, on Tuesday.

Quizzed by Cllr Joan Lambert as to why all the flats were still empty, when there was a massive need for affordable housing, Teignbridge housing officer Graham Davey said that, as long as the stability of the bank behind the flats could not be guaranteed, the homes would remain empty.

This news was greeted with unanimous groans by members, all too familiar with the area's subsidence problems which have plagued the site for more than two years.

Work on the £4 million scheme first halted in October 2006, after excavations to make room for the one and two bedroom flats brought tons of rock and soil tumbling down the steep bank that borders the site.

This forced a couple living in a house at nearby St Anne's Court to evacuate their home.

Since these problems the development has been very much stop-start ever since.

However the developers of the project Affinity Sutton told the Advertiser that there was no such recurrence of the subsidence, citing an issue with the the site's drainage as the reason for the delay. Penny Halliday, head of development for Affinity Sutton in the South West said: 'Our contractors are working hard to resolve the drainage issues at Bradley Lane and we are hopeful that the building work will be complete by the end of November.'

The development proposes 20 flats for rent and ten for shared ownership, the type of project the area crying out for, as Mr Davey confirmed that the number of applicants on the area's housing register had reached more than 3,800, and was continuing to grow.

He went on to say that there is a low percentage of affordable housing in the area and that Teignbridge Housing could do better.