PLANS to replace three existing buildings at a Dawlish site with up to nine homes have attracted objections from residents concerned about traffic, pedestrian safety and the impact on local wildlife.

The proposals for Shiverstone, on Lower Dawlish Water Road, pictured, would see the existing buildings demolished and between five and nine residential properties built in their place.

Objector Stephen Broome has raised concerns about the suitability of the access road, describing it as narrow and predominantly single-track, with no continuous footway for pedestrians.

He warned that additional traffic and pedestrian movements generated by the development could create highway safety risks.

Mr Broome also questioned the applicant’s claim that replacing the existing site uses with housing could reduce vehicle movements, saying evidence was needed to support the assertion.

He has asked Teignbridge Council to refuse the application or, alternatively, restrict any approval to a maximum of five homes unless evidence and consultation with Devon County Council Highways demonstrate that a larger development could be safely accommodated.

Fellow objector Clare Steele has also highlighted concerns about the lane, which she said has only three passing places and no pedestrian footpath.

She said people walking along the route, including those with pushchairs or dogs, had to press themselves into the hedge to allow vehicles to pass.

Mrs Steele warned that any increase in traffic would exacerbate the situation.

She also disputed the suggestion that the existing site generated significant commercial traffic, claiming it was visited by a car and a van only two or three times a week.

She has called for the current level of traffic to be independently verified.

Flooding is another concern, with Mrs Steele saying the lane regularly floods at the ford, which can become impassable to cars, as well as at a dip near Coombe Brook.

She fears the proposed development could make the situation worse.

Environmental concerns have also been raised, with Mrs Steele saying bats, barn owls, swifts and house martins regularly make their homes in some of the existing barns.

Four other objections have also been lodged against the proposals.

The application, reference 26/01536/PIP, states that the new homes would be for primary residences only, with the restriction secured through a legal agreement.

Supporting documents argue that redevelopment would make more efficient use of the existing site, which currently comprises a yard and three buildings divided into several units.

The scheme also includes electric vehicle charging points, secure and covered cycle storage, ecological enhancements and drainage improvements.

The applicant says the development would improve the site's appearance within its rural surroundings and encourage more sustainable forms of transport.

The application has been submitted under the Permission in Principle process, which establishes whether a site is suitable for housing development of between one and nine homes.

If permission in principle is granted, a separate Technical Details Consent application would still need to be approved before construction could begin.

Teignbridge Council is expected to make a decision on the application by November 3.

To view the plans in full, and to comment on the application, visit Teignbridge Council’s planning portal and enter ‘26/01536/PIP’ into the search-box.