A temporary stop notice preventing contractors working on a housing development on the edge of Teignmouth has been lifted.
Teignbridge District Council (TDC) ordered Harrington Homes to stop working on its site on Higher Exeter Road on Friday May 2 after neighbouring residents raised concerns about waste being dumped in a nearby meadow.
The temporary stop notice, which was due to expire on June 27, also related to potential breaches of planning control relating to drainage and flood mitigation.
In particular, the stop notice related to ‘the carrying out of works to provide hard surfaces within the development site without discharging the necessary planning condition to ensure there are no adverse flood risk impacts and the unauthorised storage of soil on land that contains corky-fruited dropwort’.
However, last week, TDC withdrew the temporary stop notice stating that Harrington Homes had addressed their concerns and had acquired the necessary approval for the areas of hardstanding according to the planning requirements.
Furthermore, the developers have agreed not to dump anymore soil in the protected meadow and have assured planners that the estimated 5 tonnes of waste in the field will be removed as part of works to backfill nearby retaining walls on the development.
Residents remain concerned about the development and have reported that they had witnessed work continuing on the site, despite the stop notice.
‘We are deeply disappointed in the decision to lift the temporary stop notice,’ said Judith Watt, who organised a community meeting earlier this month where residents could share concerns about the development and the impact it is having on watercourses running down the hill.
‘People around the town are very concerned and are desperately seeking reassurance from TDC that its not just the paperwork that is in order but that the council actually has confidence that the work done will meet the required standards,’ she added.