Residents' final fight to protect green land

THE fate of the last green space on a huge Plymouth housing estate will be decided this week with fears that it will end up being built on and residents fearing it will be pushed through to meet housing targets.

- WILLIAM TELFORD

Officers have recommended Plymouth City Council's planning committee approve an application to put five houses and parking spaces on a 1,347sq m council-owned site in the Wilmot Gardens area of Crownhill.

It would mean trees being cut down and the loss of land used by children and dogwalkers.

The council has received 45 letters of objection bemoaning the loss of trees and greenspace used "extensively" by the community, and highlighting a huge loss in biodiversity and the extra traffic and noise that will be created. Earlier this year the Crownhill Local Area Residents Association (Clara) was successful in campaigning to have the matter decided by councillors and not officers. But now the elected members are being advised to approve the building plans even though officers admit they "do not fully comply" with the council's own policies.

A report to the committee said building houses on the land does not fully adhere to its policies on delivering sustainable development and for green and play spaces.

But it said that although the land is green space it can still be built on and the plans retain some "limited character" of its current use, with the houses having back gardens and there being some new planting, and stressed developing the plot was important to hit house-building targets.

The report said: "Given the wider public benefits of the scheme and due consideration of local and national housing targets, officers are of the opinion that the proposal is on-balance acceptable.