Plans for Northam marina development at Knapp House refused
A planning application for a marina development in Northam, one of the biggest to ever face Torridge District Council, was this morning refused by members of the council’s plans committee.
Dozens of people gathered at Bideford Town Hall this morning to hear the decision on the controversial application for the site at Knapp House, off Churchill Way in Northam.
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A view of the marina frontage in the proposed Knapp House development.
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Protestors on Churchill Way near Knapp House last month.
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View of what the marina development could look like within the Knapp House development.
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The plans for Northam's Torridge Marina Village.
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The plans for Northam's Torridge Marina Village.
Torridge District Council's planning committee followed the recommendation from the planning officer dealing with the application and refused it with a majority of five votes to four.
There was a round of applause and cheers in the public gallery as the decision was announced.
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The decision followed a deferral of the decision from the last plans committee in January when councillors wanted more time to look at documents which had been submitted at the last minute by developers LTPH Properties.
The development would have comprised of a new marina, hotel, 295 dwellings, a care home or dementia units, a medical centre, 80 holiday dwellings, play areas, retail units, community centre, a food store, and new primary school.
The people in the public gallery people also spoke against the application including town, district and county councillors.
The main areas addressed by the objectors included concerns over the viability of the project, the actual number of jobs the development would create and the detriment effects the development would have to the green space site.
Objector John pennington, from Babcock Marine, said Appledore shipyard has confirmed work for years to come.
He said: "We are one of the biggest shipbuilders in the UK and the biggest employer in the area."
He urged councillors to refuse the application to ensure long term employment prospects in the area.
Paul Heavingham, from the developers, said: "this development is viable, it will not be a white elephant, it is not in a green belt.
"The noise from the site can be mitigated and we will work with Babcock."
Prior to the decision being made over 700 comments had been left on Torridge District Council’s website with the majority of those being objections.
It is not known whether the developers will appeal the decision at this stage.
2 Comments
by Rockall2011
Monday, February 11 2013, 2:47PM
“I spoke to some of the scheme's supporters afterwards and they too were embarrassed by Christopher Leather's comments. What a buffoon he is! However, I think there is also an issue that Torridge Council needs to address and that is, is it right that someone in the local development business should be able to sit on a local planning committee?”
by hughworm
Thursday, February 07 2013, 10:44PM
“Congratulations to the TDC planners who presented a clear and definitive case for refusal of the Knapp development: Contrary the local plan, disastrous for local landscape, potentially damaging to jobs at Babcock, (etc) all utterly unjustified by the building of a marina of questionable viability. The drivel all started when certain councillors got to speak, most notably Cllr Chris Leather, leaving us wondering whether they'd been listening for the previous hour. It beggers belief people hold a position of such responsibility on the council seem unmoved by real evidence. Thank goodness for Rosemary Lock and others for listening to the professional advisers and throwing the thing out.”