RESIDENTS of an Ivybridge cul-de-sac have turned out in force to oppose plans for a new house in their street.

Discussing an outline planning application for a plot of land in Clayman’s Pathway, town councillors heard from members of the public who said the plans would exacerbate existing flooding problems.

One resident said severe floods in 2014 had made the Woodlands street ‘like Niagara Falls’, while others said the flow of deep flood water had made it impossible for a grown man to keep his footing.

The outline proposal lacks fine detail on the design of the house, which would be filled in with a reserved matters application at a later date.

But the application does say the owner of the land wishes to construct a family-sized, four bedroom property and reference is made in a flood risk assessment to sleeping accommodation being on the first floor.

Speaking on behalf of the group of concerned residents that attended the town council’s Planning and Infrastructure committee meeting on Monday, Raymond Pope said there were three problems with the application. He pointed to the flooding issue, the fact the house, built on a mound, would overlook neighbours and the loss of an informal children’s play area.

He said there was ‘a major flooding issue – we’re talking about a river coming down from the bank’, and asked: ‘What assurances do we have, if this creates issues, that they would be rectified?’

Fellow resident Michael Ballard said the proposed building sounded like ‘a block of flats’, and felt the effect of developing the site would be to concentrate the flooding as water flowed between properties.

Clare King, who lives nearby, said it seemed that flood mitigation measures had only been considered to protect the proposed property itself.

She said: ‘I’ve lived there for 31 years, and it’s flooded for 31 years.’

She pointed out the application said the house would have access to the track off Stibb Lane, which was not the case, and added that Stibb Farm was supposed to have a right of way across the site to access their water meters – this was not discussed in the application.

Residents also debated the claim made in the application that the site, now owned by the developer, had never been used or maintained as a play area.

They also questioned the assertion that ‘the proposed dwelling will respect the neighbouring building heights and continue the pattern of incremental ground and ridge level increases’, with Mr Pope saying: ‘I don’t see how you can put a two storey building here and have the same ridge level.’

Having watched a video recorded by a resident of a huge volume of water flowing through Clayman’s Pathway during the 2014 flooding, councillors gave their views.

Voting to object to the application, the committee said the flooding issue was too severe to support the application, and felt at most a bungalow, not a two storey house, should be considered.

To view the plans and comment on the application, visit www.southhams.gov.uk and search for planning application reference 27/1783/15/O.