IVYBRIDGE town councillors have reacted positively to plans to turn a landmark former mill site into a rival to Plymouth's Royal William Yard.

Developer Burrington Estates has applied for permission to redevelop Stowford Mill, the former corn mill, and later paper mill, which closed in 2013 with the loss of many jobs.

The proposal would see the site become a mixture of housing, restaurants, retail and leisure space and public open space.

Making the comparison to the successfully redeveloped former naval victualling yard in Plymouth's Stonehouse, councillors discussing the proposals on Monday felt the plans could help to put Ivybridge on the map.

Cllr Sara Hladkij described them as 'really exciting', while Cllr Phillip Dredge said that,

of all the developments in Ivybridge, given its location, this one would help the town the most.

Cllr Charles Lloyd added that increasing the size of the town centre in this way would be great for cycling initiatives and for getting people fit, and would also lead to more people using Longtimber Woods.

However, concerns were raised over car parking and access, given that the site will use the two existing access points off Harford Road and Station Road.

The Station Road access in particular was thought to be a problem, with Cllr Ray Wilson saying that it would be 'a nightmare' during school term time. The road is home to The Erme Primary School as well as the health centre.

Cllr Tom Bowden, chair of the council's planning committee, which has carried out a site visit, said the plan was to use Station Road to access the northern, residential part of the development and Harford Road for the 'mixed-use' element. He ­suggested a new bus stop on Harford Road, but added that whichever access was used would cause problems.

Cllr Wilson agreed, but said there was 'no alternative' access possible.

Introducing the agenda item, town clerk Lesley Hughes said there had been quite a lot of community consultation. South Hams Council had produced a design brief for the site and the town council had also commissioned a report into the site's future.

She said that when the mill closed its doors, more than 100 jobs had been lost. It was ­important, therefore, that the development would provide employment and that

Section 106 agreements should encourage this.

She said members were ­concerned about parking and the need to make 'clear linkages' between the town and the site in order to tie them together because they were not far apart. The ­inclusion of hotel rooms was 'great to see', she said, and is something that councillors and the public have long talked about.

The plans submitted are for 36 new homes and 32 'later living' one- and two-bed apartments; the conversion of existing buildings to create office, retail and commercial space; the conversion of an existing farm to create two homes and 27 one- and two-bed apartments; and areas for community use, car parking and landscaping.

The application states that 'traffic modelling suggests that adverse impacts on the roads in the local area will be limited' and that the proposals will 'open up the site', allowing the public into the historic mill for the first time.

It maintains that the development 'will add high-quality facilities to Ivybridge, while strengthening its identity and contributing to the regeneration of the town centre'.