A DECISION is expected next month on plans to build more than a dozen new homes in Ashburton, with the development set to be considered by Dartmoor National Park Authority in September.

The application, submitted by LiveWest Homes, is seeking permission for 16 homes on land west of Roborough Lane.

A decision is due by September 11.

The proposal would provide a mix of one, two and three-bedroom homes, including both houses and flats, together with new road infrastructure and landscaping.

Importantly, all 16 homes are proposed as affordable housing.

According to the planning statement submitted with the application, a minimum of 12 homes would be provided for social rent, with the remaining four delivered either as shared ownership or social rent, subject to agreement with DNPA.

Ashburton Town Council has described the scheme as providing ‘much needed’ social housing.

The proposed development would be accessed by vehicles and pedestrians from the existing residential development to the north of the site.

Pedestrian links would also be provided to the surrounding roads and Roborough Lane.

The applicant says the scheme would provide a ‘high quality and sustainable addition’ to Ashburton while responding to the town's character and its surrounding landscape.

The design and access statement says the layout has been designed with the site's landscape and setting in mind, with locally reflective materials proposed to help the development fit into its surroundings.

The application site is not covered by any ecological designation. However, it lies within the South Hams Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Greater Horseshoe Bat Landscape Connectivity Zone, although it is outside the SAC's Greater Horseshoe Bat Sustenance Zone.

For more information, and to comment on the application, visit Dartmoor National Park Authority’s planning portal and enter ‘0104/26’ into the search-box.