The final stages of Devon's most controversial planning row will be conducted online over the next few days. Lawyers for both sides in the Wolborough Fen planning appeal will present their closing arguments before a government-appointed inspector makes his decision. An expert ecologist will also give further evidence as the fate of the fen is decided.
The fen, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), sits at the foot of a hillside where Vistry Homes is building the latest phase of the 1,200-home NA3 development on the edge of Newton Abbot. Vistry and its legal team say the fen is safe and the construction will not harm it. But local campaigners argue that insufficient research has been carried out on how water will drain from the hillside site, and that there is a real danger of water flowing into the 'priceless' fen and damaging its fragile ecosystem. The fen supports several rare plant species that exist nowhere else in Devon.
Ecologist Dr Kenneth Thompson told the hearing that Britain once had almost 3,500 square kilometres of fen, but now has just 10. A fen is a peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. The inquiry first opened in early August, with Vistry appealing because the council failed to make a timely decision on protecting the fen. Outline planning permission for the homes was granted on condition that Vistry proves there will be no adverse impact on the protected wetland. Protesters, including the Newton Says No group, say the builder has not done so adequately.
At the start of the hearing, protesters waved placards outside Forde House in Newton Abbot, where detailed evidence on water flows and drainage was examined. During the opening, King's Counsel Lord Charles Banner, representing Vistry, mentioned that the campaigners included a 'deep-pocketed former rock star', which drew an angry response from David Knopfler, who lives near Newton Abbot. Knopfler, a founding member of Dire Straits with his brother Mark, left the band in 1980. He told the inquiry he is now a pensioner and former social worker living in a semi-detached house, and that he has been 'misrepresented' throughout his life. He said Lord Banner had been 'dismissive', trying to paint him as a spoiled multi-millionaire in a large manor house with no concern for people who need housing. He called the development 'a textbook definition of urban blight'.
The remaining hearing sessions will be streamed live online on Thursday September 3 and Monday September 7, both starting at 10am. The live stream is available on the Teignbridge Council website.
Devon’s Controversial 1,200-Home Planning Battle Reaches Final Showdown