Family homes to replace former Plymouth language school

Targets for housing takes priority over other planning concerns

A former language school near Plymouth City Centre is to be demolished and six family homes built in its place after councillors heard that the site had attracted no interest for commercial use in 12 months.

Members of Plymouth City Council’s planning committee approved the three-bed, three storey semi-detached houses at 28 Woodland Terrace Lane despite concerns that the development would create extra pressure in an area where parking, access and refuse storage were already a problem because of restricted space.

The site was refused for housing in 2022 but officers recommended the committee grant the current scheme because the council could not demonstrate a five year housing supply due to a change in government policy.

Councillors agreed that providing more homes had to take priority over many other planning considerations.

Councillors for the area Steve Ricketts (Ind, Drake) and Charlotte Holloway (Lab, Drake) were against the plan and said, in a joint statement, that narrow lanes in the area were heavily used and already under pressure, adding “parking is difficult and refuse a problem, access is tight, residents have made it work through cooperation and compromise but there is next to no slack left in the informal system.”

They called it “clear overdevelopment”  and said it was “too much pressure in too little space”.

A number of objections were received from local residents on the same issues and also the loss of employment space 

Robert Heard speaking for the applicant said the building had been empty for almost a year after the language school relocated and interest in the site had been “practically non-existent” despite a strong marketing campaign. The site was within a well established residential area and freehold family houses were highlighted as a major need within Plymouth City Council policy documents.

Officers said the 12 parking spaces, two per household, met regulations and there was no requirement to provide parking space for visitors. Highways officers had raised no objections.

Access arrangements being potentially impacted by bin storage on collection days would be prevented by way of a condition, they said. A number of other conditions were agreed including tree planting to mitigate for the loss of three trees and a construction traffic management plan

Cllr Patrick Nicholson (Ind, Plympton St Mary) said he did not think the committee could object to the proposal but suggested that visitor parking in general be considered in the new local plan.

He felt the development would be likely to create less vehicle movements than the former language school but said more consultation with the community would have been beneficial.

Committee chairman Bill Stevens (Lab, Devonport) said providing housing to meet the five year housing supply was at the forefront of the committee’s decisions but it was “frustrating” that all other relevant issues like parking and overlooking had to be given less priority.