Homes to be built in Brixham hospital grounds

Nine houses to go on site

Nine new homes are to be built at Brixham Hospital despite neighbours’ objections over parking and traffic.

The proposal by the Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust has been approved by Torbay Council in principle, with more details to be filed later.

The land is off Greenswood Road, on a greenfield area within the built-up confines of the hospital.

One objector wrote: “I am concerned about noise and air pollution not just for people living in the area but for the patients at the hospital.

“The doctors, dentist, hospitals and schools are struggling with all the extra people moving into this and the surrounding areas. There are no new hospitals being built to cope and our roads aren’t built for the amount of traffic already on them.”

In March 2014 planning permission was granted for a 36-bedroom residential care home on the site, but that was never completed. Part of the site has since been developed as the Friends Centre for day care.

The application says: “At this stage, the purpose is solely to establish whether the site is suitable in principle for this form and scale of development.”

And, it adds: “The scale and nature of development is modest and appropriate and can be accommodated without unacceptable impact on the amenity of neighbouring uses, the local environment, or the historic setting of the Higher Brixham Conservation Area and nearby listed buildings.”

Brixham Town Council did not object to the plans, which were approved by officers and have not been on the agenda for Torbay Council’s planning committee.