No to Devon musician's football pitch

Ben Howard's 'communal farm' to be rejected

Devon’s double Brit award-winning Ben Howard’s bid to create a 'communal farm', public football pitch, skate bowl, play area and a workshop for hire in the South Hams is set to be refused.

A planning application has been submitted for a change of use, renovation and extension of existing redundant farm buildings at The Yard in Bantham, near Kingsbridge.

But despite 358 of the 360 comments on the application being in support, South Hams District Council’s development management committee is being recommended to refuse the plans for the three acres of derelict land that Mr Howard owns.

Planning officers say that the site is located in an unsustainable location in the open countryside away from settlements, would not conserve and enhance the special landscape qualities of the area of natural beauty, does not avoid incongruous development and additional trips by the car, is likely to generate an increase in pedestrian traffic on a highway lacking adequate footway, and would generate additional noise and be harmful to the residential amenities in their reasons for refusal.

Mr Howard, who was born in Bantham and grew up in Totnes wants to create a multi-purpose community facility including co-working hub with surfboard shaping workshop and ancillary cafe; replace an existing equine sand school area with new five-a-side 4G football pitch; and construct a new skate bowl and children’s adventure play facilities.

Plans also includes the creation of communal farm and proposed substantial landscape enhancement including construction of wildlife pond, planting of community orchard/tree nursery and wildflower meadow, associated landscape and ecological enhancement measures together with the upgrade and expansion of the existing car parking. The communal farm will be for people to grow vegetables and cut flowers with a “dream to be off-grid by 2030”.

But despite overwhelming support, planners say that they have to consider the ‘unusual’ proposals against local plan policies, and that the proposal in this location is unsustainable.

In their conclusion which recommends refusal, they add: “We recognise that there is a great deal of local public support for the proposal, some 358 letters of support have been submitted, and this amount of public support suggests that this sort of facility is greatly in demand by families living in the surrounding villages. The potential benefits to the local community, economy, children, families, the older generation have all been eloquently highlighted in the letters of support and it has to be acknowledged that there is a dearth of such facilities for people in rural areas.

“However officers are also of the view that something like this should be delivered through the Neighbourhood Plan process, such as in the Kingsbridge, Churchstow and West Alvington Neighbourhood Plan. It may also be possible to find a site which is more local to one of the villages so that walking and cycling can be better accommodated.

When he put forward the application, Mr Howard said he had been inspired by small-scale farming projects in Cornwall and Ireland and that the truth of today’s modern working world in the countryside setting was that many young professionals work from home in isolation, to the detriment of community and also of creativity.

He added: “I think there is a great opportunity to create spaces where the interaction of ideas and the crossover of recreation and work can benefit everyone. If we can run a small scale business that provides those opportunities in a safe place then it will be a great success and there seems to be a great demand for the activities we are proposing,

The South Hams development management committee meets on Wednesday 9 September to determinef the application.