A planning inspector has dashed the hopes of the Totnes' Atmos project proposed for the former Dairy Crest site in the town.
An appeal went against the wishes of the community and backed the Fastglobe company's interest in the site - their application for the land generated one of the highest levels of planning responses in South Hams' history, with 1300 objections and just 60 letters of support.
Totnes Community Builders expressed their "profound disappointment" and said it had "zero faith" that Fastglobe would do anything with the site apart from allow it to further decay.
The ruling came just days after a flurry of complaints to South Hams District Council because the site’s fencing was visibly missing in many places and gates were left open."
While the Inspector ruled in Fastglobe’s favour, she acknowledged the community’s activism over the past 15 years, writing: “I have great empathy for the community and TCDS.”
She dismissed Fastglobe’s claims that the community’s proposals weren’t viable and noted the complete absence of community consultation by Fastglobe. She declined Fastglobe the ‘Vacant Building Credit’ to offset their affordable housing responsibility and refused their claim for costs against TCB.
Frances Northrop of TCB said: “We are very disappointed by this decision but appreciate the time the Inspector took to understand the Atmos Project and particularly her acknowledgment of our approach to viability. Our planning system is not geared towards community need, only to landowners and ‘developers,’ whether they intend to build anything or not.
“We stand by the evidence we gave at the Inquiry and will continue to work on getting the site back so the town can get the housing and jobs it desperately needs.”
The ruling came just days after a flurry of complaints to South Hams District Council because the site’s fencing was visibly missing in many places and gates were left open, and after police were called to an incident in the Brunel building, a pattern repeatedly seen since Fastglobe acquired the site in 2020.
Rob Hopkins of TCB echoed Mr Northrop’s disappointment, saying it was a 'sad day for Totnes' and all of the hundreds of people who "worked so hard to give the town the groundbreaking alternative it deserves."
He added: "We’d like to thank everyone in this amazing town who took part in our consultations, who voted for Atmos in the town-wide referendum, who attended public events, the over 500 Members of TCB on whose behalf we do what we do, South Hams District Council for their support during the Inquiry, and all our financial supporters and funders."
The Atmos community project included plans for 62 affordable homes for rent, and an arts and community centre funded by the National Lottery.
Mr Hopkins commented that it has been a 'historic and groundbreaking community effort.' He added that it was clear from the Public Inquiry that Fastglobe are not developers but land bankers, and he doubts they will ever develop the site, as their proposals are unviable.
It was evident during the Inquiry that nobody believed Fastglobe would build on the site, and that all the conditions they agreed to were purely to get planning permission to inflate the site’s value.
TCB say it is still committed to the principle that communities are the best people to design and own housing developments.
