PLANS for “truly” affordable housing at a derelict prime site to be included in the Totnes Neighbourhood Plan are to be given a thorough airing at a special Hearing.

It has been called by independent neighbourhood plan examiner, Deborah McCann, who wants to find out more about the town council’s proposals for the former Dairy Crest site.

In October last year, Ms McCann agreed to the council’s request for her examination of the plan to be paused for four months, so the authority could include in it a new policy concerning the site.

The new policy is based on the multi-million pound community development aims the Atmos project had for the land, before it was sold to glue company Fastglobe in March 2021.

The eight-acre site has since lain derelict.

The Hearing will be held in public at Totnes Guildhall at 10.30am on Tuesday September 6, but only representatives of the Totnes Neighbourhood Plan group, town councillors, district council officers and representatives of Flastglobe will be able to speak.

In a letter to Elliot Hale, South Hams Council’s neighbourhood planning officer, Ms Mcann said: “The hearing will take the form of a structured question and answer session based on an agenda which will be circulated in advance. It will cover the issues and questions I have identified.”

The hearing will focus on the former Dairy Crest site development brief, which states “The local community has long held ambitions” to develop and regenerate the site, replace lost employment, enhance public access to the site and riverside, and complete the flood prevention scheme.

It adds: “Challenges exist between the community and the current owners on what form and scope the regeneration could take.

“Previous work to produce a masterplan for the area has been successful in ambition, scale and the level of the community engagement undertaken during the master planning process.”

The brief sets out to restore and reuse the listed heritage assets within the site including the Grade II Listed Brunel Pumping Station; provide “truly affordable” homes for local people; introduce employment generating mixed use development plus a transport hub; protect and enhance protected species; complete the flood defence for Totnes; and improve links between the site, the River Dart and the town.

The plans also include developing opportunities for community training initiatives in the development, maintenance and future running of the site.

A consultation about the proposals held by the town council last year generated 201 responses including 181 from townsfolk, but, said a council spokesperson, “….it is hard to split them down into support and object as many of the comments refer to the previous Atmos scheme, not the actual policy that was being consulted on.”

For more information visit www.neighbourhoodplanning.swdevon.gov.uk/totnes