OBJECTIONS have been raised to a proposal by a housing developer to reduce their Section 106 obligation payments to a local community.

Devonshire Homes (Halwill) Ltd has applied to Torridge District Council to reduce the amount they are required to contribute as part of the granting of planning permission for the construction of 32 dwellings on Chilla Road in Halwill.

The developer has said that adhering to the Section 106 payments would make the development unviable and cited a number of reasons, including a reduction in profit.

It is required to contribute £79,612.02 to various community projects and while it has already paid for one of the obligations and part of another, it is seeking to remove itself from the others.

These include an offsite ‘sports contribution’ of £32,397.95, an offsite ‘youth play space contribution’ of £13,192.03, and the second part of a contribution towards secondary education transport of £10,419.50.

It has already paid an NHS contribution of £13,183.00 towards extra healthcare provision, which was required before any of the properties became occupied, and £10,419.50 towards secondary education which was required before ten per cent of the properties became occupied.

Objectors include residents, the parish council and Active Halwill.

Halwill Parish Council said: "Halwill Parish Council would urge you to reject this application. We recognise that the site may not have been as profitable as Devonshire Homes anticipated but the local community should not be penalised because of Devonshire Homes miscalculations. It will make a mockery of the entire system and undermine what little faith the public has in a fair and independent planning department if they are allowed to renegotiate after five years.

“The sums of money they wish to avoid paying are very significant to a small parish such as ours as we have plans which are to a large extent reliant on that money."