Walsingham Planning has secured outline approval for a mixed use development including a new 420 place Primary School at Tavistock, Devon.
The proposals are part of a Major Strategic Allocation for the town, which is designed to provide housing and community infrastructure alongside the re-instatement of the Tavistock to Bere Alston Railway Line.
The Strategic Allocation was part of major growth plans for Tavistock, inclusive of improving links to major urban areas via sustainable transport. The proposed rail link will play a vital role in improving connections between Tavistock and Plymouth, to offer a real alternative to using the car, while also providing Tavistock with a link to the national rail network.
Walsingham Planning was originally instructed to act on behalf of infrastructure developers proposing to reinstate a former Railway Line in Devon. The proposals formed part of a major urban extension of the historic town of Tavistock.
The project included representations to the emerging Core Strategy, appearance at the Local Plan Examination and preparatory work for a future planning application. The outline planning application, which included an Environmental Statement, was subsequently submitted and approved by the Local Planning Authority in 2015.
The proposed Primary School formed an integral part of the site, principally to accommodate some of the local population uplift created by the urban extension. Walsingham Planning worked closely with the developer, Council and Local Education Authority to ensure the proposed school was appropriately sized, located and appointed.
Walsingham Planning continue to work with the developers of the site in relation to a detailed design review process which will culminate in the submission of reserved matters and the discharge of planning conditions. Development on the first phase of infrastructure is expected to commence in late 2017.