New homes being built on 'contaminated land' in Plymouth
The Council has given plans to go ahead as long as human health is protected
Last updated 5th Nov 2020
Plans for new homes on land in Plymouth which has been partly contaminated with lead have been approved after measures were agreed to protect health.
A scheme for 38 homes on a field south of Tamerton Foliot was previously refused by the city council because of the contamination and the impact of the development on the road network.
But a similar application has now been approved with a condition to cap the contaminated land to protect human health.
The developer has also now agreed to pay more than £150,000 towards highways improvements.
The 4.9 hectare (12 acre) site south of the village alongside Tamerton Foliot Road is bordered by Southway and Whitleigh.
It is north of the BT depot and east of the junction to Sir John Hunt Community Sports College and Whitleigh Woods.
The land made up of a field and woodland was identified for 18 executive homes in the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan.
But that did not rule out higher density of smaller homes as long as the layout and design were acceptable, a city council planning report said.
The application from Halsall Homes submitted in November 2019 received a series of objections.
An earlier scheme for 38 homes on the site was refused in March 2019 due to lead contamination and the impact on infrastructure.
But the new application has an updated human health contamination risk assessment.
The report identified raised levels of arsenic and lead at the south-east of the site, as a result of historic industrial use.
It recommended measures to cap the affected area to protect health and the work has been included in a planning condition.
A report by a planning officer said the recommended work was to isolate the contaminated land from end users.
That would involve a covering of hardstanding or a capping of inert soil 60cm deep over a protective membrane.
Objectors to the proposals raised concerns including the loss of wildlife and increase in traffic and pollution.
An online petition against housing on the site which has been running for three years received more than 700 signatures.
But the application submitted in November 2019 has now been given conditional approval subject to a legal agreement.
Of the 38 new homes, 11 will be classed as affordable housing.