A COUNTRY lane could become a 'rat run' if planning permission is allowed for 222 homes, a meeting in Ivybridge was warned.

Town councillors were discussing the revised site access layout to the proposed development off Godwell Lane.

Last year Ivybridge council 'strongly objected' to the development saying it is not prepared to have a 'repeat of the failings of the unsustainable development which happened in the latter part if the 20th century'.

At Monday's planning committee, councillor Tom Bowden said: 'The access into Godwell Lane is in the wrong place.

'It would have made more sense for Barratt Homes to have had some kind of negotiations with the landowners for an entrance where Woolcombe Lane joins St Peters Way, so you would have a crossroads. I think any exit into Godwell Lane is going to encourage motorists going towards the eastern end of the town to use Godwell Lane as a rat run.

'We need to have a look at a new entrance into the estate. At the moment, that is the only entrance – with it being 222 homes, that's a lot of houses and a lot of traffic.'

Cllr Elizabeth Silsbury said she was also concerned Godwell Lane would be used by construction vehicles. She said: 'I'm concerned by building site traffic, I'm not sure the road is sufficient for heavy duty vehicles.'

Barratt David Wilson Homes sent the application to build at Torrhill Farm to South Hams planners in May last year.

Around 13 letters of objection were sent to South Hams Council including the Highways Authority and Ivybridge and Ugborough councils.

The Highways Authority recommended refusal in the absence of further information.

A spokesman said: 'Adequate information has not been submitted to satisfy the local planning authority that the proposal is acceptable in terms of Section 106 contributions and/or Section 278 works in the form of shared use cycle access to town centre and improvements to St Peters Way, safety audits, visibility splay plots on the S38 layout drawings and details of the public right of ways access points onto Godwell Lane and the unclassified road to the east contrary to the National Planning Policy Framework.'