New plans have been put forward to build on a hotly contested piece of land between Lympstone and Exmouth.

Plans to build 154 homes at Courtlands Cross were previously rejected in 2010 and 2012, on the latter occasion by a planning inspector at appeal.

Now developer Strategic Land Partnerships (SLP) has returned with a slimmed down scheme, with only 33 homes proposed.

Despite this, it is still likely to face strong opposition from Lympstone, with villagers fearing the erosion of the ‘green wedge’ between it and Exmouth, and the last plan receiving more than 600 public objections.

However, SLP believes it now has a better chance of success, arguing in its planning application that the district’s old East Devon Local Plan, which included the green wedge classification, has expired, and the new East Devon Local Plan, which also includes the green wedge, has yet to come into force.

It argues that its plan should therefore be approved, as it meets the National Planning Policy Framework, used in the absence of a local plan, which calls for ‘a presumption in favour of sustainable development’, as East Devon District Council (EDDC) does not currently have an agreed five-year land supply for housing.

SLP also says its new plan, which includes a provision for open space and no longer crosses the East Devon Way, has been designed to reduce the concerns raised by the inspector in 2012.

Lympstone Parish Council has yet to formally discuss the plan, however planning champion Rob Longhurst warned that, if approved, it could set a precedent for other developments in the village.

The parish council will consider the plan at its meeting on October 7, before EDDC rules on planning permission.