An application to build a mix of houses and flats on a site currently being used as an Indian restaurant has been criticised by town leaders.

Exmouth Town Council’s planning committee has refused to support the proposal to build 10 new residential units on the site currently being operated by Spice Lounge, in the Withycombe Raleigh ward.

If given the final go-ahead, a mix of one- and two-bedroom houses and flats would be built on the site, following the demolition of the existing restaurant building in Prince of Wales Drive, near Dinan Way.

At a meeting on Monday (June 11), town planning committee members raised concerns over the drainage and voted to not support to the application.

A drainage strategy and impact assessment report commissioned by developer Punch Taverns said that large water barrels should be installed to intercept rain run off from the roofs.

However, South West Water (SWW) said it had no objection to the application ‘subject to foul and surface water being kept separate’.

Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Brian Toye said: “There’s going to be a problem with drainage.

“You can’t put surface water into the sewer so you’re going to have pump it down to the brook which will be a very expensive business.

“The developer’s answer, believe it or not, is water butts.”

However, Mr Toye also disagreed with the suggestion from East Devon District Council’s economic development officer that the application should be refused due to it being a loss of future employment land.

Mr Toye added: “If East Devon were that keen on maintaining industrial sites, why didn’t they do anything about the Pankhurst site?

“I don’t think this is earmarked in the East Devon Local Plan anyway as industrial land and it’s difficult to see what industrial activity you could put on that land.

“I can’t understand this insistence on it becoming an industrial site.”

Last month, Spice Lounge manager Alamgir Chowdhury told the Journal that the restaurant would continue to be open for business and would be looking at possible re-location within Exmouth should the proposal be given the go-ahead.

The final decision on the planning application will be made by East Devon District Council.