An outline application to build 350 homes and a new primary school on the edge of Exmouth has been given approval – despite concerns over the lack of affordable housing.

At a meeting of East Devon District Council’s development management committee on Tuesday, the provision of 18 affordable homes – five per cent of the total – at the Goodmores Farm site was branded as ‘disgusting’ and an ‘insult’.

Councillors were told at the meeting that figure would be subject to review at the end of each phase of the development and had been agreed after a study showed the requested 25 per cent affordable homes was not viable.

At the meeting, Councillor Steve Gazzard expressed his disappointment at the lack of affordable housing, adding: “I’m absolutely disgusted with the amount of affordable housing that will come out of this development and I think it’s an insult to the people who desperately need housing now.”

The committee voted by seven to six in favour of approving the application, despite concerns for the traffic impact on the ‘already chaotic’ Dinan Way and Hulham Road.

“These access roads into this development are not going to do anything whatsoever to alleviate the problems we have,” added Mr Gazzard.

“We have accidents on a regular basis at the Hulham Road and Exeter Road junctions and all this is going to do is make the situation even worse.

“It would be really nice if a developer, for once, would look to see what the area needs – and it’s not big houses, it’s small houses.”

The site is earmarked for 350 homes under strategy 22 of the East Devon Local Plan as part of its future vision for how Exmouth will grow.

Cllr Mark Williamson said there may be ‘no planning reason’ why this application could be turned down.

Cllr Susie Bond added: “It’s a site in the (East Devon) Local Plan and I cannot see how any (planning) inspector is going to say ‘yes, we’ll dismiss this one’ at an appeal – it’s a no brainer.”

Cllr David Key said: “Everyone is going on about the access.

“Here we have 350 houses and a school on the site.

“Hopefully all the children would go to that school.

“We have got three access points along Dinan Way – I cannot see the problem with the three accesses on this one.”