Plans approved for 220 new homes for Okehampton
Plans have been approved for 220 much-needed new homes on the outskirts of Okehampton, Devon along with substantial public, open green space and play areas.
Leading housebuilder Barratt Homes will also build the long-called for ‘Southern Link Road' to serve the whole of Okehampton and reduce traffic in the town centre. The new road will feature Devon banks and a beech tree-lined avenue.
Construction of the 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes, which will include around 20% affordable homes and large areas of public open space, is due to start early next year. This will form the first phase of the new development on the east of Okehampton off Crediton Road and Kellands Lane. The site has been previously granted outline planning permission for up to 400 new homes.
This first phase will support more than 600 jobs and contribute nearly £2.5m in community benefits including primary and secondary education, community sport facilities and public transport, through the Section 106 and CIL payments.
Barratt Homes is delivering four times the amount of green open space within the development than is required in planning terms. This will include three different play areas for a range of age groups, including a teenage play area and natural trim trail featuring logs, boulders, stepping stones and mounds. Recent research has shown that following the covid pandemic and lockdown, access to nature and the outdoors has become far more important to people looking for a new home.
Just one mile from the centre of the historic town of Okehampton, with its wide range of shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants, the site opens out onto the Devon countryside, farmland and woodland. Incorporating materials that reflect the local style, the new homes will offer a range of views of the surrounding countryside and over the town itself.
The large areas of open green space on the development will include ponds, meadow grassland, native plants and new trees to provide foraging areas for a range of wildlife. New nest boxes will be provided for bats, birds and dormice and bee bricks will be used in selected locations to create habitats for solitary bees. Footbridges over the stream to the woodland edge will also be installed. Within the central ‘village green' style open area, there will be a large children's play area with a range of equipment.
Nicki Reid, sales director at Barratt Homes, said: "We're thrilled to be able to get started on these much-needed new homes on the edge of Okehampton as well as the link road and its beech tree-lined avenue with Devon banks, which will be of real benefit to residents already living in the area and to the town as a whole.
"Okement Park is in a stunning location overlooking rural Devon on one side and the historic town on the other. Including around 20% affordable homes, the development will offer substantial public open green space including three play areas for a range of age groups and a nature trim trail. The broad range of homes, featuring designs and materials that reflect the local area will suit first-time buyers, growing families and downsizers alike."
To register your interest, or find out more about when the homes will be released for sale, visitbarratthomes.co.uk
