Westcountry Land secures appeal victory for Brixham development

Westcountry Land is pleased to announce that we have successfully won our appeal for the redevelopment of Land off St Mary’s Road, Brixham, with the Planning Inspectorate granting planning permission on 5 December 2025 for a thoughtfully designed scheme of 28 new homes, including 6 affordable properties.

The approved development will transform two parcels of long-vacant brownfield land currently occupied by aging industrial buildings. These structures will be replaced with a modern, carefully considered residential layout that retains echoes of the site’s historic character by incorporating salvaged stone and traditional materials into the new homes.

In reaching their decision, the Inspector acknowledged several key benefits of the proposal:

• A meaningful contribution to Torbay’s housing supply, which currently falls significantly short of the required five-year provision
• Delivery of affordable housing, helping to meet local need
• Regeneration of redundant brownfield land, which has been vacant and deteriorating for many years
• A design approach that respects the site’s heritage and gateway location, while removing unsympathetic modern additions

The Inspector concluded that the benefits of the development clearly outweigh any identified harm, and that the scheme aligns with local and national planning policies supporting new housing delivery.

The decision also recognised Westcountry Land’s efforts to create a scheme that reflects the site’s industrial and agricultural history. The project includes:

• Retention and reuse of stone from the existing buildings
• A layout that opens up views toward nearby listed buildings
• Ecological mitigation and landscape enhancements
• Contributions addressing recreational impacts on the South Hams SAC

This approval marks an exciting milestone for the future of the site and for Brixham. Westcountry Land will now progress toward the next stages of delivering these new homes and bringing this important regeneration opportunity to life.

We look forward to sharing further updates as the project moves forward.