PLANS for at least 100 houses near Lyme Regis have been blasted as ‘outrageous’ by more than a dozen residents and organisations.

Developers Hallam Land Management submitted an outline planning application for the development, which could see either 100 houses and a care home, or 120 houses, built on land off Sidmouth Road.

Hallam, which is also behind proposals for 760 homes at Vearse Farm in Bridport, said that as part of proposals up to 50 per cent of the homes would be affordable and it would also improve the Sidmouth Road park and ride site.

The company wants a range from one-bedroomed studio flats to five-bedroomed homes and the site will include a park or village green with a children’s play area, a new walking and cycling routes and a pedestrian crossing on Sidmouth Road.

Several residents and groups objected to the plans, citing lack of nearby employment opportunities for the potential residents, pressure on doctors’ surgeries and lack of demand for the park and ride site or another care home.

One resident said the development would ‘act as a Trojan Horse leading to constant applications to build all the way along the A3052’, while another asked EDDC ‘not to permit this outrageous development’.

A different resident said road safety at the proposed pinch point were also problems, saying: “The proposed ‘give way’ points going up and downhill would have no sight line between them, given the sharp bend and high retaining wall.”

They added: “The elevation of the site - 150 metres or nearly 500 feet - means that only those who are very fit would be willing or able to access the town or schools on foot or by cycle.”

Dr Margaret Hall, chairman of East Devon’s Campaign to Protect Rural England, objected to the development.

She said the visible location and high density of housing would damage the ‘character and appearance’ of the area, and added there was an ‘undue dependence on the car for travel’ contrary to the East Devon Local Plan.

She also emphasised Hallam incorrectly asserted EDDC did not have enough housing land for a five-year supply, because the council now say they do have enough.

Stephen Reed, from the historic environment team at Devon County Council, also said an archaeological excavation was needed.

He added: “While the geophysical survey undertaken on the site did not identify substantial abnormalities indicative of settlement on the site, it has identified areas of enhanced magnetic response that could mask underlying archaeological features.”