More than 100 people gathered in Tamerton Foliot yesterday evening to protest against plans to build six new homes on a greenfield site at Mary Dean Avenue.
Locals turned up with signs and banners as part of a protest aimed at showing just how strongly they feel against the proposals.
The demonstration, held on Thursday 22 May, sent a clear message to Plymouth City Council: this is NOT what the community wants.
The planning application, submitted by Maltford Limited, asks for permission in principle to build up to six houses on a patch of land that locals say is one of their last remaining green spaces.
So far, the council has received over 100 formal objections. And when you read through the comments, it’s not hard to see why.
Top of the list of concerns is the loss of the green space itself. It was mentioned in public comments over 430 times.
People described it as a vital part of their everyday lives – somewhere children play, neighbours meet, and the community comes together.
@plymouthplus More than 100 residents gathered in protest against plans to build six houses on a valued green space | #SaveOurGreenSpace #news #fyp
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Many also raised environmental concerns, warning that the development could damage wildlife habitats and reduce local biodiversity.
Traffic was another major issue. With the nearby primary school already creating congestion at peak times, many residents fear the extra cars from new homes would make things even worse.
School safety came up again and again in the objections, with 278 comments mentioning concerns for children walking to and from school.
Parking is also a problem in the area, and over 160 objections mentioned fears that the new homes would make this even worse.
The protest comes as Plymouth prepares for a citywide referendum on July 17 to decide how the council leader should be chosen.
At the moment, councillors choose the leader of the city, but the referendum will ask residents if they want to change to a system where the public directly elects a mayor to lead the council.
In July, voters will decide in a referendum whether the city should move to a directly-elected mayor system.
Now, it’s up to Plymouth City Council to weigh up the voices of the people and decide whether this green space will stay or go.
Residents say they’ll keep fighting until the plans are scrapped - and with this level of support, their message is hard to ignore.
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