East Devon District Council confirm it does not want to remove the village green status in Honiton Bottom Road in favour of allotments.

Plans to provide allotments in Honiton Bottom Road have been quashed and the town council has been advised that seeking to override a village green designation would be ‘risky’.

The council had asked East Devon District Council for legal advice to clarify the situation regarding the village green designation on a potential development site.

The district council has now confirmed that it does not wish to remove the village green status in favour of using the land for allotments.

A letter to the town council from the district council said: “Counsel’s opinion advised that the district council would have to go through a fairly risky procedure to seek to override the village green designation. Risky in the sense of no guaranteed outcome.

“The council does not wish to do this.”

The letter went on to say: “It would have allowed the use of the land for allotments if it had been possible but, in light of the change in circumstances, I believe there is no further point in pursuing the provision of the allotments on this site.

The planning permission that exists cannot, therefore, be implemented.”

The district council had received some strong objections from local residents to the allotment plans.