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A £30MILLION-PLUS plan for 220 houses for Paignton has been approved by planners after more than 15 years of work.

Developers say the scheme could create more than 200 much-needed jobs for the local building trade.

Torquay's Cavanna Group has been given the outline planning permission to build the houses, a local store and jobs sites at the rear of Torbay Garden Centre on Brixham Road at Roselands.

Work could start next year and may continue until 2018.

The scheme is a change from the Local Plan, which has most of the Yannon's Farm site ear-marked for jobs.

Torbay Council's planning committee agreed to the change to housing by seven votes to one after hearing the cost of providing roads for factories was greater than the value of the land and so it would never be developed.

The councillors also agreed to halve the amount of affordable housing to 15 per cent after hearing the scheme would not be viable otherwise.

Chief planning officer Les Crump said as the scheme was a change to the Local Plan, it needed Government approval and could be 'called in' for scrutiny.

He said: "That it is a departure from the Local Plan is not a reason for refusal."

He said approval would mean Cavanna spending £6-£7million on roads but it would also open neighbouring land for development.

Cavanna asked to halve its social housing contribution from the council policy of 30 per cent and was supported by independent chartered surveyor Andrew Charmen who carried out a viability assessment.

He said the offer of 33 houses and contributions of £150,000 was a very good one.

"It is a good offer for the council and a good opportunity to press on with the development in the light of present economic conditions," said Mr Charmen.

Simon Longthorpe, land manager at the Cavanna Group, said the recession has reduced the profit prospects but work would start quickly.

"This stems from a long-standing commitment from Jeremy Cavanna to provide jobs for Torbay," he said.

"We will not 'bank' land and wait for conditions to improve."

Councillor Mike Morey, who proposed approval, said: "I can only hope the council and Cavanna will look to improve that percentage of social housing."

Councillor Ruth Pentney said she could not support the plan and added: "It is absolutely impossible to put more and more traffic on Brixham Road, which is already more congested than Penn Inn."

Councillor Terry Manning said the proposal will put people back in work and they will be able to afford to buy houses: "This is putting jobs in the area and that is very good."

After the decision Mr Longthorpe said roadworks could start next year with house building beginning around 2013 with completion in around 2018.

He said the company has worked on the project for 15 years and added: "We now look forward to working with the officers to deliver the project, which represents a £30million investment in the Bay.

"Housing and jobs are two of the main challenges that our community faces.

"This development will provide much needed open market and affordable housing and will also provide employment opportunities."

A TEIGNBRIDGE housing organisation has moved to reassure tenants after the collapse of social housing maintenance firm Connaught.

Teign Housing has issued a statement to say 'it's business as normal' after Exeter-based Connaught called in administrators.

Thousands of construction jobs are under threat nationally after it was announced Connaught, a social housing repair and maintenance contractor, called in financial experts KPMG.

Connaught employs in the region of 10,000 staff nationally, with an estimated 360 directly employed in Devon.

The company entered administration when lenders refused to give the struggling group more money.

Connaught has provided gas servicing and maintenance work for Teign Housing's properties.

The housing organisations have worked together since last June to deliver the works. Since March, Connaught provided 1,173 gas services to Teign Housing homes.

In a statement, Teign Housing's chief executive Mike Hanrahan said: "Connaught are our gas servicing contractor and they have done an excellent job with helping us achieve 100 per cent gas safety compliance in our properties.

"We are aware of Connaught's current situation and we are working to make sure that our services run as normal."

Connaught has about 180 social housing contracts in the UK.

It has been in talks with its lenders after a review identified an urgent requirement for additional funds to meet current and ongoing business.

The company's HQ in Grenadier Road, Exeter, has been the centre of media attention since speculation of its collapse hit the headlines.

The group's board said on Tuesday night it was in the process of appointing KPMG as administrators for the main company and its subsidiary, Connaught Partnerships Limited.

The debt-ridden repair and maintenance specialist has been in turmoil since warning in June that Government spending cuts could blow a £200 million hole in revenues over this year and next.

Bosses at Connaught have been in discussion with its lenders and other potential financiers since July in a bid to keep the company afloat.

But these initiatives 'failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion in the time available', a statement from the board read.

As a result it became 'clear that sufficient support would not be extended to the group as a whole to enable it to continue trading as a going concern'.

Other subsidiaries including Connaught Compliance, National Britannia Holdings, Fountains Limited and Connaught Environment Limited will continue to trade as normal.

The firm started life in 1982 as a concrete repair specialist in Sidmouth.

It provides services to the environmental, social housing, public sector and compliance markets.

A BINS telephone hotline 'crashed' yesterday as calls from angry Torbay residents topped the 8,000 mark.

Torbay mayor Nick Bye, who had joined dust cart crews on their rounds, revealed that call centre staff had fielded abusive calls and he had heard unsubstantiated reports that a Facebook campaign had been launched to bring the helpline to its knees.

He pleaded with upset members of the public not to vent their anger at staff and said: "Blame me — not the binmen."

More than 6.000 calls flooded the phone line, housed at Torbay Council's call centre — the contact number issued by new refuse rounds company Tor2 — on Monday. The figure yesterday grew to around 8,000 and some residents couldn't get through at all.

Mr Bye criticised people trying to block the helpline. He said: "My understanding is that there has been a Facebook campaign trying to block it. The calls we have been receiving have been between 7,000 to 8,000 a day. It has bogged down the system. It has crashed.

"A lot of people are just dialling and saying 'we are not doing it' and overloading the call centre."

Mayor Bye said abusive calls had "got in the way of genuine enquiries", adding: "We are happy to deal with genuine calls for help but are overloaded with abusive calls.

"I am happy to say those calls have started to fall away because no- one should have to put up with it."

He urged people: "Fire off an angry email to me but please treat the people on the bin rounds and those answering the phones with courtesy and understanding."

Mr Bye spent Tuesday morning out on rounds with Tor 2 binmen in the Veille Park and Fowey Avenue areas of Torquay.

He said the difficulty was that both the binmen and residents were learning the new system.

"I would say two-thirds of households deserve a gold star with just a yoghurt pot or crisp packet out of place," he said, adding that teething problems were inevitable.

He admitted: "It is going to be hell for about four or five weeks."

Torbay Council confirmed that it was still receiving a high volume of calls to its call centre.

A spokesman said: "On Tuesday about 8,000 calls were made. We believe the large figure may be accounted for to some extent by people trying without success to get through then trying again, and we apologise to everyone who has experienced difficulties.

"We are aware that on some occasions calls are being automatically terminated. This is to ensure we do not keep residents holding on for a disproportionate time, which would happen when we are experiencing high call volumes. Once again we apologise for the inconvenience and frustration caused.

"On Tuesday we had 28 advisers on duty, and yesterday we increased that to 30, but we appreciate that many callers are still unable to get through."

The call centre will now be open on Saturday mornings until noon, and opening hours will be extended during the week.

The spokesman said: "During the next fortnight, beginning on Monday, September 13, the call centre will remain open until 8pm Monday to Friday. It is open from 8.30am Monday to Saturday except Wednesday, when it opens at 9.30am."

Preston resident Michelle Stevens, 34, of Butland Avenue, said she had rung the call centre twice on Tuesday morning to get a 'we are experiencing a high number of calls' message. Yesterday her call was hung up. Tim Mantle, 51, of Melville Street, Torquay, rang three times by 9.30am yesterday and said that people were just 'hanging up'.

LETTERS EXTRA: Page 10

The traditional Cheese and Onion Food Fayre has been held in Newton Abbot.

The day dawned bright and sunny for the event, which dates back to the 12th century, and started with a procession of pasties from Newton Abbot Town Council's Devon Square offices to Market Square.

A pasty competition was held outside St Leonard's Clock Tower with nine tasty entrants.

The food was auctioned off for charity, raising £45 for Mayor Carol Bunday's charities of choice.

Two pasties were paraded along the streets: one filled with cheese and onion delight and the other with meat. Both were made by councillor Bunday.

She said: "People were really interested in seeing what was going on and there was a lovely atmosphere.

The money raised will go to my charities the memory cafe at the methodist church and the Tower Unit at Newton Abbot Hospital."

Shoppers were lucky to escape injury when the roof of a bus shelter collapsed after the structure was hit by a bus.

Highways engineers were called to Market Street in Newton Abbot yesterday after a domed bus shelter collapsed.

One witness said: "It was lucky no one was underneath – they could have been seriously hurt."

Devon County Council engineers were called out to make the shelter safe yesterday lunchtime.

Investigations are being made into the circumstances around how a vehicle may have collided with the shelter, leaving it vulnerable to collapse.

No-one was hurt and no one was waiting underneath it at the time.

The bus shelter was installed last year. Devon County Council highways engineers were called out to make it safe and fix it.

A Devon County Council spokesman said: "The bus shelter has been struck by a bus, which dislodged the roof of the shelter.

"We have made the area safe by removing the roof and shards of glazing from the site."

A renowned falconer illegally sold a £1,200 bird of prey, magistrates have been told.

Torbay Falconers Club organiser Paul Hill, 41, sold the young female goshawk without the right registration documents.

Mr Hill from Dairy Lane, Ivybridge, denies seven charges relating to the registration of the birds that have been bred in captivity.

He is standing trial after earlier pleading not guilty to selling the bird last year and offering the bird for sale a few weeks earlier at the Festival of Falconry in Reading.

He also denies four charges relating to possessing goshawks that were not properly registered or ringed, and obstructing a police officer who searched his former address at Audley Avenue in Torquay.

Hill runs the International Falconry Forum website and exhibits at events including fairs on Paignton Green.

In opening the case, prosecutor Mark Haddow said the close-knit falconry world was secretive and "has a cloak and dagger way of going about business".

The court heard the birds were without registration documents that act as a lifelong "passport" with keeper details.

The paperwork stops the trade of endangered wild birds that are indigenous to the UK. Potential penalties could include a ban on keeping birds for up to five years.

Defence solicitor Nigel Butt said police first investigated the well-known falconer on suspicion he had taken birds from the wild.

"Those allegations were false," said Mr Butt.

He said that Hill was known to every falconer in the country and in most of the world.

He said: "He is a person who has skill with great affinity and ability.

" This is about whether he has the correct documents at the right time."

The trial continues.

FIRE safety experts will be on their motorcycles today to promote greater public awareness of the machines.

Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service will be at the Bikers Make a Difference event on Paignton seafront at 6pm tonight when they will be showing off a Ducati 1198 and an MV Augusta Brutale bike.

The bikes are used for demonstrations by fire safety experts as part of their commitment to reduce the number and severity of casualties on county roads.

The Ducati 1198 made it to the winners' podium four times in the opening races of this year's World Superbike Championship.

The MV Augusta Brutale is a prestigious motorcycle well known for its sleek design and power.

Community safety manager Pat Tyler, based at Torquay Fire Station, said: "BMAD is the perfect event for the two bikes to attend, allowing us to engage directly with the biking community as well as locals and tourists.

"These bikes will assist in delivering the safer motorcycling messages to bikers of all ages."

The bikes will also be used for the Think Bike campaign directed at car drivers by encouraging them to be more aware of motorcyclists and also for riders to take steps to manage and reduce their own personal risk.

ONE hundred and sixty brave swimmers will take to the sea off Teignmouth Beach this weekend in aid of Rowcroft Hospice.

The one-mile Sea Swim South Devon on Sunday is believed to be the first event of its kind in Teignmouth and has attracted swimmers and triathletes from as far afield as Cambridge and London.

Laura Carus, events fundraiser for Rowcroft, said: "We are delighted with the response we have had to this event and are very excited for Sunday.

"There will be a great atmosphere down on the beach, so we hope people will come along to cheer on our swimmers.

"We are also very grateful for all the support we have received from the Teignmouth RNLI, Teignbridge Council, Sea Sports South West the local life saving club to ensure this unique event is safe as well as enjoyable."

The sport of open water swimming has become increasingly popular since it featured in the 2008 Olympic Games for the first time.

Since then it has grown in popularity both as a discipline within triathlon and as an outdoor leisure activity.

Coping with changing weather conditions, cold water temperature, currents and tides are just a few of the challenges each swimmer faces.

Every penny raised from Sea Swim South Devon will go directly to caring for those who are suffering from life-limiting illnesses and need Rowcroft's specialist support and care in South Devon.

The action starts at 2pm.

ARTWORK is hanging from the archways at Seale-Hayne this month.

The Dame Hannah Rogers Trust, which has acquired the site, is hosting two exhibitions in the historic quadrangle and gallery.

The Devon Artist Network launched its Devon Open Studios event in the gallery.

For two weeks in September, more than 260 artists throw open their doors to visitors as part of the Open Studios event.

Sculptor and former doctor Mike Chaikin is displaying his artwork all over the Grade II-listed quadrangle.

A giant fish hangs from the quadrangle archway and walking men are displayed on one of the walkways.

Pete Reeves, creative arts co-ordinator at Seale-Hayne, said: "We're delighted to be hosting the launch of Open Studios with a taster exhibition of such stunning and diverse works of art.

"We're also very excited by Mike Chaikin's exhibition of such innovative and engaging sculpture.

"We hope lots of people will come and meet some of the wonderful characters he has created."

The Devon Open Studios taster exhibition runs until Sunday, September 19, and Mike Chaikin's exhibition is open until the end of October. The exhibitions are free and opening times are from 10.30am until 4.30pm.

SOUTH Devon's political map faces another shake-up under new government plans to equalise the size of parliamentary seats.

The coalition government wants to introduce legislation for a series of electoral reforms.

It wants to hold a referendum next May on changing the Westminster voting system from first past the post to the Alternative Vote, where candidates are ranked in order of preference.

The coalition's Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill — a key component of the coalition deal between the Conservatives and Lib Dems — also includes proposals to shrink the number of MPs from 650 to 600 and to create constituencies of equal size across the UK.

New constituencies would be set within five per cent of a target quota of registered voters, which has been put at 75,000. This means that those seats with fewer than 71,500 voters or more than 78,800 are set to see their boundaries redrawn as part of any review.

These changes could also have a knock-on effect for the boundary of constituencies that fall within that range.

Currently, both Totnes and Newton Abbot have an electoral shortfall with 67,831 and 69,406 registered voters respectively, while Torbay has 76,253.

Despite backing voting reform, Labour opposes the proposals, arguing that the constituency changes would benefit the Conservatives at the expense of Labour, and have branded it gerrymandering.

The Conservatives complain the current boundaries require them to win more votes than Labour to gain the same number of MPs, because on average Tory seats have more constituents.

South Devon's constituencies were shaken up before this year's General Election, with parts of Teignbridge now finding themselves included in the Mid Devon seat.

IT IS easy to lose sight of the importance of Dame Agatha Christie to the economy of South Devon.

We tend to get blasé about the links we have with the Queen of Crime.

We sometimes wonder if there is still the appetite for Christie's work in this age of satellite technology when unpleasantness over afternoon tea in a 1930s drawing room seems a world away.

But we underestimate Dame Agatha at our peril.

In recent weeks, we have seen the scale of worldwide interest in her works.

Herald Express readers lucky enough to have travelled abroad this summer may have found that Agatha Christie was the first English cultural figure the locals could name.

Buses criss-cross the Bay on Christie-related missions, and next week, a whole festival will be devoted to the life and times of the Torquay-born writer whose elegant murder mysteries remain among the most bought and borrowed books worldwide.

Actors who have played Christie characters will be among those visiting the Bay for the festival, and a special cake has been baked, based on a recipe culled from the pages of one of the mystery novels.

It is all very exciting.

And we wonder if we are guilty of underplaying the Agatha Christie card a little.

Granted, we have gone this far in hosting events, but how many local people will play a part in the celebrations?

The promotions team behind them will do all they can, and visitors will come in their droves to see the entertainment and spectacle on offer.

But will local people match them?

What it needs is for the community to get right behind the event.

Locals need to turn out and support this Agatha Christie Festival, and show the visitors how proud they are of their place in literary heritage.

Only then will the festival truly take off and become a fixture on the national calendar.

THE recession is now biting hard in the South Hams, where the district council has just been forced to write off more than £100,000-worth of tax owed by businesses which have gone bankrupt or called in the receivers.

The cash is all non-domestic rates money which the district council collects from businesses to pass on to the Government.

In the last three months of the year, the council has been left to write off debts from seven bankrupt businesses and another four which have gone into receivership, the council executive has been told.

At the same time, some 32 individuals owing council tax or housing benefit have been declared bankrupt.

The money owed by businesses which have gone bust amounts to just over £120,000 and is on top of another £25,000-worth of business rates which cannot be collected because the people who owe the cash have done a runner.

Details of the uncollected debts were unveiled at a meeting of the council executive where the council agreed to write the cash off — along with another £58,000 in uncollectible council tax cash, rent and housing benefit cash.

Councillor Michael Hicks, executive member with responsibility for finance, said the quarterly write-off figures had appeared to have resisted the effects of the recession until now, as he pointed to the increased number of business bankruptcies that had taken place.

Debts other than business rates included another 32 cases of individual bankruptcies involving housing benefit, council tax and other debts totalling more than £16,000.

Another £20,000 was owed in housing benefit, council tax and other debts by 50 people who had effectively absconded without paying their bills, while another £1,336 in housing benefit was uncollectible because the three individuals who owed the cash had died.

However, councillors were told records of the debts were always kept so if there was a realistic chance of recovery in the future they could be resurrected and pursued again.

SIGHT-SAVING surgery had to be carried out on two birds at Living Coasts, the coastal zoo at Torquay, by veterinary eye specialist Jim Carter.

The vet has already saved the sight of Grace the seal, and his latest patients were a puffin and a penguin.

The male puffin had abnormal cells on the eye, including salt crystals which had to be removed to encourage healing.

Head keeper Lois Rowell said after the operation: "He's doing really well and the eye has healed very quickly."

Jim also treated a female penguin with a deep ulcer in a cornea, where a special medical glue was applied to seal it in the same way a sticking plaster would close a cut.

Lois said the penguin was doing well. "She's eating well and taking medication," she said. "Her recuperation will take longer, but she's on the road to recovery."

Jim, from the Abbotskerswell Veterinary Centre, treated South American fur seal Grace for a corneal ulcer in 2008.

Ian Sayers, Jim's business partner and husband of zoo vet Ghislaine Sayers, described some of the practical challenges associated with treating marine wildlife.

"Eye medication can get washed away when they enter the water, but keeping them on dry land for treatment can be stressful," he said. "Sometimes we have to anaesthetise them in order to give a full examination but that can be tricky and sea birds can enter a dive reflex which suppresses breathing, which isn't ideal.

"Marine mammals are difficult to anaesthetise and a thorough ocular examination often requires an anaesthetic.

"Water quality is important. Fish can develop eye problems if water quality is poor, which is why the filtration system at Living Coasts is so vital.

"Birds have a well-developed third eyelid for extra protection. This nictitating membrane has a very strong action."