South Milton Parish Council has decided to give its support to a campaign to stop a Salcombe housing development becoming second homes.

According to the parish council the flats in Island Street would contravene Salcombe Neighbourhood Plan’s policies on the future sustainability of the town and would make it more difficult for local people to find homes to buy.

The policies were endorsed by referendum and included a policy on principal residency for new homes.

South Milton Parish Council has a similar policy in its neighbourhood plan to make sure the village maintains a balance between full-time residency and second homes.

The parish council says that the applicant was aware of the principal residency requirement before development began and the requirement must not be ignored because the applicant built the wrong development in the wrong place for the wrong price.

An appeal hearing will take place on November 26.