PLANS for a massive housing development in Hooe left Plymouth City Council planning committee in "a complete shambles" last night.

The Conservative majority on the committee voted to refuse the application by Exeter-based Barratt Homes to build a waterside community of 222 homes on former Ministry of Defence land in Hooe.

They had earlier voted against Labour councillor George Wheeler, who called for a postponement to reconsider the lack of affordable housing in the scheme.

After planning officers warned that the refusal could result in an award of costs against the council at any appeal, committee chairman Cllr John Lock (Con, Plympton Erle) immediately called a recess to discuss ways of reversing their decision.

The committee then voted to defer for more talks about affordable housing and possible obstruction of emergency vehicles.

Local residents Janet Duffy and Carron Pearse, who watched from the public gallery, said: "It's a complete shambles."

The decision had been postponed once already for councillors to make a second visit to the site and get more information about the £43million development.

The six-year project at Hooe Lake Quarry, off Barton Road, Hooe, would include 22 apartments, four one-bedroom homes, 47 two-bedroom homes, 120 three-bedroom homes and 31 four-bedroom properties, including 31 affordable housing units.

The company has proposed a footpath to improve pedestrian safety along Barton Road and proposed a mini-roundabout at the junction of Barton Road and Hooe Road to calm traffic.

Barratts will have to pay £933,950 to mitigate the impact of the development.

This will include about £220,000 towards providing new school places, £85,000 for improved playing pitches, and £105,750 for green space.

Cllr Wheeler (Lab, St Budeaux) asked for a postponement to find out why Barratts was being allowed to build just 15per cent of affordable homes, instead of the council's usual requirement for 30per cent.

Members of the planning committee were recommended to give conditional approval to the full planning application but initially voted against their officers' advice before making their abrupt U-turn.

Local campaigners say the development would add to traffic and create a bottleneck on the only road in and out of the Hooe, Turnchapel and Mount Batten peninsula. Since the last meeting Natural England has told the council that it has no objection to the proposed development and is satisfied that there will be no disturbance of protected species.

Cllr Ken Foster (Con, Plymstock Radstock) said there had been sewerage problems in the area for many years. "Residents are sick and tired of traffic and sewage. I have been down there at high tide when the sewage was up to the first floor."

He said a proposed new bus stop on Hooe Road would create unacceptable delays on the only road to Jennycliff and Mount Batten.

Planning officer Robert Heard said the developers would be obliged to pay for an upgrading of the local sewerage system. South West Water and the Environment Agency had no objections, he said.

John Wheeler, chairman of the Turnchapel and Mount Batten Residents' Association, spoke out strongly against the development.

Barratt Homes has argued that the cost of cleaning up the site makes the development less profitable. Planning officers said there was a strong case for relaxing the developer's obligations to pay for local facilities.

But Mr Wheeler said Barratts had always known about the problems of the site, which used to be an MoD fuel depot.