A HERITAGE charity is calling for an investigation into the ‘hasty and ill-informed’ decision to demolish a historic Newton Abbot site.

Save Britain's Heritage has expressed concern has written to the Chairman and Managing Director of Teignbridge District Council calling into question the decision-making process at a crunch meeting on the fate of the Bradley Mill site in Newton Abbot.

The charity is concerned that councillors were rushed into a hasty and ill-informed decision that will ultimately short-change the people of Newton Abbot. Key facts were also misrepresented or absent from briefing packs given to councillors at the Full Council meeting on July 30, the charity says.

Henrietta Billings, director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, said: ‘We are concerned about a range of issues relating to the decision-making process around this highly controversial decision.

‘We remain confident that the buildings at Bradley Lane Mills, some of which have only been vacant since 2022, others which are still occupied, would make a fantastic addition to a new much-needed housing development on this site, as our alternative vision showed.

‘We believe councillors should not be rushed into hasty and highly controversial decisions about demolishing their heritage buildings.’

But the newly appointed leader of TDC, Cllr Richard Keeling, says Newton Abbot needs housing.

Cllr Keeling said: ‘It’s costing us £18,000 a month of tax payers money just to keep the property as it is, so it was a difficult decision to make.

‘I have been talking about this for six years, to balance the books, so we don't increase council tax and other fees and chargers we have to make the difficult decision on assets that we own and one of those assets is the Bradey Lane.

‘We want to see housing there - it is as simple as that.

‘We have approval for demolision, but we won't be knocking down every building that’s there, those buildings that can be saved, will be saved, those that are suitable for housing will be used.’