The owners of the Crafts@Cardew pottery site, Bovey Tracey, have said their plans to build 100 homes alongside a new £1 million pottery and visitor centre will protect the firm's 30 employees and provide affordable homes for the town. Strategic Land Partnerships have lodged a planning application to redevelop 12 acres of the site that famously produces teapots for Hollywood giants, Disney. Out would go the current building and conifer tree plantation used as a visitor trail and in would come a new state of the art pottery, restaurant, visitor experience and design studio as well as parking. The homes, of which 20 would be allocated to the social rented sector, would be built away from the Bovey Straights and be accessed by a new roundabout. Tim Baker, of Strategic Land Partnerships, said of the proposed development: 'It was always the intention of both Crafts@Cardew and Strategic Land Partnerships that when the new business had settled down a planning application would be submitted for the development of the land and buildings so that premises could be constructed which would better meet the needs of the new business.' He added that Teignbridge Council, which has a target of 60 per cent affordable homes in major developments, had identified the need for additional housing in Bovey Tracey and that he looked forward to further talks with the authority. 'The council officers have expressed a degree of enthusiasm for the new Cardew building, but less so for the homes,' said Mr Baker. Asked about the future of Cardew if the homes were refused, he said that without an 'enabling' development project it would be impossible to justify the cost of a new pottery centre. 'I just don't know,' he said. Peter Kirvan, managing director of Crafts@Cardew, welcomed the development plans, but said: 'The future of Cardew is, to a degree, in the hands of Strategic Land Partnerships. 'As a retail location this site is critical, but our wholesale business could be located anywhere although should SLP's plans change it wouldn't necessarily mean the demise of Cardew. 'I'm sure that if the homes are refused there are plenty of other routes that could be taken.'