South Hams District Council has been forced to reveal plans for two luxury homes in Salcombe which were withheld from councillors during a meeting.

SHDC cited "commercial confidentiality" in keeping the plans under wraps, but a watchdog rejected the excuse.

Environment group The South Hams Society called for "more transparency in planning matters" by the council.

The local authority said it "did not want the meeting to be sidetracked".

Drawings of the homes had formed part of draft plans for the hill-top development off Shadycombe Road in the seaside town.

But a council officer told architects in an email on October 11 last year that "at this point" the scale of the four-bed detached houses should be left out of the plans.

He said the scale "concerns me" and added: "It would be a mistake to present this detail."

In an email response, the architect sent back revised plans with circles instead of drawings of the houses "without being too prescriptive on their size and design".

The revised plans were then put before a planning workshop of councillors and local businesses on October 17.

The council initially refused South Hams Society’s request to reveal the original plans.

However, it appealed and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) ordered the authority to divulge the omitted details.

In a statement, the council said it had "sought legal advice" and "we were of the view that we were entitled to withhold them".

It added it now "fully respects" the demand to release the full plans.

Didi Alayli, chair of the society, said she hoped the ICO ruling "will lead to real change" in how council planners deal with draft plans.

"The huge profits to be made by landowners and developers in our beautiful area make it all the more important that our planning system is fit for purpose and we are not there yet," she said.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

It is understood landowner Jason Smith, who has not yet responded to a BBC request for comment, has not taken the proposals forward.