Plans for 44 homes in rural village rejected

Developers hoped to build 44 homes in Longhope

Plans to build 44 homes in a rural Gloucestershire village have been rejected.

Seven Capital Plc had hoped to develop more than six acres of land off Church Road in Longhope.

The proposal, which included a 40% affordable housing contribution, was unanimously rejected by the Forest of Dean District Council's development management committee on Tuesday.

Councillor John Francis said the "scale was completely out of context" to a nearby development. He added: "I think it’s detrimental to the area."

A number of concerns were raised by both councillors and local residents over the plans

Concerns included the scale of the site "eroding the open rural character of the area", and its position to the nearby Grade II listed Dam Barn Cottage and Cruck House.

Councillors also said the new estate would constitute "unsustainable development in the open countryside" and would cause "considerable harm to the character and appearance of the conservation area".

Concerns were raised over the schemes failure "to demonstrate that the site could be developed without causing an unacceptable impact upon the residential amenity of existing and future residents".

Some 37 villagers also objected to the proposals, saying the scheme was contrary to planning policies, and was unreasonably big for the village, which they said had a lack of facilities.

Speaking on behalf of some residents, Peter Lewis, said the proposal falling "outside the settlement boundary”, should be "enough for planners to reject the application".

Locals raised concerns over the size of the scheme

Planning agent, Giles Brockbank, asked for the application to be deferred in order to address the concerns raised.

He said it was positive no objections had been raised by the local flood authority, the environmental health officer on noise grounds, and the highways authority and the site was "well positioned" and had good connections to nearby Mitcheldean, Cinderford and Gloucester.

“The village has a good range of services to support further growth such as village shop, post office, bakery, primary school, church; they are all within a 15 minute walk of the site and can be accessed by a footway on Church Road," he said.