Plans to build affordable housing rejected

The land is currently being used for horse grazing

Developers say they have been left "appalled" after a proposal of 20 affordable homes on the edge of a village was rejected.

West Northamptonshire Council went against its officers' advice when it rejected the application for 20 houses on a paddock beyond the boundary of Potterspury, near Milton Keynes.

Developers Abbeymill Homes and Grand Union Housing said the houses would be marketed under shared ownership and social rent.

An Abbeymill Homes spokesperson said: "[We] were appalled by the behaviour of the committee and decision last week to reject its affordable homes-led proposal, despite the support of council officers."

West Northamptonshire Council has been contacted for comment.

The developers said they planned to appeal the decision and they might look for an award of costs against the council.

They added: "The committee's apparent lack of experience with the planning process was evident, as officers repeatedly advised that there were no defensible grounds for refusal.

"Despite this, the committee disregarded the officers' guidance, insisting on finding reasons to reject the application, even after being informed of the desperate need for housing."

The proposals had resulted in more than 40 letters of objection and just one in support ahead of the planning meeting on 4 September.

Potterspury Parish Council member Steve Parkin had supported a similar scheme on Drovers Way, which is near the proposed site.

But he said there was no local demand to justify the proposed homes on this occasion, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Resident Rhiannon Biscoe said the development might impact Swallowfields Stud, which is a learning centre for people with disabilities. She claimed there had been no consideration about how the homes would affect the safety of vulnerable students and the distress it could cause them because of the disruption.

Ian McCord, an independent member on West Northamptonshire Council, also objected.

He said the hybrid application of affordable homes and self-builds was being used as a "trick" to stretch the boundaries of the council's planning policies. Any site outside the village confines must be less than a hectare (about 2.5 acres) to make it eligible for approval.

In the planning report, council officers broke down the affordable and self-build proposals into two separate 0.65 hectare and 0.47 hectare sites, which could each be acceptable, instead of a single 1.12-hectare site.