Kedleston Hall 400 homes plan rejected

The homes were proposed for an area close to the Grade I listed Kedleston Hall

A proposal for 400 homes near the Grade I listed Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire has been rejected by one vote.

The application to build the homes was thrown out in a 6-5 vote by Amber Valley Borough Council's planning committee.

Opponents said the project would have caused traffic disruption in the area and its rejection protects the area's "picturesque" countryside.

Developer Catesby Estates is considering an appeal.

Isobel Shorrock from the Kedleston Voice group said: "We realise the applicant will appeal and we will need to remind everybody of the importance of the heritage in the area."

The project was proposed for a site a few miles from the National Trust-run Kedleston Hall.

Amber Valley council leader Alan Cox said of the decision: "I think it is mainly because of the effects on the setting of Grade I listed buildings and the listed park - and committee felt this outweighed all other considerations."

Paul Hudson of Quarndon Parish Council said: "It is so disruptive to the village.

"It would end up with the size of the village doubling with 400 houses within a mile or so from the heart of the village. It doesn't bear thinking about.

"The disruption to our schools and the roads (would be) quite unacceptable."

A spokesman for Catesby Estates said the project would supply about 120 affordable homes.

He said Amber Valley council needs to deliver almost 1,000 homes a year over the next five years and the project would help meet that target.