CONTROVERSIAL plans for 17 new homes, which include affordable housing, on Pike Lane in Nailsworth were refused at a planning meeting this week.

Apart from one abstention, councillors voted unanimously against the “bonkers” development on Tuesday, January 13 which had been submitted by the Cheltenham-based builder, Newland Homes.

Commenting on the outcome of the district council meeting a spokesman for the protest group, Save Nailsworth Valley, said: “Hundreds of delighted Nailsworth residents are celebrating.”

The development proposal, which provoked about 800 letters of objection, had been previously recommended for refusal by planning officers.

After the meeting, Professor Robert Maitland of SNV said: “We couldn’t have asked for more from councillors, who recognised not only the beauty of this green valley, but who also listened to the outcry from residents outraged by this speculative bid. People from all over Nailsworth – and beyond – have been amazing in the way they have turned out for meetings, written letters of objection, and worked so hard to get this application overturned.

“Building expensive houses in a beauty spot is not going to solve any housing needs. We need to support, instead, initiatives such as Nailsworth Community Land Trust, providing truly affordable houses for locals.

“The unspoilt nature of the Newmarket Valley is essential to the character of Nailsworth and visible from the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Building here would simply line the pockets of opportunistic developers.”

Calling the development an “outrage” Nailsworth Cllr Norman Kay said: “This is the worst example of speculative development we’ve seen. The affordable housing that the applicants are promising is thoroughly misleading.

“It will not be an exception site and so tenants will be drawn from the wider area and not Nailsworth.”

Addressing Stroud councillors Jamie Lewis of Hunter Page Planning said Newland Homes “had a reputation for sensitive schemes”. He also pointed out the need for 52 affordable homes in the area and that there were no brown field sites in Nailsworth.

It emerged at the meeting that Gloucestershire County Council saw no justification for refusing the application on highway grounds. However Stroud councillors refuted this and added the severe impact on highway safety to their list of reasons for rejection.

Supported by others, cllr Steve Robinson, who is also a Nailsworth Town Councillor, felt that the road network was already inadequate, posing a danger to pedestrian safety, and that, therefore, the application was unsustainable.

Voting to support the motion to block the progress of the application Cllr Emma Sims said: “Frankly I think this development is bonkers.”

A bus organised by the protest group, Save Nailsworth Valley supplied for free by Ebley Coaches, transported about 30 people to the district council meeting.

Newland Homes has six months in which to appeal Stroud District Council’s decision. A spokesman for the company said: “We are currently considering our position.”