CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 50 new homes in Tetbury have been approved.

Cotswold District Council’s (CDC) planning committee has given Bovis Homes permission for a development of terraced, detached and semi detached homes at Quercus Park in Quercus Road, which is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Tetbury Town Council, Tetbury Upton Parish Council and many residents had opposed the application because they believe the housing complex will not fit with the character of the area and the development will be poorly connected to Tetbury.

However, the planning committee was satisfied that Bovis’ final designs would be in keeping with the rest of Tetbury.

Cllr Stephen Hirst, of the town council, had raised concerns that residents at Quercus Park would be forced to walk along the busy Cirencester Road to get into town, due to a lack of pavements.

He also said that when the development was approved, the district council was trying to meet housing targets set by the government, but these targets had now been met.

The parish council is unhappy that traffic from the complex will be routed along Cirencester Road and not to the Quercus Road roundabout, which was created to handle traffic from the Quercus Park site.