Council loses homes appeal

A plan to build more than 30 homes in a village previously turned down by councillors will now be allowed to go ahead in a new government ruling.

Lone Star Land wanted to build 34 affordable homes on agricultural land in Fladbury but the plan was turned down by Wychavon District Council’s planning committee last year.

But the homes will now be built after the developer successfully appealed to the government’s planning inspectors to get the decision overturned.

Planners at Wychavon District Council had recommended the application was approved when the authority’s planning committee met in September last year but was eventually turned down by councillors when it was put to a vote.

The committee ruled against the ‘affordable’ housing saying it would result in too much agricultural land being lost and the new homes would be too reliant on people using their cars.

Councillors also said that the planned development was “inappropriate” and ‘too big’ to be classed as a ‘rural exception site’ – which allows for smaller plans to be built even if they are outside development boundaries for villages.

But using the potential loss of agricultural land as a reason to turn down the new homes was abandoned by Wychavon District Council at the appeal hearing after it was found the plan would not in fact breach policy.

A report by the planning inspector said the council had tried to argue that agreeing to the work would result in ‘too many’ affordable homes being built in the village – with planners saying it would result in an “overprovision” that exceeded the apparent level of need in Fladbury and surrounding villages.

“This was however at odds with the views of [the district council’s] housing team who considered need as demonstrated by both Fladbury and the surrounding parishes,” the inspector said.

The council had also argued that building ‘affordable’ housing would be more suitable as part of a larger development elsewhere.

More than 120 objections were registered with Wychavon District Council calling for the plan to be turned down ahead of councillors meeting last year.

Objectors said the village, and its infrastructure, would not be able to cope with the number of extra people and cars who would have to travel to Evesham and Pershore to access services.