A CONTROVERSIAL planning application for a housing development in a village has been turned down.
Plans were submitted in August for a new residential development of up to 25 homes in land off Head Street in Goldhanger.
The application sparked concerns from members of the public, Goldhanger Parish Council and MP Dame Priti Patel.
Maldon District Council received more than 170 objections to the plans.
Concerns included the impact a development of this size would have on a small village, the increased pressure on services and highway safety concerns.
The plans included a row of houses on Head Street opposite existing homes.
Barnet-based developers Landvest wanted to build a mixture of market homes and social, affordable or intermediate rent properties on the 3.3-acre site.
The plans were refused by Maldon District Council at the latest planning meeting yesterday.
The decision said: “The application site lies within the countryside outside of a defined settlement boundary where policies of restraint apply.
“The proposed development would be remote and disconnected from local services and facilities by reason of its location and would provide poor quality and limited access to sustainable and public transportation, resulting in an increased need of private vehicle ownership.
“The development would therefore be unacceptable and contrary to policies
“The proposal includes inadequate provision to secure the delivery of affordable housing to meet the identified need in the locality.”
Dame Priti welcomed the decision to refuse the plans having met with Goldhanger Parish Council and members of the public in October to discuss the application.
She joined residents in opposing the loss of countryside loss and said there would be issues with the development in Goldhanger because of poor transport connections and few local amenities.
She also argued that, with the site being outside of the settlement boundary, it should be protected from development.
Dame Priti said: “Goldhanger is a small village, and these development plans would have placed new pressures on the local community.
“The scale of the development proposed is unacceptable and I am pleased that Maldon District Council has refused it.
“I pay tribute to Goldhanger Parish Council and local residents who campaigned against it and put forward robust grounds for refusal.”
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