Scheme ‘goes against views of residents’

Praising the plans, council leader Gerry Clarkson said: “I was surprised to find the conclusion was to refuse. Looking at the scenario we have there now which is unsightly I thought these plans were encouraging.

“I have not seen many houses in the countryside that are unsustainable and empty small businesses.

“I thought it looked attractive and it is a good use of a site. It is not a large development, I think it could be useful in this area.”

But not all committee members shared the council leader’s view, as Cllr Paul Clokie slammed the design of the homes, branding them “horrid”.

Cllr Jessamy Blanford said suggestions it could become a business park similar to Evegate were very unlikely due to the location of the site.

Ward member Cllr Noel Ovenden proposed a motion to refuse the development as the majority of committee members concluded that a narrow road and the remote location would make a small business park unsustainable.

The Ashford Independent councillor said: “This site is an unsustainable location and my proposal is to follow the officer’s advice to refuse.

“We are not talking about a brownfield site - we are dealing with agricultural land. This site is located on a very tight road, where two vehicles cannot pass each other and lorries struggle to get up it.

“The neighbourhood plan was built on a walkable village concept. I understand what the applicant has tried to achieve with this but I cannot see how this provides direct benefit to the neighbourhood plan.

“It goes against the views of most of the people in the village and I think we should respect their views and refuse this application.”