Plans to build a 47-home housing development in Stoke St Michael have been turned down by Mendip District Council.

An outline planning application for the residential development of up to 47 dwellings, public open space, ecological mitigation land, landscaping and associated works with access from Coalpit Lane (all other matters reserved) on land south of Fairbanks, Coalpit Lane, Stoke St Michael, had been submitted by Stoke St Michael LVP LLP.

The site lies adjacent to the northern edge of Stoke St Michael and is a greenfield site (1.64 hectares) consisting of agricultural fields.

The applicant had confirmed that 30 per cent of the 47 homes would be delivered as affordable housing and the development would also provide areas of public open space and ecological mitigation land.

However, dozens of letters of objection were submitted to Mendip siting a number of complaints, including disproportionate growth, strain on village infrastructure and lack of local demand for affordable housing.

The council agreed, and refused the application on the grounds that the benefits of improving the housing supply were outweighed by the adverse impact it could have on the natural environment and landscape character.

The planning officer's report said: "The proposal will result in an overdevelopment of the site and an urban encroachment of housing into the countryside in a location where development of this nature is strictly controlled, creating a harmful urbanising impact which does not preserve the intrinsic character of the countryside for its own intrinsic value and beauty, failing to respect the distinctive local character of the village, wider area and landscape setting, which includes St Dunstan's Well Catchment SSSI.

"The benefits of bringing forward housing supply (including affordable housing) and the limited economic and social benefits do not in this case significantly and demonstrably outweigh the adverse impacts on the natural environment, landscape character and visual amenities of the area that would arise from the development.

"It has not been adequately demonstrated that the impact of the development to mineral safeguarding would be acceptable, having regard to the lack of consideration given to the importance of existing quarries and the sterilisation of resources which may be important in the future, which will have a detrimental impact on the future prospects of the existing quarries in the vicinity of the site."