Residents of a small Somerset village can breathe a sigh of relief after plans for more than 50 new homes were scrapped.

M7 Planning Ltd. submitted plans in January for 56 homes and a new convenience store on the B3081 Prestleigh Road in Evercreech, near Shepton Mallet – a stone's throw from the former Greencore site, which is also being targeted by developers.

The plans have been castigated by local residents, who argued the local roads were "not fit for purpose" and said the plans amounted to "urban sprawl".

The developer has now withdrawn the proposals, meaning the homes will not go ahead – though no formal reason has been made public.

This comes as a public inquiry into 120 homes on the Greencore site has been pushed back to early-November.

The M7 development site lies to the north of the former Greencore factory (which caught fire on January 4), on the eastern side of Prestleigh Road.

The new homes would have been built at the southern end of the site nearest the existing properties on Maesdown Road, with a separate vehicular access for the convenience store and a footpath to link the two together.

Of the 56 homes planned for the site, 17 would have been affordable – meeting the council's target of 30 per cent affordable housing for any new development of ten homes or more.

Evercreech Parish Council objected to the plans, arguing that the Alton-based company was exploiting the lack of a five-year housing land supply in the former Mendip district to deliver homes where they were not wanted.

Parish clerk Lynn Crisp said: "The applicants are relying on the housing supply position to justify their proposal, but they are not developers themselves and have not provided any evidence to demonstrate that the development will improve the five-year housing supply.

"The site lies in the countryside outside the development limits of the village.

"This development by reason of size would result in a disproportionate amount of growth for the village and have a harmful impact on the countryside's intrinsic character.

"Mendip District Council previously identified several undeveloped sites within the designated settlement boundary of Evercreech."

Proposed Site Of 56 Homes And Convenience Store On The B3081 Prestleigh Road In Evercreech

CPRE Somerset also objected to the plans, with trustee Fletcher Robinson stating: "In our view there would be significant and demonstrable harm to the character and appearance of the village by permitting unjustified urban spread into the surrounding countryside.

"The scheme would introduce a suburbanising form of development onto the site, which would be at odds with its current appearance as an open area of land at the entrance to the village."

Somerset Council – which replaced Mendip District Council in April – confirmed in writing that the plans would not be going forward for either a delegated decision by officers or a public decision by its planning committee east.

Mickey Green, the council's executive director for climate and place, said: "Having received correspondence from the developer regarding this application, we will now regard this application as having been withdrawn and will take no further action upon it."

A planning inquiry into plans for 120 homes on the Greencore site was originally due to get under way on May 16.

However, the Planning Inspectorate has now confirmed that the inquiry has been postponed until November 8, with further details being announced nearer the time.