A Herefordshire Council decision to approve plans for 45 homes in Bromyard has been referred to the secretary of state for housing.
The county council approved Keepmoat Homes’ proposals last month to develop the former depot site on Hereford Road.
The scheme comprises 27 homes for sale on the open market and 18 affordable dwellings with open space and landscaping was given the go-ahead with 11 votes in favour, two against and one abstention on December 18.
But a concerned resident contacted North Herefordshire MP Bill Wiggin who has referred the application to Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government James Brokenshire, the Land Registry and the secretary of state.
Bromyard and Winslow town councillors also raised concerns that approval of the housing scheme was ‘unsafe due to evidence having been presented by two residents that the applicant does not control all of the land within the proposed development’.
They say this information was not brought to the committee’s attention.
Town mayor Roger Page said: “Solicitors acting for local residents sent evidence of land ownership prior to the committee which was not reported to members, this taken with the lack of employment land tilts the planning balance against a change of use of existing employment land and under the 1947 Wednesbury Judgement a decision to grant consent under these circumstances cannot be regarded as being reasonable.
“In addition, because Bromyard requires 5 ha of employment land under the 2015 Core Strategy it is argued that to give consent for housing on 1.6 ha of existing employment land is perverse and unreasonable.
“I am very sad the council did not take into account sound reasons for refusal.”
Herefordshire Council says it has not received a challenge to the decision of the planning committee to grant planning permission for this development.
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