A plan to self-build a house on a plot of land in Earlswood has been dashed because councillors decided it was a threat to the green belt.

Applicants J and R Riley had applied for permission to Stratford District Council where planning officers recommended that it should be granted.

But at the latest meeting of the planning committee, councillors rejected the scheme because the site was not only outside of the built up area boundary of the village but also within the green belt.

In a report to the committee, officers had countered those matters with the fact that there was a shortage of self-build plots around the district.

The report said: "There is a shortfall in supply of 81 plots for self-build and custom house building. National policy and guidance weighs heavily in favour of granting planning permission for such schemes in appropriate locations to maintain a rolling delivery of plots.

"Overall, I find that the development has some level of conflict with policies but this is outweighed by the shortfall in the supply of self-build plots."

The scheme would have seen a new access created from the B4102 (Earlswood Common) into the site which is currently used for horse grazing. There are stables on the land which is situated between properties called Hedgelands and Swallow Cottage.

Cllr Mike Saunders, of Tanworth Parish Council, spoke against the plans at the meeting. He said: "The officer makes it clear that this application, leaving aside self-build, would be contrary to green belt policy. Policy states that self-build sites should be covered in principle but not in areas covered by the green belt." 

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Ward member Cllr Tony Dixon was also against the scheme, saying that he considered that the provision of a self-build plot within the green belt was insufficient to outweigh the significant harm."

And that was also the view of Cllr Andy Crump who added: "I think these self-built and custom-built houses need to be built in the right place and building in the green belt I dont think is the right place – so I cannot support this application."

The planning application was refused by seven votes to one.

Committee chairman Cllr Peter Richards said: "I am a firm believer that green belt should be protected. We have green belt policy for a reason and it has been around for a long, long time. 

"It is clear from what we have heard that custom and self-build properties should not go in positions where other developments would be unsuitable. We have also been told that the only reason this has been put forward is the special circumstances that it is self or custom built."

(Header image by David Harper via geograph.org.uk)