A controversial proposal for 49 homes in Framlingham has been rejected by councillors after they concluded the development was in conflict with local and neighbourhood plans.
Planning officers at East Suffolk Council (ESC) had recommended the go-ahead for the new homes off Victoria Mill Road in the ancient market town despite criticism from Framlingham Town Council that the development overruled the town's local and neighbourhood plans.
Framlingham Town Council began a legal challenge and a letter from solicitors Leigh Day, acting on behalf of the authority, stated ESC had "erred" by failing to take the plan into account in giving its original approval.
As well as the town council, 108 residents opposed the plans along with 430 people who signed a petition against the scheme.
The application was subsequently called in for reconsideration in February because part of the site had been declared an Asset of Community Value (ACV).
At a meeting of East Suffolk Council's planning committee south on Tuesday afternoon, councillors voted 5-4 to refuse the plans on the grounds that the conflict with the local and neighbourhood plans "outweighed the benefit of the proposed development".
Speaking after the meeting, Simon Garrett, chairman of Framlingham Town Council's planning committee, said: "We are very pleased. The thing about this was not opposing development but opposing an application contrary to the neighbourhood plan that we have in place.
"We've got a plan which specifies what development we get and when, and will exceed the government targets for housing, so it's not against development per se, it's just against people riding rough shod over local views on where the development goes."
Mr Garrett also praised Dan Poulter, MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, who raised his concerns about the development with the district council.
"Our MP Dan Poulter, we spoke to him, and he wrote directly to the council and to the members of the committee," Mr Garrett said.
"[It was] a very strong letter, urging them to stick to the local plan and the neighbourhood plan, which in the end I think it was that issue which swayed their view.
"Not that the application for that site is totally wrong but it should stick to the democratically created local plan and neighbourhood plan."
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