A proposal to build six new homes on green belt land has been rejected by Havering Council as the development was deemed “inappropriate”.

A planning application was sent by Mark Potter in March to demolish existing buildings at 128-130 Shepherds Hill in Harold Wood and erect six three-bed detached houses with parking and amenity spaces.

But the application was turned down by the council on Tuesday (May 21) as the proposed development on the green belt land was not found to align with the national planning rules and was therefore considered “inappropriate”.

The council stated that the homes, through their number, scale, bulk and position within the site will lead to the “unwanted urbanisation” of the site that will have a “profound and material impact” on the openness of the green belt.

The new houses, it added, would be “visually cramped” when viewed from the street and will be visually dominant compared to Grade II listed buildings nearby.

“The scheme would therefore fail to contribute positively to the local character and distinctiveness”, the council argued.

A report by a planning officer dated March 13 said that the location lied within the Metropolitan Green Belt and Thames Chase Community Forest but the site is not listed or within the conservation area.

However, it said it is next to a Grade II listed farmhouse and associated buildings. The applicant had however argued in a statement attached with the proposal that the site can be classified as brownfield as it already had the existing structures on it.

The two empty homes currently on the site with a garage and annex, it said, were aged and the six new properties would be in keeping with the street scene.

Read More: Shepherds Hill, Harold Wood could have 6 new green belt homes

It further claimed the construction of new homes would meet demand for housing in Havering.

An earlier proposal for eight homes by the applicant was also rejected by the council on October 26 last year.