A DEVELOPMENT of seven homes in rural Herefordshire has been approved despite the plans going against the local neighbourhood plan.

At Herefordshire Council's Planning Committee a majority of councillors voted in favour of seven homes at a disused piggery in Lower Maescoed, around three miles away from Ewyas Harold.

Six of the homes include work space and are a mixture of two two-bed, four three-bed and one four-bed.

Paul Mason, chairman of Vowchurch and Group Parish Council, said they do want to see the site developed but with fewer homes than the plan proposed.

He said: "The proposed number of homes is extensive given the character of the local area. In effect, it doubles the number of homes in that particular area."

He said the parish has developed its own Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) and took note of the council's core strategy which says that development in the parish should consist of one to three dwellings per site reflecting the current building pattern and historic pattern of housing.

Cllr Peter Jinman, ward county councillor, said NDPs take a considerable amount of voluntary time to put together.

He said: "The NDP follows the core strategy. If it goes ahead in the form and number it is today there needs to be a very clear explanation to those in this particular parish and also to the others who are doing their NDP, where the line lies in terms of the value of the NDP."

The applicant, Hugo Lewis, said it is only a preference for one to three homes and having more homes on site means they can build a mix of two to four bedroom homes.

Cllr Phil Edwards said this is one element where the core strategy needs to reviewed. He questioned if a development of just three houses would be cost effective for the developer.

While Cllr Bruce Baker said: "I think residents in these villages will have to be prepared and accept housing growth."

However, Cllr Anthony Powers said he has been involved in putting together a NDP and it takes a lot of time.

He said: "To be able to brush all that away and claim the wording is sufficiently ambiguous to be trampled over and dismissed is certainly not acceptable from the committee's point of view, I would hope."

Lead development manager at the council, Kevin Bishop, said the key word is "broadly" as the neighbourhood plan says "broadly one to three houses." He said the council needs to assess the benefit.

Ten councillors voted in favour, four against and one abstention.