A developer has been told they can’t build over 100 new homes on the edge of Yaxley, as it would ‘harm the intrinsic beauty of the countryside’.

Huntingdonshire District Council also said not enough information had been provided to show the proposed development would not impact the roads in the area.

Plans to build 115 homes at Livery Stable Folly Farm, off London Road, were put forward by Abbey Properties Cambridgeshire Ltd.

The developer proposed to make 40 per cent of the homes available as affordable housing.

Planning documents submitted to the district council said: “The development should be considered as an excellent opportunity to assist in meeting the council’s objectively assessed housing need.

“In particular, its undersupply of affordable housing, for which Yaxley has seen the delivery of no such dwellings since the adoption of the current local plan in 2019.

“This should carry significant positive weight in the planning balance.”

The proposals were met with backlash from some people in the village who raised concerns the development would make the area more unsafe.

Over 30 formal objections were lodged against the development, and at a parish council meeting earlier in the year people in the village met to voice their worries.

Particular concerns were raised about the proposed access road to the 115 homes off London Road.

People living nearby said the road is already very busy and questioned how it would cope with 115 new households travelling along it.

One parent said they already had concerns about letting their children walk or ride their bikes due to how busy London Road is, and shared fears the proposed homes would make the road more unsafe.

Highways officials later shared concerns about the proposed access road and asked for more information to be provided.

Planning officers at the district council who assessed the application said “insufficient information” had been provided by the developer to show the proposed homes would not negatively impact the highway.

They also raised concerns about how the development would impact the village itself.

Officers said: “It is considered that the proposed development would lead to demonstrable harm to the character of the existing settlement of Yaxley by virtue of extending beyond the clear development boundary of the settlement of Yaxley and the introduction of a domestic form of development would have a notable urbanising effect resulting in the erosion of the rural character.

“Through the loss of the demarcation between built form and countryside, the proposal would result in harm to the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside, and it would significantly alter the experience for the users of the public right of way running through the site, thereby impacting the enjoyment of the countryside.

“The application site contributes to the physical and visual separation buffer between Great Haddon and Yaxley, and together with the approved landscaped belts and recreational/open space to the Great Haddon development prevents the coalescence of the settlements.”

The developer can lodge an appeal to try and overturn the district council’s decision to refuse the application.

An appeal would need to be lodged within six months of the decision notice being issued.