00:00A packed public gallery broke into applause when Solihull councillors rejected plans for 130 homes in Hampton in Arden.
00:09The scheme from developer City Heart was for Greenbelt land off Old Station Road, but planning officers recommended approval.
00:18They classed the site as Greybelt, meaning they considered it suitable for development despite its Greenbelt status.
00:24Residents argued the homes would put pressure on local services and leave people relying on their cars.
00:31Cancellors questioned the distance to buses, the railway station and shops as well as traffic on the village roads.
00:37The village's MP, Sakeeb Bhatti, also warned it would overwhelm schools and healthcare.
00:43The applicant disagreed.
00:45Its representative said this was a sustainable place to build and that development would provide more than £2.2 million
00:52for education, healthcare and playing pitches.
00:55Officers said national policy did not expect countryside locations to have the same access to services as towns and cities.
01:03But the committee unanimously refused the plans on the 4th of November.
01:08The council's legal advisor warned that the decision could be difficult to defend if City Heart appealed, particularly because Highway's
01:15officers had not objected.
01:17An appeal would also cost the council money.
01:20Officers pointed to a separate proposal for 95 homes on Borsal Common that had been rejected by the council but
01:27were subsequently approved on appeal.
