Controversial plans to build four houses in the green belt, which have been objected to by more than 250 residents, have been refused by councillors at Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

The development would have seen up to four properties on land west of Spout Lane in Baddeley Edge.

In total 264 residents objected to the plans with concerns raised over the impact on the greenbelt and pressure on local services.

Planning officers recommended that the plans be refused due to Spout Lane not being suitable for pedestrians and would mean future residents would be reliant on car usage.

Representing the applicant, planning agent Michael Askew, said: "Our case is that the site comprises a greybelt site and is therefore an appropriate form of development in the greenbelt.

"This application only seeks permission in principle, all technical and design details will be considered at a later time."

A permission in principle application was submitted because of this the only matter of discussion was location, land use, and amount of development. Other technical matters would be discussed at a later stage. 

Cllr Ross Irving commented: "We are saying in principle no and yet some details which may well allow development if they were considered at that later planning stage could be valid. For example improvements to access all things which are being considered now.

"If we rule out in principle that there is no development that never gets discussed and yet if we accepted the in-principal development and dealt with the matter as we would normally have done, where the issues which are relevant to the application are discussed in detail you may well find these much needed properties could actually be accommodated."

Cllr Alastair Watson said it might be the case that people living in the properties if they wanted to travel at night would take a torch out with them or offer lifts to people getting home to improve safety on the unlit road.

He said: "If you're making a view and you're not bringing available and relevant evidence with you to the meeting it kind of undermines your view and it doesn't contribute towards the integrity of this process. 

"I would put it to the planning team that actually you want to elicit that view a bit more from the consultants before their view carries such a lot of weight because what you can't measure here is the behavioural practices of the people who are living there and the cultural practices of people living there."

The planning committee at Stoke-on-Trent City Council refused granting permission in line with the planning officers recommendations.

Five votes were received for rejecting permission, one for and one abstention.