Plans for nine self-build homes on Green Belt land in the Staffordshire Moorlands are set to be refused.

Rownall Developers is asking for outline planning permission for up to nine self-build plots in a field off Rownall Road, to the north of Werrington.

Fifteen residents and Cheddleton Parish Council have objected to application, saying the development would represent 'encroachment' on the countryside and result in the loss of Green Belt land.

Objectors also raise concerns over the impact on local roads and services.

Planning officers at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council say the land meets the definition of 'grey belt', as it does not make a strong contribution to the Green Belt.

But the officers have still recommended the plans for refusal, due to the harm the 'suburban' development will have on the rural setting outweighing any of its benefits.

Members of the planning committee will consider the application when they meet on Thursday.

The report to the committee states: "The proposed development, that would inevitably be provided as an even arrangement of nine plots and dwellings around a central shared access driveway, would have the rigid arrangement and density of suburban housing development.

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"In this context, the development would appear unusually exposed and located in rural farmland landscape, remote and divorced from any relatable building form and the edge of the village.

"The development would appear as an oddity and cause prominent intrusion into the countryside and rural landscape that provides setting to the village settlement. In those respects, it would be harmful to views into and out of the village settlement that are currently enjoyed as views toward quality rural landscape."

Rownall Developers is only seeking permission for access to the site from Rownall Road, with all other matters being reserved for later applications.

The identity of the self-builders is not yet confirmed, but to meet the statutory definition of self-build, the future occupiers will have to have direct involvement in the design of their property.

Officers believe that this will likely result in homes of varying size, design and scale, which would make it more difficult for the scheme to assimilate into the landscape.

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust also has a holding objection to the scheme, due to unresolved concerns over biodiversity and the impact on habitats.