Councillors have blocked plans for four bungalows on the edge of a Staffordshire Moorlands village.

Planning committee members at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council refused permission for the development off Shawe Park Road, Kingsley Holt, in line with their officer's recommendation.

The committee heard the proposed bungalows, which would be restricted to the over-55s, would help meet the growing demand for older people's housing the Moorlands.

But planning officers recommended the scheme for refusal, saying the application site to the south of Shawe Park Road is in the open countryside, and that building on it would lead to 'ribbon development' beyond the edge of the village.

Parish councillor Ken Unwin told the committee that four previous applications for the site had been refused over the last 10 years.

Cllr Unwin said: "The proposed development is outside the natural village boundary and the formal planning boundary.

"It is not an in-fill development, and would be an unnecessary and unwelcome extension to the linear nature of the village."

He also raised concerns over the 'negative visual impact' of the bungalows, which he said would be out of keeping with the area, and road safety.

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Rob Duncan, agent for the applicants, said the scheme would 'relate positively' to the surrounding area, while meeting a genuine need for such housing. He said: "There's an increasingly ageing population in the Moorlands.

"Offering older people a better choice of accommodation to suit their changing needs can help them to live independently for longer, feel more connected to their communities, help reduce costs to the social care and health systems, and also facilitate downsizing."

While committee members accepted that there is a need for more bungalows in the Moorlands, most agreed that the site would be unsuitable for development.

Councillor Jonathan Kempster said: "There is a need for housing for older people. But my concern is that this is in the open countryside."