TWO new homes will be built in the open countryside after councillors agreed to do “what is best” for the community.

The site for the large four-bedroom homes which includes offices above garages in West Winterslow is just outside the housing policy boundary.

Applicants Richard and Karen Chalmers told councillors at Thursday’s southern area planning committee they had lived in the village for almost 30 years but with ageing relatives and growing children they needed more space for their family.

They plan to put their bungalow on the market and build the two homes on their own land next door in Weston Lane.

The application received no objections and five letters in support with the parish council also giving its full support.

While outside of the housing boundary, the half acre site is one of ten to be identified for development within Winterslow’s draft neighbourhood plan.

However as the neighbourhood plan has yet to be voted on by the village and formally adopted, it remains labelled as open countryside. As a result, planning officers recommended the plans for refusal on policy grounds.

Some councillors agreed - Jose Green said she felt permission was “just too premature”  and Richard Clewer said the committee should wait until the neighbourhood plan had been voted on.

Councillor Richard Britton added: “If we work on the basis that the village has a neighbourhood plan started then we’re opening the floodgates, anyone can just start a neighbourhood plan and use it as a basis to argue for an exception.”

But the majority of councillors disagreed. Mike Hewitt said: “It’s an ideal spot for two houses - the village itself is growing.

“The only reasons for refusal is because it’s outside an imaginary red line.”

And Ian Tomes said: “It’s not just the start of the neighbourhood plan, there’s been three years work on it - it is inevitable at some stage this site will be developed.

"We have no objections from anybody, not one neighbour about this application and it has the full support of the parish council.

"The whole point of planning is although we have to follow the process we have to do what’s best for the community as a whole and I think this application fits that.”

Councillors voted to approve the plans by eight to two with one abstention.