Anti-student village campaigners are overjoyed after controversial plans for the development and the Sir Steve Redgrave sports institute were overwhelmingly rejected by a special council meeting.

Bell Developments had resubmitted plans with Cheshire West and Chester Council to build a 2,300-bed student village and sports centre on green belt land between Blacon and Mollington after it was turned down in January.

But at Chester Town Hall  51 councillors backed the planning officer’s recommendation to refuse the application as it had not met the ‘very special circumstances’ test needed to build on the green belt.

Only one Tory councillor, executive member Cllr Stuart Parker, voted in favour at the meeting, which was filmed for BBC2 series The Planners and there were three abstentions.

Andy Scargill, chair of Friends of North Chester Greenbelt, was overcome with emotion following the outcome of the three-hour debate.

He said: “I’m lost for words, I never expected to get such a landslide victory. I thought we would win on balance but I never expected that. I have spent three years fighting this. It does show the little man can win out.

“This is a great day for democracy.”

Disappointed student village supporter Rachel Dison, who lives in the Garden Quarter near the university, said: “It’s been the only solution put forward about how to deal with the student problem in Chester. The current pepper-potting that is going on in Chester of student developments throughout the city centre will drive out residents and is not, in my opinion, the right way to deal with it.”

Sir Steve Redgrave, who had earlier addressed the council, didn’t hang around after the meeting but did have a long drive back to Marlow ahead of him.

Brothers Mike and Dave Bell of Bell Developments were shocked and not in the mood to offer comment.

Bell could appeal the decision but when asked whether the scheme would be back, Mike Bell responded: “I don’t know.”

The special council meeting was instigated by four Tory rebel councillors and a Lib Dem colleague following concerns council leader Mike Jones had changed the make-up of the strategic planning committee which had been due to determine the application.

Cllr Jones has been vocal about his support for the concept of a student village but had declared an interest in this particular scheme because of his friendship with the applicants and stayed away from the meeting.

Even Conservative members who supported the application the first time around voted against including Cllr Howard Greenwood, Lord Mayor Jill Houlbrook and Norman Wright.

And there was speculation in the room afterwards about what the vote meant for the future of Cllr Jones’ leadership.

Asked on Chester radio station Dee 106.3 how he felt his leadership had been affected, he responded: “I personally support the concept of a student village around Chester and I will continue to support that but I’m not sure it affects my leadership in any way.”

Asked if he would consider his resignation, he commented: “No, I’m not sure that’s appropriate because I’ve not participated in this process.”

One of the Tory rebels, Cllr Myles Hogg, who was suspended by Cllr Jones, said the vote had ‘helped clear up any misunderstandings’ and the ‘council can now move on’.

But he claimed the proper procedure had not been followed in withdrawing the whip because it was the Tory political group and not the leader alone who had the power to suspend members although Cllr Jones told Dee that was exactly what had taken place.

Cllr Hogg said: “I’m hoping that in due course of time proper procedure will be followed and the group will decide in a secret ballot whether the four of us should remain members of the group or not.”