VILLAGERS are celebrating a small victory after plans to build dozens of homes destroying their tight-knit community were refused by councillors.

During a packed Cheshire West and Chester strategic planning committee meeting on Thursday night councillors unanimously refused plans to build 68 homes on the land opposite Brook Hall Cottages on Chester Road, Tattenhall.

But villagers are continuing to fight an ‘unsustainable influx’ of development on their doorsteps, after councillors chose to defer a decision on whether to allow 70 homes on land near to Harding View, raising fears that Redrow Homes could force the houses through by appeal.

Over the past seven months fears have been building that the village’s services could be ‘overwhelmed’ and traditional community ‘flooded’ by modern development, after plans were submitted to build a total of 460 houses in Tattenhall.

Combined with the 145 homes already granted permission in the village, residents fear that the cumulative effects of the large influx of homes would be ‘unsustainable’, and ‘out of scale’ leading to a break-down in community cohesion as the village would grow by 57%.

Speaking to rapturous applause Carol Weaver, chairman of the Tattenhall Parish Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, said the village only had 847 homes and the influx of homes would present an unacceptable sudden growth in the population that would have a detrimental impact on the village school, shops and doctors’ surgery.

“We want Tattenhall to continue to thrive as a distinctive village,” said Cllr Weaver, who said the village was not against development but wanted to see it phased over time and a range of developments to suit need.

“We want the development to respect and reflect the views of the community and to provide an outstanding quality of life for current and future generations, and in order to be able to do that we ask that the council reject these large scale and inappropriate applications.”

Following the meeting Cllr Weaver, the spearhead of Tattenhall’s Neighbourhood Plan, which gives residents a voice in their community, said: “Obviously we are pleased the decision has been made to refuse one of the applications, but disappointed that they were not both dealt with at once.

“It is great news that we have made a step forwards in our fight against the developments, but we are used to this now. We will be going back in December to fight the application.”