A HOMES plan rejected twice by the council could still be allowed to go ahead after an appeal was launched.

The plan to build six homes off Main Street in Bishampton, near Peshore, was rejected by Wychavon District Council’s planning committee in May last year and again in November when it was resubmitted.

An appeal has now been lodged by the developer Build1 with the government’s planning inspectorate which if backed would overrule the council’s two rejections and allow the homes to be built.

Council officers said the land was open countryside and outside development boundaries in Bishampton and could not be supported.

The council also admitted a shortfall in the number of self-build homes across the Wychavon district but the “modest” deficit was not enough to be able to approve the plan.

A report from the council outlining the rejection said: “The proposal, which would extend the built form beyond the settlement boundary and onto an area of undeveloped agricultural land, would detract from the rural character of the area and the enjoyment of those using the public footpaths in the vicinity, and would harm the setting of the adjacent listed buildings.”

Dozens of objections were made by villagers in Bishampton criticising the plan for building on green space and was the latest of several squeezed-in ‘infill’ developments that were “ruining” the village.

Objectors also said the road that had been proposed to be used to access the new homes was “unsuitable.”

An objector to the plan, Pat Smith of Abberton Road said allowing more homes to be built would “erode” the village.

“This is another planning application which contributes to the erosion of village life,” the objection said.

“We move into a village so that we can enjoy the country lanes with our horses and dogs safely.

“The enjoyment of this pathway will be totally destroyed if this plan goes ahead.”

Bishampton and Throckmorton Parish Council had also objected to the plan saying the land was outside the development boundary for the village and had not been included in the South Worcester Development Plan (SWDP) – the county’s major planning blueprint.