NEEDY home-seekers from around Stratford received a boost this week when a district councillor claimed victory in his fight for more social housing.

Coun Peter Moorse said last month he was concerned that some housing developers were using a planning loophole to avoid handing over land for cheap homes by building fewer than 15 homes per site - the legal limit for land handovers.

Coun Moorse was jubilant this week after council officers accepted his example of the Coach House Hotel development, which contains two sets of plans for homes on the same site from two separate companies.

Officers said they should be treated together, forcing the firms to give up land or have permission refused.

The site was originally subject to three plans with one applicant, Whitney Mayes of Stratford, unrelated to the others.

Whitney Mayes withdrew its plans on Tuesday, leaving two Birmingham companies, Maplegold Properties and Vermont Estates, in the running.

Coun Moorse was concerned about the development as his investigations had revealed the two companies shared the same address and information from Companies House revealed the firms shared a director.

A legal consideration of the two remaining applications saw the council's legal department conclude that for the consideration of social housing, the whole site should be treated as one - meaning the number of homes on both applications should be counted together.

Coun Moorse said the decision, which means the planning committee is recommended to reject the plans, showed the council would not be "taken in by developers and it shows we make policy and stick to it".

David Bishton, of Associated Construction Consultants, the agent acting for Maplegold Properties and Vermont Estates, said the developers did not believe the Regency luxury of the new development would be conducive to social and low-cost housing, so the they had agreed to hand over land elsewhere in the town.

"I do feel it is unjust to have both applications considered as one when they are entirely separate," he said.

He refused to comment on whether the developers would appeal if the plans were rejected.