Controversial plans to build the district’s first carbon-neutral eco-village have been rejected.

Father-and-son developers Ralph and Alistair Noel launched the bid to erect 19 two-bedroom houses in Goose Farm, Broad Oak, last summer.

Since then, the number of homes was reduced to 17, amid fears the 0.4 hectare site would not be large enough.

But at Tuesday night’s planning committee meeting, all but three members voted to refuse the scheme.

Sturry councillor Georgina Glover said: “A lot of the people in Broad Oak don’t want it.

“This is a lovely little village and we’re spoiling it by cramming too many too close on a small piece of land.”

The homes at the Shalloak Road site would have been equipped with rainwater recycling systems, ground-source heating and solar panels.

The Noels had also hoped to introduce an electric car sharing scheme for those living at the development.

Addressing the meeting on Tuesday, Alistair said: “This development is raising the bar.

“The design is driven by environmental considerations, it will set a new standard for housing in the village and for sustainability in the district as a whole. You cannot address climate change without being bold.”

However in a report presented to the committee, planning officers recommended the proposals be refused, stating it was out of character with the rest of the area, too dense and that it would not provide enough affordable housing.

Despite praising the development, Cllr Nick Eden-Green urged his colleagues to reject the “overly cramped” scheme.

“This is a balance between an exciting scheme which is carbon neutral and clear policy – that is the dilemma with which we’re faced,” he said.

“It is also coloured by a scheme that is very dense – and this trumps both of those other issues.

"We’re looking at something that is very urban in a village.”

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