AN application to demolish a bungalow and build five houses on a site in Woodsford Road, Crossways has been rejected.

It sought to replace the bungalow at Hillside, with four semi-detached homes and one detached house.

Eight formal letters were submitted objecting to the scheme, most claiming it would be an overdevelopment of the site and result in a loss of privacy for neighbours at Backwell Walk, directly behind the proposed development. Said one objector: “Whilst we don’t object to the land being developed the huge scale that is being proposed is unacceptable.”

Other expressed concerns about additional traffic and the removal of an established hedgerow with the loss of wildlife.

Crossways parish council had backed the comments of neighbours and recommended rejection of the scheme.

Recommending refusal the planning case officer wrote: “Overall the development is out of character with the neighbourhood and is not in keeping with the original design concept for the surrounding estate. The proposed properties will overshadow the existing houses and gardens. The plans highlight a potential difficulty for emergency services to access the properties, particularly those that are set back from the highway. The proximity of some of the adjacent properties to this development lead to the possible infringement of their right to privacy.”