Pleas have been made to protect Portland’s ‘precious’ green spaces.

Ward councillor Paul Kimber said the island had now reached saturation point and needed to look after the green open spaces it had left.

His comments came during discussion on an application for 25 houses off Verne Common Road and Ventnor Road.

Cllr Kimber said the site was outside the defined development boundary and to try and put so many homes on the site would be an overdevelopment.

“I am concerned we are losing these spaces at a rapid rate…these areas are so precious to us and to the life of Underhill,” he told the Dorset Council area planning committee.

Neighbour to the site Simon Gledhill appeared before the committee to tell councillors that the scheme had ended up being closer to his property than originally planned and that a 5m wildlife ‘corridor’ had been reduced. He said he was worried about the effects on his home, and neighbours, but was also concerned about a potential loss of trees and the threat to a badger sett on the site.

A move to reject the application on the grounds of overdevelopment came from Wyke Regis councillor Kate Wheller. She also warned that if a badger sett was in the area, as claimed, there would have to be a wide area of protection around it.

But at the vote, the application was agreed by a margin of one following a recommendation to grant permission made by Crossways councillor Nick Ireland. Planning permission had been previously granted for eight homes on the site.

The proposed homes are two, 4-bedroom units, fourteen 3-bed, four, 2-bed and five affordable 3-bed. The site would be accessed off Verne Common Road on the eastern boundary and the proposed layout of the scheme would create three tiers of housing with the properties stepped down the slope. The scheme also allows for 59 parking spaces and 22 garage spaces.

Almost 40 people wrote to Dorset Council about the scheme, most objecting, although one said it would make a positive impact on the area help the local economy.