A plan to build 80 new houses in Halton near Lancaster has been given the green light.
The new housing development on land near Low Road was given outline planning permission at a meeting on Monday.
Developers Applethwaite Homes Ltd want to build up to 80 homes with a new access road on 6.5 hectares of open fields on the edge of the village.
Thirteen councillors on the Lancaster City Council planning committee voted in favour of the proposal, with one abstention.
"The proposed development would deliver a range of high quality, high specification homes for the local community in a sustainable location," said a design and access statement submitted with the plans.
"The new homes would contribute to Lancaster City Council’s housing supply."
The original application proposed 90 new homes.
There had been 140 letters of objection to the scheme from the public.
These were on several grounds including that "the site is not allocated for development in the (council's) approved Local Plan", "there are alternative undeveloped allocated sites that could be utilised", "the proposal would extend the village boundary", "the views from Forest of Bowland National Landscape would be adversely affected" and "a number of accidents have occurred along Low Road including fatalities and serious injuries".
But in recommending that the development should go ahead, a council planning report said: "The application site is not allocated for housing, or any other specific land use.
"The whole of the site lies within the designated Countryside Area defined by the Lancaster District Local Plan, which defines the rural context of the district.
"The proposal will provide 40 per cent on-site affordable dwellings. The provision of both market and affordable housing attracts significant weight.
"Other benefits arising from the development include traffic calming measures, and footway and pedestrian crossing provision all of which will enhance the pedestrian environment along Low Road. The proposal also secures financial contributions towards the Lancaster Travel and Transport Infrastructure Strategy to facilitate improvements to the local highway network.
"The proposal also includes contributions to make off-site improvements to public open space facilities, along with the provision of new public open space infrastructure within the site itself, all of which benefits the wider community as well as future residents of the development.
"The proposal also secures a contribution towards the enhancement of education facilities, as well as providing notable landscaping, ecological and drainage schemes all of which can deliver enhancement to the site’s visual appearance, ecological value and its role with respect to improved flood risk mitigation.
"The applicant has demonstrated a safe and suitable access can be provided and the impacts of development traffic would not lead to safety concerns or have residual cumulative impacts that would be severe on the network.
"Subject to pre-commencement conditions, it has been demonstrated that there are options available to ensure the development can be drained sustainably and without causing a flood risk elsewhere.
"With mitigation, the impacts of the development on adjacent sensitive environments and protected species are considered acceptable."
Councillors Thornberry, Belcher, Redfern, Hanson, Otway, Newton, Livermore, Lenox, Gawith, Greenwell, Mills, Tynan and Fish voted in favour of the scheme. Councillor Roger Dennison abstained.
The decision was made at a council planning regulatory committee meeting held at Morecambe Town Hall.
Read more: Eighty new houses in Halton recommended for green light - Beyond Radio
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