Outline plans for ten houses on a field off West Lane, Sutton-in-Craven, have been approved despite concerns about difficult access and parked cars.

Objectors close to the site told Craven District Council’s planning committee that they believed the proposed access would be difficult because of parked cars on residential West Lane.

They also believed the proposed houses, including six detached, were not in keeping with the surrounding bungalows and the site, which had once been part of a field, had been deliberately mowed ahead of development.

Coun Ken Hart (Sutton, Ind) said the parish council had objected to the scheme and added that three earlier planning applications for the site had all been refused.

He agreed there would be traffic problems and criticised the highways authority for raising no objection, but recommended refusal on the grounds the development was outside the development limits of the village.

But councillors were recommended to approve the scheme on the grounds that Government policy favoured development in cases where a local authority had not hit its six year land supply.

Councillors heard that Craven was still 41 houses short of its target and was still without its own Local Development Plan (LDP).

Coun Ady Green (Con, Cowling) said he sympathised with the ward councillor, but was unable to support him because he could see no valid reason to refuse the scheme.

Coun Hart, who asked for a written response as to why the council still did not have its own LDP, warned that every village in Craven would be at risk until a plan was published.