PLANS to build 32 new homes in a 'green wedge' between Sutton-in-Craven and Glusburn have been firmly rejected by councillors.

A government planning inspector will decide on the application for 'Thompsons field', off Holme Lane following an appeal by Snell Developments, after Craven District Council failed to come to a decision in the given time.

But on Monday, Craven's planning committee said it would have refused building of the homes because of the loss of the important green wedge.

It comes just a month after a different planning inspector dismissed a separate appeal to build on a similar 'green wedge' off Main Street, separating Sutton from Eastburn.

Objectors, including from Sutton Parish Council, told the meeting it was important to protect the gap between the two villages, even though the scheme was a scaled down version of one rejected by the council and on appeal in 2013.

Objector, Brian Sanderson, said people understood there was a need for housing, but the site was a 'delightful rural spot' that everyone in Sutton enjoyed.

He further questioned the sense of the expense involved in a second planning appeal when the earlier application had been so firmly rejected.

Ward councillor Stephen Place said the green wedge served to separate the two settlements of Glusburn and Sutton and even scaled down, the development would take that away.

"The idea is to give a sense of arrival into Sutton, ad you wouldn't get that with only a nine metre gap," he said.

Cllr Place added that the government inspector had been clear in his rejection of the larger scheme in 2013, even though at the time the council could not demonstrate a five year housing land supply.

"Today, the council can identify a five year land supply, making the inspector's reasons for refusal even more robust," he said.

The comments of Craven District Council's planning committee will be taken on board by by the government inspector during the appeal process, which is expected to take several weeks.