Councillors have refused plans for 21 homes in a village west of York because the proposed site is currently in the Green Belt.

Dunnington-based Mulgrave Development sought to build a mix of 2,3 and 4-bed homes, both market and affordable, on a 1ha site east of Middlewood Close, Rufforth, on grassland adjoining the village school.

Planning officers at City of York Council had recommended approval for the scheme, saying it would help York meeting its housing needs, including for affordable housing, on a site allocated for housing in the 2018 Draft Local Plan, despite it’s current Green Belt status.

A report for a meeting of the council’s Planning Committee B, which considered the application on Thursday, noted support from Rufforth Parish Council for housing on the site, despite their concerns building on Green Belt land sets ‘a dangerous precedent.’

Committee chairman Andrew Hollyer told the Press after the meeting that members refused the application as it had been submitted before the Local Plan has been adopted. The site remained Green Belt and had to be assessed on that basis.

Once the local plan is adopted, the status of the site will change, and a future application for the site may see a different decision, he added.