Controversial plans to build 20 affordable homes in a conservation area in Cowling have been rejected by planning chiefs.

Craven District Council’s planning committee voted six to two against Skipton Properties’ plans to develop the greenfield site in Acre Road when it met on Monday.

Committee members felt an exceptional need for affordable housing in Cowling had not been demonstrated and there was, therefore, no justification to build in a conservation area outside the village development limits.

Planning officers had recommended approval, stating the proposal consisted entirely of affordable homes and the benefit to the community would outweigh the impact the scheme would have on the open countryside.

A previous application by Skipton Properties for 13 homes on the Acre Road site was dismissed on appeal, with the planning inspector saying the impact of the proposal on the conservation area was unacceptable.

Cowling residents campaigning against the development spoke out at the start of the meeting.

A parish council spokeswoman disputed the need for affordable housing, stating a site-specific survey conducted by the parish council showed demand was much less than predicted by Craven’s own surveys.

She also argued Craven District Council could have required affordable homes to be built at the Carr Mill site if there was an exceptional need in the village, but it had not done so.

Coun Stephen Place (Ind) spoke in favour of the application and moved that the officers’ recommendation be accepted. He said he thought the site fitted the bill in terms of satisfying a housing need, and warned councillors that building on exception sites would become the norm in the future rather than the exception as demand for homes increased.

But councillors expressed concerns that the affordable homes were being built in a group, rather than being “pepper-potted” throughout the village, and there were no safeguards to ensure the new homes would go to Cowling residents.

Coun Paul English (Lib Dem) said before he could agree the development was an exception site, he needed to know many people were currently on the waiting list for an affordable home with Cowling as their first choice. He moved the application be rejected in the absence of that information.

“I believe in affordable housing, but not at any cost,” he said.

“Exception sites should be created in exceptional circumstances. I can’t currently see, with the lack of figures before me, that this is exceptional.

“The fact is it is also in a conservation area and we are duty bound to protect it.”