A BID to secure three self-build housing plots in Lapford has failed.

Ken and Dana Harrison had wanted “outline” permission for three homes on land they own off Eastington Lane.

The plots would have been located across the road from Lapford Congregational Church, roughly behind the Parkhill, Highlands and Trelawney homes.

They would have been accessed by a new road leading off Eastington Lane adjacent to the Sandhurst property.

If the plans had been approved, three houses with four or more bedrooms each would have been allowed to be built on the land in principle. Further permission from Mid Devon District Council would have been needed to build them.

The council refused Mr and Mrs Harrison’s request for outline planning permission as it said the plots would have been “outside of the defined settlement limit of Lapford”.

In addition, no affordable or low-cost housing was proposed to meet the housing needs of the village.

This meant the plans were at odds with the Mid Devon Local Plan, a blueprint for development.

Finally, Mid Devon District Council said introducing three new homes behind houses on Eastington Lane would have had a “harmful impact on the character and appearance of the area”.

There were as many as 41 objections from members of the public, with nobody writing to the council in support of the application.

People raised concerns about the settlement boundary, the impact on the setting and character of the countryside, loss of privacy and road safety.

Lapford Parish Council also objected to the plans on grounds the site was outside of the village’s settlement boundary and because of the “dangerous” nature of Eastington Lane.

However, the county highway authority did not have any concerns about access to the proposed housing plots.

Mr Harrison previously applied for outline permission for 14 homes (four open-market, eight affordable and two self-build) in the same place, but the plans were rejected last year and dismissed at appeal in May.

You can see the most recent application on the Mid Devon District Council website under reference 24/01074/OUT.

To see more public notices and planning applications, visit: publicnoticeportal.uk.