A DEVELOPMENT of seven houses in Shirenewton has been approved by county planners.

The application for six market homes and one affordable bungalow in the Monmouthshire village came in front of Monmouthshire County Council’s (MCC) planning committee yesterday (1st November).

The application, which was recommended for approval by MCC planning officer Kate Young, involves the erection of six two-storey, detached market homes and one bungalow offered as affordable housing on land adjacent to Clearview Court.

A point of contention was the design quality of the affordable bungalow. Councillor Dovey called the design “a very poor effort”, which he thinks “needs to go back to the drawing board”.

Cllr Phil Murphy added: “Think that the house types are not the most exciting types in the world but they do complement the house types surrounding. don’t find the design of the affordable bungalow too exciting but perhaps it will look better when its built.

“I can’t see any reasons why we shouldn’t approve it.”

After some debate about the design of the affordable property, councillors agreed to approve the plan subject to a delegated panel working with the developers to alter the designs of the affordable bungalow.

The houses will be made up of four four-bedroom detached dwellings with detached double garages, one three-bedroom detached two story dwelling with a detached single garage and two external parking spaces, one four-bedroom dwelling with dormer windows and a detached double garage and a two-bedroom bungalow.

The application was recommended approval by Shirenewton Community Council who said they found it “refreshing that the developer had listened to the previous concerns and made some changes.”

However the application was not universally popular, with concerns raised by nearby residents on the use of artificial stone in the design and the visual impact of the new homes.