PLANS for 480 homes near Stansted airport have been thrown out by the local council, after an “overwhelming level” of public objection. Campaigners erupted into loud applause as councillors threw out the plans, which included 300 homes in Stansted Mountfitchet and 180 properties in the nearby village of Birchanger reports the Local Democracy Reporter.

Developer City and Country is behind the two proposals, with one on the edge of Stansted Mountfitchet and another on the outskirts of Birchanger. Councillors discussed the plans at the Uttlesford District Council planning meeting on June 10.

During the meeting, worried residents pleaded with councillors to refuse the plans. Lib Dem Cllr Geoffrey Sell told the committee the plans were “at the wrong time, in the wrong location.” He added: “It’s unsustainable and sustainability should be at the heart of what we do. I believe that our primary schools are full in Stansted, the doctors’ surgeries are full, you try getting on the dentist waiting list at Stansted for NHS, you’ve got a long, long wait.”

One resident raised concerns about the impact on the area. She said losing this land “would erode the separate identities of these historic villages, a gap that cannot be recreated.” She added: “Approving this application would set a dangerous precedent for speculative development.”

A fellow campaigner called the scale of the proposal “disproportionate.” Raising fears about traffic issues, she told the meeting the development of this size “would inevitably generate substantial additional traffic”, which would place “further pressure on already constrained roads.”

The plans included a 2,000 sqm space for offices, shops, a cafe, a nursery, a private gym, a 60-bed care home, and a village hall, near Mountfitchet High School, in Forest and Hall Road, Stansted.

A spokesman for the developer said the plans would “provide a significant contribution” to the supply of affordable housing. She added: “We are well aware of local concern concerning transport impacts and our proposals include significant transport improvements, which are supported by Essex County Council’s highways department and would provide benefits to the local community.”