A CONTROVERSIAL bid to build 37 homes in a small village has been rejected by council bosses.

The planned development, put forward by Rainier Developments, looked to bring the homes to land off the A131 in High Garrett.

But the 37 home plans were dealt a crushing blow by Braintree Council's planning committee which met on Tuesday.

Councillors reviewed the application but ultimately decided to reject it.

It came following a planning report on the bid prior to the meeting which recommended the application for refusal.

During the review, the council outlined a number of issues with the application.

Problems arose from the fact that the planned homes were "not proposed for allocation in the emerging Local Plan" and that "there are limited social and economic benefits."

It was added that the homes were "disconnected from Braintree and Bocking and would result in an urban sprawl along High Garrett harmful to the character of the countryside in this location."

As a result, the review said "cumulatively impacts of the development significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits."

The decision comes following staunch opposition from High Garrett residents to the application.

The bid received nearly 60 objection comments from residents.

Speaking at the meeting and objecting to the bid, councillor David Mann said: "This is a speculative development, it is not an allocated site.

"It's beyond the development boundary and therefore in the countryside.

"Members will remember that the adjoining field has been before us twice before and a similar application has been twice refused.

"It's also unnecessary because we have a five year supply of housing building land and we don't need to support additional sites.

"In policy terms its also unwanted because its been a long-term planning objective to protect the western side of the A131 from residential developments.

""There's almost a complete absence of day to day services in High Garrett.

"Were people to live there, they would have to rely on travel by car."