A LEADING district councillor has urged planners to ignore Government housing guidelines in a bid to give a new Ely estate more public open space. Cllr Mike Bunting claims plans for 128 new homes on land at Westfield Farm in St John s Road would make the

A LEADING district councillor has urged planners to ignore Government housing guidelines in a bid to give a new Ely estate more public open space.

Cllr Mike Bunting claims plans for 128 new homes on land at Westfield Farm in St John's Road would make the estate "too cramped".

"I am concerned about the high level of density and particularly the pressure that comes from central government which is producing designs which are totally unacceptable,"

Cllr Bunting, vice-chairman of East Cambridgeshire District Council's planning committee, told members during their meeting last Wednesday.

"There is a lack of open space and we cannot take it for granted that people will use public open space that happens to be available in the vicinity. It would be wrong for us to give approval. We should ignore Government guidelines and introduce public open space."

Developer Taylor Woodrow planned to demolish the existing farm house and outbuildings on the site and build houses and flats on the 3.76 hectares of land including 38 affordable homes.

At 48 homes per hectare the plans complied with Government guidance.

Officers had recommended that planning committee members back the project subject to the completion of a 106 agreement by January 20 relating to open space provision.

But members decided to refuse the application because of the lack of open space on the planned estate.