Campaigners are celebrating as an appeal which would have allowed 33 homes to be built in Warfield has been thrown out.

Housebuilding company Hodson Developments Limited had applied to build the homes on countryside north of Herschel Grange in the village.

The plan was first lodged in 2019, with Bracknell Forest Council’s planning committee approving the plan.

However, campaigners from the Warfield Village Action Group were able to force the plan to be reconsidered after mounting a legal challenge, with the council admitting failings were made in the decision-making process when the committee approved it in December 2019.

The scheme was rejected by the committee last February, and now Hodson’s attempt to appeal the refusal has failed following consideration by the planning inspectorate.

READ MORE: Major councillor u-turn sees controversial homes plan refused (despite 2019 approval)

The 33 homes would have been built north of Herschel Grange, which is located off Warfield Street, a long running road running through the village.

The Warfield Village Action Group are celebrating the decision and hope it sets a precedent to protect the character of Warfield Street and the north of Bracknell from development.

Maggie Stock, chair of the group, said: “Warfield Street  is a village in itself. It’s well endowed with character and heritage.

“It’s a rural village with farms and stables where horses are kept, and you do still see horseriders along the road, so it’s still got some traditional character.

“Hopefully this is the ‘end of the road’ now for local residents and people can enjoy the countryside.

“It’s such good news after a number of years, it’s been a long hard ordeal for all of us.

“Residents want the countryside to be retained for many reasons, but it’s even more critical now than ever before, due to climate change.

“We need the countryside for oxygen. This land is not required for housing.

“We hope the decision sets a precedent for the rest of the countryside to the north of Bracknell.”

READ MORE: Letter: campaigner reacts to 33 home Warfield plan refusal

The appeal was dismissed by planning inspector Liam Page on December 3, 2021.

Mr Page’s decision confirmed that the development would have been outside of the settlement boundary for Warfield, and out of keeping with the ‘linear character of development’ along Warfield Street.

The dismissal letter states: “Overall, the proposal does not represent an appropriate location for housing and would harm the character and appearance of the area.”

The dismissal of the appeal has also been celebrated by members of the planning committee.

Councillor Dr Gareth Barnard (Conservative, Warfield Harvest Ride) said: “The key thing is that the inspector saw that the application was outside the settlement boundary and it would have an impact on the amenity on current residents.

“The inspector took our view.

“I think councillor Ankur Shiv Bhandari (Conservative, Binfield with Warfield) deserves praise for leading the charge on this.

“Hats off to him, he did a really good job on it.

“As councillors, we have to carefully manage expectations from the public.

“We do have the right to refuse but sometimes it can be difficult.

“But this decision was a good result and upheld our [the committee’s] methodology for refusal.”

Hodson Developments has been contacted for a statement.