The St George's Barracks housing plans have been cited by Rutland County Council as a reason to oppose plans for 75 homes in a nearby village.

This is despite the council refusing £29.4M of government money towards providing infrastructure on the site, throwing the scheme into doubt, as previously reported by Nub News.

The plans for 75 homes in Ketton come before a meeting of county councillors tomorrow evening (Tuesday).

The county's planning and licensing committee are due to determine the outline application from the Pegasus Group concerning land off Park Road, Ketton.

The application 5.52ha site is located to the south-west of the centre of the village and is currently agricultural land.

It will come before the committee tomorrow evening as council planners consider it a major application.

A report by Rutland planning staff said: "The site is outside the Planned Limits to Development for Ketton. There have been many objections to the development. Issues of policy, archaeology, highway safety, flooding and residential amenity have been considered but the policy issue is overriding in this instance.

"There is no justification for the development of this wider site and there are no material considerations in this instance that would justify outweighing the development plan."

Recommending refusal, their report confirmed: "The site is outside the Planned Limits to Development for Ketton where new housing has to be demonstrably essential for a rural worker or similar operational needs. There is no justification in this instance for setting aside the development plan."

In their report, planning staff said that 75 new homes at the land off Park Road, together with the 60/65 new homes already designated and the 1000 homes at the St George's site could produce "a huge increase in traffic within and through the village."

The report continued: "The greatest effect will be on traffic volumes down Empingham Road and at the junction of the Empingham Road with the High Street, with vehicles exiting from the proposed development via Bartles Hollow, and from the St George's development (especially if there are problems on the A606)."

Planning staff said 46 letters of objection were received by the county council , with one letter of support.

Objectors said the scheme would be outside of planned limits for development, other schemes have been approved, and the infrastructure is not in place in relation to roads, schooling, electricity and transport, GP surgery. It would also harm the natural environment, taking away natural habitats and farmland.

Opponents raised traffic concerns, said the homes were not needed and they had concerns about housing types and density.

Recommending councillors refuse the application, the report concluded: "Taking all of the above into consideration it is concluded that the site is located outside of the Planned Limits to Development for Ketton where new housing has to be demonstrably essential for a rural worker or similar operational needs. There is