A bid for new homes on the edge of a village have been rejected because they were too "ugly".
Zarah Development, based in Lincoln, applied to South Norfolk Council to build 34 houses and a new access road on a field north of Church Road, Tasburgh, near Long Stratton and the A140.
If approved, there would have been 12 two-bedroom houses and 10 three bedroom-homes for social, affordable or intermediate rent and 10 two-bedroom houses and two three-bedroom affordable properties for sale built with parking and back gardens.
But the council threw out the plans on July 22 after the cul-de-sac supposedly presented "an overly dense urban lineal style of the layout with continuous building line, repetitive house types and frontage parking that is out of character and harmful to the more informal characteristics associated with a lower density rural settlement as exists here in this part of Tasburgh".
The applicant added the development would include "simple and generous road access with adequate turning space for visitors and emergency services", "enhanced pedestrian access" from the Preston Primary School in Henry Preston Road, extra car parking for visitors and for people using the school and a shared road system to mitigate against the area becoming a rat run.
South Norfolk Council did not believe the plans presented an "unacceptable risk to highway safety", did not provide adequate
turning for vehicles in the cul-de-sac and had "failed to provide appropriate upgrades" to Preston Primary School including safe access.
Conservative district councillor Michael Edney, who represents the village, said: "I'm pleased is has been refused because the design was not appropriate for the rural village. That site transitions from the village into the countryside and it looked like an urban setting.
"The design was not appropriate. It was ugly."
He added he was not against the field being built on and said the plot had been earmarked for development for several years.
Mr Edney hoped the applicant would return with a different plans.
Tasburgh Parish Council objected to the plans because the urban design was not in keep with the character of the village.
Its members were also worried about the affect of extra traffic on Church Road homeowners.
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