PLANS to demolish a well-known Glazebrook hotel in order to build 27 houses and nine apartments have been halted after councillors refused permission for the proposals during last week's development management committee meeting.

The application to redevelop the Rhinewood Country House Hotel on Glazebrook Lane had been recommended for approval despite a variety of objections from councillors and the Glazebrook Residents Action Group over traffic and the development not being 'in proportion to the village'.

A similar application had been submitted and then withdrawn in September this year with changes to the new plans include preserving more trees and reducing the number of houses and apartments.

But it was not enough to persuade councillors who rejected the plans on the grounds they were an 'inherently unsustainable form of development' with regard to the site location and the apartment block would cause 'significant harm to the character and appearance' of the street.

A spokesman added: "It is poorly related to a range of services and would result in high levels of car dependency, contrary to the aim of achieving sustainable development."