A proposed 33 home development on the edge of Llanilar that has drawn strong objection from local residents has been refused.

The application sought to build 33 new homes – all affordable and delivered by housing association Barcud – built on land at Tanrallt Farm.

While planning documents said there is a “justifiable demand for affordable housing in the area”, during a pre-planning consultation last year, a public meeting heard that village residents are “genuinely worried” over the scale of the scheme and the impact it will have on Llanilar.

During a Ceredigion Council planning meeting last month, owner of the nearby Cysgod y Coed care home, Nerys Owen, told councillors that the development would put unacceptable pressure on local services.

Residents argued that the proposal for Llanilar contradicts Welsh Government policy, which requires housing need to be assessed through Local Housing Market Assessments and delivered through LDP-allocated land.

A 295 signature petition called for the scheme to be rejected, while 120 formal objection letters were submitted to the county council during the public consultation earlier this year.

Residents also raised concerns over plans to create a 400 metre long footpath that would connect the development to the rest of the village.

Local councillor Meirion Davies said the application had caused a lot of anxiety in the community.

The plans were recommended for refusal by council planners ahead of the committee meeting last month.

Planners said that “whilst it is an opportunity to provide affordable housing in the Llanilar area, the site “is outside of the designated settlement boundary of Llanilar.”

The application was deferred in May after councillors voted to visit the site before a decision is made.

The plans were rejected by Ceredigion County Council’s Development Committee meeting on 10 June after members walked the proposed access path and expressed concern over the distance from the centre of the village during the site visit.

Residents welcomed the move, saying people from the village had “worked tirelessly” to oppose what they saw as a “speculative, developer-led proposal that would have imposed an inappropriate development on the edge of the village.”

"This decision is a testament to what can be achieved when a community comes together to stand up for what it believes in," Melanie Cargill, a spokesperson for the group of local residents established to oppose the proposal, said.

"Our community united to challenge a proposal that was simply in the wrong place.

“Residents felt that local concerns about infrastructure, road safety, environmental impact, scale of the development and the negative effect on existing residents were not being properly addressed.

“The strength of feeling within the village was reflected in the overwhelming opposition to the scheme.

"We are pleased that members of the Development Management Committee carefully considered the evidence before them and recognised many of the concerns consistently raised by local residents throughout this process.

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“Their decision demonstrates that community voices matter and that planning decisions should be guided by sound policy and local circumstances."