Plans to build affordable housing in a village have been put on hold after councillors asked for more details about the project.

An outline planning application had been submitted to build up to 30 homes on land off Greenbank in Connor Downs. The affordable homes would be provided by Coastline Housing

The application was submitted after a previous plan to build 70 homes on a larger site at the same location was refused planning permission in January.

However the decision to defer the latest plans came after the committee initially voted against granting permission to the affordable housing-led development – despite the provision of affordable housing being one of the council’s key priorities.

Cornwall Council planning officers had recommended that the west sub-area planning committee should grant permission for the new application when they met on Monday, October 21.

They said the development would meet an identified need for affordable housing in the Connor Downs area.

As part of the planning permission the developer would have to provide open space on site as well as providing money towards off site open space provision and funding for education provision.

However the plans had been objected to by Gwinear-Gwithian Parish Council which disputed claims for the number of people on the housing waiting list in the parish. They also said it went against their neighbourhood plan.

Daniel Tregear, agent for the applicants, urged the committee to approve the plans.

He said: “The need for affordable housing is without question a proven and urgent need as mentioned in the affordable housing officer’s report.”

And he added: “If this application, with all the criteria that it meets, was refused then what hope is there for any other much needed affordable housing applications in Cornwall?”

Lionel Pascoe, Cornwall councillor for the area, said he did not support the plans and there was “no justification for this site to be developed”.

Committee member Mark Kaczmarek backed the plans and proposed that they should be approved as recommended.

He said: “This is a new application that has come from a housing association. This will meet housing need. I support it and propose we accept it as set out.”

However, when put to the vote the proposal was lost with just four councillors in favour and eight against.

Councillor Mary May did propose that the plans should be refused as they were contrary to the neighbourhood plan.

She said: “How can we go against what the people who live there have asked for?”

However she withdrew her proposal after it was proposed that the committee should defer the application so it could get more information about the plans including the level of affordable housing which would be provided.

The committee agreed to defer the plans by 10 votes to two.