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A planning application has been made by Howard Potter to put one home on the site of 62 Avenue Road after a bid to knock down the house for two failed amid objections from neighbours.
It comes as village leaders pledge to devise a plan for what residents consider to be acceptable development to fight off future “garden grabbing” applications.
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council’s planning committee last week threw out the plan for two detached four-bedroom homes in Avenue Road.
A similar scheme was rejected in January on the advice of a council planning officer.
Yet the officer backed the new plan as it would widen the gap to Spring Coppice Drive and the width of one house had been reduced.
This should “overcome the concerns raised” in January, they said, and recommended approval.
They said: “The design and layout of the proposed scheme would not intrude unduly into the streetscene or appear out of character with the area.
“In addition, the proposal will not impact upon the amenity of adjacent residents, and the scheme is appropriate in highway, landscape and ecology terms.”
Yet the committee refused the scheme, saying existing homes had “significant space around them”.
They found: “The proposed development would result in the loss of this spacious character, in particular by reducing the space to the side of the plot which would appear cramped and at odds with the space afforded to the dwelling on the opposite corner.
“This would erode the spacious and balanced nature of the entrance into Spring Coppice Drive, thus having an adverse impact on the character and appearance and of the area.”
Some 29 letters of objections were submitted.
One said: “The proposed dwellings are on a prominent corner site and would be out of keeping with the prevailing character of the area.”
Another said: “Allowing this application would set a dangerous precedent in the area
for other similar developments, which would ruin the character of Avenue Road.”
Ian Spencer, chairman of Dorridge and District Residents Association, said homeowners are still concerned about such plans at its AGM on Thursday.
Such plans “still seem rather inappropriate and people feel are spoiling the area”.
He said: “We can look around Avenue Road and Knowle Wood Road and see there are houses that struggled to sell, that are not appropriate to anyone.”
Yet the council’s planning officers recommended councillors approve such developments, he said.
Mr Spencer said: “However, in the longer term, Solihull council have reaffirmed they are going to defend the Green Belt and we shouldn’t be seeing any large scale developments on the edges of Dorride for the forseeable future”.
A key way of dealing with unwanting planning applications would be to produce a “village plan” setting out what the community believes is acceptable, he said.
This was in its early stages and a steering group will be set up to guide it, he said.
Dorridge and Hockley Heath councillor Ian Courts welcomed the move, saying: “I don’t think I can over emphasise the importance of it now.”
He said the Government had given more planning powers to councils.
Yet he said the local development framework (LDF), a council plan on where development should go in the borough, has “nothing worthwhile” about “garden grabbing”.
The Conservative said: “Nothing has been done in the LDF to foster the powers that have been given by central Government.”
The abolition of Labour housing targets means local need should be the only driving factor, he said.
Fellow Tory ward councillor Andy Mackiewicz backed this, saying changes would “empower” the council and residents.
Yet one man said: “There is a plethroa of planning guidance that exists and there are provisions within that guidance that should safeguard Dorridge and Bentley Heath.”
He said: “All this talk about a plan is to divert attention from the real issue, which is we want the council to use the existing planning guidance.”
To see the new Avenue Road application click here and enter 2011 and 257 in the two boxes.
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