A DEVELOPER'S appeal to build 47 homes at a Highbridge beauty spot has been rejected.

Developer, Flower & Hayes, submitted an appeal to the Secretary of State in May in a bid to get planning permission to build 14 two bed, 30 three bed and three four bedroom homes and 128 parking spaces on land to the north of Walrow Road in Highbridge.

But planners at Sedgemoor District Council have rejected the developer's bid to build the homes and listed a number of reasons including the living conditions of future occupants, failure to make provision for local housing and harm to the area's character and appearance.

Burnham and Highbridge Town Council previously objected to the plans in March after opposition from residents with more than 120 people submitting objections and 25 people protesting outside the site in Walrow Road.

In an appeal decision report Benjamin Webb, a planning inspector for the Planning Inspectorate, said: "The site is located in a sustainable location, adjacent to a railway station and within walking distance of local services.

"It would meet a general requirement for housing, and make efficient use of the site. These points do not however justify or outweigh the harm that would be caused in relation to the main issues as outlined above."