A scheme to build up to 53 homes on the southern edge of the Blaenavon World Heritage Site has been turned down by councillors - 10 years after an inspector approved an identical outline plan on appeal.

Permission granted in 2011 to develop three fields south of the town to the west of Varteg Road lapsed in 2018, and Bernard Llewelyn and Brian Clarke were reapplying to Torfaen Council.

But councillors concerned about the ‘isolated’ nature of the environmentally-protected area and the impact of the proposals on a major route into the Blaenavon World Heritage Site followed the advice of their planning officers and turned it down last week.

They heard that the only facilities in the immediate area are a pub, a Welsh medium school and a community hall, and agreed that the site was unsustainable to support a sizeable housing development.

Cllr Stuart Ashley told the meeting that despite a bus route the fields were “in the middle of nowhere”.

“I just wonder why anyone ever thought of putting something up there, because that landscape is very precious and it’s one of the few we’ve got like that,” he said.

Cllr Janet Jones was worried about how it would impact the world heritage site and the ‘small community’ of Varteg, two miles south of Blaenavon.

“I’ve got concerns if this went through about the impact it would have on the schools, the doctors surgeries as well as the impact on the environment,” she said.

And Cllr Steven Evans added that the 1.96-hectare location in a Site of Interest for Nature Conservation (SINC) was “not the right place”.

Cllr Gwyn Jenkins asked what would happen if an appeal was lodged against a refusal of the application.

Council principal planner Rebecca McAndrew said it would be unlikely the authority would face any costs due to new planning guidance around the sustainability of development locations and increased car travel.

“I think we’ve got a very strong case that this site is not sustainable,” she said.

Twenty objections by residents were also submitted to the council.

The plan included a mix of one-bedroom apartments, and two-, three- and four-bedroom homes.

A report on behalf of the scheme said that as well as being next to a community centre and primary school, the refurbished Crown Hotel pub was nearby and restaurants and shops were only 15 minutes walk away, alongside a rugby club, police station and another primary.

“The site is sustainably located within walking distance to a variety of local services, schools, open space, public transport facilities. New pedestrian links as well as suitable vehicular access and car parking will also be provided,” it said.

But concern that the development would “unduly harm the character and appearance” of the area and a lack of information about a sustainable drainage scheme also contributed to its rejection.

The council’s landscape officer said the development would change the views “from a sweeping upland view to an enclosed view of housing” which would be “of high magnitude”.

“The proposed scheme would virtually double the size of the settlement and would have, in my view, a major or substantial visual impact on the views of local residents and users of the public rights of way network in the area,” the officer said.