VALE Royal borough councillors had been expected to reject the proposals at a meeting of Vale Royal planning committee last night (Tuesday), after it was revealed the council had exceeded its housing allocation in the Local Plan.

It follows new Government Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 guidelines, which require local planning authorities to use brownfield sites rather than allow housing on greenfield sites, such as Grange Farm.

As the Guardian went to press last night, councillors were also expected to refuse two further planning applications for housing in Hartford.

Mid Cheshire College had applied for an underused car park on the Chester Road campus to be developed for housing, and Persimmon Homes Ltd wanted to build 24 houses on land off Fullerton Road.

But planning officials recommended refusal of both applications because of the PPG3 guidelines.

Despite the last-minute turnaround by Redrow Homes, Hartford Village Trust is warning residents that the battle to prevent houses being built on the massive expanse of farmland is far from over.

Trustee Dick Finnis said: "Redrow presumably recognise that the planning committee and council were likely to support the planners' recommendations to refuse, but there are millions of pounds at stake and Redrow are unlikely to go away yet.

"Hartford Village Trust will continue to work as they have in the last three-and-a-half years and remain vigilant that any future applications are also refused.

"Apart from the houses not being needed the fundamental facts remain that of all the places to build in Cheshire, Grange Farm must be among the worst."

Parish and borough councillor Shirley Harris, speaking at a meeting of Hartford Parish Council on Monday, added: "All those people who have put forward all those good ideas for Grange Farm now need to do something about it."