RESIDENTS and parish councillors in Hough are calling for plans to build new houses near their village hall to be thrown out.

Bellway Homes wants to create 19 four and five bedroom detached houses on land off Cobbs Lane in Hough, next to the village hall.

The Parish Council and the Hough, Basford and Chorlton Village Hall Committee are urging borough councillors to visit the site before making a decision about the plans.

The committee is concerned about the impact of a wall, used as a noise barrier, on the village hall for which its rural location is a major asset.

They are worried that because there is already a wall on the south side, one on the north side would destroy the outlook and cause a loss in business.

They are also worried about the effect on the hall's activities because a National Lottery Charities Board grant of £50,000 is set to be spent on refurbishing the hall.

The committee do not want to spend the money if pressure from new neighbours is going to result in the entertainment licence being stopped.

Other concerns include an increase in traffic and that more housing would exacerbate ongoing problems with the sewers.

But the borough's drainage engineer has met with North West water and believes more houses will not affect the sewerage situation.

The layout of the plans has also been amended so that the five houses nearest the wall will not be closer than 15 metres to the village hall and will have triple glazing.

Planning officers are recommending the scheme to be approved today, Thursday.

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