Glastonbury residents say building new homes near the town's rugby club could "condemn future owners to misery" due to the risk of localised flooding.

Waddeton Park Ltd. submitted plans to build 90 houses on land west of Lowerside Lane at the northern edge of Glastonbury, not far from the busy A39 Wells Road.

Mendip District Council refused the plans in May, citing concerns about flooding and building into open countryside – concerns backed up by numerous local residents.

The Exeter-based developer has now lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate, with a public inquiry scheduled to get underway in early-March.

The site – allocated within the council's Local Plan Part II – lies between two existing sets of allotments, a short distance from Glastonbury Football Club's ground on Godney Road and Tor Rugby Club on Lowerside Lane itself.

Under the proposals, both sets of allotments will be preserved, with a new solitary access being created onto Lowerside Lane and 218 car parking spaces being provided on-site.

Pedestrian access will also be provided onto Common Moor Drove, not far from the Butler Carnival Park where the town's annual carnival carts are constructed and stored.

The council refused the plans through the delegated powers of its planning board, rather than a public decision by its planning board.

Julie Reader-Sullivan, the council's head of service for planning and growth, identified the following five reasons for refusing permission:

• The site is in open countryside and will result in "an excessive quantum of development along the open and undeveloped rural edge of Glastonbury"
• Insufficient information has been provided over whether the homes would lead to "an unacceptable increase in phosphate levels" on the Somerset Levels and Moors (which would violate the Dutch N court ruling)
• The developer has not provided enough information to show developing the site would "not increase flood risk on the site or elsewhere"
• There is a lack of detail about "adequate mitigation" to prevent or off-set the loss of trees and hedgerows
• The developer has not provided a detailed legal agreement showing how the development would contribute to local health services and other amenities

Bruce Denney, who lives in Glastonbury, said it would not be feasible to build on this site without future residents bearing the brunt of severe flooding.

He said: "This area of land is projected to experience extreme flooding during the next ten years, let alone the lifetime of these properties. To permit development in this high flood area is to condemn future owners to misery and financial loss in exchange for a short-term gain."

Robert Macbeth concurred: "The proposed site would unacceptably increase traffic on the adjacent narrow bumpy drove, which is prone to subsidence.

"The proposed site would represent an unacceptable loss of greenfield, and of precious remaining viable agricultural land for the local food economy."

Rachel Joseph added: "People choose to live in places like Glastonbury because of its rural nature. Building more houses in open countryside would affect many residents' mental health. I for one am deeply depressed by the extensive developments taking shape across the southwest.

"Many villages are becoming towns, and small market towns like Glastonbury are becoming much more urban. I know we need more housing, but please build on brownfield sites first."

The Planning Inspectorate has confirmed a public inquiry into the plans will begin on March 7, with the hearings expected to last at least two days (including a site visit). The inspector's final ruling will be published in the early summer.