Plans for new houses within view of Glastonbury Tor have been refused by local councillors, who branded the proposals "a travesty".

Elan Homes has been delivering the Avalon development of 60 homes on Old Wells Road in Glastonbury, just over the road from West Mendip Community Hospital.

T. & A. Land Associates Ltd., which is based on the Marston Trading Estate in Frome, applied in June to build a further 24 homes at the bottom of Cullen Farm Road, one of the main estate roads within the Avalon site.

Somerset Council's planning committee east (which handles major applications within the former Mendip area) voted to defer a decision in early-November, with councillors asking for more information on how the new homes could impact on views of Glastonbury Tor.

The same committee has now thrown out the plans, arguing it was important to "protect what's left" of one of Somerset's most beloved landscapes.

The site was not included within the Mendip Local Plan Part II, which was approved by Mendip District Council in December 2021 and is in the process of being revised following a successful judicial review.

The plans were initially put forward during a 'call for sites' by Glastonbury Town Council as part of the early stage of developing a Neighbourhood Plan for the town – which is expected to go out to a local referendum in May 2025.

The developer originally intended that up to 34 homes would be delivered on the land, which lies at the south-east corner of the Avalon estate; however, this was revised down to 24 following initial discussions with Somerset Council's planning department.

Of the 24 homes planned for the site, seven would have been affordable – just under the 30 per cent level mandated for all new developments of ten homes or more in the former Mendip area.

Local resident Dave Lockey spoke against the application when the committee met in Shepton Mallet on Tuesday (December 3), arguing the development had "a poor road design" and "constitutes a flagrant waste of resources".

He added: "Both your conservation officer and green infrastructure officer note that another encroachment into open pasture land will lead to a change in the character of the area.

"Glastonbury Tor is a scheduled monument. Councillors will be mindful of the urban glow, so detrimental to dark skies, which will inevitably occur as a result of this unnecessary development."

Councillor Lokabee Lokabandhu, the current mayor of Glastonbury, concurred: "Although you can't see these homes from the Tor, people look to the Tor from all directions. We would hate for our landscape around the Tor to be filled up with housing, spoiling the views.

"We are pursuing applying to become a world heritage site, the only one in Somerset, and we would love to preserve the Tor and the landscape around it as much as possible as part of that process."

Glastonbury is expected to deliver a significant amount of new housing over the next decade, with several brownfield sites being identified within the Mendip Local Plan Part II alongside the Lowerside Lane site, where 90 homes were approved on appeal in May 2023.

Fellow town councillor Serena Roney-Dougal added: "Old Wells Road is basically a country lane with passing places on either side of it.

"It is unsuitable for large amounts of traffic – it is so bad, the buses will no longer use it."

Councillor Susanna Hart (whose Glastonbury division includes the site) said: "This is hugely unpopular in the town. It's in open pasture land, near the most important site in the south west until we get to Stonehenge.

"It would be a travesty if we allow this to happen."

Numerous members of the committee criticised the plans and the very principle of developing on this site, with opposition being found across party lines.

Councillor Ros Wyke (Liberal Democrat, Mendip West) said: "There are more houses in Mendip called 'Tor View' than any other name, because everywhere can see the Tor from a distance.

"There has been, in my view, inappropriate development at the bottom – and this is a cumulative effect. We have very few genuine examples of landscape heritage, and one of them is the Tor – we should not compound matters.

"I recognise housing in Glastonbury is sorely needed, but on this occasion we need to go beyond the lifetime of this site and seek to protect what's left."

Councillor Dawn Denton (Conservative, Frome North) said: "We're in difficulty here because we're trying to put modern life into old communities.

"I think we just have to do better and say no – the heritage outweighs all the other benefits. It's what makes us who we are."

Councillor Edric Hobbs (Lib Dem, Mendip Hills) added: "The Tor needs to be afforded greater protection, rather than allowing more Lego brick housing. I don't like this proposal and I can't support it."

After around 45 minutes' debate, the committee voted to refuse permission by five votes to three, with three abstentions.

The developer has not yet indicated whether it intends to challenge this decision by lodging an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate.