Plans to build nine homes and three units for start-up companies on a Gloucestershire business park have sparked fears about privacy.
Forest of Dean District Council planning officers have recommended approving the proposals for the former builder’s storage yard at the Laurels Business Park in Sling, near Coleford.
Most of the one-acre site is located within the village boundary with a small section of it in open countryside.
The developers want to remove parking from the front of the homes and locate them to the side so that it removes large expanses of car parking on the site.
They say the studio units would be small spaces which are ideally suited to very small start-up offices or craft workshops.
And consultants working on the scheme say the vision for the development is of properties which are one and half to two storeys in height.
However, nearby residents fear this will lead to the new houses overlooking their properties and a loss of privacy.
A total of 11 letters objecting to the proposals have been sent to the council.
Sharon Woodroffe, an objector, said during the planning consultation: “Four of the proposed will be houses and we live in a bungalow so they will be much higher than our property and looking directly into our back garden meaning we will no longer have any privacy.”
Some of the concerns raised by residents focus on asbestos and the unrestricted working hours of the existing units.
They also worry the development would lead to an increase in traffic and pollution.
Council officers say the scheme will contribute to the local housing supply, provide jobs and extra funding for public services.
They say the existing buildings are not of a high standard and weighing against the development is the loss of the whole site for commercial purposes.
However, they say that given the site’s location, it lends itself to be sustainable for additional residential uses.
Councillors are due to consider the plans at a meeting on November 9.
By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter