MORE than 50 residents turned out to hear plans to build a gipsy caravan site in Leigh Sinton, near Malvern, dismissed.

Applicants Mrs J and Mr E Smith are seeking permission for a 10-pitch site on land off Lower Howsell Road.

However, on Wednesday evening, members of Malvern Hills District Council’s northern area development control committee voted unanimously against the plans.

They were presented with a report from planning officers acknowledging the established need to find 26 gipsy pitches in the district before 2013.

However, they recommended the application be rejected as the impact on the landscape character and the ‘significant gap’ between Malvern and Leigh Sinton also carried significant weight.

A final decision will be taken by a planning inspector at a public inquiry because the applicants successfully appealed that the council had not decided the plan within the target time of 13 weeks. The public inquiry is set to be held in May.