STROUD Town Council has backed a bid to stop five houses being squeezed into an estate, leaving no space for parking or larger vehicles to drive down.

Demonstrators turned out in force on Monday, July 19 to present their case against two housing projects in the Valley ward to the consultations committee.

With only four of the seven committee members present and both the chair and vice-chair away, the meeting was chaired by Cllr Linda Townley.

The committee received representations from the group and listen to their worries concluding that the town council should object to the build.

On the next door site eight houses had been built by the same developer after the original application had been reduced from 14 because of an objection from Gloucestershire Highways that there would be insufficient space for parking and traffic.

The council concluded that to add another five houses was the same as building 13 properties.

The second project that the protesters were objecting to, but was not on the agenda, was 14 three-storey houses being built nearby in Belle Vue Road by the same developer.

They argued that the field was one of the last green spaces that they had in Stroud and contained a large amount of wildlife including slow worm, badgers, foxes and birds.

The proposed development would block their views of the Slad valley, they said, due to the height of the buildings and would mean that the new residents would be able to look into their homes.

They also argued that the land is a piece of green amongst a vast amount of houses and the development would affect the views of those living across the valley.

Alice Lowry, a resident, said: "Apart from taking away the green space, we fear for the safety of our children with more cars racing around. It’s simply becoming unsafe for them to play outside."