Outline plans for 33 new homes on farmland in Llanilar – the subject of a petition from residents during a pre-planning consultation period - have been submitted to Ceredigion County Council.

The application hopes to see a total of 33 new homes – all affordable – built on land at Tanrallt Farm.

The application seeks outline approval for the development, which will be delivered by housing association Barcud.

Planning documents said:“The application site would form an affordable housing exception site, which would be developed by a housing association and serve the Llanilar Rural Service Centre,” documents said.

“The principal concept of the scheme is aimed at providing quality, aesthetically pleasing, well designed sustainable homes to serve the Llanilar and surrounding local community.

“The scheme proposes developing the site which would represent an economic and beneficial use of an undeveloped site, that would make a contribution to the council’s affordable housing land supply.”

Documents said that demand figures supplied by Barcud and Ceredigion County Council “highlight a direct need for 67 units in Llanilar with 70 per cent of this demand being for one and two bedroom units.”

The scheme proposes 11 one bedroom homes, and 15 two bedroom houses, along with five three-bedroom homes, and two larger four-bedroom dwellings.

Documents said there is a “justifiable demand for affordable housing in the area.”

During a pre-planning consultation last year, a public meeting heard that village residents are “genuinely worried” over the scale of the scheme and the impact it will have on Llanilar.

A petition against the plans garnered 267 signatures, and a pre-planning application public consultation meeting on 30 October hearing serious concerns about the proposal’s scale and location, citing the loss of greenfield land, increased pressure on infrastructure, and the potential harm to local wildlife, and Llanilar’s dark-sky environment.