Housing scheme at hotel site turned down

Plans for a residential development on redundant land adjacent to a hotel and golf course in South Cambridgeshire have been rejected despite the application being recommended by planning officers.The applicant, Hallmark Hotels (Bar Hill) Ltd, was seeking permission to build a mix of 13 two-storey houses and 27 apartments in three- and four-storey blocks on two sections of the existing Hallmark Hotel site in Bar Hill.Bar Hill is a village in South Cambridgeshire built in the 1960s on farmland. It is located about five miles north of Cambridge.The site currently features a series of two and three-storey buildings that accommodate the 136-room hotel, along with a restaurant, leisure centre and an 18-hole golf course.The proposal, which had 26 letters of objection and a 60-signature petition of support, has been turned down by South Cambridgeshire District Council.However, a council report published prior to the planning meeting this week had recommended the scheme be approved subject to conditions and the completion of a section 106 agreement.