CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 260 homes on green fields in Caerphilly County Borough will once again be considered by councillors.

Outline permission for the development on land north of Hendredenny Drive in Hendredenny, Caerphilly, was granted after Welsh Government ministers overturned an application rejected by the county borough council's planning committee.

Councillors will now once again consider the plans after a reserved matters application for the development to build 260 homes was lodged by Redrow Homes.

Affordable housing would be provided with a mix of social rented and low cost ownership homes, spread over six locations on the site.

Play facilities are proposed in a central position within the development, close to open space areas, under the application.

Several pedestrian and cycle links are also planned to connect with existing nearby residential developments, while a connection to the Aber Valley Cycle Route - linking Caerphilly with Senghenydd - is also proposed.

Plans also allow for a bus route to come into the site and turn back out onto Hendredenny Drive.

Outline permission for the development was previously rejected in 2016 due to concerns over traffic issues, but the decision was overturned the following year.

The site is made up of five fields, extending to 11.2 hectares, separated by hedgerows and fences.

Caerphilly council's landscape architect has welcomed the retention of trees on the site but expressed disappointment at proposals to remove a hedgerow.

But the developer says it is not possible for it to be kept without losing "a significant amount" of homes due to "engineering constraints" on the site.

Redrow Homes also points out the hedgerow is classed as of "moderate quality" - rather than 'important' - and that its loss will be made up for by planting across the site.

The Coal Authority has said a mine entry shaft is present on the site.

It called for an investigation to locate the mine shaft and create a "no build" zone, otherwise warning it would object to the plans.

But in response, Redrow Homes said the mine entry shaft is located outside of the boundary of the site.

"A 20m buffer should be maintained as this radius is considered more than sufficient to ensure that the risk to nearby buildings is low," the developer says.

"As a result, the nearest building is approximately 26m from the mine shaft entry identified off-site."

View the plans at caerphilly.gov.uk, searching reference 19/0049/RM.