Plans for a 280-home development on the edge of Cirencester have been met with dozens of objections from residents.

However, the outline scheme on land west of Kingshill Lane is being recommended for approval by Cotswold District Council planning officers, subject to no objection from Gloucestershire County Council Highways and the completion of a S106 legal agreement covering affordable housing.

The application by Robert Hitchins Ltd relates to a group of agricultural fields located between the eastern edge of Cirencester and the nearby village of Preston.

Preston villagers fear it will lead to them becoming a suburb of Cirencester

A total of 38 objections have been received by the council.

One objector said Preston village and conservation area would be heavily impacted and the area would become part of the main town of Cirencester with no green belt.

Another said: "Preston's population is currently approximately 300 people. This development would triple the population. I don't see any amenities such as a community hall etc in the plan. Are the current Preston amenities expected to absorb this level of population increase?"

Yet another said: "Kingshill has already been developed and I believe these additional houses will be over development in the area. Joining Cirencester to the village of Preston meaning Preston loses its identity as a village."

Other objectors said the area's roads will not be suitable for the extra traffic following such a development as they already struggle and the nearby Steadings development has not yet completed. Local infrastructure including medical facilities, schools and community hubs are insufficient. Water issues at the bottom of the hill/ main Swindon Road see frequent flooding which is a major issue. Local wildlife and environment will also be heavily impacted.

It's also feared the development would add extra traffic to an already congested area - especially Kingshill Lane and the 'Tesco' roundabout - which would impact heavily on the village of Preston by creating a contiguous area from Cirencester to the village itself, and likely generate a lot of traffic through and within the existing Kingshill Estate.

Another objector said: "The development could result in an increase of 1,000 people moving into the area. Where is the extra school capacity, doctors and dentists surgeries and other amenities?"

The site is not located within the Cotswolds National Landscape nor a Special Landscape Area.

Cirencester Town Council has strongly objected to the scheme on grounds that it is contrary to Cotswold District Council's adopted Local Plan 2011-2031, in particular it does not accord with DS4 Open Market Housing Outside Principal and Non-Principal Settlements and DS2 and DS3 which preclude development outside the Cirencester development boundary.

The application will go before Cotswold planners next Wednesday, June 11.

In their report, planning officers say: "It is considered that the proposed development would make a significant contribution towards the council's supply of housing and help to address the need to deliver additional housing in the district.

"Moreover, the proposal would provide 112 affordable homes, which would also make a very notable contribution to the council's affordable housing needs. Whilst the proposal is contrary to Local Plan Policy DS4, recent changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) mean that the aforementioned policy is now considered to be out-of-date.

"As a result, it is necessary to assess the proposal against the criteria set out in paragraph 11 of the NPPF, which tilts the planning balance in favour of new residential development when a five-year supply of deliverable housing land cannot be demonstrated. 

"Whilst it is considered that the proposal will have a landscape and visual impact and cause less than substantial harm to the setting of designated heritage assets, it is considered that the benefits arising from the delivery of 280 dwellings (including 112 affordable dwellings) are significant."