Armidale Regional Council administrator Ian Tiley adopted the 37 lot residential development proposal at a Council meeting in Guyra on Wednesday.

“It allows people to come from a regional area and be able to move off their big farms and retire in Guyra with an 800 square metre block which they can build their own houses on,” Mr Merritt said.

Mr Tiley said the development both complied with Council’s regulations and found that a previous development only had four lots left, thus identifying demand.

Two residents spoke against the recommendation at the meeting.

A key point included the aesthetic threat to those living adjacent to the development area.

Residents also voiced their concerns that there was not enough employment opportunities in Guyra to sustain extra housing.

Mr Merritt said the issue could be argued two ways.

“If you don’t have blocks for people to buy they will move further out or away … this is going to give people the option to buy where they would like to buy, without a house on it,” he said.

Mr Tiley held a meeting at the proposed site earlier this week to hear concerns from neighbouring residents against the proposed DA and from representatives for the developer.

The administrator said the process was beneficial for all because “going onsite help you understand the issues better”.

Mr Merritt said they had already had some interest in the land.

“This is going to take sometime to develop, it depends how quick the blocks sell but we’re going to have the first of five blocks ready by early new year,” he said.

The proposal was made public between March 12 to April 8, 2016 and was then re-advertised to neighbouring property owners around September. 

At the close of the notification period, 11 written submissions were received including matters such as water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure, development density, traffic and character of the housing.

The development area encompasses the land along Prisk Street and is bound by Stevenson Street.