VILLAGERS are celebrating a rare victory after seeing off plans to build a new housing estate.

Dozens of residents across West Hanney had bitterly opposed the bid by Kler Group to build 56 houses on the edge of the village.

The parish council said the estate was not needed, in a flood zone, was outside the parish boundary and had no proper links to the rest of the village.

Vale of White Horse District Council has been criticised for granting planning permission to thousands of homes in recent years, but this month head of planning Adrian Duffield turned Kler Group down.

In his decision notice he said: "This is an unallocated site beyond the built up limits of West Hanney, extending into the open countryside in a manner which does not accord with the district's strategy for growth as set out in the Development Plan. The proposal is therefore contrary to the up to date and adopted Vale of White Horse Local Plan... The benefits of the proposal are not considered to outweigh this harm."