The chairman of a group opposed to "garden grabbing developments" in Radlett said it is a massive relief that a planning application for Homefield Road was rejected for the second time.

Radlett Against Garden Grabbing (RAGG) was set up last year by around 70 local homeowners who wanted to retain the unique character and ambience of Radlett, in the aftermath of a planning application to turn land at the back of 47 and 49 Homefield Road into three detached two storey four bedroom houses.

The application was first refused in June 2013 on grounds of overdevelopment. It was refused for the second time last month by Hertsmere Borough Council at a planning meeting for the same reason.

Graham Goodkind, the chairman of RAGG, attended the meeting at Hertsmere Borough Council’s offices with around 50 other residents. He said: "This result is a massive relief to loads of residents and good news to Radlett as a whole after nine months of waiting.

"Radlett is a unique and special village and we want to preserve that. This is the opposite of what the developers want.

"There will always be a constant battle between residents and developers because they try and cram houses onto small spaces. We will continue to fight against green grabbing and retain the uniqueness of Radlett."

Councillor Dan Griffin, who represents Aldenham West, spoke against the application as community advocate on behalf of local residents. He said he was concerned about the future of Hertsmere if the development was passed and questioned the adequacy of the proposed parking and whether there was sufficient amenity space.

He said the development would result in an "unacceptable level of harm" to the structure of the street scene.

During the meeting, members raised concerns in respect of the separation distances of units one and five, the size of the proposed dwellings in the local context, overdevelopment of the site, and loss of sky gaps.

Councillor Martin Worster referred to the application as "squeezing a gallon into a pint pot", and Councillor Seamus Quilty told the development team manager he was trying to "defend the indefensible".

The application was ultimately refused on the grounds it would result in overdevelopment of the site and be out of keeping with the adjacent street scene.

Mr Goodkind, of Loom Lane, continued: "This is a nice, affluent area and many of us think that these developments will disturb the ambience and atmosphere of what makes Radlett special.

"We will continue to fight to save our unique village."

Radlett residents wishing to find out more about RAGG can visit www.facebook.com/SupportRAGG or follow them on Twitter on @SupportRAGG.