PLANS to more than double the number of caravans on a holiday park have been withdrawn, after residents claimed it could cause more road accidents.

Some neighbours told Forest Council planners the addition of an extra 15 static homes at Five Acre Park in Ford House Road, Scarr, Newent could lead to nearby roads being more unsafe with traffic coming and going.

The owners had applied to increase the number of caravans on the site from nine to 24.

Consultants working on the scheme claimed it was a sustainable development that would boost the local economy and provide more tourism opportunities.

But more than a dozen residents raised concerns over road safety and objected to the scheme along with Newent Town Council.

Gail Davis said Ford House Road was a single carriageway with no passing bays and would be unable to take the increase in traffic.

Dr Ian Kelsey also warned of the hazards at the junction with Tewkesbury Road.

"The adjacent Strawberry Hill junction on a blind bend means that traffic turning right from Strawberry Hill is looking right as they turn and relying on their peripheral vision along Tewkesbury Road to warn them of oncoming traffic from their left."

Town councillors said the plans should be turned down as there was no business plan and only three of the nine neighbouring properties were consulted about the scheme.

They also said the access road was not suitable for an increase in traffic and was in a poor condition.

However, Gloucestershire County Council highways officers did not raise any objections about the scheme.

And planning officers at Forest of Dean District Council actually recommended approving the proposals subject to conditions before the scheme was withdrawn.

They said the expansion would bring more visitors to the area and create jobs, and lead to greater tourism-related spending in the area.