A proposal to build houses in a much-loved green space was refused last night.

Wirral Council's planning committee rejected plans for two detached houses with separate garages on land to the rear of 9 and 10 Copse Grove in Irby.

By eight votes to two, councillors agreed that the plans would be "harmful to local amenity" and blocked them.

Geoff Walmsley, a local resident, said the green space which could be built on was probably more than 100 years old and appeared on old maps of the area.

Stressing its value to the community, Mr Walmsley said a petition signed by 72 residents called for the application to be blocked and that locals were used to a quiet, peaceful area with lots of wildlife providing appealing natural surroundings.

He added that preserving green space should be key for the council given its declaration of a climate emergency in 2019.

The greenery would also protect against a risk of flooding, given the "notoriously high" water table in the area.

The land is classed as a primarily residential area, rather than greenbelt land, despite containing much green space.

Councillor Wendy Clements, the local ward councillor, said the green space was appreciated by local people and it appears that the estate has been designed around it.

The Conservative councillor added that the proposed houses seemed to be substantially larger than others in the area.

Detached garages were also in the plans, something which nearby properties did not have, exacerbating the size issue further.

Most members of the committee appeared to agree with Councillor Clements.

Labour's Steve Foulkes said the decision for the committee hinged on whether the Irby site is a piece of amenity land.

He said he could support a motion for refusal capable of being defended should it be appealed against in the future.

Liberal Democrat Stuart Kelly, chair of the committee, moved a motion to block the proposal, saying it would have an adverse impact on local amenity.

Ultimately, eight committee members voted to refuse with just two against the motion.