Plans to convert four silos into a home in rural west Norfolk were rejected by councillors amid fears the land nearby would be used for further development.

The silos, located off Lynn Road outside Wisbech, would have had bedrooms, bathrooms, windows and further additional features installed, with an extension at the rear connecting the silos to form a single dwelling.

Independent councillor Sandra Squire showed enthusiasm for the plans at Monday's planning committee meeting of West Norfolk Council, which she said were “funky”, adding: “We give permission for enough ugly, boring-looking houses.”

Conservative councillor Richard Blunt agreed the idea was “imaginative” and that he wanted to see the end product, but added he “really had concerns” about turning the surrounding land into “a huge garden as such, which could end up as a development”.

Conservative planning committee chair Vivienne Spikings agreed, saying: “I feel we’re being fed a line, that if we’re not careful, we’re going to trip ourselves up.”

She said the boundary line for development around the silos was “far too big”, before councillors voted by majority against the plans.