Councillor Stuart Clark has lodged a formal objection to the application which proposes 20 detached houses be built at the site between Lonend Cottage and Woodend Lodge at Houston Road in the village.

The proposal, by housing developer CALA, comes after the land was approved by the Scottish Government to be zoned for housing, following their acceptance of Renfrewshire Council’s Local Development Plan.

However, angry residents are fearful of the potential for increased flooding in the village, which has been an on-going concern for years.

Scottish Water recently revealed to the community council that the area needs an upgrade to the water network of more than £1million to prevent the flooding. which has been a concern at hot-spots in the village network.

Stuart Clark, Labour councillor for Houston, Crosslee and Linwood, launched a scathing attack on the developers.

He said: “We have two other housing applications wiithin the village, on brownfield sites at the former Urquhart and Killallan Houses, with this application too we will be talking about an extra 50 houses being built in Houston.

“I am not against development in principle, but it needs to be measured and sensible. Building on greenbelt land while there are still infrastructure concerns is not sensible and I believe it should be opposed.” Houston residents expressed concern to the Scottish Government during its consideration of the Local Development Plan with hundreds filing objections.

Two greenbelt sites have been approved for development, including land at the east of Fleming Road.

Local resident Stephen Wright expressed concerns about the green-belt application, saying: “When there are brownfield sites up for development and other sites such as the large brownfield Merchiston site just up the road I do not think it should be deemed necessary to lose greenbelt to the village forever.” A spokesman for CALA said: “CALA places a strong emphasis on listening to and engaging with local communities, which help us to shape and refine our plans. As part of our community engagement objectives, we welcome any new information that the public and local elected members can provide.

“Should the development go ahead, it will be in keeping with the surrounding environment, harmoniously integrating with the existing natural landscape and providing adequate drainage in line with rigorous assessments carried out by our experts, ensuring the correct networks are in place.

“It is important to highlight the fact that this land is now zoned for residential development in the emerging Renfrewshire Local Development Plan.”