The new homes would have been built on either side of the historic Rosie Road path leading off Arbroath Road.

However, last April councillors rejected the 81-house bid by the developer.

Ogilvie Homes was criticised for trying to build too many houses into the undulating site. At one time, there were plans to build 100 houses there.

Permission had been granted for around 60 homes on the six-hectare site back in 2014 but that scheme never progressed.

Ogilvie Homes took the matter to appeal. However, a Scottish Ministers reporter has now backed the council’s refusal decision.

Ogilvie Homes planned to bulldoze a house in a row of properties on Arbroath Road to create an access for the development. The company said houses there with septic tanks could link into a new drainage system.

However, there were more than 20 letters of objection, mainly around the size of the planned development, The Courier reports.

The appeal reporter said that although the site is allocated for housing, the planned layout was not acceptable. They also highlighted the Rosie Road’s importance. The path runs through the heart of the site, which is close to Forfar Golf Club.

The appeal reporter said: “Rosie Road is a well used but unsurfaced pedestrian footpath passing along a fenced corridor of between five and ten metres in width.

“The representations indicate its value to the local community and this is reflected in its designation as a core path. Because it cannot be altered, it places a constraint on the layout of the development.”

They added that even planned changes by the developer for rear gardens of houses facing the Rosie Road would not stop the beauty of the path being undermined.

The reporter continued: “I do not doubt that this is the right place for development but I am not convinced that the proposals constitute the ‘right development.”