PROPOSALS for a 1,500-home estate to the west of Stonehouse have been shelved as councillors discussed Stroud's future housing sites.
The earmarked land, locally nicknamed Westington, is now labelled as a "contingency" or reserve by the planning advisory panel of Stroud District Council.
That was after panel members, of all political colours, came up with a fresh list of land to allocate for enough new homes up until 2013 without including Westington.
But the move, which has still be discussed and agreed by full council this summer, gave a crumb of comfort to Don't Strangle Stroud activists.
Their spokesman Richard James said the group, which is opposed to Westington, would prefer the land removed entirely from any possible future housing options.
"We have no reason to have a reserve site," he said.
"The other sites which are available are more than adequate to fulfil the requirement until 2013."
Don't Strangle Stroud has long opposed new homes on the green fields which, if built on, would make Stonehouse to Eastington one urban sprawl.
The campaigners have said previously developed brown field land should be used first.
Developers were already conducting archaeological and other investigations on the Westington lands, Mr James said.
He said: "They have dug out what look like giants' graves in the fields."
Planning Advisory Panel chairman Coun Dennis Andrewartha (LibDem, Cam West) was on holiday and unavailable for comment.
But the panel considered an updated recommendation from the council's consultant which led members to allocate sites for a minimum of 2,400 new homes until 2013.
They were 500 in an extension to Hunt's Grove, 500 north east of Cam, 250 in Sharpness and 300 in the Stroud valleys, with nonspecific allocations of 100 from the council's own housing programme and 750 from windfalls (unexpected applications) and dispersal (additions to smaller communities) and 1,500 West of Stonehouse listed only as a contingency if required.