The former St John’s school site in Main Road, Wetley Rocks has been earmarked for the affordable homes, an access road and church car park.
The plans show a row of three pairs of semi detached dwellings, four with three bedrooms and two with two bedrooms.
The homes would be located on part brownfield land, covering the site of the former school buildings and playgrounds.
But, if approved the new access road onto the A520 Cheadle Road and car park would reach beyond into greenfield, agricultural land, considered a special landscape area.
The site is next to St John’s Church, a Grade II listed building and the former school house.
Neighbouring residents have submitted 24 letters of objection citing their concerns about highway safety, increased noise, pollution and vibration and they fear it would set a precedent for development on the remainder of the field.
Objector John Clarke, aged 74, of Main Road, said: “There are a whole host of concerns about this development.
“Considering how dangerous the A520 is, it’s crazy to think about putting another entrance along there. It’s already notorious without adding another junction.
“Residents will fight this, there is a great strength of feeling against it.
“If that access road is built it will run up against the church hall. It will be one long climb because the gradient is so steep and people in the houses along there will have car headlight beams shining into their bedrooms.”
A previous application for a residential development on the site, submitted in 2002 was rejected because it was considered to be too intrusive on the greenbelt.
If approved, this latest application will create six two storey homes with tiled pitched roofs measuring eight metres (26ft) high. Four would be covered with brick facades and the remaining two would be finished with render.
Council officers have recommended the plans should be refused. They accept there is a need for affordable housing in Wetley Rocks but they consider the scale and character of these plans to be inappropriate and alternative sites should be considered.
They also feel the access road running through an agricultural field would damage the greenbelt and create an urbanised look.
Neighbouring St John’s Church currently lacks a car park and the congregation use the roadside.
But the vicar considers the car park to be “wholly inappropriate” and said he was not asked about it before the plans were drawn up.
The proposal will go before Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s planning committee on Thursday.
The meeting takes place at 2pm at Moorlands House in Leek.