PLANS to build 124 homes on a green space in the heart of Winterbourne have been refused by South Gloucestershire Council.
Developer Waddeton Park wanted to build the homes on Hicks Common, opposite the village duck pond, on site with views across the Frome Valley.
The plans were opposed by hundreds of residents, with protests held by the site and 810 people writing to the council to object; only 10 people wrote in support.
Council officers rejected the plans in August on the grounds that they were “inappropriate development in the Green Belt”.
The decision was made as another developer, Bloor Homes, launched an appeal over its plans to build 450 homes at Roundways in Coalpit Heath, on the grounds that the council has taken too long to make a decision on them.
The council has given six reasons for refusing permission for the development.
The first is that it is “inappropriate development in the Green Belt” and doesn’t meet the special circumstances needed to declare the land as ‘Grey Belt’ suitable for building on.
The second is that it “would not provide sufficient infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists resulting in a reliance on the private car and an unsustainable development”.
Officers also said the plans breached the “established settlement boundary” of the village and would encroach into the open countryside.
They also said the developers had not provided enough information on various access issues, activity by wildlife including badgers and great crested newts, and had not provided enough provision for necessary infrastructure including affordable housing and contributions towards education.
A 70-page officer’s report recommended refusal and, with no councillors calling for a discussion by a planning committee, the decision was confirmed by the council’s development manager in August.
Waddeton Park has six months to appeal against the decision.
The Voice asked the developer if it was planning an appeal but it has not made a comment.
‘The right decision’ – campaigners
Opposition to the plans started as soon as Waddeton Park raised them by holding an informal consultation in November last year, and heightened when the formal application was made in March. As well as individual objections, Winterbourne Parish Council and a number of other public bodies raised concerns.
The decision to refuse the plans was welcomed by a group set up to fight them.
Originally set up as Save Hicks Common, the group has now been named Save Frome Valley Community Group.
A spokesperson for the group said: “Our group is very pleased to see that South Gloucestershire Council has refused the application for housing off Hicks Common Road.
“We are grateful to the councillors and officers for making the right decision in this case.
“Public reaction against the proposal was immediate and clear and we formed a group to raise awareness and help people to respond.
“We recognise that this may not be the end of the matter. The developer could appeal the decision or submit a fresh application. However, we hope that they simply accept that this is not an appropriate site for housing development and direct their energy elsewhere.”
The group expressed the hope that the “special character” of the area is recognised and protected when an inspector’s report on the district’s Local Plan is produced later this year.
The spokesperson said: “We would like to thank all the members of the community for their excellent support from the very start of this campaign.
“We are also mindful of development proposals in neighbouring areas which would impact our villages.”
Top picture: Residents opposed to the plan line Hicks Common Road overlooking the site during a demonstration. Picture: Simon Goodwin.