How the development, marked in red, in Pucklechurch could look Picture: Stantec
PLANS to build 100 homes at Marsh Farm, Pucklechurch, will go ahead after a council decision to refuse permission was overturned.
The new homes will be built on the eastern edge of the village off Feltham Road.
IM Land 1 Limited applied to South Gloucestershire Council for planning permission last year.
A total of 125 residents objected to the plans, as did Thornbury & Yate constituency MP Claire Young and Pucklechurch Parish Council. There were no public comments in support of the scheme.
The council’s strategic sites delivery committee rejected the plans in May, due to the impact on views of the Cotswolds.
But the application was then sent to the higher spatial planning committee, which approved it in July.
Due to new government rules about removing Green Belt protection from development, and new housing targets, rejecting planning permission has become harder.
Experts from the Cotswold National Landscape Board played down the harm to views, saying any harm to them would be acceptable.
Another concern was a plan to build a new footpath and bike path in the new estate that would emerge at the “dangerous” junction of Abson Road and Feltham Road.
Pucklechurch Parish Council chair Gail Boyle said: “The proposed pedestrian and cycle access is inherently unsafe.
“This junction is tight, visually constrained by topography, and sits on the end of the conservation area, where vehicles approach at speed with minimal braking. Pedestrians do not cross here today, precisely because it is so dangerous.”
She said a new mini roundabout proposed by the developers for the centre of the village would be disruptive, and said there was no need for a proposed new play park area.
Resident Rosalind Abbott said the only road access to the estate would be busy.
She said: “I observe the morning rush hour most days. There is a continuous stream of traffic north and south along Abson Road.
“It’s most probable that many cars would leave home at roughly the same time, and there is only one exit. There will be a backup of cars trying to leave the estate.”
There were also concerns about the village struggling to cope with so many new residents.
Overall the developer will contribute £865,000 to improving local infrastructure, including education, outdoor sport and the village’s community hall.
Planning agent Michael Knott said: “The benefits of this development are wide-ranging: 100 new homes in an area which cannot demonstrate a sufficient five-year land supply, and where there is an evidenced high level of demand and need; and the delivery of 50% of those homes as affordable.”
By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service