VILLAGERS have joined with Green Belt campaigners to show their opposition to plans for 280 homes in Shortwood.
Land promoter Lightwood Strategic Ltd and local landowners have applied for permission to build the homes on farmland off Cattybrook Road in the village.
But residents say if it goes ahead it would swallow up the existing village, which has around 90 homes, overwhelm roads, threaten wildlife and go against the council’s environmental policy.
As the Voice went to print more than 90 people had written to South Gloucestershire Council to object to the plans, with
no one writing in support.
eople gathered on one of the fields that would be built on under the plans with banners and placards, to show their opposition.
The site is on the opposite side of the Avon Ring Road to Pomphrey Hill North playing fields, between Emersons Green and Pucklechurch. It sits between the ring road, Main Road in Shortwood, Cattybrook Road and the B4465, the road linking the ring road and Pucklechurch.
It is one of several potential development sites that could be taken out of the Green Belt if South Gloucestershire Council’s draft Local Plan is approved by the government.
The developers claim that because there is already housing on one side of the site, and building on it won’t lead to the “merging” of Bristol and Pucklechurch, it should already be classed as ‘grey belt’ land suitable for development.
The site is currently divided into several green fields.
Farm buildings and one home on the site would be demolished, with the original farmhouse kept and converted into two homes.
In a planning statement to the council, consultants Origin3 said the housing “will comprise a mix of sizes, types and tenures, including 40% affordable housing and 5% self and custom build”.
Buildings would be up to three storeys high.
The plans also include space for a commercial building, “active travel” routes for pedestrians and cyclists, electric vehicle charging points, allotments, play areas and “informal, natural and semi natural” open space.
The only vehicle access would be where Cattybrook Road, a narrow country lane, meets Main Road, a road used by drivers travelling between Pucklechurch and Mangotsfield that has cars parked on one side for some of its length.
An entrance to the opposite side of the site, beside the B4465, would be reserved for pedestrians, cyclists and emergency vehicles only.
The consultants said: “There is a national housing crisis and a pressing need for affordable housing in South Gloucestershire due to the backlog of unmet needs and worsening affordability.
“This is a matter for the planning balance to which great weight should be afforded.”
They say the development would contain “high quality, energy efficient homes set within generous green space and links out to open countryside with benefits for healthy living”.
The consultants describe the site as: “A sustainable location with excellent opportunities to connect into existing employment, services and facilities at Mangotsfield, Lyde Green and Emersons Green, and new facilities planned to the south within the Carsons Green Neighbourhood.”
A biodiversity report submitted by the developers describes the farmland as a range of habitats of ‘poor’, ‘moderate’ or ‘good’ condition” – but concedes the current proposals result in an “overall net loss” of habitats.
Residents fear village will be ‘swallowed’
Residents’ group What’s Up Shortwood and Save Our Green Spaces South Gloucestershire (SOGS-SG) are organising opposition to the plans.
Shortwood resident David Heape said: “The Rock House Farm development is attempting to expand Shortwood by more than 300%.
“It’s situated too close to the existing village and is in danger of swallowing it.
“The planned access onto Main Road is on a known dangerous bend, plus the significant rise in traffic will undoubtedly increase emissions and lead to large-scale congestion.”
Mr Heape told the council the developers have described the plans as “founded on sound urban design principles”, but said the village was “the wrong area for an urban design”.
In her written objection, Gloria Hale said she has lived in Shortwood for 50 years and it has always been a “peaceful village” surrounded by open farmland and wildlife.
She said: “I regularly see wild deer, foxes and birds in my garden and the surrounding area, and enjoy the tranquillity of village life.
“I strongly believe that a development of this type would be doing a massive disservice to our children and grandchildren.”
Lusia Przytocki said: “The proposal for this site would significantly change the character of Shortwood and Mangotsfield.”
Emersons Green Town Council’s planning committee has objected “due to the combined impacts on traffic, infrastructure, and the local environment”.
Town councillors said the extra vehicle journeys generated by the development, and another planned on the other side of the ring road, “will inevitably increase pressure on Cossham Street, which already suffers from heavy congestion and limited capacity at peak times, creating further safety risks for pedestrians, cyclists, and residents”.
They added: “Furthermore, the proposal would result in the unacceptable loss of valuable green space, which currently supports wildlife, provides a buffer between existing housing and the main road, and contributes to the character and well-being of the community.”
Government advisory body Natural England has raised no objections to the plans, saying it will not have “significant adverse impacts” on protected nature conservation sites or landscapes.
The NHS Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board has told the council there is not enough local primary healthcare capacity, such as GPs and dentists, to meet the extra demand.
The ICB says the developers should pay more than £280,000 towards the capital cost of new provision.
The application can be viewed and commented on by searching for application P25/02966/O on the council’s planning website.
