RESIDENTS in Frampton Cotterell have been queuing up to tell planning experts why they should save a treasured piece of green land from development.

Villagers lined up outside the Brockeridge Centre on Wednesday (July 9) to give South Gloucestershire Council’s planning experts reasons to include Woodlands Farm in its forthcoming Policies, Sites and Places (PSP) Plan.

They want the authority to safeguard the site, where children’s author Dick King-Smith once worked and is thought to have got inspiration for some of his farmyard characters, from future housebuilding and inclusion in the PSP plan would give Woodlands Farm almost as much protection as the Green Belt.

Their calls come after January's celebrations for winning a long-standing campaign against Barratt Homes which had applied for permission to build 330 homes on Woodlands Farm.

Cllr Dave Hockey (Lib Dem, Frampton Cotterell), who campaigned against the development, said: “Having had Barratt developments Park Farm built 20 years ago and The Meads just being finished now, the village has been quite clear that 20 per cent growth over 20 years has stretched us to the limit.

“Our highways, schools, doctors, all our services are stretched and residents have been very clear about that.

“Woodlands Farm was the most objected to scheme in the council’s consultation on its Core Strategy, receiving more comments than it did for the Filton Airfield development. South Gloucestershire Council should be looking to get Woodlands Farm into the Green Belt.”

Cllr Pat Hockey (Lib Dem, Frampton Cotterell), who attended the event, said: “There was a good turnout of people and they were asking the right questions.

“It will take a long time to evaluate all the comments but hopefully that will be done before March next year so it can go to a public inquiry before the elections.”

A drop-in event was held in Frampton Cotterell because of concerns over the development boundaries of the village with Westerleigh and Winterbourne and requests for Woodlands Farm to be protected. Similar sessions have been held in other areas where parish councils have requested more development or there is controversy over development boundaries.

Visit the consultations section at www.southglos.gov.uk to make a comment before August 28.