RESIDENTS and councillors have slammed a proposal to build a new housing estate on a field at Engine Common near Yate.

The site in question is located behind the Codrington Arms pub car park - part of which will be turned into an access route should the plans be approved.

Developers at Sydney Freed Holdings hope to secure approval to build 90 houses and two football pitches, but residents in the area are not happy about the plans.

Michael Keenan, who lives in a house backing on to the field, said: “Very little common sense has been applied to these plans.

"The developer has little or no concern for the impact on local people."

He added: “One of the major concerns is flooding, as the area is already prone to poor drainage.

“The developers have proposed a method to remove water from the new estate, however this will simply shift the problem onto other residents.”

Mr Keenan, who is involved in a ‘Save Engine Common’ action group, is referring to a proposal in the plans to raise the ground beneath the new houses by 5ft.

He believes that this will cause potentially "catastrophic problems” for residents already living in the area, as water may be redirected onto their properties.

The site at Engine Common has already had two housing applications rejected in recent years, both of which went to appeal and were turned down by inspectors on the grounds that they would "change the appearance of the landscape".

Although the new housing application is for a much smaller development, Mr Keenan believes that that raising the houses by 5ft will have a similar effect on the "character of the area".

He said: "All of the locals are concerned about the feel and character of the area being lost.

"The application is deliberately avoiding images showing the true impact of elevating the land."

Jenna Hale, landlady of the Codrington Arms, added that the plans would have a serious impact upon the pub.

“We are going to lose most of our parking, which may deter customers.”

"We are absolutely against the plans for new houses."

At a meeting on Monday, 33 residents raised issues with the development with Iron Acton parish councillors.

Key areas for concern include potential flooding, congestion and a “change in character” to the area.

Cllr Bob Lomas said: “The council are firmly against the plans for new houses on the Engine Common site.

“The land has not been allocated as development land in the South Gloucestershire local plan.

“In fact, we previously recommended that it was not suitable for development when asked about potential sites for new housing.”

A spokesman on behalf of the applicant declined to comment.

To make a comment on the application, visit the South Gloucestershire planning portal here.