Villagers join together to oppose resubmitted plans for 215-homes in Coalpit Heath

Developers Barratt and David Wilson Homes first submitted their proposals for Blackberry Park in February, but have recently made several design changes to the plans.

These include increasing the amount of green space within Blackberry Park to ensure that it “ties in” with the surrounding area of Coalpit Heath. 

However angry villagers believe that the new proposals are “not enough” and say that their concerns about the plans have been “largely ignored”. 

Rachel Trudgian, who lives nearby, told the Gazette that the revisions are “mere tweaks” that have been made “in an attempt to get the planning application approved”.

“They have reduced the number of taller buildings to get landscape approval, but this does nothing to eradicate the fact that no houses should be built on these fields as they are not part of the housing plan for the area," she said.

“The amendments do not address the loss of green space, the traffic concerns in the area and the added pressure on local amenities.”

A development control committee from South Gloucestershire Council will be visiting the site on Friday to assess its suitability.

Members of the committee and local councillors will be arriving at around 10.50am and the public is welcome to attend.

Cllr Claire Young said: “This is a much-loved piece of countryside for local people. 

“We fought hard to protect this land in the past, and the minor design changes in the resubmitted plans still do not address the concerns of residents.”

A spokesman for Barratt and David Wilson Homes told the Gazette: “We are aware of the importance of the site’s rural setting, and have significantly increased the levels of public open space in our development masterplan as well as retaining a significant proportion of the existing on-site trees and hedgerows.

“We continue to believe that this non-green belt site provides an opportunity to deliver much needed new homes.”