FURIOUS residents gathered in Purton on Friday to express their objections to university representatives seeking to build a boathouse in the village.

In unanimous opposition to the scheme to redevelop Bridge House into a club house for rowers from the University of the West of England (UWE), dozens of villagers grilled representatives of the university at the meeting of Hinton Parish Council on Tuesday.

The proposal to extend the listed building on the edge of the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal into a base for rowers has drawn a significant backlash from villagers concerned especially about the traffic impact and that the proposed structure would be out of keeping with the village’s setting.

In more than an hour of discussions at St John’s Church in the village, not one member of the public spoke out in support of UWE’s proposal although comments of support from villagers have been submitted to Stroud District Council.

Amongst about 50 residents to attend the meeting was Beryl Varnam who described UWE’s plans as “totally inappropriate” for the village.

“Traffic here is already a nightmare and this will only make things worse,” she said.

“This sort of thing is not at all in keeping with Purton and unwelcome here. These plans are totally inappropriate.”

The parish council has objected to the proposal for several reasons, including concerns about the additional traffic.

The Canal and River Trust, which manages the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, has also submitted a formal objection to the application although it has agreed in principle to having rowers on the canal in the area.

Speaking to the Gazette Ray Brown, said that the university was committed to being “a good neighbour” and wanted to work with villagers.

“We have had concerns raised before about traffic in the village – particularly regarding the car park, but we have no intention to use it,” he told the Gazette.

“Minibuses will be used to transport students to and from the clubhouse, as the plans show, and these will be contained on-site.

“There will also be very little rowing in the summer when traffic would be at its worst as our rowing season starts in September before coming down to a smaller group of elite athletes by Easter. After that point the students will have exams so use will be much lower.”

“I want to reinforce the point that we wish to be a good neighbour to people in Purton.

“We want to work with the community and will do all we can to do that”

A decision is expected to be made before the end of April.