WORKSHOPS kicking off the public consultation for the proposed 3,000-home Buckover Garden Village have begun.

The controversially “invite-only” series of events saw their first instalments at Eastwood Park in Falfield on Tuesday, with two sessions inviting organisations and groups from the Thornbury community and surrounding area come to discuss the plans.

Working in groups through the session, guests were given particular topics ranging from infrastructure and transport to green issues, with each group being asked to identify potential problems and collectively decide what would solve them.

Future events are expected to take place focusing on residents and those living near to the proposed site for the village, with a public exhibition also set to take place in the summer.

A planning application is expected to be submitted later this year for the new settlement proposed by landowner, the Tortworth Estate and developer St Modwen, with the site also factored into the West of England Joint Spatial Plan (JSP) that is currently with the Secretary of State for approval.

Robert Moreton, of the Tortworth Estate, said: “Everyone was creative and had something to say, whether they were supportive of the village or not, so really would couldn’t have asked for more.”

James Wilson, St Modwen south west residential land director, added that a lot of discussion on the day related to how Thornbury and Buckover would “complement” each other rather than compete, and said that it would be something they would look to take forward.

When asked what they would expect to face in the coming workshops with residents, Rob Garnham, of Mediation in Planning, said: “For individuals it will be about their home, how they will be affected by Buckover Garden Village and what the benefits and challenge there.

“It is our job to capture and translate what is being said and take on that interpretation for the next steps of the journey.”

Having turned down the invitation to attend, members of community action group TRAPP’D staged a silent protest outside Eastwood Park, with banners and signs aloft for everyone passing by to see.

“We think the Tortworth Estate have fired the starting gun on their campaign and we want to be here today to say no to Buckover, reminding people we are here protesting against it,” said the group’s co-chairman Colin Gardner.

“It simply is trying to make a case that there is popular support behind it, that people are behind it simply because they attended, and we think that is the wrong thing to do.”

Thornbury and South Gloucestershire Cllr Maggie Tyrrell, who was also in attendance, took a similarly sceptical view of the event.

She said: “It was exactly what I expected, they were there to ensure they gathered opinions from people about what would make the garden village.

“Even if you are fundamentally against it, anything that you said that could suggest moving it forward was seen in a very positive light from their point of view.”