Thornbury councillors, residents and campaigners have had their say at a public inquiry which will decide if 370 more homes can be built in the town.

The Bovis Inquiry, currently sitting at Turnberries Community Centre will determine whether the houses can be built on land south of Gloucester Road.

Public submissions were due to he heard on February 1, but the inquiry was adjourned due to the bad weather.

The Planning Inspectorate made time available last Thursday evening, with 10 of around 20 residents in attendance choosing to speak.

Maggie Tyrell and Clare Fardell, Town and South Gloucestershire councillors, joined members of TRAPP’D (Thornbury Residents Against Poorly Planned Development) and other residents in speaking out against the plans.

Cllr Tyrell, chair of the town council’s development committee, was first to speak and said the council had been ‘bombarded’ by planning applications recently.

She also expressed concerns about the design of the proposed housing, saying it would be a ‘real blot on the landscape around this very sensitive area’.

Like many after her, Cllr Tyrell revealed concerns about the impact the development would have on Crossways Lane, a ‘much-loved rural walking route’.

Gerry Pitman, who organised a protest in December over the increasing volume of traffic on the lane, said: “Residents have come to the end of their tether.”

A Bovis representative argued £30,000 would be made available for traffic calming measures on the lane, but Gerry claimed this was ‘not a practical solution’.

“A slow rat-run is not necessarily a good rat run,” he added.

Cllr Fardell also highlighted problems extra cars would cause, describing traffic jams as ‘unbelievable’ and parking in the town as ‘terrible’.

Other common concerns raised included Thornbury becoming a ‘dormitory town’ due to the lack of jobs available, and a potential shortfall of primary school places.

The enquiry will resume on Tuesday and come to an end on March 1.